of greater activity and more determin'd force in ftemming that torrent of evils which flow from lawless tyranny and licentious faction. What thefe perfons mean by honour, whence its rife, and how it came to be introduc'd into man's frame, and to make one of his fupreme governing principles, I probably may give fome account of, at another time and place. At present, the only reply fhall be in the words of the author of the poem entitled Creation. "If honour lays a man under any obligation to perform or forbear any ac ❝tion, then it is evident, honour is a law or rule, and "the tranfgreffion of it makes us guilty and obnoxious to "punishment. And if it be a law, it must be the declara❝tion of fome legiflator's will. For this is the definition of

a law, that it regulates the manners of a moral agent. "Now I would ask a man of honour, who denies reli"gion, what or whofe law he breaks, if he deviates from "what he imagines to be a point of honour? 'Tis plain "there can be no tranfgreffion where there is no law,

no regularity where there is no rule, nor can a man do a "base or dishonourable thing, if he is under no obligation "to the contrary. Honour therefore abftracted from the "notion of religion which enjoins it, is a mere chimera, ❝ which can have little power over any man that does not ❝ believe a divine legislator, whose authority must enforce ❝ it."

The following truths flow in the nature of confectaries from what has been faid.

1. That as mandkind can have no dependence upon, nor confequently safely place any confidence in, the words and declarations of an atheist, it greatly concerns them to avoid all manner of commerce with him. Accordingly Mr. Locke, in his incomparable Letters concerning Toleration, fays, "they "who deny the existence of a God fhould not be tolerated; "because promifes, contracts, oaths, and faith, which are "the principle bonds of fociety, are no tie upon an atheist "to keep his word; and becaufe, fhould the belief of a

deity be banished the world, nothidg but a general con"fufion and diforder must inevitably be introduced.

2. Whoever propagates notions against the reality of religion, fuch as thofe which reprefent it to be the inven tion of priests, the more easily to enflave and bring others under their power, or that it was the trick of fome artful projecting ftatefman, to fupply the defects of laws, and to take in fuch things as human policy was oblig'd to pass by, and could make no provifion for; whoever, I fay, advances fuch doctrines as thefe ipfo facto affects the vitals of magistracy, and, in this view, ought to be treated as one of the greatest pests to its peace and happiness, in short, as the common enemy of mankind.

3. Since the state of a community depends on the notions its members entertain of an over-ruling providence, the jufter and more agreeable to truth thofe are, the higher is its credit, and the more extenfive conveniencies it abounds with. And whoever looks into the accounts hiftory gives us of the condition of mankind in every age of the world, will find fact fully and inconteftibly confirming our reasoning above.

And if civil benefits do refult from religious impreffions, and hold proportion with the nature, quality, and intensenefs of them, it is evident, the entire absence of all religion must be the privation of each kind and degree of hap piness, or pure abfolute mifery.

[To be continued. ]

R

A new SYSTEM of CASTLE-BUILDING.

CHAP.

III.

Wherein is fhewn that this fcience, tho' of a comic nature in general, may have very ferious effects, and be fubfervient to the purposes of humanity and good-nature,

W

Hoever is a CASTLE-BUILDER of any fort of eminence, is poffefs'd of a Talisman, by virtue of which he may transform himself into what fhape, fize, or cond

tion he pleases. If he has but wit enough to forget himself, he may be confidered as a ductile piece of matter, which his imagination can mould and diversify, as much, and as often as fhe lifteth. Hence it is that I account for my having often met a self-created monarch in rags; and I have seen a PANTILE-PEG-MAKER at work with an air of as much importance, as if the administration of Europe had depended upon every individual peg he made-and with reason might he affume this air; for tho' his outward-man was at work for Billy Tiplington, the dust-man, at the third house of your thumb-hand in Blow-Bladder-Street, yet his mind doubtlefs .was bufied in erecting fabricks more fuperb than those of Venice, and furnishing them with laws very little inferior to to thofe of Solon or Lycurgus.

I have often heard a story of a taylor, who by the use of the abovemention'd Talisman imagined himself a great general, and actually engaged with his yard-wand a very numerous and formidable army of nettles, menacing devastation to both horse and foot, and by turns making use of all the terms of the art military; and it is most certain he would have put his threats in execution, had not a flight of geefe (like the ancient defenders of the Roman capitol) deterr'd him from his enterprize, and faved the major part of the flinging vegetables from destruction.

I do not know how it is with the readers of romances in general, but for my own part I declare, I have killed many a giant; on the perufal of an action I have been in the midst of it, and always complimented myself with being the hero of the day. But let me not run away too far from my thefis, which promises to fhew, that CASTLEBUILDING may be apply'd to the purposes of humanity. If then, by this art, one may lift one's felf above one's degree in life, and enjoy fuperior dignities by the forgeries of the imagination, we may a fortiori fink ourselves to an humbler condition; for to go down ftairs is much easier than to afcend. I would have therefore, thofe people, who are in affluence,

affluence, and whom providence has appointed the treasurers of the poor, conceive for a few moments, that they are diftrefs'd themselves, and level their Castle to the humility of the Cottage. This is the only infallible method of making them obferve that beft of rules, viz. of doing as they would be done by; and by putting themselves to a fhort imagi nary pain, they will be induced, if not enforc'd, to do a great deal of real good,

Let the penfion'd driveler that ftruts in the Mall, and enjoys the unmerited freedom of the air, imagine that he is confin'd in Newgate, devoid, not only of the comforts, but the ne ceffaries of life, and if he then does not go and immedi ately relieve fome of the worthier felons, and infinitely more innocent debtors, I fhall not, for the future, hear with par tience his long-winded periods on a free nation and Chriftian country.

Laftly, let the well-fed pluralifts, that batten in the funfhine of profperity, and indulge in the luxury of Cathedral magnificence, on some fast-day or other reflect on the miferies and hardships of the inferiour Clergy, on their fons who are reduced to beggary to avoid theft, and on their daughters who must submit to prostitution to keep them from starving; let them weigh well thefe calamities, let them make (as is vulgarly faid) the cafe their own, or confider it may be the case of their own flesh and blood, and then most certainly they will readily concur with the generous, noble, and Chrif tian scheme, communicated to the publick in the fourth number of this work, and the pious endeavours of a set of great and good men, who with incredible diligence, and confiderable expence, have united their efforts to promote it.

CHIMERICUS CANTABRIGIENSIS,

ANECDOTE

ANECDOTE

Communicated by Dr. RAWLINSON,

Concerning a most remarkable dream of Mr. HERBERT, afterwards Sir THOMAS HERRERT, groom of the bedchamber to King CHARLES I. the night before the martyrdom of that prince, mentioned by Mr. Wood in the Athen. Oxon.

A

S the anecdote contained in the following letter, communicated to us by Dr. RAWLINSON, will fupply an omiffion in the Oxford Hiftoriographer, and render more complete the account he has given us of the laft days of King CHARLES I. of ever-bleffed memory, it cannot prove unacceptable to the curious. Our readers, therefore, will think themselves highly obliged to us, for preferving fo valuable a piece, not elfewhere to be met with, by allowing it a place in this collection.

Copy of a letter from Sir THOMAS HERBERT to Dr. SAMWAYS, and by him fent to the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, Dr. SANDCROFT, referr'd to in page 524, line 73, of Vol. II. of Athenæ Oxonienfes, Edit. 1692; and in page 701, line 39, of the fame volume, Edit. 1721'; found in a copy of that book, lately in the hands of the Lord Viscount PRESTON,

SIR,

A

FTER his late majesty's remove from Windfer to St. James's, albeit according to the duty of my place, I lay in the next room to the bed-chamber, the king then commanded me to bring my pallate into his chamber, which I accordingly did, the night before that forrowful day. He or dered what cloaths he would wear, intending that day to be as neat as could be, it being (as he called it) his wedding

day,