ROBERTSON'S REPLY TO DELAUNE.

449

De Foe, in the following words: "I doubt not your capacity to judge and determine right in this affair, because you have shown it sufficiently in what you have wrote with a strong judgment and quick apprehension, against Occasional Conformity. None did it shorter, and more pungently, than yourself." Gratified, as he may have been, by this compliment, he was unconvinced by the arguments of Leslie, detects his sophistry, and opposes his mis-statements by an appeal to facts.

It does not appear that "Delaune's Plea " met with any regular reply before the year 1710, when it was attacked by a recent convert from the Dissenters, who addresses much of his bulky pamphlet to De Foe. It is intitled, "Dissenters self-condemned: being a full Answer to Mr. De Laune's Plea for the Non-conformists, lately recommended by Mr. Daniel Foe, author of the Review. Wherein their main principle (that nothing is lawful in the worship of God, but what he hath expressly commanded) is not only examined and disproved, but made appear to be repugnant to their own opinions and stated practices. And all their Objections and Cavils against the Church's Power in Decreeing and Enjoining her decent Rites and Ceremonies, are effectually answered. To which is added, 'The Dissenters' Harmony in Principles with the Papists. With a Letter prefixed to Mr. Daniel Foe. By William Robertson, M. A. lately a Dissenting Preacher. London: printed for John Morphew, near Stationers'-hall, 1710. Price 2s. 6d." 4to. pp. 144. Pref. &c. x. The letter to De Foe, is couched in friendly terms; and the writer, abstaining from opprobrious language, preserves his temper throughout the performance. Arguing like a fair disputant, he confines himself to the points in debate, and has no wish to disturb the Toleration, nor in any way to molest the Dissenters. "I solemnly declare," says he, "that I am in charity with all mankind, and particularly with yourself. I oppose not the persons of any, but

450

HIS LETTER TO De foe.

their principles;" to which it appears he had been challenged by some Dissenters, to justify his own conformity. Addressing De Foe, he says, "If either you who have adopted the Plea, or any other Dissenter, has a mind further to examine the merits of the cause, and to attempt by downright arguing from Scripture and reason, to defend that Plea, I promise to attend to his performance, in order to your happy reduction. As for yourself, Sir, I know that you, if any, are able to improve Delaune's arguments in the most polite, decent, and pungent way, that such gross errors are capable of. I know no successor abler than yourself, to effect what, as the following sheets do demonstrate, Delaune has not finished." After observing, that he had sent a copy of the work to his printer for him, he subscribes himself his “unfeigned friend and humble servant." So candid an adversary, if answered at all, was entitled to courteous treatment; but it does not appear that De Foe took any notice of his work.

CHAPTER XX.

De Foe's Attack upon the Play-houses.—Singular Occasion of it.-His Sermon at the Fitting-up of Daniel Burgess's Meeting-House.-Some Anonymous Remarks upon it.-De Foe's further Account of it.-His Satire upon the Players-And upon the Authors of the Project.-The Players at Oxford.-De Foe Remonstrates with the University.—The Players foiled at Cambridge.-Curious Picture of Solomon.-De Foe Publishes "Jure Divino."-Occasion of its Delay.-Fanciful Dedication.His Account of the Work.-Exposition of his Politics.-Character of the Poem.-Lampoon upon it.-Partially revived." The Coffee-house Preachers."Occasion of the Work.-De Foe Surrenders to the Commissioners.-Revival of his Troubles.-His own Account of them.

1706.

AT the approach of Midsummer, De Foe published a jeu d'esprit, which occasioned some talk at the time, and brought upon him the indignation of Leslie, and other high churchmen. The occasion of it was this: upon the 18th of June, a benefit was given at the Theatre-royal in DruryLane, towards defraying the expence of repairing a meetinghouse in Russell-Court, lately occupied by Mr. Daniel Burgess. (y) Upon the expiration of the lease, the landlord,

(x) of this eccentric divine, who, with all his peculiarities, appears to have been a very useful preacher, De Foe has recorded the following anecdote. "A certain lady of quality, and abundance of wit, having heard a great many bantering stories of him, according to the world's custom of treating that gentleman, resolved to borrow a Sunday, as she called it, to make herself merry, and she would go and hear Dr. Burgess; and invited her company to come the next day to hear her report. They accordingly

who was an enemy to Dissenters, dispossessed them at the instigation of Dr. Lancaster, vicar of St. Martin's, who persuaded the parish to purchase the building, and fit it up as a chapel of ease. The circumstance of accepting a playhouse benefit for the repairs of a church, was in itself ludicrous; and the more so at a time when our scenic exhibitions were not of the most moral character.

Upon this occasion, De Foe employed the powerful artillery of wit and ridicule, to point out the impropriety of identifying the interests of the church and the playhouse; and he insinuates, that it must be a trick of the actors to bring over the clergy to their interests, and silence those preachers and writers who were most actively engaged in the good work of promoting a reformation of manners. As the vicar of St. Martin's was a high-churchman, our author makes it a vehicle for satirizing the men of his party. The broadside he now levelled at them, is a piece of exquisite humour, and afforded so much amusement to the town, that it no sooner appeared in the Review, than it was re-printed and hawked about the streets, under the title of "A Sermon preached by Mr. Daniel De Foe, on the fitting up of Dr. Burgess's late meeting-house. Taken from his Review, of Thursday, the 20th of June, 1706." A copy of it will amuse

the reader.

"Well, gentlemen! in the midst of all our foreign news, and the glorious things done for England abroad, what if

came, and the relator hereof with the rest; when, contrary to all expectation, the lady, full of concern, and touched with the folly of her conduct, told them, she was far from thinking him a man to be bantered, that she would not for ten thousand pounds but have heard him preach that sermon; that she heard what convinced her she had been a fool all her days; and she hoped he had taught her to be wiser. She advised the company, never to despise the worship of God, in whatsoever Christian manner performed; and declared the Doctor to be the most abused man alive.-Review, i. 311, 12.

we should divert you with a little home news for a while, till more towns and countries fall into our hands, to renew our public rejoicings. We have been told by some people, that the victories of the Duke of Marlborough are good news for the nation, but bad news for the church. Now, I'll tell you a little news that is good for the church. As for my text, you shall find it written in the first column on the second side of the daily Courant, for June 18th, 1706.

"Towards the defraying the charge of repairing and fitting up the Chapel, in Russell-Court, at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane, this present Tuesday, being the 18th of June, will be presented the tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, with Singing, by Mr. Hughes, &c., and entertainment of Dancing, by Monsieur Cherrier, Miss Stantlow, his scholar, and Mr. Evans. Boxes, 5s. Pit, 3s. First Gallery, 2s. Upper Gallery, ls.

"From whence I offer this observation to the serious thoughts of those gentlemen, who are apprehensive of the church's danger, viz.: If the Devil be come over to us, and assists to support the church, the Devil must be in it, if the church be in danger. And here, gentlemen, let us make a few remarks upon this worthy subject. Certainly, you gentlemen of the high-church, show very little respect to the church, and cannot be such friends to its establishment as you pretend to be, since, though you have the house built to your hands, (for this chapel was before a dissenting meeting house,) yet you must go a begging to the play-house to carry on the work. Or is this a general banter upon the church, that people must be invited to go the brink of the gulph, by the religious argument of his being for the church; as if the lady, that now gives five shillings towards the repairing the church, would not contribute the money, unless she could see a play into the bargain. Or, on the other hand, as if there were not farce enough acted upon that stage, the pulpit, but the hearers must be sent to the theatre to make it up.