name was Epicharmus. It is true, he is called a philofopher, or a lover of wisdom; but he was only fo by name; and no more in reality than the comedians of thefe times are true Christians. It is reported of him by Suidas, a Greek historian, that he was the first man who invented comedies; and by the help of one Phormus, he made alfo fifty fables. But would you know his country, and the reason of his invention? His country was Syracufe, the chief city in Sicily, famous for the infamy of many tyrants; to please and gratify the lufts of fome of whom, he fet his wits to work. And do not you think this an ill original? And is it lefs in any one to imitate, or justify the fame, fince the more fober Heathens have themselves condemned them? Nay, is it not abominable, when fuch as call themfelves Chriftians, do both imitate and juftify the like inventions? Nor had the melancholy tragedies a better parentage, namely, one Thefpis, an Athenian poet; to whom they alfo do af cribe the original of that impudent custom of painting faces, and the counterfeit, or reprefentation of other perfons, by change of habit, humours, &c. all which are now fo much in ufe and reputation with the great ones of the times. To these let me add that poetical ame rofo, whom an inordinate paffion of love first transported to thofe poetical raptures of admiration, indeed fordid effeminacy, if not ido. latry; they call him Alcman or Alcina, a Lydian: he being exceedingly in love with a young woman of his own country, is faid to have been

the first person that gave the world a fight of that kind of folly, namely, love ftories, and verfes; which have been fo diligently imitated by almost all nations ever fince in their ro

mances.

Obj. 2. §. VII. I know that fome will fay, But we have many comedies and tragedies, fonnets, catches, &c. that are on purpose to reprehend vice, from whence we learn many commendable things. Though this be shameful, yet many have been wont, for want of fhame or understanding, or both, to return me this for answer. Now I readily shall confefs, that amongst the Heathens, it was the next remedy, against the common vices, to the more grave and moral lectures of their philofophers, of which number I fhall inftance two: Euripides, whom Suidas calls a learned tragical poet, and Eupolis, whom the fame historian calls a comical poet. The first was a man fo chafte, and therefore fo unlike those of our days, that he was called Moyins, or one that hated woman, that is, wanton ones, for otherwife he was twice married; the other he characters as a most severe reprehender of faults. From which I gather, that their design was not to feed the idle lazy fancies of people, nor merely to get money; but fince by the means of loofe wits the people had been debauched, their work was to reclaim them, rendering vice ridiculous, and turning wit against wickednefs. And this appears the rather, from the defcription given, as alfo that Euripides was fuppofed to have been torn in pieces by wanton

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women? which doubtlefs was for declaiming against their impudence: and the other being flain in the battle betwixt the Athenians and Lacedæmonians, was fo regretted, that a law was made, that never after fuch poets fhould be allowed to bear arms: doubtlefs it was, because in lofing him, they loft a reprover of vice. So that the end of the approved comedians and tragedians, of thofe times, was but to reform the people by making fin odious: and that not fo much by a rational and argumentative way, ufual with their philofophers; as by fharp jeers, fevere reflections, and rendering their vicious actions fhameful, ridiculous, and deteftable; fo that for reputation-fake they might not longer be guilty of them; which to me is but a little fofter than a whip, or a bridewell. Now if you that plead for them, will be contented to be accounted Heathens, and those of the more diffolute and wicked fort too, that will fooner be jeered, than argued out of your fins, we shall acknowledge to you, that fuch comedies and tragedies as thefe may be ferviceable; but then for fhame, abufe not the name of Jefus Chrift fo impudently, as to call yourselves Chriftians, whofe lufts are fo ftrong, that you are forced to use the low fhifts of Heathens to repel them: to leave their evils not for the love of virtue, but out of fear, fhame, or reputation. Is this your love to Jefus, your reverence to the fcriptures, that through faith are able to make the man of God perfect? Is all your prattle about ordinances, prayers, facraments, Chrifti

anity, and the like, come to this; that at last you must betake yourselves to fuch inftructors, as were by the fober Heathens permitted to reclaim the most vicious of the people that were amongst them? And fuch remedies too, as below which there is nothing but corporeal punishment?

§. VIII. This is fo far from Christianity, that many of the nobler Heathens, men and women, were better taught, and better disposed; they found out more heavenly contemplations, and fubjects of an eternal nature, to meditate upon. Nay, fo far did they outstrip the Chrif tians of thefe times, that they not only were exemplary by their grave and fober converfation; but, for their public benefit, the Athenians inftituted the Gynecofmi, or twenty men, who fhould make it their bufinefs to obferve the people's apparel and behaviour; that if any were found immodest, and to demean themfelves loofely, they had full authority to punish them. But the cafe is altered; it is punishable to reprove fuch: yes, it is matter of the greateft contumely and reproach. Nay, fo impudent are fome grown in their impieties, that they fport themfelves with fuch religious per fons; and not only manifeft a great neglect of piety, and a fevere life, by their own looseness, but their extreme contempt of it, by rendering it ridiculous, through comical and abufive jefts on public ftages. Which, how dangerous it is, and apt to make religion little worth in the people's eyes, befides the demonftration of this age, let us remember that Ariftophanes

had not a readier way to bring the reputation of Socrates in queftion with the people, who greatly reverenced him for his grave and vir tuous life and doctrine, than by his abufive reprefentations of him in a play: which made the airy, wanton, unstable crowd, rather part with Socrates in earneft, than Socrates in jeft. Nor can a better reafon be given, why the poor Quakers are made fo much the fcorn of men, than because of their fevere reprehenfions of fin and vanity, and their felf-denying converfation, amidst fo great intemperance in all worldly fatisfactions: yet can fuch libertines all this while ftrut and fwell for Chriftians, and ftrut it out against precept and example; but we must be whimfical, conceited, morose, melancholy, or else heretics, deceivers, and what not? O blindnefs! Pharifaical hypocrify! As if fuch were fit to be judges of religion; or that it were poffible for them to have a fight and fenfe of true religion, or really to be reli gious, whilst darkened in their understandings. by the god of the pleasures of this world; and their minds fo wrapt up in external enjoyments, and the variety of worldly delights: no, in the name of the everlasting God, you mock him, and deceive your fouls; for the wrath of the Almighty is against you all, whilft in that fpirit and condition: in vain are all your babbles and fet performances, God laughs you to fcorn; his anger is kindling because of these things wherefore be ye warned to tempe rance, and repent.

§. IX. Befides, this fort of people are not