that we are "now in more danger of Popery than "towards the end of King Charles II.'s reign; and gives the broadeft hints, that the Queen, the miniftry, the parliament, and the clergy, are juft going to introduce it; I defire to know, whether he really thinks truth is of his fide, or whether he be not fure the is against him? If the latter, then truth and he will be found in two different stories; and which are we to believe? Again, when he gravely advifes the Tories not to light the fires in Smithfield, and goes on, in twenty places already quoted, as if the bargain was made for Popery and flavery to enter? I atk again, whether he hath rightly confidered the nature of truth? I defire to put a parallel cafe. Suppose his Lordship should take it into his fancy to write and publifh a letter to any gentleman of no infamous character for his religion or morals; and there advise him with great earneftness not to rob or fire churches, ravish his daughter, or murder his father: fhew him the fin and the danger of thefe enormities; that if he flattered himself he could efcape in difguife, or bribe his jury, he was grievously mistaken; that he must in all probability forfeit his goods and chattels, die an ignominious death, and be curfed by pofterity; would not fuch a gentleman juftly think himself highly injured, although his Lordship did not affirm, that the faid gentleman had picklocks or combuftibles ready; that he had attempted his daughter, and drawn his fword againft his father in order to ftab him? whereas, in the other cafe, this writer affirms over and over, that all attempts for introducing Popery and flavery are already made, the whole business concerted, and that little less than a miracle can prevent our ruin.

or

Thirdly, I could heartily with his Lordship would not undertake to charge the opinions of one two, and those probably nonjurors, upon the whole body of the nation that differs from him. Mr.

Leflie writ a" proposal for an union with the Galli

can church;" fomebody elfe hath "carried the "neceffity of priesthood in point of baptifm further "than Popery;" a third hath "afferted the inde"pendency of the church on the ftate, and in many things arraigned the fupremacy of the crown:" then he speaks in a dubious infinuating way, as if fome other Popish tenets had been already advanced; and at laft concludes in this affected strain of defpondency, "What will all these things end in? and on what defign are they driven? Alas, it is too "vifible!" It is as clear as the fun, that these authors are encouraged by the miniftry, with a defign to bring in Popery; and in Popery all these things will end.

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I never was fo uncharitable to believe, that the whole party of which his Lordship profeffeth himself a member, had a real formed design of establish Atheism among us. The reason why the Whigs have taken the Atheists or Freethinkers into their body, is, because they wholly agree in their politi. cal schemes, and differ very little in church power and difcipline. However, I could turn the argument against his Lordship with very great advantage, by quoting paffages from fifty pamphlets wholly made up of Whiggism and Atheism, and then conclude, "What will all these things end in? "and on what defign are they driven? Alas, it is too vifible!"

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Laftly, I would beg his Lordship not to be fo exceedingly outrageous upon the memory of the dead, because it is highly probable, that in a very short time he will be one of the number. He hath in plain words given Mr. Wharton the character of a moft malicious, revengeful, treacherous, lying, mercenary villain. To which I fhall only fay, that the direct reverse of this amiable description is what appears from the works of that most learned divine, and from the accounts given me by those

who

who knew him much better than the Bishop feems to have done. I meddle not with the moral part of this treatment. God Almighty forgive his Lordfhip this manner of revenging himfelf; and then there will be but little confequence from an accufation, which the dead cannot feel, and which none of the living will believe.

******

A complete COLLECTION of GENTEEL and INGENIOUS CONVERSATION,

cording to the most polite mode and method now ufed at court, and in the best companies of England *.

IN THREE DIALOGUES.

By SIMON WAGSTAFF, Efq;

An INTRODUTION.

S my life hath been chiefly spent in confulting the honour and welfare of my country for more than forty years paft, not without unanfwerable fuccefs, if the world and my friends have not flattered me; fo there is no point wherein I have fo much laboured, as that of improving and polishing all parts of converfation between perfons of quality, whether they meet by accident or invitation, at meals, tea, or visits, mornings, noons, or evenings.

This treatife appears to have been written with the fame view as the "tritical efiay on the faculties of the mind" [Vol 5.] but upon a more general plan. The ridicule, which is there confined to literary compofition, is here extended to converfation: but its object is the fame in both; the repetition of quaint phrafts picked up by rote either from the living or the dead, and applied upon every occafion to conceal ignorance or fupidity or to prevent the labour of thoughts to produce native sentiment, and combine fuch words as will precisely express it

I have

I have paffed perhaps more time than any other man of my age and country in vifits and affemblies, where the polite perfons of both fexes diftinguish themselves; and could not, without much grief, obferve how frequently both gentlemen and ladies are at a lofs for queftions, anfwers, replies, and rejoinders. However, my concern was much abatedwhen I found, that these defects were not occafioned by any want of materials, but because those materials were not in every hand. For inftance, one lady can give an answer better than ask a question: one gentleman is happy at a reply; another excels in a rejoinder; one can revive a languifhing converfation by a fudden furprising fentence; another is more dextrous in feconding; a third can fill the gap with laughing, or commending what has been faid. Thus freth hints may be started, and the ball of the difcourfe kept up.

But alas! this is too feldom the cafe, even in the moft felect companies. How often do we fee at court, at public vifiting days, at great mens levees, and other places of general meeting, that the converfation falls and drops to nothing, like a fire without fupply of fewel? This is what we all ought to lament; and against this dangerous evil I take upon me to affirm, that I have in the following papers provided an infallible remedy.

It was in the year 1695, and the fixth of his late Majefty King William III. of ever glorious and immortal memory, who refcued three kingdoms from Popery and flavery, when, being about the age of fix and thirty, my judgement mature, of good reputation in the world, and well acquainted with the beft families in town, I determined to spend five mornings, to dine four times, pafs three afternoons, and fix evenings, every week, in the houfes of the most polite families, of which I would confine myself to fifty; only changing as the mafters or ladies died, or left the town, or grew out