548 Account of Themes Major's Confinement in the Bastille. [July 1, 
ecrous of the fraud he was acting, and 
gerhups some hitle remorse, or itmay be 
anger, had excited thet sudden .change 
ef cotntenance. Jt was well | went 
eway, or otherwise he might have given 
notice to these poor deluded souls, (wath 
enthusiastic aminds, and heated imagina- 
tions), of nvy. being an hereinc, and de- 
apising their saint, which probably would 
have exposed me to. some insults from 
these misled and safatuated peaple. At 
the church of Saint Genevieve, I several 
times saw the hen that dad been ap- 
plied to the distempered part of those 
afilicted with any disorder, put upon the 
end of 2 long pole, elevated and rubbed 
agatust the shrine of 4. Genevieve, con- 
taining her relics, (which hang iv a fine 
super wrought case, suspended from the 
ceiling bya gilt cham.) to cure those who 
had a large share of faith, in her power‘ul 
intercessions on ther behaif. Any 
failure in cure, was solved in the same 
easy way, without any discredit to her 
Jadyshin; that is, wantoffanth. But if 
success attended, which often happens, 
as natune always exerts herself to throw 
otf disorders, 1t then. ratzed the saint’s 
repntation, and consequently brought 
more adorers, and lucrative customers, 
to he duped in the same manner. 
Tt is astontshing to think, what blind 
faith the poor ignorant people have in 
the virtues of 4o/y-water. When 
thunders, they sprinkie themselves there- 
with, believing it a preservative against 
divine vengeance, evil spiriis, or any 
temporary ills. 
At an evening interment, where the 
burial service was performed in the 
ehurch, a poor fellow, who had before 
been drinking too freely, fell fast asleep; 
the congregation being gone, the sexton. 
was fastening the doors, which awakened 
him, and he got upto gout. The sex- 
ton, thivking wo one to be there but 
himself, and hearing something coming 
after him, not having a conscience of the 
brightest hue, a panic seized him, and 
Fearing it was an evil-spirit, come te re- 
quite him for his fermer misdeeds, ran 
ammediately to the holy water, and set- 
ting his posteriors therein, believed him- 
self then secure; clapping his hands to- 
gether, he cried out, in a voice of ex- 
ultation, Now d-——l, come d I, bid- 
ding defiance to all his artifices; so high 
an opivion, and such an implicit faith 
had he, in the virtues of this salt-water,* 
rr 
* Salt is put in at the benedictian of the 
priest, to keep it from putreraction. 
asto brave the d—~sl, and all his imps, 
when immersed in such holy pickle. 
L hada fine specimen of the ignorance 
of the mendicant triars. I used to be 
visited by ene of them, who would rap 
at mv door, to ask charity, Pour Cumour 
de la Sainte Vierge, tor iove of the Holy 
Virgin. laving given him some pence, 
he frequently afierwards tenewed his 
visits, and at Jast beeame troublesome, 
Finding 1 was an Englishman, and an 
heretic, so totally illiterate was he) that 
he enquired if we were baptized in 
England, or had marriages amongst us ; 
thinking us near askin to savages and 
cannibals. 
In ail countries, the Romish clergy 
are nearly the same; Lhey entertain prine 
ciples ‘unfriendly to that liberty, for 
which reason, limanity, and christianity, 
plead: but especially im France, they are 
for supporting despotism in the monarch; 
by which means themselves are protected 
in their arbitrary sway over the minds - 
and etfects of the people, keeving the: 
in Ignorance and servility, aiming ehietly 
at two things—power trom the king, and’ 
money from the subjects. ; 
The love of authority is so very pre- 
valent with them, tbat trom this motive, 
interested and ambitious meh are cons 
tnually preaching the doctrine of passive 
obedience and uoneresistance. Submit 
yourselves tu your superiors in all things, 
right or wrong, this is their maxim; not 
considering that obedience to superiors 
must be determined by the nature of the 
constitution. 
Bigoted ecclesiastics, and _— infidel 
statesmen, though they differ in principle, — 
agree in conclusion; the views of both 
are unfriendly to the great interest of 
trath and freedom. The doctrine of ab- 
solute submission, in all cases, is an 
absurd dogmatical precept, with nothing 
hut ignorance and superstition (which 
have ever heen inseparable companions) 
to support it. Popery has for one of its 
principal objects, the destruction of the 
liberties of the people, and the formation 
and support of an arbitrary, despotic go- 
vernment; as passive obedience in a 
people is enjomed on pain of eternal 
damnation, and is one of its distinguishing 
peculiarities. Men were not formed inte 
societies, only to be the subjects of ar- 
bitrary will, the slavish instruments in 
gratifying the ambitious or other corrupt 
designs of one or mere men; hut for the 
safety and prosperity of the whole com- 
munity; as the eud of all goverrmeni is 
to give the people justice and security, 
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