Mifc. 1. ticular Answers to fingle Treatifes, were thought to be of little ufe. And it was esteem'd no Compliment to a Reader, to help him fo carefully in the Judgment of every Piece which came abroad. Whatever Sects there were in thofe days, the Zeal of Party-Caufes ran not fo high as to give the Reader a Taste of thofe perfonal Reproaches, which might pass in a Debate between the different Party-men. THUS Matters ftood of old; when as yet the Method of writing Controverfy was not rais'd into an Art, nor the Feuds of contending Authors become the chief Amusement of the learned World. But we have at prefent fo high a Relish of this kind, that the Writings of the Learned are never truly guftful till they are come to what we may properly enough call their due Ripeness, and have begot a Fray. When the Answer and Reply is once form'd, our Curiofity is excited: We begin then, for the first time, to whet our Attention, and apply our Ear. FOR example: Let a zealous Divine and flaming Champion of our Faith, when inclin❜d to fhew himself in Print, make choice of fome tremendous Mystery of Religion, oppos'd heretofore by fome damnable Herefiarch; whom having vehemently refuted, he turns himself towards the 1 the Orthodox Opinion, and fupports the Ch. 2. true Belief, with the higheft Eloquence and profoundest Erudition; he fhall, notwithstanding this, remain perhaps in deep Obfcurity, to the great affliction of his Bookfeller, and the regret of all who bear a just Veneration for Church-History, and the antient Purity of the Chriftian Faith. But let it fo happen that in this Profecution of his deceas'd Adversary, our Doctor raifes up fome living Antagonist; who, on the fame foot of Orthodoxy with himfelf, pretends to arraign his Expofitions, and refute the Refuter upon every Article he has advanc'd; from this moment the Writing gathers Life, the Publick liftens, the Bookseller takes heart; and when Iffue is well join'd, the Repartees grown fmart, and the Contention vigorous between the learned Partys, a Ring is made, and Readers gather in abundance. Every one takes Party, and encourages his own Side. "This fhall be my Champion!This Man for my -Well hit, on our fide! 66 "Mony! "Again, a good Stroke! There he " was even with him! ❝ the next Bout!". Have at him And when the Combatants are for a while drawn off, and each retir'd with his own Companions; What Praises, and Congratulations! What Applaufes of the fuppos'd Victor! And how honourably is he faluted Mifc. 1, by his Favourers, and complimented even to the Disturbance of his Modesty ! "Nay, but Gentlemen!Good Gen❝tlemen! Do you really think thus? "Are you fincere with me?-Have I ❝ treated my Adversary as he deserves ? "Never was Man fo maul'd. Why you "have kill'd him downright. O, Sirs! You flatter me. ❝ver rise more. ❝ deed? He can ne Think Ye fo in Or if he fhou'd; 'twou'd "be a Pleasure to fee how You wou'd han "dle him." This is THESE are the Triumphs. what fets harp: This gives the Author his Edge, and excites the Reader's Attention; when the Trumpets are thus founded to the Croud, and a kind of Amphitheatrical Entertainment exhibited to the Multitude, by these Gladiatorean Pen-men. THE Author of the preceding Treatifes being by Profeffion a nice Inspector into the Ridicule of Things, must in all probability have rais'd to himself some fuch Views as thefe, which hinder'd him from engaging in the way of Controverfy For when, by accident, the First of * thefe Treatises (a private Letter, and, in the Writer's Efteem, little worthy of * Viz. The Letter concerning ENTHUSIASM. the the Publick's Notice) came to be read Ch. 2. abroad in Copys, and afterwards in Print the fmartest Answers which came out against it, cou'd not, it seems, move our Author to form any Reply. All he was heard to fay in return, was, "That he thought who"ever had taken upon him to publish a "Book in anfwer to that cafual Piece, had ❝ certainly made either a very high Com❝pliment to the Author, or a very ill one to the Publick." IT must be own'd, that when a Writer of any kind is fo confiderable as to deferve the Labour and Pains of fome fhreud Heads to refute him in publick, he may, in the quality of an Author, be juftly congratulated on that occafion. 'Tis fuppos'd neceffarily that he must have writ with fome kind of Ability or Wit. But if his original Performance be in truth no better than ordinary; his Anfwerer's Task must certainly be very mean. He must be very indifferently imploy'd, who wou'd take upon him to answer Nonfense in form, ridicule what is of it-self a Fest, and put it upon the World to read a Jecond Book for the fake of the Impertinencys of a former. TAKING it, however, for granted, "That a forry Treatife may be the foundation of a confiderable Answer;" a Reply Mifc. 1. Reply till must certainly be ridiculous, which-ever way we take it. For either the Author, in his original Piece, has been truly refuted, or not. If refuted why does he defend? If not refuted; why trouble himself? What has the Publick to do with his private Quarrels, or his Adverfary's Impertinence? Or fuppofing the World out of curiofity may delight to fee a Pedant expos'd by a Man of better Wit, and a Controversy thus unequally carry'd on between two fuch oppofite Partys; How long is this Diverfion likely to hold good? And what will become of thefe Polemick Writings a few Years hence? What is already become of those mighty Controverfys, with which some of the most eminent Authors amus'd the World within the memory of the youngest Scholar? An original Work or two may perhaps remain : But for the fubfequent Defences, the Anfwers, Rejoinders, and Replications; they have been long fince paying their Attendance to the Paftry-Cooks. Mankind perhaps were heated at that time, when first those Matters were debated: But they are now cool again. They laugh'd: They carry'd on the Humour: They blew the Coals They teaz'd, and fet on, maliciously, and to create themselves Diversion. But the Feft is now over. No-one fo much as inquires Where the Wit was; or Where poffibly the Sting fhou'd lie of those notable |