LETTER VI.

SOME REMARK S

UPON

MR. PHILLIPS's LIFE OF CARDINAL POLE

FROM THI

APPENDIX TO DR. NEVE'S ANIMADVERSIONS ON THAT WORK. N° 1.

REVEREND SIR,

THE Life of Pole, by Mr. Phillips, is a performance, which, in my opinion, forebodes no evil at all to our Church and State: yet it deferves to be examined and confuted. Such fort of writers have given occafion to excellent anfwers, and furnished materials for the Stilling fleets, the Tillotfons, &c.

Much fuch a work as this, in fome respects, w23" The Life of Wolfey," written at a critical

time by our Fiddes, a Proteftant-Papist, [the expreffion is as proper at least as Roman-Catholic] to prepare us for Popery and the Pretender :-a book, which had no other effect, than to expose the Author and his Patrons. *

The invectives of Mr. Phillips against Erafmus,with whofe works he feems to be entirely unacquainted, and whom he reprefents as a wretch void of all religion,-are the fcum and dregs of the accufations which blockheads, bigots, fanatics, and hypocrites, have fo plentifully thrown out.

There are writers of the Romish communion, who have treated Erafmus with decency and candour; as Thuanus, Du Pin, Richard, Marfollier, &c, But Mr. P. chufes rather to affociate himself with the other fraternity; and it is fit that he fhould have his choice.

Amongst the articles recommended by him to our belief, are thefe;

1. The Sanctity of Thomas Becket, and the numerous miracles wrought by his reliques; which, accord, ing to Boffuet, are fo well attefted, as to exclude all doubt and then, for the character of Boffuet, we are referred to Lord Bolingbroke, that incomparable judge of literary and theological merit.

II. The Authority of our countryman Sanders: a man fo famous for veracity, that, if Captain Lemuel

• See JORTIN'S Life of Erafmus, Vol. II. p. 330, for a full account of the work,

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Gulliver

judgment upon an Author, of whom he knows juft nothing at all.

La Mothe le Vayer, Eichelius, Alemannus, and Cave, have fufpected Procopius of Paganism, or of Atheism; but he hath been defended by Coufin, his French Tranflator, and by Fabricius, Bibl. Gr. v1. 248. More may be faid in his behalf than they have urged; and I will at any time undertake to prove, that the arguments produced in fupport of this heavy charge against him, arę altogether inconclufive.

Mr. P. gives us fimplex et abfoluta as the words of Procopius; whence we may collect that he takes him for a Latin writer. I can affure him that Procopius wrote in Greck. If he will not believe me, he may afk his Bookfeller..

But, unfortunately, thefe words, wherefoever he picked them up, are not the words of Procopius: they are the property of another author, a Latin Historian, and a Pagan ;-of Ammianus Marcellinus; and fo little do they ferve the purposes of Popery, that he ought by no means to have produced them, and helped himself to a flap on the face.

Marcellinus blames the Emperor Conftantius for having made himself the head of a party, in the theological fquabbles of those days, inftead of quieting the combatants; and obferves, that the

Christians

Chriftians, by their frivolous contentions and false refinements, darkened and perplexed a Reli gion, which in itself was complete and fimple. He adds, that the publick Revenues fuffered not a little, by supplying the Prelates with Poft-Chaifes for their everlafting journies to their Synods and Councils.

"Conftantius Chriftianam religionem abfolutam et fimplicem anili Superftitione confundens, in qua fcrutanda perplexius quam componenda gravius, excitavit diffidia plurima, quæ progreffa fufius aluit concertatione verborum: ut catervis Antif titum jumentis publicis ultro citròque difcurrentibus, per Synodos quas appellant, dum ritum omnem ad fuum trahere conatur arbitrium, rei vebiculariæ fuccideret nervos." Lib. XXI, 16.

The fame honeft Hiftorian, fpeaking of a worthless Prelate, fays, that he did not learn his practice from his religion;-quæ nihil nifi juftum fuadet, et lene. Lib. XXII. 11.

“A

Significant words ;-which, for the benefit of fome people, we will explain :-"A religion, which allows no fham miracles; no pious frauds and forgeries; no compulfion of confcience; no inquifitions; no racks and tortures, to stretch a fcanty faith to a proper length; no violation of fafe conducts; no godly maffacres; no burning

of