and example, that marriage is difhonourable, and the bed de filed; and the aureole of heaven will be held up as the reward of perpetual virginity, and a cloister once more be cried up as the most safe and fure road to Paradife. The ftatute of Mortmain will next become a grievance; and the laws, forbidding these houses of devotion and gifts and legacies in their favour, must also be repealed, as indeed on the matter they are already: and, as the age is given to change, who knows but we may yet fee fuperannuated rakes, or worn-out statesmen, ending their days in these drowfy retreats; the betrayers of the religion, the laws, and liberties of their country, may, in fome future time, have occasion to seek thither for a fanctuary, to screen themselves from the infamy, the curfes, or vengeance of the people. Perhaps too, the females of Great Britain, after they have run through the whole modish circle of gaiety, and feen, as the phrase is, a little of life, tired of the fame dull rotine of worldly vanity, may be induced, were it only for the fake of variety, to fbroud their beauties or their grey hairs in the vail, and taste the pleafures of a modern convent, that they may prove the truth of the old maxim, Stolen waters are fweet, and bread eaten in fecret is pleafant. Difappointed maids and decaying matrons may yet, in a calenture of devotion, dedicate both their bodies while they live, and their goods when they die, folely to pious uses. As, according to the prevailing mode of education, many of them, in their early years, are fent over by their imprudent parents to thefe haunts of devout ignorance, and nurseries of fanctified lewdnefs, where they learn their catechifm and their fampler together, and coquetry and intrigue more than either of them, they may be fuppofed ftill to retain fome predilection in favour of the nunnery; and in order to enjoy its foft and folemn retreats, equally propitious to love or religion, they may even bid adieu to their dear, dear Pantheon, Vauxhall, and Drury. Other Heloifes may again whisper their paffion to the groves, and 3 and figh out their fouls in love-fick epiftles to their abe lards, "From thefe deep folitudes and awful cells, But as it is fomewhat doubtful if the British people, at least for half a century to come, will get free of their rooted averfion to the gloomy restraints of a convent, or the doctrine of perpetual continence, however much the other about marriage may fuit the modern tafte and practice, the ghoftly fathers may find it neceffary, in their great wisdom and prudence, to accommodate themselves to the times, to foften or explain away the unpalatable doctrine, and to inculcate but sparingly these fublimer heights of Catholic piety. And, if Popery be fo much on the mending hand, it is even poffible, that, on good encouragement offered, the priests and votaries themselves may be prevailed upon to break their vows of celibacy, upon their breathing in the air of liberty: and the legislature may consider of adding a new claufe to their oath of renunciation, obliging them to do fo; and they will affuredly take it, as they have done the other articles, notwithstanding of any canons and anathemas to the contrary. If it be true, as hath been affirmed, that the breasts of modern Catholics are foftened into the moft mellowed ftate of humanity, they cannot always rémain callous to the melting and attractive charms of the fofter fex, but be ready to drop into their bofom. They will leave both their father the Pope, and their mother the church, and cleave to their wives. Or, if this scheme should not take effect, they may very probably dispense with their vows fo far as they relate to chastity, and speedily populate the country with a Catholic race of baftards, unlefs haply, long before they can be ferviceable to the community, they be devoured by the jakes or ponds;-as we read of a fish pond pond at Rome, that was once plentifully replenished with the fpawn of the priesthood *. Or perhaps it is expected, that these strangers will introduce among us fome new and ingenious arts, quicken and improve our manufactures, or fet on foot fome profitable branch of trade, as the Flemings and Walloons formerly did; or like the adventurer who belonged to the Pope's alum works, who gave his Holinefs the flip, and, coming over to England, difcovered the fecrets of that trade to the English nation, though at the expence of being foundly curfed, every inch of him, for his pains t.-And in this certainly In the time of Gregory the Great, upon drawing a fish-pond, above 6000 heads of infants were caft out; on which account he is faid to have revoked the decree which he had formerly made against the marriage of priests, and obliging fuch as were married to put away their wives. Bale's English Votaries. Prideaux's Introd. &c. † A most dreadful form of excommunication was compofed by Ernufus the bishop, and folemnly denounced against that perfon; which is to be met with in Sir Henry Spelman's Gloffary, p. 206. and is likewife recorded in the Legerbook of the church of Rochefter. As it is a masterpiece of the kind, and may give a taste of the skill and abilities of the Romish clergy at curfing, a tranflation of it is here fubjoined : "By the authority of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft; and of "the holy canons; and of the immaculate Virgin Mary, the mother and pa"tronefs of our Saviour; and of all the celeftial virtues, angels, archangels, "thrones, dominions, powers, cherubims, and feraphims; and of all the holy patriarchs, and prophets; and of all the apoftles and evangelifts; and of "the holy innocents, who in fight of the holy Lamb are found worth. to fing "the new fong; of the holy martyrs and holy confeffors; and of the holy vir"gins and of all the faints; and together with all the holy and elect of God; ¢¢ we excommunicate and anathematize this thief or this malefactor N. And, "from the thresholds of the holy church of God Almighty, we fequefter him, "that he may be tormented, difpofed, and delivered over with Dathan and "Abiram, and with those who say unto the Lord God, Depart from us, for "we defire not the knowledge of thy ways. And, as fire is quenched with wafo let the light of him be put out for evermore, unless it fhall repent "him, and he make fatisfaction. Amen. ter, "May God the Father, who created man, curfe him. May the Son, who "fuffered for us, curfe him. May the Holy Ghoft, who was given for us in baptifm, curfe him. May the holy crofs, which Chrift for our falvation, certainly the public will not be difappointed. They will revive the long-loft art of fhrine-making, and of fabricating wooden and waxen dolls for women and old children to play with, they will begin the art of pow-wowing and mumbo-chumbo, and, with the moft admirable dexterity, bubble people out of their money and their fenfes at the fame time. They will, far beyond the greateft adept in chymiftry yet known, carry to perfection the art of tranfmuting fubftances; by a fecret far excelling that of the philofopher's ftone, they will feparate fubjects from accidents, and substances from qualities, changing the former while "triumphing afcended, curfe him. May the holy and eternal Virgin Mary "curfe him. May St. Michael, the advocate of holy fouls, curfe him. May St. John, the chief forerunner and baptift of Christ, curfe nim. Máy St. Pe"ter, St. Paul, and St. Andrew, and all other Chrift's apofties, together with the rest of his difciples, and four evangelifts, curfe him. May the holy "and wonderful company of martyrs and confessors, who by their holy works are found pleasing to God, curfe him. May the holy choir of the holy vir"gins, who for the honour of Chrift have defpifed the things of the world, "curfe him. May all the faints, who from the beginning of the world to "everlafting ages are found to be the beloved of God, curfe him. May the "heaven and earth, and all the holy things therein remaining, curse him.~ May he be curfed wherever he be, whether in the house or in the field; or "in the highway or in the path; or in the wood; or in the water: or in the "church. May he be curfed in living; in dying; in eating; in drinking; "in being hungry; in being thirsty; in fasting; in fleeping; in fum«bering; in waking; in walking; in ftanding; in fitting; in lying; in "working; in refting;-mingendo; cacando; and in blood-letting.-May he "be curfed in all the powers of his body. May he be curfed within and without. May he be curfed in the hair of his head. May he be curfed in his brain. May he be curfed in the crown of his head; in his temples; in his "forehead; in bis ears; in his eye-brows; in his cheeks; in his jaw-bones; "in his noftris; in his fore teeth and grinders; in his lips; in his throat; in his fhoulders; in his wrifts; in his arms; in his hands; in his fingers; in his breaft; in his heart; and in all the interior parts to the very ftomach; "in his reins; in his groin; in his thighs; in his genitals; in his hips; in "his knees; in his legs; in his feet; in his joints; and in his nails. May he "be curfed in the whole ftructure of his members. From the crown of his "head to the fole of his foot may there be no foundnefs in him. May the Son "of the living God, with all the glory of his majefly, curfe him; and may "heaven and all the powers that move therein, rife against him to damn him, "unless he fall repent, and make full fatisfaction. Amen. Amen. So be it." the the latter fhall remain in ftatu quo. They will fet up laboratories for manufacturing deities, or perhaps construct wind-mills for grinding the Saviour into wafers*. They will compound wonder-working balfams, and prepare oils and waters, whofe virtues will far tranfcend every thing yet mentioned in the most improved pharmacopeias, or the more marvellous bills of quack-doctors. They will revive the ancient art of making mummy, and greatly improve the art of pickling and preferving of human bodies. They will teach us the art, very useful for islanders, of failing over feas on a millstone; and a method, no lefs useful for warriors, of foldering on again human heads, after they have been chopped off from the body, fo that the perfon fhall never be a whit the worfe; or of running fome miles without a head, or carrying it, as St. Dennis did his in his hand. They will inftruct us in the most effectual and expeditious method of chafing away rats, caterpillars, and flies, when they become noxious or troublefome. They will perfect the art of preaching and oratory; charm, like Orpheus, the woods and stones; make horses kneel down in homage to the hoft; convért fwallows to the orthodox faith; or convene a Christian congregation of fishes, and call them up above the water to liften devoutly to a homily+: fo that when Sermons to young women and young men, and our Ser "I had a mind to fee," fays Bp. Burnet," a picture that, as I was told, is over one of the Popish aitars in Wormes, which one would think was invent"ed by the enemies of transubstantiation, to make it appear ridiculous. There "is a wind-mill, and the Virgin throws Chrift into the hopper, and he comes out at the eye of the mill all in wafers, which fome priests take up to give "to the people." Letters, &c. let. 5. Mr. Addifon has tranflated a very godly fermon of St. Anthony the famous marine faint, which was publicly fold at Padua, and preached to a devout audience of fishes, who attended the difcourfe very seriously, and behaved with great reverence and devotion. It is alfo recorded in the legend of this faint, that burning with a fiery zeal to convert the Ruffians to Chriftianity, wanting a better opportunity of transporting himself, he took shipping upon a millftone, and failed upon this vehicle quite from Padua to Petersbong. The ftone is to be seen in the great church of that city, and held in veneration by the Ruffian pilgrims. Q92 mons |