fomewhere, in his Effays, carried this Thought so far, as to fancy that fuch a Concert of difcordant Sounds, or Anti-mufic, might be compofed, as fhould fink the Spirits, shake the Nerves, curdle the Blood, and inspire Defpair, Cowardice, and Confternation into all that hear it. It is probable (fays he, Part II. Page 24.) that the Roaring of Lions, the Warbling of Cats and Screech Owls, together with a Mixture of the Howling of Dogs, (to which I could add fome other Sounds, which I tremble to think of) judiciously imitated and compounded, might go a great way in this Invention : And proposes it as a very useful Improvement for the military Service, to ftrike a Terror and Panic into an Enemy; not confidering that the Performers in this infernal Concert, and their Friends about them, would be in more Danger than the Enemy, who would be farther removed from the difcordant Sounds, and confequéntly from the terrible Impreffion.-This by-the-bye.-But, in general, we may venture to affirm, with the Apostle, That amongst that almost infinite Variety of Sounds and Voices that are to be heard through the whole Creation, there is not fo much as one without its Signification. 1 Cor. xiv. 10.

Well, Madam, thus far, I think, our Author and we are pretty well agreed, that Brutes have Underftanding to know and exprefs their Wants, and provide for their Neceffities; and a Language, or fomething equivalent to it, to demand and give mutual Advice and Affiftance. Here, I think, we muft make a Stand; we can go no farther: Their Language, however known to them, is quite unknown to us; but, could we converse with them in their own Language, as our renowned and ingenious Country

man

man Capt. Lemuel Gulliver did with the Nation of the Houbynnims, we might then, perhaps, have Reason to agree with him, that they think and act more rationally, have more Sense, more Honour, and more Virtue, are better Philofophers, and deeper Politicians, than fome of the finest Folks in Great-Britain. The only Difference now between us is, how to account for thefe furprifing Faculties, that they are not the Effects of mere Matter and Motion; that they vastly exceed all the Powers of Mechanifin he readily confeffes, and fo I think must you and I. But fpiritual Powers and Faculties, without a spiritual Subject to which they belong, and in which they refide, is a fhocking Abfurdity. Well, and how does he get rid of this Difficulty? You fhall hear him, Madam, in his own Words, Page 10. Reason (says he) naturally inclines us to believe that Beafts have a spiritual Soul; and the only thing that oppofes this Sentiment, is the Confequences that might be inferred from it. If Brutes have a Soul, that Soul must be either Matter or Spirit, it must be one of the two, and yet you dare affirm neither. You dare not fay it is Matter, because you must then necessarily suppose Matter to be capable of Thinking; nor will you fay that it is Spirit, this Opinion bringing with it Confequences contrary to the Principles of Religion; and this, among others, that Men would differ from Beafts only by the Degrees of Plus and Minus, which would demolish the very Foundations of all Religion. Therefore, if I can elude all thefe Confequences, if I can affign to Beafts a spiritual Soul, without striking at the Doctrines of Religion, it is evident that my Syftem being moreover the most agreeable to Reafon, is the only warrantable Hypothefis. Now I fhall, and can, do it with the greatest

Eafe

Eafe imaginable. I even have Means, by the fame Me→ thod, to explain many very obfcure Paffages in the Holy Scripture, and to refolve some very great Difficulties, which are not well confuted. This we shall unfold in a more particular Manner.

And, in good Truth, Madam, you will find the Matter as particular as the Manner. An Hypothefis, fo wild and unphilofophical, fo contrary to Reason and Scripture, so shocking to common Senfe, deli vered with fuch an affuming Air, and fuch dogmatical Language, could furely proceed from nothing but an Excess of Vanity, or Contempt of his fine Lady's Understanding. But I fhall detain you from it no longer, but give you as short and plain a View of it as I can; and, as near as poffible, in his own Words.

Page 11. Religion teaches us, that the Devils, from the very Moment they had finned, were reprobate, and that they were doomed to burn for ever in Hell; but the Church has not as yet determined whether they do actually endure the Torments to which they are condemned: It may then be thought they do not yet fuffer them, and that the Execution of the Verdict brought against them is referved for the Day of the final Judgment. Page 13. Now what I pretend to infer from hence is, that till Doomsday comes, God, in order not to fuffer fo many Legions of reprobate Spirits to be of no use, has diftributed them through the feveral Spaces of the World, to ferve the Defigns of his Providence, and make his Omnipotence to appear. Some, continuing in their natural State, bufy themfelves in tempting Men, in feducing and tormenting them, either immediately, as Job's Devil, and thofe that lay hold on human Bodies, or by the VOL. I.

P

Mi

Miniftry of Sorcerers or Phantoms. These wicked Spi rits are thofe whom the Scripture calls the Powers of Darkness, or the Powers of the Air. God, with the others, makes Millions of Beafts of all Kinds, which ferve for the feveral Ufes of Man, which fill the Universe, and cause the Wisdom and Omnipotence of the Creator to be admired: By that means, I can easily conceive bow, on the one hand, the Devils can tempt us; and, on the other, how Beafts can think, know, have Sentiments, and a fpiritual Soul, without any way ftriking at the Doctrines of Religion. I am no longer furprized to fee them have Dexterity, Forecast, Memory, and Judgment. I should rather have occafion to wonder at their having no more, fince their Soul, very likely, is more perfect than ours: But I discover the Reafon of this; it is becaufe in Beafts as well as in ourfelves, the Operations of the Mind are dependent on the material Organs of the Machine to which it is united; and thefe Organs being groffer and less perfect in Beafts than in us, it follows, that the Knowledge, the Thoughts," and the other fpiritual Operations of Beafts, muft of courfe be less perfect than ours: And if these proud Spirits know their own difmal State, what an Humiliation must it be to them, thus to fee themselves reduced to the Condition of Beafts! But, whether they know it or no, fo fhameful a Degradation is ftill, with regard to them, that primary Effect of the Divine Vengeance I just mentioned, it is an anticipated HellPage 17. Having mentioned the Prejudices against this ·Hypothefis, fuch as particularly the Pleafure which People of Senfe and Religion take in Beafts and Birds, efpecially all Sorts of domeftic Animals; he proceeds: Do we love Beafts for their own Sakes? No. As they are alto

gether

gether Strangers to human Society, they can have no other Appointment, but that of being useful and amusing. And what care we, whether it be a Devil, or any other Creature, that ferves and amufes us? The Thought of it, far from fhocking, pleafes me mightily. I with Grati tude admire the Goodness of the Creator, who gave me too many little Devils to ferve and amufe me. If I am told, that these poor Devils are doomed to fuffer eternal Tortures, I admire God's Decrees, but I have no Manner of Share in this dreadful Sentence; I leave the Execution of it to the Sovereign Judge; and, notwithstanding this, I live with my little Devils, as I do with a Multitude of People, of whom Religion informs me, that a` great Number shall be damned. But the Cure of a Prejudice is not to be effected in a Moment, it is done by Time and Reflection; give me leave then lightly to touch upon this Difficulty, in order to obferve a very important Thing to you.

Perfuaded as we are, that Beafts have Intelligence, have we not all of us a thousand times pitied them, for the exceffive Evils, which the Majority of them are expofed to, and in reality fuffer? How unhappy is the Condition of Horfes, we are apt to fay, feeing a Horfe, whom an unmerciful Carman is murdering with Blows! How miferable is a Dog, whom they are breaking for Hunting! How dismal is the Fate of Beafts living in Woods; they are perpetually exposed to the Injuries of the Weather, always feized with Apprehenfions of becoming the Prey of Hunters, or of fome wilder Animal, for ever obliged, after long Fatigue, to look out for fome poor infipid Food, often fuffering cruel Hunger, and subject moreover to Illness and Death! If Men are fubject to a Multitude of Miferies that overwhelm them, Religion