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templation of the beft learning, which is the true chriftian; and from that he went to know what the Greeks and Romans have refolved and taught. In fome things, I found he was a learned agreeable man, and wondered greatly at his whim in turning hermit. I faid a great deal against it, as we fat over a bottle of claret; told him he might employ his time and talents more usefully in the world, by mixing and converfing with his fellow creatures, and by a mutual participation and conveyance of the common bleffings of nature and providence; and as he was not forty yet, advised him to go over the Teese, and make his addreffes to Mifs Cranmer or Mifs Vane, both of them being moft glorious girls, as I was told, and capable of adding greatly to the delights of philofophy. You have not feen two finer creatures, foul and body, than they are, if I have been rightly informed; and I think, it would be a nobler and more religious act to get one of them with child, in the ftate of holy wedlock, than to write the best book that was ever printed. For my own part, I had rather marry, and double-rib one of thefe dear creatures, than die with the character of a father of the defarts. But in vain did I remonftrate to this anchoret. Contemplation was become his Venus, from the hour he loft

his Adelaide; and he had lived fo very happy in his lone ftate for seven years paft, that he could not think of hazarding felicity by a change of life. He had all he defired. If at any time, any thing was wanting, Chriftópher the fisherman, who came to fee him once or twice a week, very quickly got him whatever he required. This was Watson's anfwer to my advice, and feeing it was to no purpose to say any more, I wifhed my hermit health, and bid him adieu.

Le Blanc,

§. 9. Having, in the preceding article, A few rementioned the famous Abbé le Blanc, I think marks relating to I ought to fay fomething of him in this place, the Abbé by adding a few remarks in relation to this and his extraordinary man. He was in England in letters. the year 1735, and writ two volumes of letters in octavo, which were tranflated into English, and printed for Brindley in 1747. In this account of England, the French monk pretends to describe the natural and political conftitution of our country, and the temper and manners of the nation; but, as is evident from his epiftles, knew nothing at all of any of them.

Voltaire, however, (that wonderful compound of a man, half infidel, half papist; who feems to have no regard for chriftianity, and yet compliments popery, at the expence

of his understanding (8); who writes the hiftory of England with a partiality and malevolence almoft as great as Smollet's, and pretends to defcribe the Britannic constitution, though it is plain from what he fays, that he has not one true idea of the primary inftitutions of it, but taking this nation to be just fuch another kingdom of flaves as his own

(8) Voltaire's words are,And notwithstanding all the troubles and infamy which the church of Rome has had to encounter, fhe has always preferved a greater decency and gravity in her worthip than any of the other churches; and has given proofs, that when in a state of freedom, and under due regulations, fhe was formed to give leffons to all others. Is not this facing the world, and contradicting truth with a bold front? Decency and gravity in the church of Rome! The licentious whore. And formed to give lessons! Leffons, Voltaire !

-Is not her wifdem, in every article of it, earthly, fenfual, devilifhand her zeal, that bitter, fierce, and cruel thing, which for ever produces confufion and every evil work? With a juft abhorrence, and a manly indignation, we must look upon this mystery of iniquity, and never let that horror decay, which is neceffary to guard us against the grofs corruptions of the Roman church; the idolatry of her worship,-the abfurdity and impiety of her doctrines,-the tyranny and cruelty of her principles and practices. These are her leffons, Voltaire; and you ought to afk the world pardon for daring to recommend a church, whofe fchemes and pieties bid defiance to reafon, and are inconfiftent with the whole tenor of revelation. This is the more incumbent on you, as you fay you are a philosopher, and let us know in more places than one in your writings, that by that word, you mean a man who believes nothing at all of any revelation.

country,

country, rails at the Revolution, and like all the Facobite dunces, prates against the placing the Prince of Orange on the throne, and the eftablishment of the fucceffion in the present proteftant heirs; though most certain it be, that these things were the natural fruit and effect of our incomparable conftitution, and are de jure:

-In fhort, that Zoilus and plagiary,—that carping fuperficial critic, (as a good judge calls him); who abuses the English nation in his letters, and denies Shakespear almost every dramatic excellence; though in his Mahomet, he pilfers from Macbeth almost every capital fcene: (Shakespear, who furnishes out more elegant, pleafing, and interefting entertainment, in his plays, than all the other dramatic writers, antient and modern, have been able to do; and, without obferving any one unity but that of character, for ever diverts and inftructs, by the variety of his incidents, the propriety of his fentiments, the luxuriancy of his fancy, and the purity and strength of his dialogue): Voltaire, I fay, fpeaking of this Abbé le Blanc, wishes he had travelled through all the world, and wrote on all nations, for it becomes only a wife man to travel and write. Had I always fuch cordials, I would not complain any more of my ills. I fupport life, when I fuffer. I enjoy it, when I read you. This

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is Voltaire's account of the Abbé. How true and juft it is, we fhall fee in a few obfervations on what this reverend man fays of our religion and clergy.

The fubftance of what this French monk on the Abbé reports, vol. II. from p. 64 to p. 75, in his Le Blanc's letter to the Prefident Boubier, (9) is this: letter to the 1. That Cranmer, and the other doctors, Prefident who introduced the reformation into England, which he were downright enthufiafts, and compaffed their defigns by being feconded by thofe, who were animated by a fpirit of irreligion, and mation of by a greedy defire of feizing the poffeffion$ England, of the monks. It was the defire of a change the English eftablished the reformation. The new doctors clergy.

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(9) Reader-Boubier, prefident of the French acadeBoubier, my, (to whom Le Blanc infcribes his 58th letter) died prefident in 1746. He was a scholar. L'Abbé de Olivet, French aca- (from whom he had the late fine edition of Cicero in feven volumes 4to) fpeaks of him in the following manner ;-Je me fuis prêté à ce nouveau travail, & d'autant plus volontiers, que M. le Préfident Boubier a bien voulu le partager avec moi.-On fera, fans doute, charmé de voir Cicéron entre les mains d'un traducteur auffi digne de lui, que Cicéron lui-même étoit digne d'avoir traducteur un favant du premier ordre. Tufc. tome 1. p. 13.And again ;-Feu M. Le Préfident Bouhier, le varron de notre fiecle, & l'homme le plus capable de bien rendre les vraies beautez d'un original Grec ou Latin, avoit tellement retouché les deux Tufculanes, qu'on aura peine à les reconnoître dans cette nouvelle édition. Tufc. tome 2. p. 1,

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