0 ?t the THEATRE. 35 
the brave youth would grow enamoured of religion ; be fired 
with the love of his country, and with a generous contempt of 
life in the caufe of virtue. The vicious would be afhamed of 
vice, which they faw thus difcountenanced. The inferior clergy, 
of whom fome, perhaps, want piety or induftry, might learn to 
be more vigilant in promoting the caufe of religion : and reve- 
rend prelates would fuffer no diminution of refpedt to their 
character and office, if they were frequently prefent at the thea- 
tres. As the cafe now Hands, the virtuous are feldom the 
better for the ftage, and the vicious much the worse for it. 
Hiflorians tell us, that neither Greece, nor rome, nor Athens, 
allowed the liberties which we countenance. As ’heathens 
they difdained, what we English Christians not only suffer, 
but applaud. The flage in France is chafte ; the greateft li- 
bertine will not bear a double entendre to be uttered. This 
fhows the good fenfe of the people at leaft, and that they keep 
up to the primitive inftitution. If they are not better chriftians 
in faith nor practice, than we are, they have more regard 
to decency, and would probably be Hill more abandoned thern- 
felves, if their ftage was no chaffer than ours. 
To attempt a reformation in the gross, proves the projector 
to have a great deal too much wit, or a great deal too little : 
but not to attempt it, in a particular inftance, fo very level 
to common fenfe ; fo very interefling to truth and virtue ; and 
fo effential to religion, is a flronger proof of a national deli- 
rium ; — from which may god, of his infinite mercy, deliver us ! 
lam yours, {§fV. 
F 2 
LET- 
