MOCKERS. 227 



and even in our villages and in the country, whose in- 

 habitants, forty years ago, were a superstitious, it may 

 be, but certainly a moral and decent people, they are 

 springing up like mushrooms. Consummately ignorant 

 of religion, and deficient in all general knowledge, they 

 ridicule and defame all those who, professing a belief in 

 the doctrines of the Bible, make its morality the rule of 

 their lives. They are searchers after truth on the plan 

 laid down by my Lord Shaftesbury. Men of the firmest 

 minds find it a hard task to keep themselves cool and 

 undisturbed when made the butts of ridicule. The 

 ridicule of the fool, too, is peculiarly bitter. I have had 

 occasion to feel it at times, having oftener than once 

 come in contact with persons of the stamp described ; 

 and I have felt hurt at finding myself made their butt ; 

 but as there is no character I regard with so much con- 

 tempt as a coward, I have been solaced at finding, from 

 repeated experience, that none except arrant cowards 

 set upon me in this manner. These pusillanimous 

 mockers never venture singly to attack a man. They 

 fight in companies, have no chance if the person they 

 single out be strong in judgment or in humour, unless 

 they can drown his arguments or wit in their laughter. 

 For any two of the fraternity, unless they be more 

 ignorant and stupid than common, I find myself an 

 overmatch. Argument or the sallies of wit confound 

 them. They can do nothing except laugh, and not 

 even that when alone. 



' But as I have detailed the opinions which I form- 

 erly held of religion at some length, it may not be im- 

 proper to state as a per contra, a few of those I at present 

 hold respecting it. I have now so far changed my 

 opinion of religion as to think with a celebrated poet 

 that Christian is the highest style of man, and that by 



