Gripe, the Scrivener. An Interview betwixt two fuch extraordinary Persons, I thought, must be something very particular, and I had Curiofity enough to make a Halt to fee the Event. My Friend, the Operator, happening to spy me across the Street, leaves his Patient, and steps over to me. Sir, faid he, What do you think? I have been offering that old Fellow to make him a Soul; the Dog fays, he has one already, but I can hardly believe him; I am fure, if he has, it was none of my making; and I offered to make him a Dozen better and larger than his for a Groat. not offer to tenter his old one? -Rot him, I would as foon try to tenter a Cobweb,-I am fure it is fo thin, and fo rotten, it would break under my Hands, like a Piece of wet brown Paper.. The Moral of this mad Speech is applicable to thousands. Qui capit, ille facit.

Why, faid I, did you Tenter him!-faid he,

Mankind may be fairly divided into Patrons and Clients; fome who are able to give, and others who want to receive: Some who have Favours to bestow, and others who have Favours to afk: Some who are forced to depend upon the Affiftance and Protection of others, or make others depend upon them. The Neceffities of Mankind, and the Inequality of their Fortunes, make this Dependance neceffary; and it is the Business of Philofophy and Religion to regulate the Exercise, and direct the Management, of this Dependance, fo as to make it useful to the Public, and answer the great Purposes and Defigns of Providence, which is, to make one Man's Superfluity a Relief to another's Neceffity; one Man's Strength a Support to another Man's Weakness; all mutually confpiring to promote the Glory of God, the Welfare of the PubVOL. I. K

lic,

lic, and the Benfit and Happiness of each other. Now, when Men of Merit, who are not always the Favourites of Fortune, are diftreffed in their worldly Circumstances, and find there is nothing to be got but by mean and difhonourable Practices, they are too often tempted to let go their Integrity, and swim with the general Stream of Corruption, rather than ftarve with Honour and a good Confcience; for, as neither of thefe are marketable Commodities, no Wonder that Gold and Silver, with a good Proportion of Brafs, carry all before them; and if, under fuch Difcouragements, there be a visible Decay of Virtue, Honour, and public Spirit, Who can wonder?

It is a Reproach to Religion, Humanity, and a liberal Education, that there fhould be found, among Men of Learning, and, in other Respects, of fair and virtuous Characters, that Meannefs and Littleness of Mind, as to regard none but themfelves; to ingrofs and inclose the whole Fountain of Favour, and exclude the Modeft and Sincere from the Obfervation of thofe, who, if they knew them, might be difpofed to favour and reward their Modesty and Merit; or, by vile Calumny or Mifreprefentation, traduce and expofe the Characters of thofe whom they envy, hate, or fear, as Rivals and Competitors. Nothing gives me a greater Idea of those two great Men, Horace and Virgil, than that they could, without Jealoufy, or Emulation, recommend and fupport each other in the Favour of the most polite and munificent Patron in Rome. They were mutually conscious of each other's Merit in their different Places; there was no Competition for Favours, nor did either of them think himself eclipsed or injured by any Applaufe

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plaufe or Advantages received by the other. Non ifto vivitur illic que, tu rere, modo, is the Answer that either of them would have given to the Impertinents of this Age, as well as of that. These were the natural Dictates of an open ingenuous Mind, of a large and generous Heart: But when I fee Men of excellent Understanding and eminent Learning, intent upon nothing but their own Advantage, aiming at nothing but Riches and Power, undermining, fupplanting, and betraying every Man whom they apprehend may stand in his Way, and obftruct their selfish, covetous, or ambitious Designs, I view them in no other Light than that of religious Huckflers, or learned Stockjobbers. Let a Man's Head be ever fo full of Learning, or Cunning, of what Sort foever it be, if it be under the Direction of a little, corrupt, felfifh, covetous Heart, let their State or Employment be what it will, whe ther it be in Stocks or Sciences, Lottery-tickets or various Readings, whether in Libraries or Change Alley, folving Problems or cracking Nuts, publishing new Editions or finging old Ballads, reading Lec tures, making Mouse-traps, or felling Turneps, they are all equally removed from all Pretenfions to trus Honour, or Greatness of Mind.

God Senfe and true Honour are ever attentive to true Merit, in whatever Form or Dress it appears, ever ready to bestow or procure due Encouragement and fuitable Rewards, to relieve the Indigent, fupport the Industrious, and raife, out of Obfcurity and Want into Light and Plenty, the Modeft and Deferving, who have wanted Opportunities of appearing in the World to Advantage. I was much delighted with the graceful and generous Manner in which the late Archbishop

of Rheims (Le Tillier) introduced the celebrated Fa ther Mabillon to Lewis XIV. Sir, faid he, I have the Honour to prefent to your Majesty the most learned and modeft Monk in your Kingdom. This was the Language of a great Soul, truly worthy of a Perfon of his eminent Worth and Station, who confidered his Modefty as adding Luftre and Dignity to his Learning, and making that an Introduction and Recommendation to the Royal Favour, which, without fuch a Patron, might have been the most likely to exclude him from it for ever.

Patronage, whether in Church or State, is the Exercise of a great Branch of Power. Power, in all its Branches and Subordinations, whether natural or political, ecclefiaftical or civil, is a Talent or Truft derived from the Supreme Fountain of Power; for the Ufes or Abuses of which, a fevere Account will one Day be required. The Nature and Ufes of this Truft are clearly implied in the very Nature of the Grant, which is, that it be exercifed upon proper Objects, and in a proper Manner. All that are employed in this Truft, from the King to the petty Conftable, are confidered as Minifters, Vice-gerents, and Officers, accountable to him from whom they have received it. The Prince is the immediate Minifter of God, Rom. xiii. 4. Subordinate Magiftrates are his Minifters, Deputies, or Vice-gerents, accountable to him for the Management of their respective Provinces. The Ufes of this delegated Authority, or ministerial Power, can be no other than what are agreeable to the Nature and Will of the Supreme Lord. And thefe, both Reason and Revelation affure us, are to be a Terror, not to good Works, but to the Evil; Revengers

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vengers to execute Wrath upon them that do Evil, Rom. xiii. 4. For the Punishment of Evil-doers, and the Praise of them that do well, 1 Pet. ii. 14. Now, if Princes, and all that are put in Authority under them, would truly and indifferently minister Justice to the Punishment of Wickedness and Vice, and the Maintenance of true Religion and Virtue, Things would quickly be put upon a right Foot, and all Competitions for Favour would be brought to a peremptory and impartial Decision, by the unerring Rule of Truth and Righteoufnefs; the Evil-doers would have nothing to hope, and the Well-doers nothing to fear; real Merit, Virtue, and Honour, would be the never-failing Steps to Preferment; Infamy and Shame would be the infeparable Companions of Vice and Iniquity. The Learned, the Pious, and the Good, would have the firft and faireft Claim to the Favours of the Great; and the Enemies of Religion and of Honour would be banished not only from the Courts of Princes, but even from the Houses and Countenance of all good Men; and the truly honourable, of both Sexes, would be as much afhamed of appearing in the Company of a Libertine, or Infidel, as to be caught in a dishabille, or in Company with a Bawd, or a Pick-pocket; and the Rewards of Virtue would be given to none but those who had Merit enough to deferve them.-Į fhall conclude with a fhort Story.-Once upon a time, there lived, in a certain Nation, a Man of true Honour, and a confiderable Patron, who, in the Difpofal of his Favours, regarded nothing but the real Merit of the Receiver. He had long entertained very favourable Intentions towards a Clergyman of great Merit, who had lain fo long buried in the Obfcurity