236 NORTHERN MEMOIRS. 



fend and infect the air, by blotting out sanity 

 with the soveraignty of life. 



Theoph. This somewhat answers my former 

 opinion, that neither honour nor riches, nor the 

 ambitions of men, stand in competition with the 

 mediocrity of health ; nor is there any blessing 

 under the sun adequate to the soveraign sanc- 

 tions of sanity on this side eternity, but the ra- 

 dies of sanctification from the sun of righteous- 

 ness. The world's a fool, and none but fools ad- 

 mire it : Yet not that I prophane the beautiful 

 creation ; when only censuring that fictitious and 

 imaginary world in man. Go on with Dundee ; 

 I overflow with pity, and could wish my reluc- 

 tancy penitency enough to weep her into a reli- 

 gious repentance, but not with Rachel never to 

 be comforted. Hark, Arnoldus ! Don't you hear 

 the bells ? 



Am. Yes, I hear them, and what of that ? 

 Bells and bonfires are two catholick drumsticks, 

 with which the church beats up for volunteers 

 only to debauch them. For what end were bells 

 hung up, if not to jangle ; and bonfires kindled, 

 if not to blaze like an ignis fatuus ? Thus peo- 

 ple uncultivated are like land untill'd, and arts 

 imimprov'd print the footsteps of penury. But 

 arts are improv'd by industrious ingenuity ; 

 when through want of ingenious industry they 



