This Mr. Curll at firft ftrenuously denied; for indeed he thought them Roman Catholicks; and fo far was he from giving way to their temptations, that, to convince them of his Christianity, he called for a pork-grifking.

They now promised, if he would poison his wife, and give up his grifking, that he should marry the rich Ben Meymon's only daughter. This made fome impreffion on him.

They then talked to him in the Hebrew tongue, which he not understanding, it was obferved, had very great weight with him.

They, now perceiving that his godliness was only gain, defifted from all other arguments, and attacked him on his weak fide, namely that of au rice.

Upon which, John Mendez offered him an eighth of an advantageous bargain for the Apoftles creed, which he readily and wickedly renounced.

He then fold the nine and thirty articles for a bull; but infifted hard upon black puddings, being a great lover thereof.

Jobua Perrara engaged to let him share with him in his bottomrye; upon this he was perfuaded out of his Chriftian name; but he ftill adhered to black puddings.

Sir Gideon Lopez tempted him with forty pounds fubfcription in Ram's bubble; for which he was content to give up the four Evangelifts, and he was now completed a perfect Jew, all but black pudding and circumcifion; for both of which he would have been glad to have had a dispensation.

But, on the 17th of March, Mr. Curll (unknown to his wife) came to the tavern aforefaid. At his entrance into the room he perceived a meagre man, with a fallow countenance, a black forky beard, and long veftment. In his right hand, he held a large pair of fheers, and, in his left, a red-hot fearing. iron. At fight of this, Mr. Curll's heart trembled within him, and fain would he retire; but he was pre

vented

vented by fix Jews, who laid hands upon him, and unbuttoned his breeches, threw him upon the table, a pale, pitiful fpectacle!

He now intreated them in the most moving tone of voice to difpenfe with that unmanly ceremonial; which, if they would confent to, he faithfully promised, that he would eat a quarter of pajchal lamb with them the next Sunday following.

All these proteftations availed him nothing; for they threatened him, that all contracts and bargains fhould be void unless he would submit to bear all the outward and visible figns of Judaifm.

Our apoftate hearing this, ftretched himself upon his back, fpread his legs, and waited for the operation; but, when he saw the High Priest take up the cleft flick, he rored most unmercifully, and fwore several Christian oaths; for which the Jews rebuked him.

The favour of the effluvia that iffued from him convinced the old Levite, and all his affistants that he needed no prefent purgation; wherefore, without farther anointing him, he proceeded in his office; when, by an unfortunate jerk upward of the impatient victim, he loft five times as much as ever Jew did before.

They, finding that he was too much circumcifed, which, by the Levitical law, is worse than not being circumcifed at all, refused to ftand to any of their contracts: wherefore they cast him forth from their fynagogue; and he now remains a moft piteous, woeful, and miferable fight at the fign of the old teftament and dial in Fleetfireet, his wife, (poor woman) is at this hour lamenting over him, wringing her hands, and tearing her hair; for the barbarous Jews ftill keep, and expofe at Jonathan's and Garraway's, the memorial of her lofs, and her husband's indignity.

PRAYER.

216

'PRAYER. (To fave the ftamp).

K

EEP us, we beseech thee, from the hands of fuch barbarous and cruel Jews, who, albeit they abhor the blood of black puddings, yet thirft they vehemently after the blood of white ones. And, that we may avoid fuch like calamities, may all good and well-difpofed Chriftians be warned by this unhappy wretch's woeful example, to abominate the heinous fin of avarice, which, fooner or later, will draw them into the cruel clutches of Satan, Papists, Jews, and stock-jobbers. Amen.

GOD's

GOD's revenge against punning; fhewing the miferable fates of perfons addicted to this crying fin, in court and town.

M

Anifold have been the judgments which heaven, from time to time, for the chastisement of a finful people, has inflicted on whole nations. For, when the degeneracy becomes common, 'tis but juft the punishment fhould be general. Of this kind, in our own infortunate country, was that del'ructive peftilence, whofe mortality was fo fatal as to fweep away, if Sir William Petty may be believed, five millions of Chriftian fouls, befides women and Jews.

:

Such alfo was that dreadful conflagration ensuing, in this famous metropolis of London, which confumed, according to the computation of Sir Samuel Morland, 100,000 houses, not to mention churches and ftables. Scarce had this unhappy nation recovered thefe funeft difafters, when the abomination of play-houses rofe up in this land from hence hath an inundation of obfcenity flowed from the court, and overfpread the kingdom; even infants disfigured the walls of holy temples with exorbitant representations of the members of generation; nay, no fooner had they learned to fpell, but they had wickednefs enough to write the names thereof in large capitals; an enormity obferved by travellers to be found in no country but England.

But when whoring and popery were driven hence by the happy Revolution; ftill the nation fo greatly offended, that Socinianifm, Arianism, and Whistonism triumphed in our streets, and were in a manner become univerfal.

And yet ftill, after all thefe vifitations, it has pleafed heaven to vifit us with a contagion more epidemical, and of confequence more fatal: this was foretold to us, firft by that unparallel'd eclipfe in 1714: fecondly, by the dreadful corrufcations in the air

218 Go D's Revenge against P U N NING.

this prefent year; and thirdly, by the nine comets feen at once over Soho-Square, by Mrs Katharine Waddington, and others; a contagion that first crept in amongst the first quality, defcended to their footmen, and infufed itself into their ladies; I mean the woeful practice of PUNNING. This does occafion the corruption of our language, and therein of the word of God tranflated into our language; which certainly every fober Christian must tremble at.

Now fuch is the enormity of this abomination, that our very nobles not only commit punning over tea, and in taverns, but even on the Lord's day, and in the King's chapel: therefore, to deter men from this evil practice, I fhall give fome true and dreadful examples of God's revenge against punsters.

The Right Honourable, but it is not fafe to infert the name of an eminent nobleman in this paper; yet I will venture to say that such a one has been feen; (which is all we can fay, confidering the largeness of his fleeves.) This young nobleman was not only a flagitious punfler himfelf, but was acceffary to the punning of others, by confent, by provocation, by connivance, and by defence of the evil committed; for which the Lord mercifully fpar'd his neck, but, as a mark of reprobation, wry'd his nofe.

Another nobleman of great hopes, no lefs guilty of the same crime, was made the punisher of himself with his own hand, in the lofs of 500 pounds at box and dice; whereby this unfortunate young Gentleman incurred the heavy difpleasure of his aged grandmother.

A third of no lefs illuftrious extraction, for the fame vice, was permitted to fall into the arms of a Dalilah, who may, one day, cut off his curious hair, and deliver him up to the Philiftines,

Colonel Fan ancient Gentleman of grave deportment, gave into this fin fo early in his youth, that, whenever his tongue endeavours to speak common sense, he hesitates fo as not to be understood.

Thomas