this declaration is also a Teftimony of your Sincerity in profeffing to me all along, that Satisfaction was what you fincerely fought after, and I thank Almighty God, who often chooses weak things to confound the mighty, that you have attained fo great a Bleffing by the feeble Endeavours of fo mean an Inftrument in his Hands as I, to his Praife, and Glory in the Senfe of my own Infufficiency moft humbly acknowledge my felf to be. I heartily rejoyce with you in the SatisfaEtion you have received, and I think my felf bound to thank your Ladyship for your hearty Prayer to God to reward me for the Pains I have taken with you z and I heartily join my Prayer to yours, that from him, who abundantly compen feth all our charitable, and fincere Undertakings for the good of others, I may receive the promised Reward. You are also pleased to tell me, that you shall efteem the Book, as a valuable Present, and therefore I prefent it to your Ladyship in this publick manner, because it may invite others, especially of your Sex,

abo

who are unfetled, as you were, to read thofe Arguments, and Answers, which by God's Bleffing have established, and fetled you.

You will find in it a particular, and full Answer to that fallacious Paper which help'd to unfettle you, and to which I promised your Ladyfhip, by God's Affiftance to make an answer. And for your Ladyship's farther Confirmation, you will also find in it a Letter, which a Gentlewoman of Quality fent to the Romish Prieft, who had feduced ber, upon her return from the Church of Rome to the Church of England. There is alfo in it a good Answer to fome Queries, which were brought by a Gentlewoman in fuch an unfetled Condition, as your Ladyship lately was in, to another Divine of the Church of England, in reading of which I hope your Ladyship will have the Pleasure of new SatisfaEtion from fuch Arguments, as you gave me no Occasion to use, or not to infift upon. MADAM, Thefe additional Pieces, A 3

to

The Dedicatory Epiftle.

to this Collection of our Letters will afford your Ladyship fresh Entertainment, and help to add fomething to the fmall value of an inconfiderable Prefent, which comes with all refpect to offer it felf to your acceptance from

TO THE

READER.

I

a

Had not published thefe Controverfial Letters, but for the fake, of a Paper, which the Lady brought me from the Perfon, who had mightily unfetled her, before I came acquainted with her, and with the Approaches her Ladyship had made towards the Church of Rome, The Reader will find it in the 9th Page of this Book, where the Title of it will tell him it was written in Anfwer to fome Paffages in Dr. George Hickes's Book, i. e. to fome Paffages in his Book mentioned in the Margin. I had reafon to think, if I had not made a publick Reply to this Paper, it would have been privately difperfed in MSS. or Print among the Roman Catholicks, as an Anfwer to that Book; and therefore I made the Reply to it, which the Reader will find at the 46th Page: Though in the ill Condition of Health I was in, I had much rather have let it alone, if my Silence to that Paper would not have given too much Advantage to my Adverfary, and probably have tempted the good Lady, to whom he gave it, to believe that I did not, because I could not make any Reply to it. This Reply obliged me to publifh the whole Series of Let

Several Letters, which paffed between Dr. George Hickes, and a popish Prieft, c. London, Printed for Richard Sare at Grays Inn-Gate in Holborn. 1705. A 4.

ters,

ters, which paffed between me, and her Ladyship, of which the Reader muft look upon the Appendix as a Part, and may be pleafed to read them af ter the 45th Page, as if they had been printed in order there. They came to me after the Book was printed off, and when I did not expect them, and that is the reafon, why I was fain to make an Appendix of them.

The Lady, who wrote the Letter to a Romish Brieft, was Mrs. Sufanna Hopton, Relia of Richard Hopton of Kington in Herefordshire, Efq; one of the Welsh Judges in the Reigns of King Charles II. and King James II. And the Prieft, to whom fhe wrote it, was Father Turbeville, a Perfon in his time of great Note, and Authority among thofe of his Communion in England. She fell fick of a very fharp Feavour at the latter end of June laft, which the bore with uncommon Courage, Patience, and Refignation, and died of it in the Faith and Communion of the Church of England, and conftant to her Principles, at Hereford in the 82°. Year of her Age, on the 12th of July following, about two of the Clock in the afternoon. But almoft two Years before fhe died, fhe gave me leave to publish her Letter, which I thought would be proper to be added to thefe Controverfial Letters; and I hope it may have good Effect upon all thofe of her Sex, who are fo ready to be drawn away by the fubtle Artifices, the Slight, and Craftiness of the Roman Miffioners, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. What was the occafion of her Fall, and what by God's Bleffing of her Recovery, I need fay nothing, because the gives an Account of both in her Letter, in which the Reader will find the had very well ftudied the Controverfie between the two Churches, and very well ununderstood it; and be need not wonder at it, when I have told him, that the made her felf as perfect in it, as reading English Writers could make her,

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