in time of peace, nor have they power to defend themselves or the people by sword in time of warre. But especially they charge the magistrate to beware how they meddle with good honest heretics, for all heretics in the opinion of Arminians and Socinians (who speak favourably in their own cause,) are good pious men.'

In the above passage, Cheynell refers to and perverts the opinions of the Polish brethren who held, that all war is unchristian and that capital punishments are unwarranted by the laws of God and nature. To his furious spirit these gentle and benevolent sentiments appeared perfectly ridiculous; as did they to the great body of divines of that age, who were worthy members of the Church Militant on earth. On this point indeed, Cheynell makes himself rather merry with one Webberley, whom he mentions as a high-flown Socinian and as the English translator of several (Polish) Socinian works, speaking of one of these, which Webberley had for the benefit of this nation, prepared for the press,' he adds,now they think they may owne the business, they dare appeare in their proper colours and blaspheme Christ in plain language. But because some parts of Socinianisme strike directly at the superstition of Rome so highly extolled in our days and at the pompe of the clergy which must be maintained by the sword (for what care they though England swimme in blood, so they swimme in wealth and pleasure?) therefore Mr. Webberley tells us very honestly, that Socinianism was to be corrected and chastised with respect to the nature of our climate.' The clause we have designated particularly in the above extract, appears a singular concession or blunder of Cheynell, when we look back to the title of the tract we have been noticing, and observe the monstrous union there imputed to the artifices of Laud.

If our readers have any curiosity to learn more of the history of the man, whose character, temper, and style have now be come familiar to them, his life, written (very favourably too, it will appear) by Johnson, originally for the Gentleman's Magazine, may be found in the last volume of his works.

MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS.

FROM ARTHUR WARWICK'S SPARE MINUTES-1637.

POPULAR applause and vulgar opinion may blow up, and mount upward the bubble of a vaine glorious minde, till it burst in the ayre, and vanish; but a wise man builds his glory on the strong foundation of virtue, without expecting or respecting the slender props of vulgar opinion. I will not neglect what every one thinks of mee; for that were impudent dissolutenesse. I will not make it my common care to hearken how I am cared for of the common sort, and bee over-sollicitous what every one speakes of me; for that were a toylesome vanity. I may doe well and heare ill; and that's a kingly happinesse. I may doe ill and heare well; and that's an hypocrite's best felicity. My actions shall make me harmony in my heart's inner chamber: I will not borrow the voyces of the vulgar to sweeten my musique.

WHEN I see the husbandman well contented with the cold of frost and snow in the winter, because, though it chilleth the ground, yet it killeth the charlocke; though it checke the wheat somewhat in growing, yet it choaketh the weeds from growing at all why should I bee moved at the winter of affliction? why vexed at the quaking fit of a quartane ague? why offended at the cold change of affection in my summer-friends? If as they seeme bitter to my mind or body, they proove healthfull to my bittered soule. If my wants kill my wantonnesse, my poverty check my pride, my disrespected sleighting quell my ambition and vaineglory, and every weed of vice being thus choaked by affliction's winter, my soule may grow fruitfull for heaven's harvest, let my winter bee bitter, so that I be gathered with the good corne at reaping time.

HEALTH may be injoyed; sicknesse must be indured: one body is the object of both, one God the author of both. If then he give me health, I will thankfully enjoy it, and not thinke it too good, since it is his mercy that bestows it: if hee send sickness, I will patiently indure it, and not thinke it too great, since it is my sinne that deserves it. If in health, I will strive to pre

serve it by praising of him: if in sicknesse, I will strive to remove it, by praying to him. He shall bee my God in sicknesse, and in health, and my trust shall bee in him in health and in sicknesse. So in my health, I shall not need to feare sicknesse, nor in any sicknesse dispaire of health.

FROM HABINGTON'S CASTARA-16 10.

A WIFE

Is the sweetest part in the harmony of our being. To the love of which, as the charms of nature inchant us, so the law of grace by speciall priviledge invites us. She is so religious that every day crowns her a martyr, though her zeale be neither rebellious nor uncivill. She is so true a friend, her husband may to her communicate even his ambitions, and if successe crowne not expectation, remaine neverthelesse uncontemn'd. She is colleague with him in the empire of prosperity; and a safe retyring place when adversity exiles him from the world. She is so chaste, she never understood the language lust speakes in, nor with a smile applaudes it, although there appeare wit in the metaphore. Shee is faire onely to winne on his affections, nor would she be mistris of the most eloquent beauty, if there were danger that it might persuade the passionate auditory to the least irregular thought. She is liberall, and yet owes not ruine to vanity, but knows charity to be the soule of goodnesse, and virtue without reward often prove to bee her owne destroyer, Shee is much at home, and when shee visits 'tis for mutuall commerce, not for intelligence. Shee can goe to court, and returne no passionate doater on bravery; and when shee hath seene the gay things muster up themselves there, shee considers them as cobwebs the spider vanity hath spunne. Shee is so generall in her acquaintance, that shee is familiar with all whom fame speaks vertuous; but thinks there can bee no friendship but with one; and therefore hath neither shee friend nor private servant. Shee so squares her passion to her husband's fortunes, that in the country shee lives without a froward melancholy, in the towne without a fantastique pride, She is so temperate, shee never read the moderne pollicie of glorious surfeits; since shee finds nature is no epicure if art provoke her not by curiositie. Shee is inquisitive onely of new wayes to please him, and her wit sayles by no other compasse than that of his direction. His virtues are her wonder and imitation; and his errors her credulitie thinks no

more frailtie than makes him descend to the title of man. In a word, shee so lives that shee may dye, and leave no cloude upon her memory, but have her character nobly mentioned: while the bad wife is flattered into infamy, and buyes pleasure at too deare a rate, if shee onely payes for it repentance.

FROM OCCASIONAL REFLECTIONS."

:

BY THE HON. ROBERT BOYLE.

THERE is no act of memory like a death-bed's review of one's life sickness, and a nearer prospect of death, often make a man remember those actions, wherein youth and jollity made him forget his duty and those frivolous arguments, which, when he was in health and free from danger, were able to excuse him to his own indulgent thoughts, he himself will scarce now think valid enough to excuse him unto God, before whom if the sinless angels cover their faces, sinful mortals may justly tremble to be brought to appear. When the approach of death makes the bodily eyes grow dim, those of the conscience are enabled to discern, that, as to many of the pleas we formerly acquiesced in, it was the prevalence of our senses that made us think them reason; and none of that jolly company, whose examples prevailed with us to join with them in a course of vanity, will stand by us at the bar to excuse the actions they tempted us to; and if they were there, they would be so far from being able to justify us, that they would be condemned themselves.

It is true, if we consider death only as the conclusion of life, and a debt all men, sooner or later, pay to nature, not only a christian, but a man may entertain it without fear but if one consider it as a change, that after having left his body to rot in the grave, will bring his soul to the tribunal of God, to answer the miscarriages of his whole past life, and receive there an unalterable sentence, that will doom him to endless and inconceivable joys, or inexpressible torments; I think it is not inconsistent either with piety or courage, to look upon so great a change with something of commotion. Many that would not fear to be put out of the world will apprehend to be let into eternity.

ON LICENTIOUS POETRY.

'FOR more than half a century English literature had been distinguished by its moral purity, the effect, and in its turn, the cause of an improvement in national manners. A father might, without apprehension of evil, have put into the hands of his children any book which issued from the press, if it did not bear, either in its title page or frontispiece, manifest signs that it was intended as furniture for the brothel. There was no danger in any work which bore the name of a respectable publisher, or was to be procured of any respectable bookseller. This was particularly the case with regard to our poetry. It is now no longer so; and woe to those by whom the offence cometh! The greater the talents of the offender, the greater is his guilt, and the more enduring his shame.' * * * * * * · Individuals are bound to consider that such pernicious works would neither be published nor written, if they were discouraged as they might, and ought to be, by public feeling; every person, therefore, who purchases such books, or admits them into his house, promotes the mischief, and thereby, as far as in him lies, becomes an aider and abetter of the crime.

"The publication of a lascivious book is one of the worst of fences which can be committed against the well-being of society. It is a sin, to the consequences of which no limits can be assigned, and those consequences no after repentance in the writer can counteract. Whatever remorse of conscience he may feel, when his hour comes (and come it must!) will be of no avail. The poignancy of a death-bed repentance cannot cancel one copy of the thousands which are sent abroad; and as long as it continues to be read, so long is he the pander of posterity, and so long is he heaping up guilt upon his soul in perpetual accumulation.'

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"The evil is political as well as moral, for indeed moral and political evils are inseparably connected. Truly has it been af firmed by one of our ablest and clearest reasoners, that "the destruction of governments may be proved and deduced from the general corruption of the subjects' manners, as a direct and natural cause thereof, by a demonstration as certain as any in the mathematics." There is no maxim more frequently enforced by Machiavelli, than that where the manners of a people are generally corrupted, there the government cannot long subsist ;a truth which all history exemplifies; and there is no means whereby that corruption can be so surely and rapidly diffused, as by poisoning the waters of literature!'-[Southey, 1821.]