e he af of at ter Age ngs ind his the nd, and, elve my for tant Af ing an Don my for ⚫ has not been the most fervent; which, "I think, ought to be imputed to the Evenness and Sedateness of my Temper, which never would admit of any Impetuofities of any fort: And I can remember that in my Youth and Prime of Manhood, when my Blood ran 'brisker, I took greater Pleasure in religious Exercises than at prefent, or many Years paft, and that my Devo⚫tion fenfibly declined as Age, which ← is dull and unwieldy, came upon me. I have, I hope, here proved, that the Love of Money prevents all Im⚫ morality and Vice; which if you will not allow, you must, that the Purfuit: of it obliges Men to the fame kind of Life as they would follow if they were really virtuous: Which is all I have to fay at prefent, only recommending to you, that you would think of it, and turn ready Wit in ready Money as fast as you can. I con•clude, Your Servant, and T Ephraim Weed. N° 47 P. Thursday, August 7. Fam fævus: apertam In rabiem cæpit verti jocus, & per honeftas Ire minax impunè domos· T HERE is nothing fo fcandalous to a Government, and detestable in the Eyes of all good Men, as defamatory Papers and Pamphlets; but at the fame time there is nothing fo difficult to tame, as a Satyrical Author. An angry Writer, who cannot appear in Print, naturally vents his Spleen in Libels and Lampoons. A gay old Woman, fays the Fable, feeing all her Wrinkles reprefented in a large Looking-glafs, threw it upon the Groundin a Paffion, and broke it into a thoufand Pieces; but as fhe was afterwards furveying the Fragments with a fpiteful kind of Pleasure, fhe could not forbear uttering her felf in the following Soliloquy. What have I got by this revengeful blow of mine, I have only mul gar ga large ound hou. vards teful rbear Soli re only mul multiphed my Deformity, and fee an hundred ugly Faces, where before I faw but one. IT has been propofed, to oblige every Perfon that writes a Book, or a Paper, to fwear himself the Author of it, and enter down in a publick Regifter his Name and Place of Abode. THIS, indeed, would have effectually fuppreffed all printed Scandal, which generally appears under borrow'd Names, or under none at all. But it is to be feared, that fuch an Expedient would not only destroy Scandal, but Learning. It would operate promifcuoufly, and root up the Corn and Tares together. Not to mention fome of the most cele brated Works of Piéty, which have proceeded from Anonymous Authors, who have made it their Merit to con vey to us fo great a Charity in secret: There are few Works of Genius that come out at firft with the Author's Name: The Writer generally makes a Tryal of them in the World before he owns them; and, I believe, very few, who are capable of Writing, would fet Pen to Paper, if they knew, before hand, that they must not publish their Productions but on fuel Conditi ons, ons. For my own part, I muft declare, the Papers I prefent the Publick are like Fairy Favours, which fhall last no longer than while the Author is concealed. THAT which makes it particularly difficult to restrain these Sons of Calumny and Defamation is,that all fides are equally guilty of it, and that every dirty Scribler is countenanced by great Names, whose Interests he propagates by such vile and infamous Methods. I have never yet heard of a Miniftry, who have inflicted an exemplary Punishment on an Author that has fupported their Cause with Falfhood and Scandal, and treated in a moft cruel manner the Names of those who have been looked upon as their Rivals and Antagonists. Would a Government fet an everlasting Mark of their Displeasure upon one of those infamous Writers, who makes his Court to them by tearing to Pieces the Reputation of a Competitor, we should quickly fee an end put to this Race of Vermin, that are a Scandal to Government, and a Reproach to Human Nature. Such a Proceeding would make a Minifter of State fhine in History, and would fill all Mankind with a juft Ab es are dirty Ames fuch yene have. at 03 their and the Doked nifts afting one of eshis. es the hould ace of vern Na make tory, a juht Ab Abhorrence of Persons who fhould treat I cannot think that any one will be the |