8^ fimothy tiairhr&in. yu(y i^* 



The prefses in the most distant comers of the coun- 

 try groaned under the burden of throwing off sur- 

 reptitious editions of these works; commifsions came 

 from all parts for the hook that isj'orbidden to be soldy 

 so eager are the people to see what kind of a thing 

 it is that the king delighteth to honour. Those that 

 could read, pored their eyes out in looking at it i and 

 those who could not read, listened with astonifhment 

 to the wonderous things they heard. For they never , 

 once before suspected, what they now are perfectly 

 convinced of, that they are wiser and better men 

 than their superiors, and much more capable of di- 

 recting the affairs of the nation than they are. 



Now what good can result to the nation from all 

 this J'ufs and fracas, which our wise rulers have 

 thought proper to excite about this foolifli affair, I 

 am not able to foresee. And whether the miuisters 

 in all this businefs have displayed most oi rogue or of 

 fool, I pretend not to know. But this I can easily 

 say, that they must either fit themselves with the 

 fools cap ; or we fhall be forced to lend them thp 

 other. Which I thus demonstratively prove. 



These writings were either proper to be read by 

 the people, or they were not proper. If they wm 

 proper to be read, the ministry acted a foolilh part i» 

 condemning what they ought to have approved of 

 and in exciting a bustle and ferment in the natio 

 which they ought rather to have prevented. If thes 

 writings were not proper to be read by the people 

 then they acted a wicked part in thus compelling t' 

 people, as I may say, universally to read them. 



A 



