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The moft laughing air is inftantly fucceeded by the moft gloomy. One would be apt to think that their fouls open with difficulty to joy, or at least that joy is not pleased with its habitation there.

In regard to fine raillery it muft be allowed that it is not natural to the English, and therefore thofe who endeavour at it make but an ill figure. Some of their authors have candidly confeffed, that pleafantry is quite foreign to their character; but according to the reason they give, they lofe nothing by this confeffion. Bifhop Sprat gives the following one; "The English, "fays he," have too much bravery to "be derided, and too much virtue and honour to "mock others."

THE

THE BEE, No VIII.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1759.

ON DECEIT AND FALSHOOD.

The following account is fo judiciously conceived, that I am convinced the reader will be more pleafed with it, than with any thing of mine, fo I fhall make no apology for this new publication.

SIR,

TO THE AUTHOR OF THE BEE.

DECEIT and falfhood have ever been an overmatch for truth, and followed and admired by the majority of mankind. If we inquire after the reason of this, we fhall find it in our own imaginations, which are amufed and entertained with the perpetual novelty and variety that fiction affords, but find no manner of delight in the uniform fimplicity of homely truth, which ftill fues them under the fame appearance.

He therefore that would gain our hearts must make his court to our fancy, which being fovereign comptroller of the paffions, lets them loofe, and inflames them more or lefs, in proportion to the force and efficacy of the firft caufe, which is ever

the more powerful the more new it is. Thus in mathematical demonftrations themselves, though they seem to aim at pure truth and inftruction, and to be addreffed to our reafon alone, yet I think it is pretty plain, that our understanding is only made a drudge to gratify our invention and curiofity, and we are pleased not fo much because our discoveries are certain, as because they are new.

I do not deny but the world is ftill pleafed with things that pleased it many ages ago, but it fhould at the fame time be confidered, that man is naturally fo much of a logician, as to diftinguish between matters that are plain and eafy, and others. that are hard and inconceivable. What we understand we overlook and defpife, and what we know nothing of we hug and delight in. Thus there are fuch things as perpetual novelties; for we are pleafed no longer than we are amazed, and nothing fo much contents us as that which confounds us.

This weaknefs in human nature gave occafion to a party of men to make fuch gainful markets as they have done of our credulity. All objects and facts whatever now ceafed to be what they had been for ever before, and received what make and meaning it was found convenient to put upon them: what people ate, and drank, and faw, was not what they ate, and drank, and faw, but fomething farther, which they were fond of, because they were ignorant of it. In fhort nothing was itself, but fomething beyond itself; and by thefe artifices and amufements the heads of the world were so turned and intoxicated, that at last there was fcarcely a sound set of brains left in it.

In this ftate of giddiness and infatuation it was no very hard task to perfuade the already deluded, that there was an actual fociety and communion between human creatures and spiritual dæmons. And when they had thus put people into the power and clutches

of

of the devil, none but they alone could have either fkill or ftrength to bring the prifoners back again.

But fo far did they carry this dreadful drollery, and fo fond were they of it, that to maintain it and themselves in profitable repute, they literally facrificed for it, and made impious victims of numberlefs old women and other miferable perfons, who either through ignorance could not fay what they were bid to fay, or through madness faid what they fhould not have faid. Fear and stupidity made them incapable of defending themselves, and frenzy and infatuation made them confefs guilty impoffibilities, which produced cruel fentences and then inhuman executions.

Some of these wretched mortals finding themfelves either hateful or terrible to all, and befriended by none, and perhaps wanting the common neceffaries of life, came at laft to abhor themselves as much as they were abhorred by others, and grew willing to be burnt or hanged out of a world, which was no other to them than a fcene of perfecution and anguish.

Others of ftrong imaginations and little understandings were by pofitive and repeated charges against them, of committing mifchievous and fupernatural facts and villanies, deluded to judge of themselves by the judgment of their enemies, whose weakness or malice prompted them to be accufers. And many have been condemned as witches and dealers with the devil for no other reafon but their knowing more than thofe who accused, tried, and paffed fentence upon them.

In thefe cafes credulity is a much greater error than infidelity, and it is fafer to believe nothing than too much. A man, that believes little or nothing of witchcraft, will deftroy nobody for being under the imputation of it; and fo far he certainly

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acts with humanity to others, and fafety to himself: but he that credits all, or too much upon that article, is obliged, if he acts confiftently with his perfuafion, to kill all thofe whom he takes to be the killers of mankind; and fuch are witches. It would be a jeft and a contradiction to fay, that he is for fparing them who are harmless of that tribe, fince the received notion of their fuppofed contract with the devil implies that they are engaged by covenant and inclination to do all the mifchief they poffibly can.

I have heard many ftories of witches, and read many accufations against them; but I do not remember any, that would have induced me to have configned over to the halter or the flame any of those deplorable wretches, who, as they fhare our likeness and nature, ought to fhare our compaffion, as perfons cruelly accufed of impoffibilities.

But we love to delude ourselves, and often fancy or forge an effect, and then fet ourselves as gravely as ridiculously to find out the caufe. Thus, for example, when a dream or the hyp has given us falfe terrors, or imaginary pains, we immediately conclude that the infernal tyrant owes us a fpite, and inflicts his wrath and ftripes upon us by the hands of fome of his fworn fervants amongst us. For this end an old woman is promoted to a feat in Satan's privy council, and appointed his executioner in chief within her diftrict. So ready and civil are we to allow the devil the dominion over us, and even to provide him with butchers and hangmen of our own make and nature.

I have often wondered why we did not, in chufing our proper officers for Belzebub, lay the lot rather upon men than women, the former being more bold and robuft, and more equal to that bloody fervice; but upon enquiry I find it has been fo

ordered

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