years together, they never mutinied against their general, nor fell out among themselves.' What Livy relates for a wonder, the marquis Virgilio Malvetzy gives the reafon of, to wit, their variety and difference, well managed by their general; For,' said he, it was impoflible for fo many nations, cuftoms, and religions, to combine, efpecially when the general's equal hand gave him more reverence with them, than they had of affection for one another. This,' fays he, fome would wholly impute < to Hannibal; but however great he was, I attribute it to the variety of people in the army: for,' adds he, Rome's army was ever lefs given to mutiny, when balanced with auxiliary legions, than when entirely Roman.' Thus much in his discourse upon Cornelius Tacitus.

And they are neither few, nor of the weakest fort of men, that have thought the concord of difcords a firm bafis for government to be built upon. The bufinefs is to tune them well, and that must be the fkill of the musician.

In nature we fee all heat confumes, all cold kills: that three degrees of cold to two of heat, allay the heat, but introduces the contrary quality, and overcools by a degree; but two degrees of cold to two of heat, make a poize in elements, and a balance in nature. And in those families where the eveneft hand is carried, the work is best done, and the master is most reverenced.

This brings me to another benefit which accrues to the monarchy by a toleration, and that is a balance at home: for though it be improbable, it may fo happen, that either the conforming or non conforming party may be undutiful; the one is then a balance of the other. This might have prevented much mischief to our fecond and third Henry, king John, the second Edward, and Richard, and unhappy Henry the Sixth, as it undeniably faved the royal family of France, and fecured Holland, and kept it from truckling under the Spanish monarchy. While all hold of VOL. IV.

Ꮓ

the

the government, it is that which gives the fcale to the most dutiful; but ftill no farther than to fhew its power, and awe the diforderly into obedience; not to deftroy the balance, left it should afterwards want the means of overpoizing faction.

That this is more than fancy, plain it is that the Diffenter must firmly adhere to the government for his being, while the church-man is provided for. The one fubfifts by its mercy, the other by its bounty. This is tied by plenty, but that by neceffity; which being the laft of ties, and strongest obligation, the fecurity is greateft from him, that it is fancied moft unfafe to tolerate.

But befides this, the tranquillity which it gives at home will both oblige thofe that are upon the wing for foreign parts, to pitch here again; and, at a time when our neighbouring monarch is wafting his people, excite thofe fufferers into the king's dominions, whose number will increase that of his fubjects, and their labour and confumption, the trade and wealth of his territories.

For what are all conquefts, but of people? And if the government may by indulgence add the inhabitants of ten cities to thofe of its own, it obtains a victory without charge. The ancient perfecution of France and the Low Countries has furnished us with an invincible inftance; for of thofe that came hither on that account, we were inftructed in most useful manufactures; as, by courfes of the like nature, we loft a great part of our woollen trade. And as men, in times of danger, draw in their stock, and either transmit it to other banks, or bury their talent at home for fecurity (that, being out of fight, it may be out of reach too, and either is fatal to a kingdom); fo this mildness obtained, fetting every man's heart at reft, every man will be at work, and the ftock of the kingdom employed; which, like the blood, that hath its due paffage, will give life and vigour to every member in the publick body.

And

And here give me leave to mention the experiment made at home by the late king, in his declaration of indulgence. No matter how well or ill built that act of state was, it is no part of the business in hand; but what effect the liberty of it had upon the peace and wealth of the kingdom, may have instruction in it to our prefent condition. It was evident that all men laboured cheerfully, and traded boldly, when they had the royal word to keep what they got, and the king himself became the univerfal infurer of Diffenters eftates. Whitehall, then, and St. James's, were as much vifited and courted by their refpective agents, as if they had been of the family: for that which eclipfed the royal goodness, being by his own hand thus removed, his benign influences drew the returns of sweetness and duty from that part of his fubjects, that the want of thofe influences had made barren before. Then it was that we looked like the members of one family, and children of one parent. Nor did we envy our eldest brother, epifcopacy, his inheritance, fo that we had but a child's portion: for not only discontents vanished, but no matter was left for ill fpirits, foreign or domeftick, to brood upon, or hatch to mifchief. Which was a plain proof, that it is the union of interefts, and not of opinions, that gives peace to kingdoms.

And, with all deference to authority I would speak it, the liberty of the declaration feems to be our English amomum at laft; the fovereign remedy to our English conftitution. And to fay true, we fhifted luck (as they call it) as foon as we had loft it; like thofe that lofe their royal gold, their evil returns. For all Diffenters feemed then united in their affection to the government, and followed their affairs without fear or distraction. Projects, then, were stale and unmerchantable, and nobody cared for them, becaufe nobody wanted any: that gentle opiate, at the prince's hand, laid the most busy and turbulent to fleep: but when the lofs of that indulgence made them uncer

Z 2

tain,

tain, and that uneafy, their perfons and eftates being again exposed to pay the reckoning of their diffent, no doubt but every party fhifted then as they could: moft grew felfish, at least jealous, fearing one should make bargains apart, or exclufive of the other. This was the fatal part Diffenters acted to their common ruin and I take this partiality to have had too great a share in our late animofities; which, by fresh accidents falling in, have fwelled to a mighty deluge, fuch an one as hath overwhelmed our former civil concord and ferenity. And pardon me, if I fay, I cannot fee that those waters are like to affuage, till this olive-branch of indulgence be fome way or other restored the waves will still cover our earth, and a spot of ground will hardly be found in this glorious ifle, for a great number of useful people to fet a quiet foot upon. And, to purfue the allegory, what was the ark itself, but the most apt and lively emblem of toleration? A kind of natural temple of indulgence. In which we find two of every living creature dwelling together, of both fexes too, that they might propagate; and that as well of the unclean as clean kind: fo that the bafer and lefs useful fort were faved; creatures never like to change their nature; and fo far from being whipped and punished to the altar, that they were exprefsly forbid. These were faved, these were fed and restored to their ancient paftures. Shall we be fo mannerly as to compliment the Conformists with the ftile of clean, and fo humble as to take the unclean kind to ourselves, who are the less noble, and more clownish fort of people? I think verily we may do it, if we may but be faved too by the commander of our English ark. And this the peaceable and virtuous Diffenter has the less reason to fear, fince facred text tells us, it was vice, and not opinion, that brought the deluge upon the reft. And here (to drop our allegory) I must take leave to hope, that though the declaration be gone, if the reafon of it remain, I mean the intereft of the monarchy, the king and his

great

great council will graciously please to think a toleration no dangerous nor obfolete thing.

But as it has many arguments for it, that are drawn from the advantages that have and would come to the publick by it, fo there are divers mifchiefs that muft unavoidably follow the perfecution of Diffenters, that may reasonably diffuade from fuch feverity. For they must either be ruined, fly, or conform; and perhaps the laft is not the fafeft. If they are ruined in their eftates, and their perfons imprifoned, modeftly computing, a fourth of the trade and manufactory of the kingdom finks; and those that have helped to maintain the poor, muft come upon the poor's book for maintenance. This feems to be an impoverishing of the publick. But if, to avoid this, they transport themselves, with their eftates, into other governments; nay, though it were to any of the king's plantations, the number were far too great to be spared from home. So much principal ftock wanting to turn the yearly traffick, and fo many people too, to confume our yearly growth, must issue fatally to the trade one way, and to the lands and rents of the kingdom the other way.

And lastly, If they fhould refolve neither to fuffer or fly, but conform, to prevent both; it is to be inquired, if this cure of church-division be safe to the ftate; or not rather a raking up coals under afhes, for a future mifchief? He whom fear or policy hath made treacherous to his own confcience, ought not to be held true to any thing, but his own fafety, and revenge. His conformity gives him the first, and his refentment of the force that compels it, will on no occafion let him want the laft. So that conformity cozens nobody but the government: for the ftate fanatick (which is the unfafe thing to the ftate) being christened by conformity, he is eligible every where, with perfons the most devoted to the prince: and all men will hold themselves protected in their votes by it.-A receipt to make faction keep, and preferve difloyalty against all weathers. For whereas the nature