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herself esteem'd Sylvia, and had been inadvertently the Occafion of Florio's Acquaintance with her; fhe would ufe feveral Arguments in Defence of them both, and fhew'd little or no Uneafinefs.

But now comes on a new Scene: A Florio by Means of the Miilipi Distractions was reduc'd to the lowest Ebb of Fortune; tho' his Lady's Jointure was, indeed, untouch'd. This made him reflect upon what he had done; and amusing himself one Day at the Chocolate-Houfe, he met B with an old Acquaintance, Col. Trueman, who exprefs'd the utmoft Concern at seeing him fo penfive, and having learnt from him the State of his Affairs, promifed in the most grateful and generous Manner to affift him, and to furnish him with C roool. immediately, if he would ftay whilft he ftep'd to his Lodgings. He foon fent him the Money, and by the fame Meffenger begg'd his Excufe for half an Hour, while he would try to do him more Service. The Colonel knew the whole Intrigue between Sylvia and his Friend, and refolved now to fee if she would demonftrate on this Occafion the Love fhe always profeffed to have for him: He therefore went and open'd the Affair to her, who appear'd inconfolable; but foon recollecting herself, Good Colonel, fays fhe, in this Perplexity, I have the Pleasure of putting my dear Florio into the Poffeflion of 20,000l. Here, take this Casket of Jewels. they are esteem'd worth 10.000l. and take this Box of Writ

ings, containing his Settlement of 500l. a Year upon me, and tell him I am proud of having been a faithful Steward for him: I only with his Lady would excufe my Inadvertency, and I would initantly retire to a Nunnery that I might never more offend

her.

The Colonel immediately return'd to Florio, and acquainted him with this furprizing Act of Generofity; and the Lady Cordelia was foon in

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form'd of the whole Matter, who determin'd hereupon that they should all dine together, if poffible. The Colonel with much Difficulty brought Sylvia to Cordelia, who, after they had been for a little Time in a Room together, introduced her to Florio: I am, fays fhe, the Perfon that introduc'd you into Sylvia's Company, I forgive her all Offences committed against me; he has fhewn her Regard for you in the Return of her Prefents, which I cannot prevail upon her to accept of again; and as fhe is refolv'd to retire from the World, let us now be as pleasant as we can together, and thank the Colonel for his good Offices. But their Hearts were too full to eat much: Sylvia took her Leave, the Colonel was happy in what he had done, and

Florio with his Cordelia liv'd in Pleafure all their Lives afterwards.

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Of Matches made by Parents for their
Children, without their Inclination.

HIS Writer tells a Story of a

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Vifit he made to an elderly Lady of his Acquaintance: Being defir'd to stay till fhe return'd from Evening Prayers, he was led into the Dining Room, where he E found a gay young Gentleman alone with her only Daughter; which made him call the Mother's Prudence in Question, that she should thus expose her Child either to be undone, or at least to have her Fame fcandalized. However, he was refolv'd to fatisfy his Curiofity in obferving their Behaviour to each other; when he was yet more astonish'd to see the Gentleman only pay his Court to the Looking-Glafs, and the young Lady lavish all her Endearments on her GSquirrel, with fuch uncommon Coolnefs on both Sides, that he was ready to think they were married, and that the Match was kept fecret for fome Family Reafons. Whilft he was re

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flecting

flecting on thefe Things, and a pro-
found Silence was obferv'd amongst
them, the old Lady came in: Mr.
Birch, fays fhe, this is Sir William
Weaver, he is juft return'd from his
Travels, and is to be married next
Week to my Daughter: I affure you A
they never faw one another before;
and no Matter for that, for 'tis only
for the Vulgar to be fond; People of
Fashion have more Delicacy. In

fhort fhe told him, Sir William's
Father, and her Husband agreed up-
on this Match ten Years ago, and B
they both inherited their Fortunes
only on this Condition. Upon this
the Writer makes fuch Reflections as
thefe: This fatal Neceffity, of mar-
rying whom their Parents arbitrarily
chufe for them, leaves no Room for
the Pleasure of Choice, for the Deli- C
cacy of Courtship, or the Fondness
of Paffion. Knowing it must be fo,
they are both as indifferent before-
hand, as many others are afterwards:
Thus they are fure of all the Mifery
of Marriage, without a Chance for
any of its Happiness, and conceiving D
a mutual Averfion at first, have no
other Hope of Comfort, but in a
mutual Contempt at laft. Thus the
wife Schemes of their Parents only
make the Mifery of their Children;
and the Union of their Fortunes is
the Ruin of their Peace. If they
have Senfe, they will strive to con-
ceal their Misfortunes; for the World
is more apt to laugh than pity, and
Sorrow can't relish either Compaffion
or Ridicule.

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Truth may be taken for what any Man may take to be fo; this Author giving us no common Standard to know it by.

Again, he fays that Severus is to blame for all voluntary Sufferings and Self-denials, tho' the Christian Religion be a State of divine Difcipline; and the Founder of it exprefly fays, that if any Man will come after him, he muft deny himself. 'Tis true, he palliates this new Doctrine for the Taste of profeft Chriftians, by adding, where prudential Confiderations do not demand it: But what will be thought prudential Confideration, in the Opinion of a Deift, is as uncertain at leaft as his Standard of judging what is human Reason.

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He blames thofe who have the Forming of Religion in Men, for beginning with the Impreffions of Fear: For God is all Love, and means nothing but the Good and Happiness of all his Creatures, and cannot intend Mifery or Pain to any of them. An infnaring Argument, ufed to fap the Foundation of future Punishment, and to encourage fuch a Latitude in fenfual Gratifications as every Man's natural Appetite fuggefts. He tells us before, that God created Man's Senfes and Paffions, and provided fuitable Óbjets for them; not confidering Fear E to be one of those natural Paffions, and to have its proper Object, as well as Love.

Befides, in the Religion of Nature, the Deifts do not blame Parents for taking Occafion from the Fears of their Children, to bend them to Good, F as the only Way to Happiness; yet penal Laws in the Church, or Civil Community, are judged Perfecution and Infringements of natural Liberty.

This new Doctrine, which fhews fuch an Antipathy to the Dread of the

Deity, makes him charge the diftinGguifh'd Piety of Women to their tender and timorous Difpofition: Whereas, this Writer fays, he fhould rather. encourage them in their Devotion,

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and

and celebrate their due Praifes, for that which adds fpiritual to the natural Beauty of their Sex. and deferves the Imitation and the Envy (if Envy could be innocent) of the Men.

He concludes, that he is as great an Enemy to Superftition as any A Man, which he takes to be a groundles Fear and needlefs Service in Religion; but he is not for refolving the general Dread of the Deity, and the pofitive Duties of the Golpel into that Character, in order to pull down the Fences of Establish'd Reli- B gion, and to introduce Confufion, for the fake of indulging the vain pretended Liberty of human Nature.

London Journal, April 1. N° 666.

The Causes of Corruption: Occafioned by the Craftfinan of March 25.

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R. Oborne fays, there cannot be a furer Indication of a weak and vulgar Mind, than throw ing out general Invectives against the prefent Age. To fay that we are more corrupt now, than of old, is throwing the greatest Reproach upon Liberty and good Senfe; for Slavery is better than Liberty, and Ignorance than Knowledge, if Men are more virtuous under the first than the laft: But that is impotible. For where. Liberty and just Thinking prevail, there melt neceffarily be more virtuous Men, than when they only blindly Jubmitted to an Authority, which footh'd them in their Vices, and taught them to commute for their Sins.

'Tis true, that Occafions and Circomitances produce fome Vices in one Age, which do not arife in another. The English could not, till of late, like the Banditti, rob in Clans or Companies: The national Debts, contracted within thefe 40 or 50 Years, occafion'd feveral of thefe Companies; and Companies have ftronger Inducements to be corrupt, and are more fecure in their Corruption, than

fingle Men: Which is a very good Reafon for demolishing all of them, which are not neceffary to the Good of the Kingdom, as foon as poffible.

The lowering of Intereft has reduc'd the Fortunes of Thoufands from a. Hundred a Year to Seventy or Sixty; which has driven them to venture their Money in Charitable Corporations (impiously fo call'd) for the Sake of larger Intereft. Such have been the Caufes of erecting Companies, and fuch the Caufes of Corruption: But why muft the People be arraign'd for the Sins of a few Men? Or, why must one Gentleman be fingled out as the Caufe of all this Corruption?

It is faid, that the Body of the People generally judge right, because C can they judge, that the Nation they judge by their Senfes : But is more corrupt, because fome Companies have betray'd their Truft? Can they judge by their Senfes, that the Gentleman who is flander'd as the Caufe of all this Corruption, is the real Caufe? The Miniftry-haters say indeed they have no Power to do good or hurt, but by their Tongues and Pens: But has not as much Mifchief been done by the Tongue and Pen, as by Sword or Piftol, Affaffination or Poifon? Slander and Defamation have done terrible Things in private Life; but when maliciously employ'd against Governments, they are productive of infinite Mifchiefs.

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Thefe Men may talk and rail, and dream and roar against Corruption : They may fhew us a Tree of Corruption, and a Man in that Tree; but there is but one Way of cutting down this Tree; which is, Mens keeping themselves from Diftreffes by Industry and Frugality. The only Way to prevent Corruption is a virtuous Education, good Examples, ftrict Order and Government in Families, breeding up Children to Bufinefs, and inuring them to Temperance and Labour. But the Neglect of thefe, the Folly of Tradesmen in imitating the

Extravagancies of Gentlemen, and the Growth of idle Men among us, bred to no Bufinefs, prepare us for any Wickedness that will fupply those Wants, which our Idlenefs and Extravagance have created.

Craftsman, April 1. N° 300.

Remarks on the Reign of K. Charles I.

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and his Kindred with Honours, Titles, and Preferments, he fold the reft to the best Bidders: Even Bishopricks and Seats of Fulice were put to fale, and nothing was difpos'd of without ready Money. Monopolies, Patents A and Projects of all Kinds were fet on foot to raise Money; particularly one for the fole making and felling of Gold and Silver Lace, under the Pretence of which the Projectors, one of which was Buckingham's Creature, put off great Quantities of Lace, made of Copper, and other fophifticated Materials; which rais'd a general Complaint, and occafion'd the Parliament to take it in Hand; tho' the Matter was fo managed that the chief Author of this Iniquity efcap'd with Impunity,

R. D'Anvers having declar'd the Difficulty of faying any Thing on this Subject, without giving Offence to one of the two Par B ties who efpoufe the different Conduft of their Forefathers; that he abhorr'd the Thoughts of defigning to infinuate any general Similitude between thofe Times and the prefent; and that fince the Difputes on this Subject had been lately reviv'd by fome fa- C mous Sermons on Jan. 30, he thought he had the fame Liberty of expressing his Sentiments; proceeds thus:

I think it is generally agreed, that the Foundation of thofe Calamities which broke out in 1641, was laid in the Reign of K. James I. who was ftrongly tinctur'd with Notions of arbitrary Power, which put him upon endeavouring to make himself abjolute, and ftretch the Prerogative above Law: He had also another dangerous Foible, of being govern'd by his Ministers and Favourites, against the E general Senfe of his People. He was abfolutely manag'd by the Earl of Somerset in the former Part of his Reign, and Villars, Duke of Buckingham, kept him in Leading-ftrings all the reft of his Life.

This upfart, ignorant and domineering Minifter being raifed almoft at once from a private Station, by the Management of a Court Faction, contriy'd a molt execrable Scheme of dividing the Nation into two great Parties; and having put himself at the Head of one of thofe Parties, and advanc'd Laud to the Mitre, he began to lord it over his Master as well as the People. When he had glutted himself

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Whilft Corruption triumph'd at Home, the Nation was reduc'd to the utmoft Contempt Abroad, and was oblig'd to fubmit to the groffelt Infults, without Reprizals or Refentment, under the falfe Notion of preferving the Peace.

Whenever he found a Storm rifing against him, he made Ufe of an Art to divert it, which has been commonly practis'd by all bad Minifters; that is, he would throw out a Tub to amufe the People, and turn off their Attention from himself. In thefe,

Cafes he had no Regard to Friends, Creatures or Relations, if their Fall became neceffary to his own Support; of this the Lord Middlefex was an Inftance, tho' the King himself us'd all his Intereft to fave him, even by intreating his Pardon from the Duke. This began to open the King's Eyes; but he happen'd to die juft at this Crifis, very feafonably for Buckingham, not without ftrong Sufpicions of his being poifon'd by him.

King Charles I. fucceeded his FaGther amidft the general Shouts and Acclamations of the People, which by a Partiality natural to all Men, he afcrib'd wholly to perfonal Affection; whereas 'twas evident that the general

Joy

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Joy at this Time proceeded very much from the Hopes of new Meafures: But, unfortunately for the Nation and the King, one of the worst Actions which any Minister was ever guilty of, establish'd Buckingham in fuller Confidence and Power under the Son, than under the Father; fo that as he had the fame Minister and the fame Council, fo he purfued the fame Measures; by which Means he loft by Degrees the Affections of his People: And the Parliament resum'd their former Spirit, and purfued the B Minifter with Remonftrances and Articles of Impeachment, as follows:

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That his exceffive Power was the chief Caufe of all the Evils and Mischiefs in the Kingdom.

Party, and from a zealous Contender for Liberty turn'd one of the most formidable Inftruments of arbitrary Power. As he had much greater Capacities than Buckingham, fo he improv'd upon his Schemes, and ripen'd them into a bloody Civil War between the King and his People. But he fell a Sacrifice by a Bill of Attainder, tho' the King comply'd too late, when the Jealoufies of the People were fo inflam'd, that all Truft and Confidence in his Majefly were deftroy'd. Whether thofe Jealoufies were justly founded or not, I fhall leave to the Bishop of Chichester and his Opponents.

He concludes with an Obfervation, which he fays naturally occurs upon That he has ingrofs'd a great reading the English History, viz. That C Number of Offices, by ill Means, I for one Prince, who hath been undone, 'and procur'd Titles and Places for or reduc'd to great Diftrefs, by his own his Kindred and Allies, without perfonal Vices, we shall meet with ten, their having done the State any whofe Reigns have been made unhappy, Service. or inglorious, by the Corruption, Ambition, or Treachery of over grown Favourites.

That he has neglected to guard the Seas, and protect the Merchants; to which the Decay of Trade at Home, and the Contempt of the Nation Abroad are chiefly owing.

That he has been guilty of notorious Corruption, in felling Offices and Honours, and embezzling the King's Treasure, &.

The Commons continued their Oppofition against the Duke for feveral Years; but the King was refolv'd to protect his Minister at any Rate, being made to believe, that the Violence of the Commons against Buckingham, was fecretly intended against himself, and that his Crown depended on supporting the Duke.

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In the Midft of thefe Things, a bold Affaffin on a fudden ftabbed him to the Heart in a numerous Affembly: The King visibly lamented his Death, and continued all his Crea- G tures in their Places.

Some Years after, Sir Thomas Wentworth (who was made Earl of Straf ford) was gain'd over to the Court

Free Briton, April 6. N° 123.

This Paper contains a Letter to Sir Ralph Gore, Bart. Speaker of the Houfe of Commons in Ireland, concerning a Proposal for a Subscription to erect a Trophy in Memory of the Victory at the Boyne.

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HE Writer obferves, that the Custom of perpetuating the Memory of Events by Pillars, Statues, &r. began very early; witnefs Seth's Pillars mention'd by Jofe phus, the Monuments erected by the Patriarch Jacob, the Egyptian Pillars and Pyramids, the famous Pillar rais'd on the Plains of Marathon ; and how much the Romans gave into this Custom, almost every Page of their Hiftory fhews. There are Inftances of it alfo among the antient Gauls and Germans, and our own Gothic Ancestors; and old Runic Infcriptions have been found in the moft

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