terfperfes Facts and Speeches of his own injudiciously. He is an Author of great Piety, and deduces all fecond Caufes from their original Providence. What chiefly recommends his Book is his relating the Difputes on Religion in his Time, not much differing from thofe of ours.

Of the Latin Writers, I must prefer Tacitus for the Use of a Statesman; no Author writes with greater Fidelity or more Concifenefs. His Work is not only an Hiftory, but a Garden and Nursery of inftructive Precepts. What is there in Morality he does not touch upon? What in the Affections or Paffions of human Nature he does not explain? His Reflections and Sentences are every where interfperfed without breaking the Thread of his Hiftory, or confufing his Narrative. He is a Writer which ought to be in the Hands of all Perfons employ'd in publick Bufinefs.

Saltuft, had his Hiftory come whole to us, had probably taken the firft, but by thefe little Remains extant we can rather admire than make a Judgment of him. He feems a Writer the moft like Thucydides of all the Latins, and what is faid of the one is applicable to the other.

Livy writes in a diffusive and pleafing Style, rather a Master of Eloquence than civil Prudence. He is, in my Opinion, in many places dull and full of Tautology.

Quintus Curtius is an exact Hiftorian, if there ever was any fuch. He is eloquent in his Orations, admirable in his Judgment, accurate without our perceiving it. His Subject is barren, chiefly the Wars of Alexander; but he fhews, had his Field been larger, thathe could have given admirable Inftructions on the other Parts of civil Prudence.

Cafar has related his own Actions with great Modefty, Openness and Accuracy. They are Commentaries and fo promife only a fimple and exact Narrative. The Advantage to be gain'd from him is chiefly in military Life, and that not from his Words, but by forming your Judgment from the Account of his Actions.

In the Ages which follow'd the Decay of the Empire, no Historian is found of any Figure.

Ammianus Marcellinus muft, if any, have the Preference.

Lambertas Scafnaburgenfis, Rodericus Tolotanus have wrote as well as that Age would allow: The last of the Spanish Affairs, the other of the Germans: But in our Fathers Time this and all other Learning reviv'd.

Philip Comines may be compared to any of the Antients. He wonder fully penetrates and opens to us the fecret Springs and Arcana of Princes Councils, and from thence inftru&ts us with unufual and useful Infights into the Motions and Wheels of human Actions, and that in a full Manner after the Example of Polybius; and what encrenfes his Value was his being in a great Degree illiterate, yet knowing in Things, and endow'd with an excellent Judgment from Nature, but unacquainted with Books, and ignorant almost of the Rules of Grammar.

Paulus Emilius, who wrote in French and of the French Affairs, tho' no Frenchman. He was drawn from Italy to the Service of Louis XII. and feems to have renew'd the true and antient Method of writing History. His Reflections and Sentences are frequent and equal to the Antients. He is a di ligent Obferver of Facts, and a fevere Judge of them. His Faults are, that he is vain, obfcure fometimes in his Style, and an Affector of obfolete Words.

Francis Guiciardin a prudent and skilful Writer; and who renders

D d

his

his Readers alfo fuch. He is open and faithful, free from Paffions, excepting that of Hatred, which in fome Places he discovers against Duke Urbini. He may be counted the first Writer of thisAge, tho' he cannot be compared with the Antients. His Work is prolix, he infifts on Trifles, and is often languid.

Paulus Fovius is an Author to be look'd on for the various Matter of his Writings. He judges well, where not carried off by Affection, which he visibly is in all Subjects relating to his Country, and the Medici. In his Speeches he is frequently languid and trifling.

Of the Antients thofe Authors that may be recommended are Ariftotle's Politicks, Plato's Republick and Xenophon's Cyrus.

In Ethicks, Plutarch, fome Books of Seneca, Jefus of Sirach.

In a Criticism on a Poetic Piece 6 Things are to be particularly observ'd. 1. The History.

2. The Beauty of the Language.

3. The Force of the Words.
4. The Propriety of the Epithets.
5. The Juftnefs of the Figures.
6. The Sense of the Allegories.

Mr URBAN,

N your Magazine for May 1742, page 245, you give us a Translation of a Letter, relating to Mr Pope's Univerfal Prayer from Mr Le Franc, Advocate General of the Court of Aids, at Montalban, &c. which Prayer Le Franc calls a pernicious Effay; and of Mr Pope he says, Undoubtedly a Poetical Enthusiasm has in this Cafe, mifled him from his true Principles, and prevented him from perceiving, that those pretended Philofophical Ideas contained in his Veríes, have no folid Foundation, even tho' they were not carried to Impiety.' You, Mr Urban, feem difpleafed at that Letter, accufe Le Frane of contradicting himself, of not being fincere, and of being a Bigot. I fhall make a few Obfervations upon that celebrated Prayer, which, if they are well grounded, will ferve as an Apology for Mr Le Franc's Concern at his being an Inftrument of fpreading fo pernicious an Effay.

Mr Pope, I prefume, in Imitation of the Lord's Prayer, has before he comes to his Petitions, a Preface confifting of the three firft Stanzas.

How

How verbose, and how far fhort of the great Original! But 'tis not faulty in the Wordinefs only, 'tis fo in a Refpect much more momentous, and that is for telling the Father of all a Pack of Lies, or at leaft for affirming, what no Mortal does or ever will be able to comprehend. Thou, fays he, has confin'd all my Senfe to know, but this, that thou art good, and I am blind.' Is not the Wisdom and Power of God as plain and perfpicuous as his Goodness? Yea verily, and and lets liable to Objection: And then, pray what does he mean by, I am blind?' With what Face can I tell him who gave me Eyes, that I cannot fee? But this humble Confeffion of his Blindness, is inferted with an Intent, perhaps, to render his Prayer truly Catholick: For a Person that believes he can fee, can never poffibly believe Tranfubftantiation.

Well; but tho' the Goodnefs of the Father of all, and his own Blindnefs, were all he knew; tho' his Knowledge was confined within that Compafs; yet, in the very next Words he tells him, that He gave him in, this dark Estate, to fee the Good from Ill,' that is to fay, tho' I am blind yet I fee, and I know what thou confineft me from knowing, at the fame time that thou giveft me that Knowledge. This is true Catholick Doctrine. But fuppofing that these Affertions are confiftent, and do not imply a Contradiction, can every one affirm with Truth, that thou gave me in this dark Eftate to fee the good from ill? Mr Pope, who has an infallible Church to guide him, may talk to the fupreme Being in a peremptory Manner; but a poor illiterate Indian fhould be more modeft; and, I am fure, the excellent Socrates would have chosen rather to take another Dose of Poison, than thus to have expreffed himself to the Author of his Being. The Sentiment is certainly far from Truth. But a modern Deist, perhaps, may have Vanity enough to approve of it; for whom, it may be, it was calculated, that he alfo, when he prays, may join in this Universal Prayer.

And binding Nature fast in Fate,

This is a Prayer compofed for every Body, and here is a Part of it which no Body understands. What is Nature and what is Fate? And how great the Impropriety, of acquainting the first Caufe, that one is bound faft by the other, without the least Insight into the Qualities of either of them? But the Mahometans are thought to be great Fatalifts, and the Calvinifts, Predeftinarians: So that this unintelligible Line, probably, was placed here, with a View to comprehend them.

Left Confcience free,' This may very likely be true; but then it is a Truth, that, I doubt, will not find Admittance at Rome, that Mother and Mistress of all Churches, nor in Spain, Portugal, or France. And this, together with this honeft Stanza

Let not this weak, unknowing Hand
Prefume thy Bolts to throw,
And deal Damnation round the Land,
On each 1 judge thy Foe.

is, as may not unreasonably be thought, one Caufe of thofe Qualms of Confcience of Mr le Franc, for having tranflated into French this pernicious Effay. He complements Mr Pope, indeed, for his Courage in profeling the Catholick Religion in the Heart of London, while as, in Truth,

there

there is no Manner of Danger of doing it at London. But would he profess fuch a Sort of a Catholick Religion at Madrid or at Rome; why then, I would fay Mr Pope is a Man of Courage. I fhall make no farther Obfervations upon this, than that thefe generous Principles of Liberty, thefe mild undamning Sentiments, will utterly exclude all real Roman Catho licks from the Ufe of this Catholick or Universal Prayer.

Left Confcience free and Will

That the Will is free, is abfolutely falfe in numberlefs Inftances. Is the Prifoner at Liberty not to reflect upon his Confinement? the Criminal, his Guilt? the hungry Perfon, Viduals or the thirfly Drink? If by Freedom of Will is meant Liberty of Action, that ftill is a Problem never to be folved. Milton has finely imployed the Devils, in the Abfence of their Chief, in Meditations upon that great Question.

Others apart fet on a Hill retir'd

In Thoughts more elevate, and reafon'd high
Of Providence, Fore-knowledge, Will and Fate,
Fixt Fate, free Will, Fore-knowledge abfolute,
And found no End in wandring Mazes loft.

For my felf, I ftand in doubt,' whether any, befides him whose Ways are paft finding out, is able fully to comprehend that extenfive Propoli tions, the Will is free.' So far for the Preface, now follow the Peti tions.".

What Confelente dictates to be done,

Or warns me not to do,

This, teach me more than Hell to Shun,

That, more than Heav'n pur fue.

Father Clement and Ravaillac murder'd Henry the 3d and 4th of France, and Father Garnet, Fauks, Digby, &c. would have blown up the Parliament Houfe, in the Time of King James I. I do not doubt, but with a very good Confcience. But, I believe, there are few at prefent, who defire to be taught of God, to perfue the Dictates of fuch Confciences. Had Mr Pope inftructed us to beg for an enlighten'd Confcience, and turned into Verfe, thofe fine Words of the Holy Scriptures, that which I fee not, teach thou me.' Then, fuppofing that granted, we might, after leaving out that theatrical Rant about Heaven and Hell, heartily proceed in his Words, What Confcience dictates.' But here, we info. lently tell him we fee good from ill, and pray for Refolution to act ac. cordingly. In Confequence of which Principles, the Innocent are daily murder'd, the Inquifition flourishes; and the Kingdom of Chrift is thought to be advanced by Ways and Means the most cruel and moft iniquitous,

What Bleings thy free Bounty gives,
Let me not caft away,

For God is paid when Man receives:
T'enjoy is to obey.

This is as odd an Elevation of Thought, as, I believe, was ever offered to the divine Being, not at all inferiour to any of the Scots Presbyterian Eloquence. Let me not caft away, but receive what Bleffings thou giv't me, which will lay me under no Sort of Obligation, or make me indebted to thee, my receiving them being a fufficient Payment for them.' I doubt thofe Bleffings cannot be fuppofed to be worth much, if the bare Acceptance of them can be a full and adequate Price for them. But to crown all, comes in that dapper Line, T'enjoy is to obey." A divine Thought, a most incomparable Maxim for the debauched and the voluptuous! To proceed,

2

Excellent Lines! But how come they here? I have juft told him, to whom I address my Prayer that I fee the Good from Ill.' If that was true, furely I am able to know whether I am in the right or not. So that there feems to be no Occafion for any ifs or ands in the Business; neither indeed do I apprehend that the Catholick Church allows any Room for Doubt. That's peculiar to Hereticks, who have no Center of Unity, no vifible Authority, no a thousand Things befides. Wherefore I do not know but thefe Hints of an unfetled uncertain Condition may contain fomething of that Impiety Le Franc fhrugs his Shoulders at, and feems fo uneafy that he has helped to propagate in the World.

Whereas therefore, Mr Pope has fucceeded fo ill in what he calls, The Univerfal Prayer. I fhall beg leave to prefent you with one, fuitable to every one's Condition, and which every one, that acknowledges a God, may join infincerely and with a good Confcience, whether he be Jew, Turk, Heathen or Chriftian.

• Our Heavenly Father, unto thee be all Honour, Glory, Praife, and Thanksgiving; may the Kingdom of Darkness and Iniquity be abolished, and that of Light, Righteoufnefs, and true Piety prevail; may all of us become faithful, and in all Refpects obedient Subjects unto thee the bleffed and only Potentate, fo that thy Will may be done on Earth, even as it is in Heaven. Grant that we may daily receive Things neceffary for our Support. Our Offences pardon, as we pardon Offences that are committed against us. Lay no Temptations in our Way, nor fuffer us to be led away by them. But deliver us from every Thing • hurtful and inconvenient for us, our glorious and almighty King.'

If any Objection can be made against this Prayer, it must be against thefe Words, pardon as we pardon; but do the most cruel, malicious, and revengeful, never forgive any Faults in their Wives, Children, Servants, Neigbours, Friends, &c? If they forgive; fo may they be forgiven: If they do not, they have fo much of the Devil in them, that 'tis no Matter whether they fay any Prayers at all or no.

If you pleafe to bublifh this, you will oblige,

Sir, Your Humble Servant,

CATHOLICUS.