whore of Rome; on which account they are to be held as the adulterers.

The sixth canton is the murderers' habitation, which is divided into two grand divisions. In the first are murderers of others: these are subdivided into petty cantons. In the first of which live the mental murderers, just upon the frontiers of the country. They are a people who, without just cause, are angry with their neighbours; this lambent flame they inwardly cherish till revenge is begotten along with hatred, envy, and malice, with them, therefore, nothing is wanting but opportunity to destroy the reputation and life of the object of their hatred, with safety to themselves; but very often it happens that their hatred and revenge destroy their subjects, ere they have an opportunity of avenging themselves. The verbal murderers live next to them, in a very spacious country, because they are very numerous. By the verbal murderers I mean, those who withhold from the character of others the good which they do deserve, and speak of them the evil which they do not deserve; or even the evil which they do deserve, in a way in which they would not wish others to speak of themselves, in like circumstances. I attend, for my part, in many companies, where the conversation cannot possibly be supported, for a quarter of an hour, but at the expence of some absent acquaintance, and so fashionable is this, in polite life, that it is become a proverb, "That scandal is the very life and soul of conversation." To this petty canton belong all talebearers, backbiters, railers, evil-surmisers, and particularly the very obliging gentry, who tack But, to the end of all their encomiums on others, as "He is a good sort of gentleman, But---or she is an agreeable lady enough, But---" where you may observe, that little unintelligible word, But, stabs the gentleman and lady's reputation through and through. Having past through this, you come into the country of those who murder with their looks. In this country you may see an eye to curse a man to hell and damnation, and an eye-brow call a man a scoundrel and knock him down. The Rev. Mr. Adam Gib, primate of the associate synod in Scotland, has lately had his heart wounded so deeply, by the looks of some of his elders, that it is thought he cannot recover the stroke as long as he lives; but for the good of the public, he hath prosecuted them before the presbytery, who, without enquiring into facts, sentenced the reputation of the irreverend elders to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, to the great consolation of the pious sufferer. As soon as you get out of this country, you come

Fourthly, Into a very extensive plain, inhabited by what may be called domestic murderers. A set of beings who murder with impunity, no suitable laws being provided against them.

Here dwells the parent who spends wastefully, what should regularly support his family, so that his children are brought up

in the most dissolute, and irreligious manner, as a preparative to the most vicious practices; hence, whether the children prove virtuous or vicious, strict equity accounts the profuse and careless parent the murderer. Near to those murderous parents lives the lascivious husband, who estrangeth himself from his lawful consort, and frequenteth the company of lewd women. Many you may find here, who, as the very worst of felons, rob their wives and children of their legal property, to support the most infamous strumpets, who, like the horse leech, are continually saying, Give, give. Such men are sure to find the truth of that saying, "A whore is a deep ditch." Here it is a very common thing to see the most virtuous women, so ill used by their murderous husbands, that they languish and grieve under their affliction, till at last they die of a broken heart. No assassin ever better deserved the gallows, than such husbands, for no assassin ever put the person whom he murdered to equal torture. The very same may be said of the lascivious strumpet, of high or low degree, who is false to her husband.

Among domestic murderers, live the parents, who, for the sake of an agreeable settlement, oblige their children to marry with persons whom they cannot possibly love. This lays a sure foundation for certain murder, and brings the party to the grave in the most distressing manner.

But if covetous parents would only consider, that a compelled marriage is worse than a poisoned dagger plunged into the bosom of their offspring, they would certainly have more compassion than to persist in the iniquitous measure. Here likewise live those who restrain their children from marrying the objects of their choice, merely because there is a deficiency of a few hundreds, or thousands, in the fortune. Parents who can relish nothing but money, and have a wrong notion of honour, make no scruple of conscience to render their children miserable all their days, rather than suffer them to marry a degree and half below themselves. It is very strange that the law of nations should make no provision against this murder, and stranger still that those of Britain countenance and encourage it.

However, marriages are seldom happy where the affections are not joined prior to the matrimonial ceremony. Money may unite the persons, but it cannot unite the affections, as appears in numberless instances of which disconsolate, dull and heavy husbands, broken-hearted wives, frequent divorces, elopements, domestic quarrels, and divided families, the natural effect of forced marriages, are evidences.

There is yet another species of domestic murderers, connived at by the law. They are such who not only train up their children in idleness, but in luxury and wantonness. By these means their spendthrift sons, if of high birth, are fitted to become robbers of the nation when their own fortunes are spent; and is

of middle life, they are fitted for the highway, and consequently for the halter. Nor is this method of training up less fatal in its influence on the female sex, for it prepares them for the stews, or the suburbs of the stews, where gentlemen's courtezans dwell, perhaps for theft, and then for the gallows. Idleness and luxury, is as rank poison to the mind, as arsenic is to the body. Many people indeed lament the young gentleman's unhappy fate when he is going to Tyburn, but very few censure his parents as the first cause of his untimely end, by the manner in which they brought him up. This is some comfort to us, however, that though such domestic murderers act with impunity from man, the law of God will take such notice of them, as to bring them to hell, if their crimes are not repented of. To be sure it would be more agreeable to us, to see them enter hell by way of Tyburn: but the devil cannot always have his will.

Another sort are very careful to preserve the bodies of their children, by providing diligently for them the necessaries and conveniences of life; as they grow up are as careful to preserve them from the highway and the stews, by putting into their hands a business by which to obtain a comfortable livelihood; and after all prove the murderers of their children. For, on the one hand, they restrain them not from bad company, which leads to destruction; company that corrupt the principles, vitiate the conduct, and lead into bad practices, such as sabbath-breaking, gaming, lying, and swearing, &c. Nor, on the other hand, do they take any pains to cultivate their infant minds, further than to know how, when, and to whom, they should make a genteel bow, and courtesy, and how to express the modish compliments in a graceful manner. They never once deem it necessary to instil into their minds an early sense of religion and virtue.

Many parents, if their children learn a little polite behaviour, do not much care whether they read the Bible at all.

In this country too dwell duellers, boxers, boasters, and provokers; all the bands of assassins, and intriguers against men's lives. His hoary holiness is captain general of this band, also his cardinals and inquisitors are next to him in honour. Here dwell persecutors of every name: popish, episcopal or presbyterian; all who impose religion on men's consciences by the power of the sword.

The second division is that of self-murderers, and I assure you, sir, this is a very populous place, more crowded than the former. Here dwell gluttons, drunkards, and intemperate persons in general; for there are more who eat and drink themselves to death, than the fever, the consumption, and the sword destroy. Idle, lazy, and slothful persons, live here, under the character of second-hand murderers, their idle habits introducing diseases of the most fatal nature. The immoderately careful also, kill themselves with mere anxiety. In the next town the envious

pros

are stationed; those who are as mortally wounded by the perity of their neighbour, as any man can be by a dagger. In the suburbs live those whom we call the impatient, for trouble is not so very deathly, as impatience under it. Over the bridge live the ambitious, a people of lofty views, who crack their heart strings, by climbing. In the neighbourhood of the latter live the lascivious, who kill themselves by little and little, and parboil their flesh, ere they present it to the worms. I might add to this list a prodigious number besides, known amongst us by the name of soul murderers; but as I was never very remarkable for knowledge in casuistical divinity, I shall leave this to others, and proceed to

The seventh and royal canton of drunkards; which is divided into too very grand divisions, the first of which is inhabited by the sot, and the second by merry companions. The soaking sots are a well seasoned race, who seem as if some of their ancestors had been of the bristly kind. They are a swinish set of people, always grunting, but when their lips are in the cup, unless it may be, that the calf mounts them in the morning, and rides them till half past two, then dismounts just in the middle of dinner, and the eager swine vaults into the saddle, and rides them till they are lame. The ensign of the sots' division, is a long tobacco pipe, and greasy fore breasts of a coat; and if any man have business with them, he would do well to wait on them in the morning, before the calf dismounts; for after that they can do nothing but grunt, till sleep dismount the pig again; thus they are ridden alternately by the calf and the pig. The sots drink merely for the sake of liquor, and in process of time, their blood becomes so inflamed, that they carry the arms of their company upon their faces, which are dyed into a kind of bastard scarlet colour, and grow as rough as the skin of a shark, with preternatural pimples.

The second division is that of merry companions, or according to men of learning, good fellows. They abhor the name, yet love the practice of drunkards; you could not affront them worse, than by telling them, they are in love with the landlady for the sake of her liquor. Were you to ask them their reasons for frequenting the tavern, they would soon tell you, that it is not for any love they have to the liquor, but they go there merely for the sake of good company. By the way, sire, they go to the wrong place to seek for it, for no good company haunt taverns and alehouses. Good company is most likely to be found in good places, but taverns and alehouses are quite of another cast, being public portals, through which many pass to the nether regions. Yea, such a good opinion has Belzebub conceived of them, that many of the landladies and their daughters, are appointed his factors and agents upon earth.

It is the practice of merry companions to meet at the tavern

or some other place of public resort, as many evenings in the week as business will admit of, to read and expound the news. papers, give their opinion of the proceedings of the ministry, of commercial transactions, or to comment on the operations of war. Sometimes they meet to play what they call a civil game at cards, backgammon, &c. or it may be to reproach some neighbouring presbyterian parson, for his affected sanctity: for you must know that they not only hate sanctity itself, but its very appearance. Often you may hear them deride the fanatic, for what they call his narrow and bigotted spirit, and at the same time applaud the reverend Mr. Liveloose for an affable, free, and generous soul. Many of those merry companions, who will by no means bear the name of drunkard, I can pick you out, who will drink a bottle or two at a sitting, and go home betwixt one and two in the morning with eyes as fierce as those of a hyæna.

In short, sir, if you were to go through my canton of drunkards, when our men are all at work, you would hear as great a noise as if Vulcan with his Cyclops were there, hammering thunderbolts for Jupiter. And would certainly imagine that hell had burst its belly, and poured out its entrails amongst us, on account of the hideous cursing, swearing, damning, sinking, scolding, and bawling, tearing and fighting, boasting, lying, cheating, and unclean words, looks, and gestures, which there abound. This, sir, is the royal canton, out of which I choose all my principal men; which you must own to be sound policy, for if ever I can get a man to become a drunkard, I can cause him to commit what wickedness I please; and I must tell you, that this canton is inhabited by men of all ranks, occupations, and per

suasions.

Thus, reverend father, I have given you a brief account of my dominions, but if you were to pass through the several cantons, and see them all yourself, you would say that the hundredth part has not been told you.

INFID. Oh! my child! my dear Impiator, how my aged heart is filled with joy, on hearing your pleasing story. Illustrious indeed is the kingdom of Prophanity. You honour me, my son! Your success does great honour to the name of Infidelis. But I pray, do you know any thing of a set of people whom they call Nazarenes? they are the only people in the world who have cast off my yoke. Oh! how it would rejoice me to hear that your craftiness had engaged them in your service!

IMP. I know them very well. A small body of despised, precise creatures, hated by all the world. I assure you, sir, I have done all that lies in my power, to bring them under our domiBut mortified I am to tell you, that I have never been able to conquer one of them. Immanuel hath published very strict laws in his kingdom, absolutely prohibiting his subjects