N° 16. MONDAY May 21. 1717.

I appeal unto Cæfar; Acts xxv. 11.

OR the Edification of the Publick, I think my felf obliged to communicate the following LETTER which I receiv'd

few Days ago; the Moderation, the good Manners, the flowing Style, the Argument, ingenious Spelling, and meritorious Defign of it, I make no question will render it very entertaining.

I

SIR,

Utopia Apr. 30 1717. New Stile.

To the Author of the Scourge.

Lay hold of this occafion to acquaint you that as well in my Opinion as in the Eye of every one (who don't weigh Things in the Ballance of Prejudice and Intereft) You are a COXCOMB: I 1 Jay a COXCOMB; an infolent, illiterate, G4

medling

medling COXCOMB: Or to Speak more like your Self (for I know you love Metaphor and Simile) You are the venemous Off-Spring of that unparallel'd Phoenix of Ignorance and Stupidity, the EXAMINER. I am pretty fure that I shall be immediately with an Air of Contempt, fentenc'd for a PRESBYTERIAN RASCAL (for Men of your Principles are very famous for drawing Conclutions) but I must acquaint you, Mr. PUPPY, that I am as firm, and I hope a more worthy Member of the Church of England as by Law Eftablish'd, AS your self, or any of your Faction; but must I therefore make a noife about the Danger of the Church? But pray what is the Reafon that the Diffenters must not enjoy the Toleration allowed them? What provocation have you received to be thus outragicus against Them? Who gave you Authority to arraign the Indulgence of the Legislature? Doth it flow merely from the Fountain of Malice or Revenge? or (to be ingenious with you Mr. BLOCKHEAD) do you write to fill your Belly? I am inclined to believe the latter: For by the boyish Affectation of Stile, foreign Arguments, ferc'd and jejune Expreffions, and that remarkable Spirit of Dulnefs which runs thro' the whole, I am bold enough to conclude, that our Church-Cenfor can be nothing but a Grubftreet Commoner. I am fully fatiffied that what you chiefly rely on is your Impudence and unexampled Effrontry: For what is the Scope of your Libellous Lucubrafions? Don't

you

you go to keep alive that pernicious and most unchriftian Spirit of Popery and Sacheverelitfm? Upon the whole I wish you have not in effect made a Scourge for your own Back; and I would have you be advised by a Friend (or if you had rather a Foe; take me for which you will) to beware of your Small Ribbs. A wholefome Flebotomy this Spring Time, (in my poor Fudgment) would abundantly conduce to the cooling your Veins, and be a Sovereign Prefervative against an HighChurch Calenture. I have nothing else to add, but that I should not have been fo warm on this Occafion, did I not perceive that you are an avow'd Enemy to Toleration of all Kinds: and, fo moft illuftrious LOGGERHEAD! adieu.

Philadelphus.

I must confefs my felf unable to return the Complements of this Gentleman; and inftead of an Anfwer in form, I defire he would accept of the following Collection of Divinity, tranfcrib'd from the Writings of his worthy Progenitors in England and Scotland: They confift of a few Prayers and devout Ejaculations, that were made ufe of upon the very fame Defign, for which the affectionate Philadelphus was pleas'd to do me the Honour of his Correfpondence;

The PRAYERS!

Lord, give us, good Lord; but, Lord, you will, may be, fay to us, you are. always troubling me, What fhall I give you now? But, Lord, whatever thou fayeft, we know that thou in thine Heart likeft fuch Trouble; and now I'll tell thee what thou fhalt give us, Lord; I'll not be greedy or ill-manner'd; then only give us thy felf in Earneft of better Things. Good Lord, what ha' ye been doing all this time; where ha ye been this thirty Years? What Good ha ye done to your poor Kirk in Scotland, that has been fo many Years Spur-gall'd with Bishops riding her; fhe has been fo long lying on her Back, and fadly defiled; and many a good Lift have we lent her: O, how often have we put our Shoulders to Chrift's Caufe, when he could not stand without a Support? To be free with you, Lord, we have done many things for thee that never enter'd into thy Noddle, and yet we are content that thou take all the Glory,' is not that fair and kind? O God, thou haft bidden, us pray for Kings, and yet they have been always very troublesome to thy Kirk, and very troublesome Company: They fay that this new King thou haft fent us takes the Sacrament kneeling, and from the

Hand

Hand of a Bishop, and that's black, that's foul Work; Lord, deliver him from Papacy and Prelacy, and from a Dutch Confcience, and from the Hardheartedness of: the STUART's; and let us never be plagued again with the Bag and Baggage of the Family, the black Band of Bishops, to trouble and lord it over thy Church and Heritage; Good Lord! fend back our Qld King of poor Scotland, reftore him to his Throne and Dignity, to his abfolute Power and Supremacy, from which he has been fo long and fo unjustly banifh'd; Lord, you ken what King I mean; I do not mean King JAMES, I do not mean him; I mean, Lord, you ken well enough what I mean, fweet King JESUS, that has been long kept out of this his own covenanted Kingdom, by the Bifhops and godless Act of Supremacy. (a)

GOOD Lord, it is told us, that thou knoweft a proud Man by his Looks, as well as a Malignant by his Works: But, Lord, what wilt thou do with thefe Malignants? I'll tell thee, Lord, what thou shalt do, e'en take them up by the Heels, and roaft them in the Chimney of Hell: Lord, take the Pistol of thy Vengeance, and the Mortar-piece of thy Wrath, and make the Brains of thefe

(a) Collect. of Scott. Serm. 1690.

Malig