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Phedra's, Stenobea's, and fuch like wicked Strumpets; and that he taught by his Expreffions, Scepticifm, or an univerfal Doubt of all things the most evident and certain that are, which made the Way easy to Atheifm: That he farther, by Words, infinuated the Ufe of Equivocation, and juftified Perjury.

My Tongue did Swear, my Mind was never Sworn. If thefe were the Faults of your Euripides, Homer, and the reft, how have the Moderns improv'd them in their Wickedness? Look into our Beaumont, Fletcher And what are their Plays, but a general Butchery and Brothel, where every one is murdered or debauched ? No Character fo facred, but is there prophaned: And if the Athenians made Kings unfortunate under a Democrafy; they make them wicked under a Monarchy, Wicked do I fay; nay, abandoned, more profligate, and lefs reasonable, than Nature ever produced in any Climate, or any Age.

What are the King and No King, the Maid's Tragedy, Rollo, and the rest of their celebrated Plays, but unnatural and unneceffary Murders, and exceffive and in-ceftuous Luft? What are moft, if not all of our Comedies, but downright Obfcenenefs impudently offer'd to the View of Ladies of Virtue and Honour, and Men of the first Quality?

But not to confine my felf to the Stage in my Accufations of Poetry; what are their other Parts of this boafted Art, but Excurfions into Folly, Luxury, Luft, and Profanenefs? Caft but your Eye into your Mifcellanies, nothing but vain Love, Deifying your Miftreffes, and Debauching the very Holy Scriptures themselves, to your vile Purpofes: And this is most evident in Cowley himself, in that Part of his Poems called his Miftrefs; tho' a Reverend Prelate has endeavour'd to wash that Poet white, to no Purpose, in my poor Opinion, fince he has rather contaminated himself in the Defence, than juftify'd his Friend. But I would believe, that this Life of Comley was

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written before that worthy Divine was entered into Orders.

But quitting the Impiety of Poetry, which, I think, is beyond Controverfy, I would fain know, in what lies its Excellence; a miferable Jingle of Words, and Sounds of no Manner of Ufe or Advantage to human Kind. All other Arts are of Ufe in Life; this pretends only to Pleasure, and that a very weak and faint one, in my Opinion, and produces fo little Regard and Advantage in the general Efteem of the World, that the needy Profeffors of this divine Art, as you call it, are the moft fcandalous and defpis'd of the Creation: Idle, lazy, indolent Things, whofe Heads are fo full of foolish Points, quaint Expreffions, and Jingle of Sounds, that there is no Room left in them for Prudence, Reason, and a neceffary Care of themselves.

Cuftom has indeed fix'd the Poets in the Schools, for the Ufe of Boys; but then one would think, that when they are arrived at Man's Eftate, they should ceafe to play the Child, and quit Poetry and Verfe, as they do Tau and Chuck-Farthing. I wish indeed the Schools used our Children to better Books; for these often fix themselves fo in their Heads, in their tender Years, that they cannot get off the Folly all their Lives after, to the Ruin of many a hopeful Youth, that might elfe have thriven in the World, and have been ufeful in his Generation, to the Support of himfelf and his Family, by fome honeft Employment: Whereas, being now bewitch'd with Poetry, he is vilely content to be a Slave to fome one or more Bookfellers, which wretched Maintenance is, perhaps, helped out a little now and then by a fordid Alins, got by flattering fome worthless great Man, who, tho' he be fond of the Adulation, will yet be more generous to his Miftrefs, or his Valet de Chambre, than to one of these inspired Sons of Apollo.

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For fhame then (O Lauden) fince the World juftly allows you Senfe and Understanding, and your Acquaintance know you have Religion, efpoufe no more a Trifle, a peftiferous Trifle, which is evidently oppofite to both; that can afford as little real Pleasure, as Profit, and is fo evidently deftructive of Religion and Morality.

Here Eufebia made an End; and after a little Pause, Morifina, in the most graceful Manner in the World, thus began, addreffing her felf to Eufebia.

Oh! My Eufebia, (faid fhe) you began your InveEtive against the most harmonious Art in the World, with fo much Harmony, that you ravished my Soul up to, nay, I think, above the third Heaven, where I viewed about me in the vaft extended Space, Myriads of luminous Bodies turning round on their own Axes, and as many Turbillions, or Whirlings of their feveral depending Planets moving round them in a wonderful and conftant Order, fetting forth the Omnipotence, Goodnefs, Bounty, and Wifdom, of that eternal Poet, or Creator, who defigned, produced, and formed the harmonious Poem of the Universe. But in this not knowing it your felf, you exerted the Poet in the great and glorious Images of thofe Miracles, which you fet before us. I confefs, that there is no Object more capable of fatisfying the large Appetite, and restlefs Defire of the human Soul, whose extenfive Faculties nothing feems able to fill, but that Supream Being that fills the univerfal Space, that is, God. Certainly, there is no Body that is capable of thinking juftly, or that can raife his Thought above the tranfitory Goods of this fublunary World; at leaft, I am confident, that there is none of this Company who is not of Opinion, that the Confiderations of Religion, its Duties, its Rewards, and the like, are the chief, if not the only Satisfaction, they can receive, without any Wearifomnefs or Satiety. But then, thefe fublime Speculations, which

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you have mentioned, are confined to a very few, in a Life fo Active, as Providence has feem'd to ordain that of Mankind to be. The neceffary Refult of thofe Duties which our Subfiftance and Happiness impofe upon us, require fo. many, and fuch frequent Avocations, that this is a Pleasure not often to be enjoyed, and not by any confiderable Number of the Species. And how excellent foever thefe Seraphick Contemplations may be, as certainly they are excellent; yet they appear to me, to be of a more inferior Degree than those Duties of Religion which have, an immediate Regard to Action, and our focial Engagements to one another: For thofe are confin d to Particulars, and the Joys they give, as well as the Good they bring, extend no farther than to our selves; but thofe of Action, to all Mankind.

The whole Current and Drift of both the Old and New Teftament, is to make us good Neighbours, that s, useful Members of the Society in which God and Nature have plac'd us. To this End are all the Dotrines of our Saviour directed, that we love God above all things, and our Neighbour as our felves; and this very Love of God is determined by our Love of our Neighbour. At this fame Aim levels the Subduing, or Reducing our Paflions and Appetites into juft Bounds; fo that they may not transport us to offer Injuries to others, which is the whole Bufiness of the Gofpel; which, if indeed we fully and faithfully follow'd, there would be no Need of any other Help to our Inftruction or Conduct. But in an Age when thofe Divine Doctrines have not all that Influence which they ought to have: Nay, when Men are fo cold too, and fo negligent of them, certainly, whatever contributes to the fame End, and to rouze the Minds of Men to thofe Duties which the Gospel recommends, must be allowed to have proportionable Value to the Good they produce: How far Poetry does this, we fhall fee hereafter.

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Hereafter, again, however valuable and excellent thefe Contemplations really may be, yet I cannot find them enjoin'd by our great Teacher, who came down from Heaven to inftruct us; nor could they indeed be enjoin'd by him, because fo few are capable, by Understanding, and Leifure, to put them in Practice: But at the fame Time, that these contem plative Duties are not injoin'd, I find an unexceptionable Injunction of the Duties of Action.

But my Enfebia, I will not force a Senfe upon your Words, which, doubtlefs you never defign'd them: I will not fuppofe, that you mean, that these Meditations are at least general Duties of Religion; but that they are more worthy, and more noble Employments of our leifure Hours, than any thing elfe. Give me Leave to ask you one Question, fair Eufebia, Which would you your felf prefer, that noble, and truly generons Prince, who deplored the Lofs of a Day, when he had not done fome more than common Good, or thofe Monaftick Reclufes (who were fo far from troubling themselves with the Care of others, that they were entirely provided for themselves) with their Pretences of the fublime Contemplations of their - Solitudes: I am confident, that fo generous and publick a Spirit as Rufebia, will give it to the Emperor, notwithstanding the fanctimonious Look and Habit, as well as Pretences of the Monk.

God has form'd us for Socie y, and whatever contributes moft to that End, must be moft agreeable to the Author of us, and by Confequence, moft meritorious in Mankind, deftin'd to that fame End.

I am perfwaded, That you are too much a Mistress of Reafon, and of too delicate and refin'd a Tafte, to fet up for an Advocate of Barbarifm and Ignorance, and to exclude a Man from the Study and Learning of all Manner of Arts and Sciences whatsoever, whether Mechanical or Liberal: For that indeed would

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