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There are few notes to this fuperficial work, which is itself of notes a mere collection. Tumultuariæ, as Bernouilli with iefs propriety, called his upon Defcartes. I muft however here note a droll ftory of an old phyfician, doctor Oldfield; who seemed as much impreft with Churchill's merits, as is the writer of this Retrofpect. Being at confultation one day, after a pause he started up and faid, "the Duke of Marlborough spoke in the "House of Lords an hour this morning." "Well fir!" replies a furgeon in the room, "Did he fay any thing of doctor Oldfield ?" "Of me; no furely." "Then he is a "very ungrateful man I think," returns Belchier brifkly; "for doctor Oldfield can"not fpeak a minute without mentioning the Duke of Marlborough, in any house."

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CHAP. XVII.

AMERICA, ASIA, AFRICA, AND GENERAL SKETCH OF IMPROVEMENT IN EUROPE, FROM 1725 TO 1750.

W

HILE Chriftians were cutting each other's throats in Europe during Queen Anne's wars, the wifer Indians of North America fet up a neutrality, and armed for its defence; having been disgufted with French perfidy ever since the governor of Canada burned all his prisoners alive, and gave up fixteen Englishmen to those savages who were fuppofed most inimical to the five nations or allics, hoping they would be put to death with new and ingenious torments. Monfieur de Denonville was however mistaken, for the Cataraqui tribe sent them fafe home to our colony. Montreal now became a place of barter, and the spirit of traffick feemed likely to fucceed that difgraceful ferocity which had hitherto stained the banks of the rapid Ohio. The foil on both fides of the Mohawk River was found to be excellent for raising hemp: mafts were the natural produce of woods nearly impenetrable, confifting chiefly of majestick pines or haughty chefnut trees, self-sown, and inexperienced of the axe or pruning knife. To these old England rationally turned her thoughts, and fought improvement of her American poffeffions. During the fummer of 1730, when there was question of a royal charter for Georgia and Carolina, to be called fo after our young King George II. and his confort, feven copper-coloured chiefs came to St. James's, and did a willing homage to the fovereign; mention is made in one of the Spectators of fuch an embaffy before that time, and their grave deportment at the theatre attracted much notice, impreffing

preffing people with a ftrong perfuafion of their good fenfe. They were not, as they would have been heretofore, perplexed with queftions in divinity, but returned home I truft, admiring, as we did lately from our deputation to China, how finely people might live without any religion at all. The Spaniards had, no doubt, been grofsly culpable in erecting Christianity upon an altar formed of spoiled palaces and bleeding innocents; for fo was feated their new church in Mexico. The English, led to think that the reverfe of wrong muft needs be right, left all to accident north of the Ifthmus Darien: I mean fo far as government took cognizance. Miffionaries fent forth by fubfcription of pious individuals, owed little, except mere protection to that state which feemed, about the time under revifal, to care for nothing fave the world's new idol, worshipt with greater reverence every day-the golden idol property. Eaft India was become a grand, though not a royal exchange the affairs of our old Company there, which began the laft day of the year 1600, and was united with a new one, fome early day in 1700, had made a progress so prodigious, that they were looked on with half jealous eyes at home, while inftances of their rapacity and aggrandizement abroad amazed the natives, of whatever cast, though long acquainted with European manners. The Capuchin friars were at the inftant we are speaking of, the only perfons from our continent untainted with this appetite of wealth, this bulimy; bespeaking a vitiated constitution; and they were made known to the orientalifts, chiefly by the following accident: a fophy of Perfia, I think the famous Kouli Khan himfelf, was feized with faintings, giddinefs, and tremor, which none of his physicians could account for or remove. One of the members belonging to an old Francifcan convent fettled at Ifpahan, heard this event and joined in the affliction; but added that the cure needed not be difficult. The Grand Treasurer, informed of his opinion, called him inftantly to court, where their royal patient lay in a fyncope. Adminiftering a fmart emetic, after clearing the bowels fecundum artem, fymptoms of recovery announced themfelves; opiates

procured

procured repofe, and bitters from the difpenfary belonging to these monks, completed the happiness of Perfia. Heaps of gold were offered in return to him who had bestowed health on the Emperor; but nothing could the Capucin be prevailed on to accept, unless promifes of protection to his fraternity. Thamas made no fcruple of granting them a lafting charter; but his Treasurer, ftruck with the strange difintereftedness of the dervife, made an immediate friendship with him, studied his language, and listened with wonder to his accounts of Italy, till having heated his brains with the recital, he refolved to run away with the man, and turn friar. Concealing fome diamonds to pay their journey, infure a good reception at the end on't, and make their future lives comfortable, Father Gafparo and his confiding friend arrived at Rome: but when prefented as a convert to Pope Benedict, he denied all belief in our bleffed Saviour's divinity, although convinced of his celestial miffion. After a few gentle reprimands to his companion however, all was paffed over, and the Treasurer of Perfia was quietly admitted into the monaftery erected by Cardinal Barberini, brother to Urban VIII. He lived till 96 years old, and was feen there by the writer of Memoires des Cours d'Italie, a curious book printed about seven or eight years ago. This anecdote fhews the furprizing revolution in Christian men's ideas; nor is it half as strange that one warm-headed individual fhould crofs whole continents for the mere pleafure of wearing a fcapulary in honour of a religion, the fundamental principle of which he difbelieved; as that the truly pious and worthy Pope Orfino fhould admit a pofitive Socinian into that community, whofe founder held even an Arian in abhorrence. This curious amalgamation of opinions feems to have been chiefly performed by commerce, which foftens the mind of one man to receive the ideas of another; as on the admiffion of mercury gold becomes a perfect pafte. Good people helped this work forward too, more than they would have wifhed, had its confequences been laid open to them, by reproaching their Christian brothers everlaftingly with the fuperiority of favage virtucs, till it has at

length

length become the mode to find out excellence in all but Chriftians. Excefs of evidence befide, has, as Bifhop Watfon obferves, been converted into a principle of unbelief; and because we fee the Shanfcrit language filled with efforts to exprefs a trinity in unity, fome of us come from the ftudy of it, mere theofophifts. Yet if the word Ocon of the cast were investigated clofely by those who are competent to such refearch, who knows but an approach to Plato's ons might be traced, which I have heard were merely energies or emanations of divinity, incomprehenfible fomethings, thirty in number, filling up the chafm, and forming a chain between omnipotence and humanity. 'Tis difficult to find a new way of being either wife or virtuous, either abfurd or perverfe. The adherents to orthodoxy had condemned Sabellianifm at the council of Alexandria in 260, because it maintained that the fame God and Father of all, defcended incarnate upon the earth he had created; redeemed it by his death; returned to heaven, and came down again upon his holy apoftles. Nor do Dr. South's fermons militate very ftrongly against this notion, although he lies buried in Weftminfter Abbey; and lived to hear his great opponent Sherlock, accused of tritheifm yet as the mad prophet faid by Louis quatorze, "It is not "the Duke of Marlborough, nor Prince Eugene, which fhall cut down "and utterly destroy thee; but men of whom thou haft not now a thought." Religion was not deeply injured by thefe difputes: the pupil of Mr. Locke, the famous Lord Shaftesbury, in his elegant and fpirited work called the Characteristicks, did more real hurt to the true good old caufe, than all profeffors of theology put together; and I remember a friend of my own ten years ago, when anarchy and affaffination reigned in Paris, and the life-blood dropt daily warm from the guillotine, faid the French will be lefs wretched when a civil war breaks out among them, becaufe killing will then be in the hands of foldiers, who are bred to it, and understand how: now each man murders for himself, methinks the flaughter's doubly dreadful. My friend judged very rightly; and while the conteft between orthodox and he

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terodox

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