of this Interpreter would find itself difposed to think, and will, juft as if it had had this Impreffion actually made on it; it would fancy that it render'd the Sense of the French Expreffions into High Dutch; its Mouth would pronounce them: These High Dutch Sounds would not produce any Effect upon the Souls of these thirtyMafons to whom they should be address'd, but the Concatenation of the Universe would feasonably excite Ideas in these Thinking Machines, which would answer thofe Sounds, and then the Eyes and Arms of thefe Mafons would put themfelves fo well in Motion, that their Souls would imagine that they directed them. LET us carry the Syftem further, for we must bear Mr Pope company. Every Thing which we fee, comes to pass by an inevitable Confequence of the firft Impulfe, which was imprefs'd on the uni-, verfal Machine, and on all the Parts that compofe it. One fays, that there is no God, and looks upon the Imagination of one as extravagant. Spinofa admits one, but who as effectually deftroys all Religion, as the as the Atheist does. Mr Leibnitz too has formed an Idea of one after his Manner, which, in the general opinion of Mankind, no less overturns Religion. It would require whole Volumes to give but a tolerable Idea of the Pagan Divinities and their Worship. I tremble, and am not able to exprefs the Confequences of this System with regard to Mofes and the Prophets, to Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles, and to Mahomet and his Followers. The Univerfe would have been a Work too imperfect, and too unworthy the Choice of its Author, if there had been but fo much as one of these Imaginations wanting. It is the fame with regard to Crimes: Since there have been Parricides, it was effential to the Perfection of the Univerfe that there fhould be fuch; it was neceffary that there fhould be Poifoners, Affaffins, perjur'd Villains, Traitors, Cheats of all Kinds; it was neceffary there fhould be unnatural Conjunctions; in a word, not one of thofe Horrors should be wanting, which are the Reproach of Human Nature. It was neceffary there fhould be Inquifitors to exercife, without D Mercy, Mercy, all the horrid Cruelties on good People, whofe Crime consisted in so great a Veneration for what they believed true, as not to abjure it: All that we have been faying, and an infinite number of Events of this Nature, would have for their firft invincible and inevitable Caufe, the Eternal Being, the Principle of all. THE Athenians had no Law against Asfaffins, and those who poifon their Parents, because this was a Cafe that never entered into their Mind, and was believed impoffible. But how imperfect was the Univerfe then There were no Parricides, and Circumstances had not yet given an Opportunity for them to play. A WOMAN is determined to caufe her Hufband to be affaffinated; the Fear of Death makes her refolve to affirm the Negative, in fpite of the fharpest Torments; at laft fhe yields, and lofes her Life in the Shame, and Punishment, which by fuch horrible Torments she had fought to avoid. She was handsome and well fhap'd, fhe had Wit, a tender Heart, and Sprightlinefs; the Sight of her drew Tears Tears from the Eyes even of those Perfons who were fhock'd at her Crime. But if the Leibnitzian Syftem be adopted, in what will the Fault of this unfortunate Creature be made to confift? Such is the immutable Nature of the Eternal Being, that it was not poffible but that this Woman, fo handsome, fo genteel, muft run into all that fhe acted, at the Time destined and appointed for this Event, its Origin, and its Confequences; all this was a Refult of the inevitable Conftruction of the Universe, and of the first Impulfe impreffed on it. I HAVE been affured, that in Scotland a Minifter affaffinated his Son without hating him, and without showing by any other Sign that his Reason was disorder'd. We may call the Difpofitions, which were the Cause of it, a cold Madness; being brought before the Judges, he confefs'd with great Tranquillity to them, that the Fat was an horrid one. Why then did you do it? Alas! anfwer'd he, how could I avoid it? The Event proves that I had not this Power, the Moment and Manner of my Son's D2 Son's death were inevitably appointed. He was not yet initiated into Mr Leibnitz's System, else he would have added, If my Machine had not played in this Manner, the whole Univerfe would have been in diforder; the further Cohesion of its Parts, one fingle Piece failing, is quite interrupted, and the reft can no longer keep on its Progress. * THIS, Sir, is an Idea of the System; when 'tis comprized in an Epitome, one Part is hid, and all the Horror of it is not fuffered to be feen. I defign to enlarge it, and from thence examine this Idea in all its Particulars; but this fhall be in another Work. I imagine you are impatient to ask me, whether I believe that * I fuppofe the following Lines are alluded to; perhaps the Remarker strains them a little too much. In the full Creation leave a Void, Where, one Step broken, the great Scale's deftroy'd': |