possessed with many evil spirits, it is but one of them who talks. Let him disguise his defeat by the ringing of his bells: it was an old Dutch policy, when the Duke had beaten them, to make bonfires; for that kept the populace in heart. Our author knows he has all the common people on his side, and they only read the Gazettes of their own writers; so that every thing which is called an Answer is with them a confutation, and the Turk and Pope are their sworn enemies, ever since Robin Wisdom' was inspired to join them together in a godly ballad. In the mean time, the spirit of meekness and humble charity would become our author better than his boasts for this imaginary victory, or his reflection upon God's anointed; but it is the less to be admired that he is such a stranger to that spirit, because, among all the volumes of divinity written by the protestants, there is not one original treatise, at least, that I have seen or heard of, which has handled distinctly, and by itself, that Christian virtue of HUMILITY."

Robin Wisdom's Psalms were much in vogue with the fanaticks, of the last century. See Overbury's Character of a PRECISIAN. The godly ballad here alluded to, I recollect to have seen, but cannot at present turn to it.

2 This Stillingfleet, in his Reply, says, is "a barefaced assertion of a thing known to be false;" for "within a few years, besides what has been printed formerly, such a book hath been published in London."-See what our author has further said on this subject in his preface to THE HIND AND THE PANTher.

PREFACE

ΤΟ

THE HIND AND THE PANTHER,

A POEM. 3

THE nation is in too high a ferment for me to expect either fair war, or even so much as fair quarter from a reader of the opposite party. All

This poem, which consists of about two thousand five hundred lines, was first published in quarto in the middle of the year 1687, and in that year passed through at least three editions.

THE HIND AND THE PANTHER, Dr. Johnson observes, is "the longest of all Dryden's original pieces; an allegory intended to comprize and to decide the controversy between the Romanists and Protestants. The scheme of the work is injudicious and incommodious; for what can be more absurd than that one beast should counsel another to rest her faith upon a Pope and Council. He seems well enough skilled in the usual topicks of argument, endeavours to shew the necessity of an infallible Judge, and reproaches the Reformers with want of unity; but is weak enough to ask, why, since we see without knowing how, we may not have an infallible Judge without knowing where ?

The Hind at one time is afraid to drink at the common brook, because she may be worried; but walking home with the Panther, talks by the way of the Nicene Fathers, and at last declares herself to be the catholick church.

men are engaged either on this side or that; and though conscience is the common word which is given by both, yet if a writer fall among enemies, and cannot give the marks of their conscience, he is knocked down, before the reasons of his own are heard. A Preface, therefore, which is but a bespeaking of favour, is altogether useless. What I desire the reader should know concerning me, he will find in the body of the poem, if he have but the patience to peruse it; only this advertisement let him take beforehand, which relates to the merits of the cause.

No general characters of parties (call them either sects or churches,) can be so fully and exactly drawn, as to comprehend all the several members of them; at least all such as are received under that denomination. For example; there are some of the church by law established, who envy not liberty of conscience to dissenters, as

This absurdity was very properly ridiculed in the CITY MOUSE and COUNTRY MOUSE of Montague and Prior; and in the detection and censure of the incongruity of the fiction chiefly consists the value of their performance; which, whatever reputation it might obtain by the help of temporary passions, seems to readers almost a century distant, not very forcible or animated."

"Did not Lord Halifax write the COUNTRY MOUSE with Prior?" said Mr. Spence to Lord Peterborough.— "Yes," replied Lord Peterborough, "just as if I was in a chaise with Mr. Cheselden here, drawn by his fine horse, and should say,-Lord! how finely we draw this chaise!" Spence's ANECDOTES.

being well satisfied that, according to their own principles, they ought not to persecute them. Yet these, by reason of their fewness, I could not distinguish from the numbers of the rest with whom they are embodied in one common name. On the other side, there are many of our sects, and more! indeed than I could reasonably have hoped, who have withdrawn themselves from the communion of the Panther, and embraced this gracious indulgence of his Majesty in point of toleration. But neither to the one nor the other of these is this satire any way intended; it is aimed only at the refractory and disobedient on either side. For those who are come over to the royal party are consequently supposed to be out of gunshot. Our physicians have observed, that in process of time, some diseases have abated of their virulence, and have in a manner worn out their malignity, so as to be no longer mortal; and why may not I suppose the same concerning some of those who have formerly been enemies to kingly government, as well as catholick religion? I hope they have now another notion of both, as having found, by comfortable experience, that the doctrine of persecution is far from being an article of our faith.

It is not for any private man to censure the proceedings of a foreign prince ;* but, without suspicion of flattery, I may praise our own, who has taken contrary measures, and those more suit

He alludes to the revocation of the edict of Nantes. by Louis the Fourteenth, in 1685.

able to the spirit of Christianity. Some of the dissenters in their addresses to his majesty, have said, that he has restored GOD to his empire over conscience. I confess I dare not stretch the figure to so great a boldness; but I may safely say, that conscience is the royalty and prerogative of every private man. He is absolute in his own breast, and accountable to no earthly power for that which passes only betwixt God and him. Those who are driven into the fold are, generally speaking, rather made hypocrites than converts.

This indulgence being granted to all the sects, it ought in reason to be expected that they should both receive it, and receive it thankfully. For at this time of day to refuse the benefit, and adhere to those whom they have esteemed their persecutors, what is it else but publickly to own that they suffered not before for conscience-sake, but only out of pride and obstinacy to separate from a church for those impositions which they now judge may be lawfully obeyed? After they have so long contended for their classical ordination, (not to speak of rites and ceremonies,) will they at length submit to an episcopal? If they can go so far out of complaisance to their old enemies, methinks a little reason should persuade them to take another step, and see whither that would lead them.

Of the receiving this toleration thankfully, I shall say no more than that they ought, and I doubt not they will consider from what hands they received it. It is not from a Cyrus, a heathen