government, as lord Bolingbroke has more than once very confidently afferted, I, with much more truth, as pofitively deny, that the corruption and abuse of it indeed have often been the means of both, I will readily admit, but had not his lordship's inveterate prejudice against that fyftem occafionally perverted his judgment, he might have reafoned more juftly, than to have inferred the abfolute inutility of any thing from the palpable abuse thereof: the fame unhappy prejudice feems to have affected his lordship's memory fometimes; for notwithstanding the bitterness he has expreffed against this fyftem in almost every page of his philofophical works, yet he fully admits it to be a republication of the religion of nature, and confequently, by implication, allows it to be revealed from God: indeed the Chriftian religion is fo far from inculcating any thing to the prejudice of fociety, or to the interruption of government, that it rigorously restrains all its profeffors from offending even in thought, and every where fuggests the strongest injunctions to peace and univerfal charity and fo ftrenuously recommends a due fubmiffion to all perfons who are vested with lawful authority, that, I think, a man's principles muft be very strongly tainted with infidelity, before he can be came come a bad fubject; and I verily believe, that, had his lordship been a better man, I mean a better Chriftian, he would, without all doubt, have made a much better fubject; this at least must be admitted by all, except the infidel tribe, that, as no form of good government can long subfift without fome religion, I mean a religion established by law, confequently none other but the Chriftian religion, from the nature and whole tendency of its principles, can feem, to unprejudiced reafon, to be fo happily calculated for that purpose. Whatever national advantages may, in fact, refult from a ftrict agreement between the established religion in this country, and the whole tenor of political proceedings, I fhall not take upon me to point out, as I prefume that they are already too manifeit to all the true friends of their country to require any illuftration; neither fhall I ftay to inquire, whether people in general are lefs religious now, than they were at the time of the revolution in 1688; I fincerely wish they were much more so than they are; but, be that as it will, fuppofing, yet by no means admitting, that religion is nothing more than a mere political pretence, it was however thought to be of infinite confequence at that time, nay indeed the very angular ftone, that fupported and preferved preferved both liberty and property, agreeable to the letter and the fpirit of our excellent conftitution: there is, in truth, fo juft, fo intimate a connection, in the minds of all proteftants here, between popery and flavery, that it is almoft impoffible to conceive an idea of the one, without its being found at the fame time in close affociation with the other; if therefore what is confidered by many as nothing but a mere political pretence, could prove fo fuccefsful in fo critical a conjuncture, it cannot be thought a crime to hope, that it will always prove the fame, whenever the fame occafion may render it neceffary, which, thank God, is very far from being the cafe at prefent. But from numberlefs anecdotes, which he had collected from the histories of different countries, I have often heard Hortenfius undertake to prove, beyond the power of contradiction, that a free people may come, by almost imperceptible degrees, to be at last effectually reduced under the fubjection of abfolute power, by a great variety of other ways and means, befides that of forcibly obtruding upon them any innovations in their religious fyftem; and particularly whenever fuch a people happen to be overwhelmed with an intolerable burden of debts and taxes, and their mo rals rals almost univerfally depraved by confirmed habits of corruption, at the fame time that their bodies are enervated by every species of luxury that can poffibly be invented; how therefore a people in fuch circumstances, when fufficiently ripened for the yoke, fhould expect to be defended from it, except by fome very extraordinary interpofition of providence in their favour, let the wisdom of the wife determine. But I find that I have already ftrayed too far from the original defign of this chapter, which I fhould by no means prefume to have done, had I not judged, that a fhort fhetch of the political principles of Hortenfius would give the trueft illuftration to his character, and, at the fame time, do all that honour to his memory, which a uniform and stedfast integrity, and an unbiaffed love for his country, most eminently deferved. CHAP. CHA P. XVI. Recapitulation of the authorefs's defign in undertaking this work; her reafon for the manner in which it is carried on: the arrival of Portia; a particular defcription of her, and fome account of her family; a very interefting Scene, in which She is principally concerned, partly related. I Have already informed my fair readers, in fome of the preceding chapters, that the improvement of their charms was my chief defign in this undertaking, as indeed the title of the work itself imports; and therefore, as I must unavoidably feem to have deviated fometimes from this agreeable subject, I think it my duty to affure them, that it has neverthelefs been always my moft favourite point of view; and a point of fo great importance, in my opinion, that upon the fuccefs thereof, if that could once be fairly accomplished, I have no doubt, but a happy reformation both of men and things would speedily enfue; for the influence of true beauty upon the manners and difpofitions of the other fex, when properly exerted, even they themselves allow |