speaks out sometimes, for wickedness is not always so wise as to be secret, especially when it is driven to despair.  By some of their discourses, we may guess at whom he points; but he has fenced himself in with so many evasions, that he is safe in his sacrilege; and he, who dares to answer him, may become obnoxious.  It is true, he breaks a little out of the clouds, within two paragraphs; for there he tells you, that “Caius Caesar (to give into Caesar the things that were Caesar’s,) was in the catiline conspiracy;” a fine insinuation this, to be sneered at by his party, and yet not to be taken hold of by public justice.  They would be glad now, that I, or any man, should bolt out their covert treason for them; for their loop-hole is ready, that the Caesar, here spoken of, was a private man.  But the application of the text declares the author’s to be another Caesar; which is so black and so infamous an aspersion, that nothing less than the highest clemency can leave it unpunished.  I could reflect on his ignorance in this place, for attributing these words to Caesar, “He that is not with us, is against us:”  He seems to have mistaken them out of the New-Testament, and that is the best defence I can make for him; for if he did it knowingly, it was impiously done, to put our Saviour’s words into Caesar’s mouth.  But his law and our gospel are two things; this gentleman’s knowledge is not of the bible, any more than his practice is according to it.  He tells you, he will give the world a taste of my atheism and impiety; for which he quotes these following verses, in the second or third act of the “Duke of Guise.”

  For conscience or heaven’s fear, religious rules,
  Are all state bells, to toll in pious fools.

In the first place, he is mistaken in his man, for the verses are not mine, but Mr Lee’s:  I asked him concerning them, and have this account,—­that they were spoken by the devil; now, what can either whig or devil say, more proper to their character, than that religion is only a name, a stalking-horse, as errant a property as godliness and property themselves are amongst their party?  Yet for these two lines, which, in the mouth that speaks them, are of no offence, he halloos on the whole pack against me:  judge, justice, surrogate, and official are to be employed, at his suit, to direct process; and boring through the tongue for blasphemy, is the least punishment his charity will allow me.

I find it is happy for me, that he was not made a judge, and yet I had as lieve have him my judge as my council, if my life were at stake.  My poor Lord Stafford was well helped up with this gentleman for his solicitor:  no doubt, he gave that unfortunate nobleman most admirable advice towards the saving of his life; and would have rejoiced exeedingly, to have seen him cleared[24].  I think, I have disproved his instance of my atheism; it remains for him to justify his religion, in putting the words of Christ into a Heathen’s mouth; and much more in his prophane