dictions, which can on no other Principles be explained or understood. But our Abilities in Controverfy are never fa effectually displayed, as when the Debate lies intirely between ourselves. We give and take, and choose to allow any thing to fhorten the Difpute, and confent to cut the Knot, which cannot, without Difficulty, be untied. A remarkable Inftance of this I remember, upon a Queftion of the laft Confequence, betwixt an honest North Briton, a Doctor of Phyfic and Profeffor of Botany, and a Jew who taught Hebrew in the fame University. They were a Couple of * merry Fellows, and dear Bottle-Companions. As they were rejoicing one Night over a Bottle of old Port, fays the Doctor, Dear Rabbi, thou art an boneft Heart, I love thee dearly; but I fhould love thee better, if thou wert of my Religion. Why (quoth the Rabbi) I fancy there is no great Difference betwixt thy Religion and mine, if we were to come to an Explanation. Why (fays the Doctor) thou art no Chriftian. No, (faid he) but if you could give me a good Reafon for my Converfion, you shall find me very ready to submit to it. Upon which the Doctor calls for a Bible, and reads him several Paffages out of the New Testament. But (fays the Rabbi) this is no Argument to us Jews, who do not acknowledge your New Teftament. Upon which, the good Doctor, ftarting with Horror and Surprize, cries, How! What! dare you deny cur New Teftament! Yes, (fays the Jew.) Why then, (fays he, with a vehement Oath) by I deny your Old. It is all Lies and Nonfenfe. I have lately read a Story there of Sampson killing a thousand Men with the Faw-bone of an Afs. The Jaw-bone of a T. To be fure, it is as great a Lie as ever was told. D 2 Their Their Arguments were now at an End, they looked gravely at each other for about a Minute, when the Doctor taking the Rabbi by the Hand, Come, (fays he) we are both honeft Men and good Friends, What fignifies difputing? Let us have the other Bottle and to pay. So faid, fo done. They drank off their Bottle, parted good Friends, and never had the least Dispute or Question about Religion ever after. See here a Controverfy that had divided the World fo many hundred Years, and produced fo many thousand Volumes, compromised at once with no other Confequence than t'other Bottle and to pay. Could every. religious Dispute be fo easily decided, we should quickly be all of a Mind, and all the World of one Religion. Another Time I remember we were at a Family Club, which was kept at the Bull-Head in the Borough, (which fome People of more Wit than Manners, in Contempt of our Family, ufed to call the Galves-Head-Club;) one of the Company, who affected to be thought wifer and better than the rest, begun to talk about Religion, upon which his next Neighbour interrupted him. Prithee, Peter, (fays he) don't thee pretend to talk about Religion, I am fure thou knoweft nothing of the Matter. I will lay thee a Guinea thou canst not fay the Lord's Prayer. Done! fays the other; and up he gets, and with an audible Voice repeats the Creed from the Beginning to the End, without miffing a fingle Word. Upon which his Adversary, lifting up his Hands in great Surprize, Well, (faid he) I did not imagine he could have done it, but I fairly own I have lost my Wager, to which the whole Company affented. Now, had this happened in any other Company, ten to one but it had produced another another Wager, or a Quarrel, or perhaps a Duel; but we put a stop to any further Explanation, by declaring one and all, that as we met together purely to be merry, Talking, especially about Religion, did but Spoil Company. If, on thefe Confiderations, we have any Merit to plead, we have greater yet behind. Politics are our Master-piece And I will venture to affirm, that our prefent Posterity, Wealth, and Power, by which we are enabled to hold the Balance, and direct the Counfels of Europe, have been intirely owing to the . exquifite Forefight, and dextrous Conduct of our Family. It is true, we have long been out of Play, and are univerfally decried by the late and prefent Poffeffors of Power. But let me tell them, that had we not conducted public Measures when we were in Power, by a Set of Maxims, and Rules of Policy, intirely our own, Great-Britain had never feen fɔ many Glorious Treaties, Congreffes, Conventions, Negotiations, Alliances, Secret Expeditions, Preventive Meafures, Temporary Expedients, Ways and Means,— &c. &c. &c. as are the Glory of the present Age, and will be the Wonder of the next; the bleffed Effects of which are too well feen, felt, heard, and understood, to need any further Explanation. I fhall only add, what I am able to prove by authentic Evidence, that whatever Laurels have already been, or shall hereafter be, gathered by us or our Pofterity, on any Part of the Continent, were planted by the Hands of our Illuftrious Predeceffors. And as it is an undeniable Truth, that he who planted the Tree has more Merit than they that gather the Fruit; and they who fow the Seed, than they who reap the Ꭰ 3 Crop; Crop; fo the certain Conclufion is this, that whoever wins, or whoever lofes, the Merit and Glory will be intirely our own, and that too with fome advantageous Circumftances, which could never have happened in any Hands but ours. It is univerfally agreed, that the Honour of any Action rifes in Proportion to the Difficulty or Danger that attends it; and that a Contempt of Difficulties and Dangers is an Argument of fuperior Courage, Conduct, or both. He who, from a Contempt of his Enemy, and a just . Sense of his own Strength and Courage, gives him unneceffary Advantages, departs from a good Situation, that the other may possess himself of it, supplies him with Money, Ammunition, and Provifions, and makes him, in every Respect, as powerful and formidable as he can, only to have the Pleasure and Honour of beating him under all these Disadvantages, fhews a Greatnefs of Soul, and Excefs of Courage, feldom found but in our Family. I remember when I was at School, there was nothing more common than for a brave Lad to fight a contemptible Enemy with one Hand tied behind him; and I remember one who carried the Point of Heroifm fo far as to challenge one of equal Strength with both his Hands tied behind him; by which he got fo hearty a Drubbing, as I dare fay he will never forget, if he fhould live to the Age of Methuselah.There is a Relation of ours, a very honeft Fellow, one John Bull, Grandfon to the famous Man of that Name, whofe Memoirs are written by one of the best Pens in Europe. He was bred a Clothier in the Weft of of England, was in top Bufinefs, and might, if he pleased, have purchafed the whole Country round him: But he had re ceived ceived fuch a Tincture of Heroifm from his Mother, who was a Welf Heiress, that, like Hercules, he difcovered an Inclination for kicking and cuffing even in his Cradle. When he was at School, Cock-fighting and Bull-baiting were his chief Delight; there was not a Wake or a Revel round the Country, where there was any Hope of getting a laced Hat or a broken Head, but he was fure to be at it. If any of his School-fellows had a Quarrel upon their Hands, he always put in to be a Second, or rather than fail, to be a Principal; fo that for seven Years together he scarce ever slept in a whole Skin, or ever made a public Appearance without a black Eye, or a Plaister or two upon his Face; and yet in all other Refpects he was as honest, a generous, compaffionate, good-natured Fellow as ever trod on fhoe of Leather. What contributed a good deal to this military Turn, was the Accounts that he had heard and read, and the Monuments he had feen of the Heroes of his Family. There were, it seems, no less than three or four Dozen of laced Hats hung round the Hall which had been won at different Times at Back-Sword, Wreftling, or Boxing by fome of his Ancestors; and he could not bear the Thoughts of disgracing his Kindred, especially his Welsh Relations, by being less brave and intrepid than they. I cannot omit one merry Adventure that befel John in the Beginnings of his Knight-Erranty, which had like to have spoiled him for a Hero ever after: He had been out one Evening a little Pot-valiant, and greatly wanted an Opportunity of fhewing his Manhood, and exerting a little of his military Fury upon fomebody or other; but as it was late, and the few People he met about the Streets feem |