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that People ufe to make to Chickens when they call them. I fet down the Words of this worthy Dialogue in French just as Prince Maurice faid them to me. I asked him in what Language the Parrot fpake? And he said in Brafilian. I asked him, Whether he understood Brafilian? He faid, No, but he had taken care to have two Interpreters by him; the one a Dutchman who spoke Brafilian, and the other a Brafilian that spoke Dutch; that he asked them Separately and privately, and both of them agreed in telling him just the fame Thing that the Parrot faid. I could not but tell this odd Story, because it is fo much out of the Way, and from the first Hand, and what may pass for a good one; for I dare fay, the Prince at least believed himself in all he told me, having ever past for a very honest and pious Man. I leave it to Naturalifts to reason, and to other Men to believe, as they pleafe upon it.

The Ufe Mr. Locke makes of this surprising Story is of a very particular Nature, and I muft needs fay, not without Violence, applied to his Purpofe. Hear his own Remark. The Prince, it is plain, who vouches this Story, and our Author who relates it from him, both of them call this Talker a Parrot; and I ask any one else, who thinks such a Story fit to be told, whether, if this Parrot, and all of its Kind, had always talked, as we have a Prince's Word for it this one did; whether, I fay, they would not have paffed for a Race of rational Animals? So far the Question is properly stated, and may be easily answered. Without doubt they would. But he proceeds to ask further, Whether, for all that, they would have been allowed to be Men, and not Parrots? Why fo? unlefs it were thought abfurd or impious to afcribe any Kind or Degree of Reafon to Brutes; which is fo

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far from being the Cafe, that I humbly conceive, there is at least a strong Probability of the contrary. And this Story, fo well attefted, is no contemptible Evidence in our Favour. Suppofing, therefore, this to be the Cafe, the Question I would ask fhould be this: Does not this Parrot discover as evident Tokens at leaft of Reason and Understanding as many of our own Species, who are allowed to be reasonable Creatures, and to make a tolerable Appearance in the gay World? Is there any difcernible Difference between the Conversation of this Bird, and many a fad unlucky Bird, who fancies himself a very pretty Fellow, and perhaps a very fine Gentleman? Let us, if you please, Madam, enter a little farther into the Comparison. The Parrot, in fo fhort a Conversation, could discover but few Ideas neceffarily involved in the Queftions he was obliged to anfwer; but thofe few feem to be clear, diftinct, and regularly adjufted; and, if we may be allowed to judge by this Specimen, he might have a larger and better Stock of intellectual Materials to employ upon proper Occafions. First of all, It is plain he could diftinguish Colours, and the Difference between his footy Countrymen, and the white Attendants of the Prince. Secondly, He could diftinguish Men from any other Species of Animals, by his calling the Prince's Attendants White-men. Thirdly, He had Geography enough to distinguish one Place from another, and to tell the Prince, that he came from Marinnan. Fourthly, He understood the abstracted Nature of Property, and the Relation he bore to the Portuguese Owner or Mafter to whom he belonged. Fifthly, He could infer that that Relation implied. fome Sort of Service to be performed on his part,

which was the Care of the Chicken. Sixthly, He discovered that he understood the Nature of his Office, and how to execute it in a proper Manner, by making the Signals which the Mother used to make to her young Family, to warn them to fly from any imminent Danger, and put themselves under her Protection. It feems to appear from hence, that this fenfible, honest, faithful Servant had as much Knowledge as was fufficient to qualify him for the Poft that was affigned him, of which he gave full Proof in his Examination by the Prince. You will tell me, perhaps, this was no Proof of his Understanding; it might probably be a Leffon which he had learned by Rote: But pray, Madam, is not the Probability as ftrong on the other Side? especially as you find that the firft Speech was the Effect of immediate Reflection, without any leading Question to introduce it, and the reft were a Sequel of proper Answers to the feveral Queftions that were proposed by the Prince. But you may further reply, that, as he had fo few Ideas to work with, it would require a very moderate Degree of Understanding to be able to adjust them properly, and apply them juftly upon proper Occafions. True-but the being able to do it at all, even in the lowest Degree, is confeffing the Point that I am labouring to prove, and answers every Objection that has been made against it.—Well then, fuppofing this poor individual Bird at the Head of his Species, compounding and comparing Ideas, forming Conclufions, reafoning, and answering Queftions, we may, according to Mr. Locke's own Confeffion, allow him to be a rational Parrot; and may reafonably infer, that the other Individuals of the fame Species are capable of fimilar, if not equal, Improve

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ments, and, by Confequence, have a proportionable Title to the Character of rational Creatures: On the other hand, if a flender Stock of Ideas, a Slowness of Apprehenfion, a Poverty of Genius, and Narrownefs of Understanding be a fufficient Reafon for ftriking them out of the Rank of rational Beings, I quite dread the Confequence, and almost tremble to think what terrible Havock it must make in the human Specics. How many honeft, merry, pretty Fellows must instantly refign their Pretenfions to Humanity, be turned to Grafs, or degraded into the lowest Rank of Vegetables! Could you fteal into poor Sylvio's Pericranium, and there deface the Ideas of his Dogs, his Horfes, his Bottle, and (I am forry to add) his Mistress, you would leave an absolute Void, an intire Blank, as could be found in the whole Creation. Ned Courtly, who values himself fo much upon his Knowledge of the World, is not one Jot richer than he; the whole Furniture of his Memory (the only Faculty he has to find Employment for his Tongue) was stolen from the Drawing-room, the Opera, and the Affembly; and if it were poffible for him to return his intellectual Trumpery to the Place from whence he ftole it, he would immediately be upon the Level with the Wafps and Butterflies. I have at this Time in my Eye a Group of folemn Blockheads, who have the Vanity to call themselves Free-thinkers, without being able to explain the Character they infolently claim, nor the Title by which they pretend to claim it. I wish I had a proper Authority to confine them all together in one Room, with a decent Allowance of Pen, Ink, and Paper, debarring them the Use of two or three Libertine Books, two or three Cant-words,

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and two or three Common-place Jokes, upon Parfons, Priest-craft, and Superstition, and I would defy their united Misunderstandings, in fix Weeks Time, to produce fix Quarto Pages upon any Question in Philosophy or Religion, written (I do not say with Argument or Grammar, for that would be an unreafonable Impofition) but even with true Spelling, and common Senfe. Could you, by any means, restrain the arch, the witty, the eloquent Clarinda from her favourite Topics of Drefs and Scandal, you will infinitely oblige all her Acquaintance by condemning her to perpetual Silence.

Now I would venture to say, that the Partition betwixt the lowest Degree of Human, and the highest Degree of Brute, Understanding, is so very flender, that it is hardly perceptible, and could not, in any Degree, be distinguished but by a greater Fluency of Language; which, though in the main it may be confidered as an Advantage to our Species in general, yet is it none to those who seldom make any other use of it, than to discover the Emptiness of their Heads, the Perverseness of their Wills, or the Iniquity of their Hearts, and fhew how little the real Difference is (Shape only excepted) betwixt a fagacious, goodnatured, governable, useful Animal, which we agree to call a Brute, and a wrong-headed, vicious, ungovernable, mischievous Brute, whom we agree to call a Man; and what Authority we have to ftrike out of the Syftem of Immortality so great a Part of the Creation, without an abfolute and evident Neceffity, exceeds my Comprehenfion. If both Reason and Revelation affure us, that, in their firft Creation, they were all very good: As perfect in their feveral Kinds,

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