t

have the fame indulgence to their forefathers. No religious principles can ever be imputed as a fault to any poet, while they remain merely principles, and take not fuch ftrong poffeffion of his heart, as to lay him under the imputation of bigotry or fuperftition. Where that happens, they confound the fentiments of morality, and alter the natural boundaries, of vice and virtue. They are therefore eternal blemishes, according to the principle above mentioned; nor are the prejudices and false opinions, of the age fufficient to juftify them.

It is effential to the ROMAN catholic religion to inspire a violent hatred of every other worship, and to represent all pagans, mahometans, and heretics, as the objects of divine wrath and vengeance. Such fentiments, though they are in reality very blameable, are confidered as virtues by the zealots of that communion, and are reprefented in their tragedies and epic poems as a kind of divine heroifm. This bigotry has disfigured two very fine tragedies of the FRENCH theatre, POLIEUCTE and ATHALIA; where an intemperate zeal for particular modes of worship is fet off with all the pomp imaginable, and forms the predominant character of the heroes. "What is this," fays the fublime JOAD to ĴOSABET, finding her in difcourfe with MATHAN, the priest of BAAL, Does the daughter of DAVID fpeak to this "traitor? Are you not afraid, left the earth fhould 66 open and pour forth flames to devour you both? Or,

left these holy walls fhould fall and crush you toge"ther? What is his purpofe? Why comes that enemy "of GOD hither to poifon the air, which we breathe "with his horrid prefence?" Such fentiments are received with great applause on the theatre of PARIS; but at LONDON the spectators would be full as much pleased to hear ACHILLES tell AGAMEMNON, that he was a

dog

dog in his forehead, and a deer in his heart; or JUPITER threaten JUNO with a found drubbing, if fhe will not be quiet. A

RELIGIOUS principles are alfo a blemish in any polite compofition, when they rife up to fuperftition, and intrude themselves into every fentiment, however remote from any connection with religion. It is no excufe for the poet, that the customs of his country had burthened life with fo many religious ceremonies and obfervances, that no part of it was exempt from that yoke. It muft for ever be ridiculous in PETRARCH to compare his mistress, LAURA, to JESUS CHRIST. Nor is it lefs ridiculous in that agreeable libertine, BOCCACE, very feriously to give thanks to GOD ALMIGHTY and the ladies, for their affiftance in defending him against his enemies.

THE

ESSAY I.

Of COMMERCE.

HE greater part of mankind may be divided inte two claffes; that of fhallow thinkers, who fall short of the truth; and that of abftrufe thinkers, who go beyond it. The latter clafs are by far the moft rare: and I may add, by far the most useful and valuable. They fuggeft hints, at leaft, and start difficulties, which they want, perhaps, skill to pursue; but which may produce fine discoveries, when handled by men who have a more just way of thinking. At worst, what they say is uncommon; and if it should cost some pains to comprehend it, one has, however, the pleasure of hearing fomething that is new. An author is little to be valued, who tells us nothing but what we can learn from every coffeehouse conversation.

All people of Shallow thought are apt to decry even thofe of folid understanding, as abftrufe thinkers, and metaphyficians, and refiners; and never will allow any thing to be juft which is beyond their own weak conceptions. There are fome cafes, I own, where an extraordinary refinement affords a strong prefumption of falfehood, and where no reasoning is to be trusted but what is natural and easy. When a man deliberates concerning his conduct in any particular affair, and forms schemes in

politics,