another? You have certainly been very far from confining yourself, as you, pretend, to a fimple narrative of authentic facts, without interpofing your own fentiments. I hold no opinions, obnoxious as they are, that I am not ready both to avow, in the most explicit manner, and also to defend, with any person of competent judgment and ability. Had I not confidered you in this light, and alfo as fairly open, by the strain of your writings, to fuch a challenge, I should not have called upon you as I have done. The public will form its own judgment both of that, and of your filence, and finally decide between you, the humble hiftorian, and me, the proud difputant.

As to my reputation, for which you are very obligingly concerned, give me leave to observe, that as far as it is an object with any person, and a thing to be enjoyed by himself, it must depend upon his particular notions and feelings. Now, odd as it may appear to you, the efteem of a very few rational Chriftian friends (though I know that it will enfure me the deteftation of the greater part of the nominally Christian world that may happen to hear of me) gives me more real fatisfaction than the applause of what you call the philofophic world. I admire Servetus. (by whofe example you with me to take warning) more for his courage in dying for the cause of important

important truth, than I fhould have done if, befides the certain difcovery of the circulation of the blood, he had made any other, the most celebrated discovery in philosophy.

However, I do not fee what my philofophical friends (of whom I have many, and whom I think I value as I ought) have to do with my metaphyfical or theological writings. They may, if they pleafe, confider them as my particular whims or amusement, and accordingly neglect them. They have, in fact, interfered very little with my application to philofophy, fince I have had the means of doing it. I was never more bufy, or more fuccefsfully fo, in my philofophical purfuits, than during the time that I have been employed about the Hiftory of the Corruptions of Christianity. I am at this very time totus in illis, as my friends know, and as the public will know in due time, which with me is never long; and if you had thought proper to enter into the difcuffion I propofed, it would not have made me neglect my laboratory, or omit a fingle experiment that I fhould otherwife have made.

SIR,

I am, Sir,

Your very humble fervant,
J. PRIESTLEY.

Mr. Gibbon's Second Letter.

As I do not prefume to judge of the fentiments

and intentions of another, I fhall not enquire how

Ee

far

far you are difpofed to fuffer, or to inflict, martyrdom. It only becomes me to say, that the style and temper of your last letter has fatisfied me of the propriety of declining all farther correfpondence, whether public or private, with fuch an adversary.

I am, Sir,

Your humble fervant,

E. GIBBON.

SIR,

The Anfwer.

I neither requested, nor wished, to have any private correfpondence with you. All that my MS. card required was a fimple acknowledgment of the receipt of the copy of my work. You chofe, however, to give me a specimen of your temper and feelings, and alfo what I thought to be an opening to a farther call upon you for a justification of yourself in public. Of this I was willing to take advantage, and at the fame time to fatisfy you that my philofophical purfuits, for which, whether in earnest or not, you were pleased to express fome concern, would not be interrupted in confequence of it. As this correfpondence, from the origin and nature of it, cannot be deemed confidential, I may (especially if I refume my obfervations on your conduct as an historian) give the public an opportunity of judging of the propriety of my answer

answer to your firft extraordinary letter, and alfo to this last truly enigmatical one; to interpret which requires much more fagacity, than to difcover your real intentions with refpect to Chriftianity, though you might think you had carefully concealed them from all human inspection.

Wishing to hear from you just as little as you please in private, and just as much as you please in public,

I am, Sir,

Your humble fervant,

J. PRIESTLEY.

Mr. Gibbon's Third Letter.

If Dr. Priestley confults his friends, he will probably learn, that a single copy of a paper, addreffed under a feal, to a fingle perfon, and not relative to any public or official business, muft always be confidered as private correfpondence, which a man of honour is not at liberty to print, without the confent of the writer. That confent, in the prefent inftance, Mr. Gibbon thinks proper to withhold and as he defires to escape all farther altercation, he fhall not trouble Dr. Priestley, or himself, with explaining the motives of his refufal.

The Anfwer.

Dr. Priestley is as unwilling to be guilty of any real impropriety as Mr. Gibbon can wish him