22v0 Author cf Gmclentio cU Lucca, — Fisher'^s P?'€parai707i\_Oct, i. 
has arisen from mistaking definition for 
ixinetryi'ic, and from fancying tliat the 
Qjaahties inherent in philosophic iiterature 
cannot be described without satirizing 
Chrisii-anitv, There is room in the world 
both tor Ch.ristinns and philosophers; 
every sect of opinion has its advantages 
and disadvantages; some doctrines accord 
best Avitii one, and some with another, 
d-epartnient of human life. Each will 
prevail in the desirable proportion, and 
according to the social demand, if the 
exclusive spirit and incompatible temper 
of the bigots on either side be never suf¬ 
fered to influence the laws. Uniformity 
of opinion is neither the inspiration of 
Hature nor the interest of man. 
the Editor of ike Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N a late Number, page 511, J. Wat¬ 
kins, I perceive, adheres to the vague 
cpinion that bishop Berkeley was the 
autlior of the adventures of Guadenti'o 
di Lucca. Yet I thought I had given 
suiBcient proof that Simon Berrington 
was the author. I said, that I had often 
heard the nephew of S. B. who was so«ne 
years under his tuition, declare, that his 
Eucle wrote it; to which lean add, that 
he saw the work in manuscript in the 
l.and-vvriting of the said uncle. Your 
correspondent says, “he has strong rea¬ 
sons for believing that it was composed 
by the bishop during his residence at 
Oxford.” To-these strong reasons for 
helieving, I oppose my knowledge, that 
it was composed by S. B, at St. I'homas, 
a seat then belonging to the Fowlers, 
near Stafford, where S. B. at that time 
resided. To the declaration of the 
nephew, I will moreover add a similar 
declaration,, often in my hearing, made 
by the late Mrs. Williams, of Little 
Mai vei n, a relation, and great admirer of 
S. B. and w ho had a copy ,of the work 
given her by S. B, likewise: to omit 
others, an old lady who died some years 
ago, at Lichfield, assured me, that she 
aLo iiad a copy given to her by the same 
g^ntlenmi), in which she had written, a. 
gift fiom the author, S. B. What more 
can be required? Still, in corroboration 
of my own testimony^ I w'ould cite tlie 
names of at least six more perso'.is, now 
livingjWvho can attest the same. I never 
indeed made any particular enquiries fur¬ 
ther to ascertain the fact, while it could 
have been done, because it \<as so well 
known in the family. J. Watkins, how¬ 
ever, may still remain incredulous for th.e 
reason he assigns, which is, that S. B. in 
another woi^, wrote ‘'nonsensical ri¬ 
baldry on a philosophical argument.” I 
have no concern with the sense or non¬ 
sense of S. B. All I maintain is, that he 
w'rote Guadentio di Lncca, and 1 give 
my proofs. In this work also may be 
nonsense, for aught I know, for I never 
read it but once, and that many years 
ago; but I lieard a gentleman lately say, 
that lie must possess little discernment, 
w ho, in reading it, did not discover that 
the author was a catholic. Dr. Kippis, 
I am told, in his Biographia, advanced 
the same opinion about bishop B. but 
added, in a note, that a near relation of 
the bishop's had assured him, that he was 
mistaken. I have not the article near 
me. ks not J. Watkins also the compiler 
of a Biographia? This may account for 
liis hardness of belief. I. B. 
Sept. 2, 1811. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, 
AVAIL myself of the impartial me¬ 
dium which the Monthly Magazine 
presents to men of information and en¬ 
quiry, and of the liberality with which 
the work has been invariably conducted, 
to offer to your notice a few- remarks, in 
answer to some observations made on the 
Stramonium by JNIr. Selles, and others, 
in some of your late numbers; and I am 
still furtlier encouraged to introduce my¬ 
self by the praise-worthy motives wliich 
called forth their opinions, in which, I 
assure you, I sincerely participate. 
I shall begin by rectifying an error 
into which Mr. Selles has unaccountably 
fallen, and which leads him to say, or 
suppose, that surgeon Fisher arrogates to 
himself that merit which certainly is due 
to the original discoverer of the stramo¬ 
nium. I say unaecountahly, because Mr, 
F. positively says in Ids Treatise on 
Asthma, that tiie remedy was rccont- 
mended to him. I likewise hasten to in¬ 
form Mr. S, that all his doubts as to tiie 
identity of Mr. F. maybe easily removed, 
for I knew 1dm personally when in Eng¬ 
land ; when, as he informs the public, 
he consulted many medfcal gentlemen, 
and used the stramonium. He has, at 
this moment, many respectal)le friends 
in London, to whom I shall be happy to 
give any enquirer a reference. Thus are 
two objections removed from the mind 
of Mr. Selles; which, however, cannot 
directly or indirectly interfere with the 
contents of IMr. F.’s popular publication, 
wldch I think, independent of its real 
worth, is characterized by a certain no¬ 
bleness of thought, and manliness of ex¬ 
pressing it; rarely to be met with in the 
present 
