of the Antient Christian the Quaker would not have stood in need of an Apology Whether these Passages and the Discourse were more intended to recommend the Quakers or to make the first Christians Protestants and Martyrs contemptible and ridiculous by the Comparison Let those that know M. Stubb and have ever heard him discourse about Religion judge For my part I am satisfied 'T is a pleasant Passage and to the same purpose which I meet in his Vindication of Sir Hen. Vane p. 36. He tells M. Baxter that it was ignorantly said of Him That the Quakers had no being in the World till a few Years ago and in contradiction to it he saith As to the Generality of their Opinions and Deportment I DO AVOW it out of as sure and good Records as any can be produced that they can plead more for themselves for the first 270 Years then M. Baxter for the present Orthodox Religion laid down in the SAINTS EVERLASTING REST or the CONFESSION of the Assembly You may please to mark that he speaks not of any particular Opinions of M. Baxter and the Assembly which have less to be said for them out of primitive Antiquity than the Quakers but of their Religion And when M. Stubb hath proved what he hath here Avowed men are like to have as good an Opinion of Christianity as he can wish And how good a one that is I am loth to call in the Vouchee he cites for M. Cross viz. general Fame to testifie He declares it too frequently in the whole Contexture of his Light out of Darkness and since in his Account of Greatarick he gives hint enough of the Degree of his Faith Christ Iesus and his Apostles appeal continually to their Works those miraculous ones they performed as evidencing the Divineness of their Commission and the Truth of their Doctrines and M. Stubb tells us p. 10. That all Religions have had their real Miracles and so let them dispute or fight it out as they can Miracles must be tried by Truth not Truth by Miracles ibid. But how the Truth shall be tried viz. that of a Divine Commission or Authority 't is not for the Interest of one of his Principles or rather of his no Principles to tell us And when he hath taken away the Testimony of the Spirit in Miracles he knows well enough what will become of Christianity This he endeavours here by many very odd Suggestions M. Greatarick did things miraculous p. 8. and these he performed by the Temperament and Composure of his Body p. 11. So that Healing Miracles are the Effects of the Effluvia of a particular Ferment p. 11. And so Christ Jesus shewed nothing of Divinity in curing Diseases by his Touch. Yea M. Greatarick is mated with Him and the Apostles p. 26. He did the things that never man did but Christ and his Apostles He cured Diseases by the Temperament and Composure of his Body ut sup but no man ever did so besides only the Son of God and his Disciples had the Priviledge And yet p. 10. this in express Words is plainly contradicted for we hear there of others that did the same things with Christ Iesus and M. Greatarick The Alexicaci Salutatores or Bensedevios that cure by anointing with Spittle and by breathing and stroaking of the Patient p. 10. And in Turky also and Africk they have Persons of the like Qualifications ibid. But 't is nothing for M. Stubb to affirm Contradictions and I wish that were the worst could be justly laid to his Charge I have a great deal more to say of his Friendship to Religion which I keep for a Reserve He tells us p. 15. of his Book against my Plus Vltra That Mahomet taking advantage of the Brutal Lives and Ignorance of the Catholicks depending upon the Patriarch of Constantinople did advance the Sect of Christians called Mahometans I wish some do not think that a certain Defender of Religion and the Church of England is a Christian by the same Figure as are those Disciples of Mahomet If a man of Learning and tolerably in his Wits endeavour to make the first Christians Martyrs and Reformers like the Quakers in their Opinions and Deportment He cannot be supposed primarily to design the Crediting those distracted Enthusiasts but to vilifie all Christians except some of M. Stubb's sort called Mahometans and our Defender of Religion knows well enough that the Testimonies he alledgeth to prove those sick-brain'd People to be like all the best Christians will prove as much that the best Christians were like Them and so a more desperate Enemy than the Quakers is gratified How far he intended this let those conjecture who have heard of his Kindness and Concern for M. Hobbs And how far he designs the promoting the Interest of Religion and the Church of England let the most charitable man alive judge upon the whole I but 3. he tells us how much he is for School-Divinity and how far some great matters of Faith are concerned in it we derive great Benefits from Controversal Divinity for the Quieting the Conscience and Convincing our Adversaries and whoever hath any sense of these must detest the Enterprise of M. Glanvill Non Plus p. 1. This He did because he had a Value for the Peace of his Conscience which is to be setled by School-Divinity But how different from this was his Opinion of it when he writ against M. Baxter Then School-Divinity was apt to create everlasting Disputes rather than Rest and made no part of the Rest of the Primitive whether Christians or Antichristians these are his Words p. 18. M. Stubb had another way to quiet his Conscience at that time but now School-Divinity is the only Expedient And whereas in the same first Page of his Book against me he tells us The Distinction of the Trinity of Essence and Personality the Hypostatical Vnion of the two Natures in our Saviour and the meritoriousness of his Death which depends thereupon are undermined with School-Divinity In that he writ against M. Baxter he saith of it That it is an upstart Study unknown to the purer times model'd and profess'd by that Order which now manageth the Inquisition and was at first erected for the suppressing the Truth in the Albigenses p. 13. M. Stubb in his last Book greatly applauds Metaphysicks if he can find any Distinctions in that Learning to solve his own Contradictions he shall have my Vote for the greatest Metaphysician in the World He doth so directly and in terms every where almost affront himself that I cannot possibly write more point-blank against him than Harry doth against Stubb and some think that if he be let alone the next time he scribbles he 'l reduce even his last Book to a Non-plus and confute this also as he hath already done by most of his other Writings The Truth is M. Stubb hath wanted an Adversary to appear publickly against him and therefore he hath challeng'd and provoked all
Stubbe Russians and swaggering Hectors are not to be treated with gentleness and soft words and I know should I deal with this Antagonist in a way of lenity and smoothness it would incourage his insolence and make him phancy that he is feared I have therefore thought sit to express my self here with more smartness than I do allow of towards men of common civility and good manners and 't is not my passion but judgment prompted me to it And now lest it should be suspected that my dealing so much with M. Stubbe hath infected me with the spirit of detraction I shall next give him those acknowledgments that I think may be his due I confess therefore that he is a man that hath READ he was for some years Sub-librarian at Oxford and so by his imployment was chained among the Books from thence he got great knowledge of Titles and Indexes and by that can upon any occasion let out a great apparatus of Authors and fill his margin with Quotations this must be acknowledged and it is no small advantage for shew and vain-glory and by this means he will seem to have the better of any man he shall oppose among such as are not able or not concerned to examine how he useth his Authors and how he applies them But whoever doth this will find that notwithstanding his pretence to great Reading he reads by Indexes and only collects those passages from Authors which he can suborn to serve his mischievous purposes That he understands not or wilfully perverts the Writers he cites That after he hath swaggered with their names and recited several scraps out of their works his Quotations prove nothing but that M. Stubbe is malicious and impertinent and makes the sayings and opinions he fights against of all this I have given specimens of proof in divers of the ensuing sheets by which it will appear that this confident man is one of the most notorious Impertinents that ever writ a Book And whoever attentively considers his Writings and observes the way of his Discourse must needs see that whatever he pretends to reading he is extreamly defective in judgment and understands not the way of close coherent reasoning Nor indeed can it be expected from one of his temper of brain his head is red-hot and consequently his thoughts are desultory and flirting so that he affirms suddenly whatever comes into his phansie not considering how it agrees with what he said before what it makes for his purpose or how it may be well proved He hath not the patience to ponder any thing deeply nor the judgment and staidness to weigh consequences and therefore writes and speaks in a vein of infinite impertinence and inconsistency This I may be permitted to say here because I have proved it in the following Papers And now what can such a mans pretended Learning signifie It may make him proud and troublesom captious and censorious but will never inable him to serve the world with any useful informations Nor is any mans reading any further to be valued than as it improves and assists his reason where it doth not this 't is either a feather in a Fools cap or a sword in a mad-mans hand a vain glorious impertinence or an instrument of mischief But I perceive my Preface begins to swell and therefore I only add further That whereas M. Stubbe reports in several places of his Books that the Virtuosi contributed to my PLUS ULTRA I will acquit those Gentlemen from being concerned in the composure of a Discourse against which the impertinent Animadverter raiseth such a clamour and assure the Reader that this his report is false And whereas in his Book against Doctor Spâ—att he saith That some some saw my Papers remitted to me blotted and altered this affirmation is a gross untruth also or a contemptible impertinence If he means as he designed to insinuate that the Virtuâ—sâ— remitted them to me blotted and altered by them or any other person 't is a loud falshood No man except my Transcriber ever saw my Book till it was printed nor did I alter any one word upon any manâ— suggestion so that his report in that sense which would have signified to his purpose is a shameless Legend in an other sense indeed 't is true but impertinent my Papers were sent home to me blotted and altered but they were remitted by my Amanâ—ensis as I sent them to hâ—m blotted and altered by my own hand without any otherâ— knowledge or direction and what can malice make of this 'T is a pretty artifice I observe in M. Stubbe to intitle every thing any man doth in favour of the Royal Society to that whole Body or at least to a Club of the Viâ—tuosi that so if he gain any advantages over any private member it may redound to the disparagement of the Society and raise the glory of his performances and therefore I must expect that much of this following Account shall be imputed to the assistance and contributions that he will say I had from the Virtuosi But to prevent his belying those Gentlemen in this and the concerning them in any of my failures I declare I consulted none of them for any of these Reflections I did not submit my Copy to their alterations nor did they or any other person ever see these Papers till they were printed so that whatever wrath they kindle in him it ought all to be directed against me and I assure him I despise both his displeasure and his favour I had other things to have added here but I cast them into the Postscript and I advertise but this more That there is a late printed Letter of the Learned Doctor Meric Causabons written to Doctor Peter du Moulin upon the occasion of my Plus Ultra and containing some Reflections on it I have answered the Strictures of that Reverend man in a particular Discourse which I think to publish when I next reckon with M. Stubbe TO MY Much Honoured Friend Francis Godolphin Esq SIR I Was just upon the Close of a short Treatise of the Religious Temper and Tendencies of the Modern Philosophy when M. Stubb's Book against me came to my hands I was glad to see that this Adversary at last appeared in the open Light For I love not Sculking and base Assaults in the Dark I had much rather be call'd to an Account for any thing I have written before the Learned and Judicious than to be confuted in Corners among those whose Judgments are either prepossest or incompetent This latter hath for some time been my hard Fate For after M. Crosse's Fardel against me was rejected by the Licensers both at Oxford and London for its incomparable Railing and impertinence He endeavour'd to expose me among his Cronies and Confederates by the Manuscript Libel He carrried it about from place to place and like a Scotch Merchant opened his Pack at each House in his Circuit He told his Tales to every Country-Farmer and acquainted
every Mechanick with his mighty Deeds and Purposes So that for a time there was no other Subject handled on Ale-benches and in Coffee-Houses in all this Neighbourhood Besides which Practices He pelted me with Doggerel Rhimes innumerable and a pretended Answer to the Chuè Gazett was read privately to those that had a mind to hear such Stuff and so I was confuted But great Care was taken that I should not know in what for fear I should spoil the Triumphs and write a second part of the Legends of the Disputer Much after the same manner M. Stubb for a year and upwards dealt with me and divers excellent Persons with whom I am not worthy to be mention'd He travelled up and down to tell his Stories of the Royal Society and to vent his spite against that Honourable Assembly He took care to inform every Tapster of the Danger of their Designs and would scarce take his Horse out of an Hostler's hands till he had first let him know how he had confuted the Virtuosi He set his everlasting Tongue at work in every Coffee-House and drew the Apron-men about him as Ballad-singers do the Rout in â—airs and Markets They admir'd the man and wondred what the strange thing call'd the Royal Society should be till at last being informed by this zealous Patriot of Religion they saw clearly that They were a Committee of Projectors to bring in Popery He assured them that the first Design was laid by a Iesuite and discovered the whole Plot upon Religion which he declared his pious Resolutions to vindicate against this Dangerous Combination All this Time while he fought like his Masters of the Good Old Cause with vulgar Rumours which he raised he was impregnable There 's no contending with Spectres and Apparitions But at last he renders himself more palpable and consistent so that now he may be dealt with And since he hath made me the first Object of his fierce Wrath in this Quarrel with the Royal Society I shall endeavour to make my Defence and to disarm the Fury of this Guy of Warwick By which I hope I shall let the World see that this Hector is so far from being a competent Adversary for that Illustrious Company that all the Force his Rage and Malice can raise is not able to oppress or as much as hurt the least considerable Member of that Body This I intend in a full and particular ANSWER to his Book against my PLVS VLTRA and shall let this Man of Battels who is used to triumph before he strikes a blow see that he hath nonplus'd me no where but in his Title But my Affairs will not permit me to fall on that work so soon as I am willing you should have an Account of this Undertaker and therefore I shall now send you a few general Remarques concerning the Author and his Work By which you will perceive that it is not at all to be wondred at that he treats so many excellent Persons with such Insolence and Scorn so many Taunts of Ignorance Illiterateness and what comes next since I shall shew that this is his constant natural Style and hath always been his use in his early Oppositions of some of the most famous men of our Nation So that you are to reckon that the reproachful Characters he gives import only that the man is angry and ignorant and illiterate in his Mouth and Pen signifie but one that is not of his mind or at least not of that mind which he hath a present Humour and Interest to oppose And yet I must confess that after I heard of M. Stubb's Intentions of falling on my Book I expected more Railing and greater Vehemence more opprobrious Names and spightful Sayings because I knew the man and his Genius And though some perhaps can scarce apprehend a greater excess in these good Qualities then are to be met in this Piece yet I can very well conceive such as are incomparably greater having so lately been made acquainted with the Civilities of M. Cross in comparison to whom This Adversary writes like a Christian and a Gentleman and that you may see how much there is of these in this Author and judge of the other by Him I shall now immediately give you the Account of M. Stubb reserving that of M. Cross to another season That I may proceed distinctly I shall represent Him in 1. His TEMPER 2. DESIGNS and 3. MANAGEMENT of them in his last Book In describing these I shall not have recourse to such base Artifices as He and his Friend M. Cross have used against me viz. idle Legends and Fictions of their own Brains Nor shall I reflect upon those infinite Discourses he hath had in very publick places often and sometimes in my hearing from which a Character full enough might be drawn of him for I think it not generous or handsome to make them more publick than he hath done himself except I am unavoidably forced upon it But I shall take all my Accounts of the Undertaker out of his publisht Writings and give you him in his own Words nakedly as they are quoted to a Page In order to which I think fit to present you with a List of those Books he hath written with a short touch of the Subjects that are handled in them ONE of the First of his Essays while he was yet but a Youngster in Oxford was a DEFENCE of M. HOBBS against the Reverend Dr. Wallis the learned and famous Geometry-Professor of that University The Subject we have in the Account he gives of his Performance p. 18. of the second Alphabet where he saith he hath Proved irrefragably that Cum is the proper Preposition of the Ablative of the manner That praetendit scire is no Anglicism That he hath Demonstrated that Motus Magnitudo Consideravimus is good Latin as also that Propositiones falsae sunt multa ejusmodi is elegant That he hath evinced Tanquam to signify As if and that Tanquam si is not one word That he hath said so much about adduco that nothing is wanting but Pantagruel ' s Hug That the Professour may learn of him to put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 together in Composition That N may come before a Labial and particularly before P That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a visible Point and used for a Mark with a hot iron These Exploits he hath done and these he saith are the Points he undertook to maintain Weighty matter for a publick Quarrel and so weighty it seems the Undertaker accounted it as to be worthy his Passion which broke out upon the Doctor in these Expressions of Civility 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pigmy Quacksalver and Mountebank Critical Bravo Witty-poll of no Credit lost to all Persons of Learning and a contemptible Adversary ignorant intolerably ignorant and a world more to the same purpose of which in its due place with the references to the particular Page How fit a man is this to undertake
Presbytery makes Them pay their Forfeit which it unconscionably raiseth from Groats to Crowns and half-Crowns But let that go he proceeds As for the lost Sheep of Israel the poor and the weak whom God hath chosen unless the Salary be good they seem to be under as great a Prohibition from Preaching to them as the Apostles from going to Bithynia p. 145 146. But he hath not yet done with the Popery and Antichristianism of our Vniversities and their Fashions Therefore it follows Qu. 38. Whether the University Hood be not the Product of the old Monkish Melote spoken of by Cassian de Institutione Monachorum and grounded upon the superstitious Exposition of that place in Heb. 11. They wandred about 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Sheep-skins whether it were not a Religious Habit it being a Badg of Monkery according to Cassian and Hierome ibid. Qu. 39. Whether it be not a superstitious and detestable Exposition of that Scripture Stand fast having your Loins girt c. To accommodate it to the Episcoparian Girdles with which they tie in their Canonical Coats ibid. Qu. 40. Whether it be not a pretty Foundation for the Oxford Doctors to stand booted and spurred in the Act because there is mention made in Scripture of being shâ—d with the Preparation of the Gospel p. 146. Q. 41. Whether the Vniversity of Oxford do well to give for their Arms the Book with seven Seals Is not that a gross Abuse of what is laid down in the Revelations as if the seven liberal Arts two whereof are Grammar and Fidling were typified by those Seals which none were worthy to open but the Lamb p. 146 147. Q. 46. Whether any of the Ceremonies and Habits now used in the Vniversities had a very good Original or have been imployed to a good Vse since p. 149. Q. 47. Whether those things which had a good Original and Vse if they be not still necessary or commanded by God when once they have been used to Idolatry and Superstition are not quite to be abolished ibid. Here is the Upshot and Conclusion of the Matter YOV know and own this glorious Truth O ye our Deliverers from AEGYPT and from BABYLON from all Soul-Oppression and Conscience-distressing Persecution Vind. of Sir H. V. p. 57. And you know that Vniversities are some of the Hay and Stubble of Humane Invention and not commanded by God Nor are they necessary The Primitive Christians and first Protestants had them not Soul-saving Truths are not taught by the Words of Mans Wisdom Christ chose illiterate men for Disciples The Gospel of St. John is as bad Greek as the Quakers English Light out of Darkness p. 87. God hath chosen the Foolishness of this World to confound the Wise. ibid. You see O ye PATRIOTS those Schools of Humane Learning are not necessary Yea they were erected by Popery and are Antichristian Popish Superstitious Down with them therefore down with them to the Ground Destroy Babylon and the Garments of the Whore away with the Idols dumb Dogs and Beasts that our Fathers have worshipped This is the Sense of the whole and a grand Expression of M. Stubb's Friendship to the Vniversities BUT he is a Zealot no doubt for the Learning that is taught there so he pretends by his eager Oppositions of what he calls the mechanical Education Non Plus p. 13. now contradistinguish'd as he tells us from the Vniversity-Learning this he here recommends and celebrates and would fain persuade his Reader That the Royal Society have a desire to triumph over the antient Education of the Kingdom Pref. p. 6. All which are mere Chymâ—ra's and malicious or proud Devices to effect his purpose of rendring the Virtuosi odious as he declares it Pref. p. 4. or the other Design of dignifying Himself as the great Patron of antient Learning For the Royal Society doth no way disturb or meddle with Vniversity-Learning and Education The Art of Reasoning the Validity of Consequences The unfolding of Critical Syllogisms and Fallacies the general Doctrine of Topicks the Moral Philosophy and Foundations of civil Prudence Civil and Ecclesiastical History and Languages which M. Stubb himself reckons up as the Learning of the Vniversities p. 17. will proceed all in the same way notwithstanding the Study of Experimental Philosophy which though it may use some of them as they are already taught yet it contradicts none And by the same Reason that M. Stubb suggests the Mechanical way to be prejudicial and contrary to the Vniversity-Learning he might say that All Practical Arts as Chirurgery Architecture Limning and the rest have an Antipathy to those Academical Studies also such a Logician is M. Stubb as not to distinguish between contrary and divers What an impertinent thing is proud Malice But let us see how much M. Stubb hath declared himself a Friend to Vniversity-Learning and all sorts of Literature in the time when they were despised and their utter Extirpation zealously attempted Concerning the first Sort Languages he Queries thus Q. 13. L. D. Whether the Knowledge of Tongues leads us to one Sense of Scripture or many Whether all such dealings lead us not to put our Trust in Man Can any matter of Faith be built upon the Strength of a Criticism p. 97. and Critical Learning is call'd a Gallimaufrey Pref. against Dr. Wallis Q. 18. Whether the first Christians were not against Humane Learning and Heathenish Authors And whether it was more an Effect of Julian the Apostate ' s Malice or Christian Prudence that went about to keep the People of God from Reading Heathen Writers p. 101. For the Affirmative of the Query he alledgeth divers Testimonies and concludes The Greek Church is owned for a true Christian Church and highly magnified by Protestants in Opposition to the Pope yet neither They nor the Picards or Waldenses in Bohemia did value Learning so far were they from esteeming of it as a Prop of true Religion p. 105. This was the way to recommend Learning to the Religieuse of those times whose Favour our Anti-Virtuoso then courted And even in this last Book he hath given proof of his Kindness to one sort of Vniversity-Learning Mathematicks They are less necessary and inutile p. 17. and a little before Geometricians seldom if ever prove Metaphysicians Religieuse or otheâ—wise of tolerable Ratiocination but are said ignorantly to run into Whimsies and Phantastical Ways of Arguing This is the great Friend and Patron of Learning BUT what doth he think of Aristotle who M. Cross tells us in his Book was Artium Partiumque Uir Fundator Artium Maximus Hominum His Credit our Author kindly undertakes in part to readvance Title p. to Non Plus And he did it when he Qâ—eried in his Light out of Darkness p. 105. Q. 19. Whose Sepulchres do our Vniversity-men build up whilst they uphold ARISTOTLE's PHILOSOPHY which hath been so generally condemn'd of late and heretofore by Popish Assemblies and particular men of that way as also by the
that Reverend man see that it is not my Adversaries Love and Respect to Aristotle I deride but the ridiculous Expressions of his fond Admiration which he sufficiently discovered in that Conference that was the Occasion of my Book But enough of M. Stubb and M. Cross as to this particular 'T is evident enough that the former hath not that Kindness for Aristotle he pretends to serve his Designs against the modern Philosophers and the other can say nothing on his behalf more than what Freshmen use to talk of that new great Name they are taught to admire whatever Love he hath for Him And now as to what concerns the modern EXPERIMENTAL PHILOSOPHERS I dare say they are slandered much by those their Adversaries that represent them as such Enemies to Aristotle For I know They have a due Esteem of him and allow Him an eminent place among the wise Men of Antient times They acknowledge the helps he hath afforded us and pay Respects to his Writings as they do to those of other venerable Authors They refuse not nor discourage the reading of his Books nor do they reject any of his Discoveries that may aid us in the Uses of Knowledge or Life yea they embrace them cheerfully and are glad when any useful Truth hath such an Authority to recommend it Thus much I dare undertake for all the Philosophers of the Practical way of whom I have any Knowledge But to make Aristotle a Dictator in Philosophy and to give him an absolute Empire over our minds to admire him as if in him were hid all the Treasures of Natural Wisdom and Knowledge and to be scrupulous in acknowledging that he was ignorant of any thing in Nature as Dr. Casaubon saith Fabricius was in his Reflections on my Plus Vltra such Fondnesses as these those Philosophers by no means approve but look on them as extremely prejudicial to the Advance of Knowledge and the Respect that is due to other excellent Authors both of elder and later times And I think by their modest Judgment of that Philosopher they rather secure the just Praise and Regard to Aristotle's Authority that is his due than any way diminish it For those that raise the Commendations of any man much beyond the Proportion of his Merit and lay more Stress upon his Authority than it will bear do indeed give an occasion to the Contempt of such an over-valued Person and the degrading him below that Respect which his worth might claim So that in earnest those doting men that talk such childish incredible things of Aristotle as I lately quoted from M. Cross are his real Enemies and expose him to Scorn and Opposition whereas the modern Philosophers who give him just but less excessive and flaunting Applauses do more really serve the Interest of his Name And what I particularly have writ against Him hath been designed chiefly to lessen the Hyperbolical Admirations of the little enslaved Sectators not to discourage any from the Study of Aristotle or a modest value of his Authority And that my Sense of Him and his Writings was the same then that I declared but now to be the experimental Philosophers Inclination in reference to that Philosopher may be largely seen in my Defence of the Vanity of Dogmatizing against that famous Adversary the Learned Albius especially p. 7. I have spoken there to the same purpose but 't is too much for my Laziness to transcribe AND now Sir methinks upon the Review of the whole it seems to me very pretty that one who labour'd so industriously and inveighed so bitterly against Monarchy Ministry Churches Universities Aristotle and all Humane Learning when some of these were actually overthrown and All in imminent Danger of Ruine that put on the Fanatical Vsurpers that needed no Spur by gross canting Flatteries of Them and deadly malicious Reproaches and Oppositions of those great concerns of the Kingdom to complete the Destruction They had begun That this man I say should talk as if he were the only zealous Person for the Interest of Monarchy Religion Vniversities and old Learning and the only Patriot that could defend them is a Confidence more than usual and such as very well becomes M. Stubb And on the other hand 'T is as pleasant to hear this Writer representing a Society that is a Royal Institution and consists of a great Number of the most loyal Nobility and Gentry and several of the most venerable Fathers of the Church Archbishops Bishops and divers other Ecclesiastical Governours and men of Eminence among the Clergy I say 't is very fine to hear M. Stubb setting out such an Assembly as an Enemy to Monarchy Religion Vniversities and Learning And we must believe upon the word of the Anti-Virtuoso That a great part of that Body are driving on Designs destructive to the Interests of Religion and the Kingdom and that the Loyal and Religious men of the ROYAL SOCIETY are so dull as not to perceive it while the more sagacious Doctor of Warwick sees those dreadful Projects clearly and therefore cannot be silent but must warn the Nation of the Danger Upon the Consideration of the whole Procedure one would think that M. Stubb had so great an Ambition to gain the Applauses of the envious and ignorant who are glad to see any thing that is worthy railed at and opposed that for their sake he is resolved yet further to expose himself to the Scorns of the sober and judicious And really he writes at that rate as if he were to defie the intelligent part of Mankind and design'd only to be read by those that would believe any thing he said at a venture because he writes against the Virtuosi The Truth of this Censure will appear when I come to my particular Remarques upon his Book which I shall presently do when I have taken a little notice of His other Designs which are yet behind viz. TO represent the Uirtuosi as ridiculous and odious to the Kingdom and to sacrifice me to publick Obloquy To effect the former He clapt his own Cap on the Virtuosi and calls them Prattle-boxes and then without any more ado They are ridiculous He describes them by the other part of his own Character as Persons of irreligious and dangerous Inclination and then they must be odious And when the Virtuoso-Mastix hath proved that these are not Complements but that his Comical Wits are so really like Himself all men no doubt will say that They are as he designed to represent them But if M. Stubb be no better at making Characters than he is at giving Names the Virtuosi I doubt will leave him without their Company to enjoy the Honours he projects for them For why of all things must they be called the Comical Wits I trow How came this to ramble into the mans head Of all the Names that courtly M. Cross bestowed on me there is scarce any that suits less And yet now I remember 't is not improbable but that M. Stubb
May not I say that Columbus discover'd the new western World or that Fust or Gothenberg found out the Mystery of Printing or Flavius Goia the Compass except they had told me so themselves And if it be usual among the most unexceptionable Relaters to collect their Accounts from other Testifiers what can M. Stubb make of it if he could prove that I never saw most of the Authors I mention How much he himself is acquainted with the Books he quotes we shall anon find some things whereby to pass a Judgment Thus M. Stubb begins with a peremptory Assertion of a thing which is false in the Latitude of his Affirmation and which he could not possibly know whether in any more restrain'd sense it were true or not And his immediate next words contain another most gross and confident Falshood And all his Discourse about the Mathematicks and Mathematicians procured him no other Acknowledgments from a Learned and Reverend Prelate to whom he sent one of his Books than a Reprimand for intermedling with what he understood not ibid. I have heard from credible Persons that M. Ieanes the Polemick Writer who was well acquainted with M. Cross was wont to call any lusty by a name which for the sake of some worthy Persons I shall not mention on this occasion M. Stubb's Friend of Chuè knows what I mean He may do well to advise him to take care of such broad unconscionable Falshoods though I confess a man of his Practices is the most improper Person in the World for such a Service The Period I last quoted from M. Stubb is a gross Vntruth I sent my Plus Vltra but to one Bishop besides that Reverend Father to whom it was dedicated and that learned and excellent Person was so far from sending me a Reprimand to use M. Stubb's word that he was pleased to write me a most obliging Letter of Thanks And my own venerable Diocesan accepted of that Book and the Direction of it to him with a great deal of Candour and Kindness and never signified the least Dislike to me of it So that I should have wondred much at this Clause and divers others of like kind If I had not heard a Character of M. Stubb at Oxford and did not know Him and his Familiarity with M. Cross but now I shall not be surprised though every Sentence were a Legend But 2. he offers something for proof of his first Saying viz. that I never saw the Authors I mention as it follows ib. p. 2. who ever heard of such men as Maximus Palanudes Achazen and Orentius And who ever heard of such things as Errata of the Press If I had a mind to play at this little Sport and would retort I might ask him who ever heard of such People as the Abbigenses spoken of in his Vind. of Sir H. V. p. 13. or of such a man as Iâ—lice mention'd p. 113. of this Book No doubt he 'l lay the fault at the Printers doors And why did he not see that the Names he quotes from me are like Errours Doth he not know there were such Persons as Maximus Planudes Alhazen and Orontius and there is not one of these that differs more then a Letter from the Names over which he so much insults The latter he charitably supposeth to be a Mistake because he thought he could make the man ridiculous and disable him from signifying to my purpose but of that by and by If he could have found that the other two had been pitiful Fellows also as he pretends this was then Palanudes should have been corrected by Planudes and Achazen by Alhazen And 't is very strange that M. Stubb could not see that Achazen was a Mistake of the Press when as Alhazen stands within five Lines of him in my Book whar a blind thing is Malice when it hath no mind to see Well There were such men as Planudes Orontius and Alhazen and Vossius saith enough of the least considerable of them to justifie my transient mention of their Names Anno 870. eluxit Maximus Planudes qui Diaphanti Arithmeticen Commentariis illustravit Voss. de Scient Mathem p. 311. And even of Orontius he speaks thus celebre Nomen fuit Orontii Finei Delphatis qui Arithmeticae practicae publicavit Libros quatuor p. 316. But M. Stubb saith of him in Scorn He was so famous a Geometrician that when Sir H. Savil as I remember was to seek of an Instance of a pitiful Fellow this was the man he fixed on ib. p. 2. Would not any one from these Words and their Relation to those that go before conclude that I had reckoned Orontius among the Improvers of Geometry To what purpose else doth the Animadverter speak of him as a contemptible Geometrician But if he will look again into my Book he will see that I mention not Orontius under that head but name him and only so among the Authors in Arithmetick And have not I as much reason to say That M. Stubb never reads the Books he writes against as He to affirm that I never saw the Authors I mention But M. Stubb could not give his Studies so much Diversion as to consider what he said Well I name Orontius among the Arithmetical Writers and 't is an evident Argument I never saw him because he is a pitiful Fellow at Geometry Is this Logick old or new 'T is a sort M. Stubb useth often but I believe he can shew us nothing more pitiful in Orontius But if Vossius may be believ'd Orontius did not need so much of M. Stubb's Pity even in Geometry He tells us Anno 1525. ac 30 proximis claruit Orontius Fineus qui de Geometriâ scripsit Libros duos item Demonstrationes in sex Libros priores Euclidis Ad haec de Quadraturâ Circuli inventâ demonstratâ de Circuli Mensurâ ratione Circumferentiae ad Diametrum de multangularum omnium regularium Figurarum Descriptione aliáque de Sc. Math. p. 65. And that his Performances in these were not altogether so contemptible as the Anti-Virtuoso would insinuate we may see a Reason to think from the Place he held among the Mathematicians of his time according to the same Author Primus hic Matheseos regius in Galliis Professor fuit ibid. But let Orontius be what he will in Geometry M. Stubb is impertinent in what he saith about him and I am not concerned For the other Author Achazen in one Line but Alhazen within five Lines before Confidence it self hath not the face to deny that there was such a man or that he was a great Author in Opticks for which I mention his Name there where M. Stubb found Achazen to make a Wonder of You see Sir what an Adversary I have that will not suffer the misprinting of a Letter to escape him excellent Corrector of the Press What pity 't is that M. Cross had not found out these three Errata that he might have had something to say
of the World viz. Alexandria and the adjacent Countries This the Virtuoso could not see because so much History was above his reach p. 16. and the Reasoning is as much above it as the History He next quotes another passage of mine relating to the same business viz. That since the minds of Christians are enlightned with the Raies of the glorious Gospel they have less reason to bow down to the Dictates of an Idolater and an Heathen Hence M. Impertinent concludes that we must bid farewel to the Rhetorick and other Works of Aristotle which I had afore recommended and he adds that we must shake hands with Seneca Epictetus and Plato p. 16. This follows like the rest because we may not bow down and give an implicit Veneration to an Heathen Authority Therefore we must bid farewel to all the Works of those Authors As if there were no Difference between using their Works and servilely adoring them 8. He perstringeth a passage cited out of Plato 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and what I add viz. That The Universe must be known by the Art by which it was made Here I am sent to answer Dr. More 's Dialogues where he explodes the Mechanism of Nature ibid. p. 16. Before I descend to the particular Answer to this I take notice that M. Stubb runs up and down and flirts from some things to others which have no Coherence among themselves or in my Book He falls upon my Discourse about Philosophical Instruments and then without any occasion given suddenly steps back against a passage in my Preface that hath no relation in the world to his Discourse as p. 10. In the same Paragraph he leaps forward again to the 124. page of my Plus Vltra and largely confuâ—es a Sentence or two there The next Motion is back to a passage p. 25. that had nothing to do with what he was saying and so every where he writes as he dreams But to omit other Instances of this here I come to shew the Impertinence of this last Cavil By Plato's Saying I understood no no more than that God made all things in Number Weight and Measure and I suppose that Mechanism may be used as far as it will go Now Geometry assists men in mechanical Disquisitions which are helps for the Knowledge of Nature and Causes This was all I intended for I do not believe that all the Phaenomena are merely Mechanical So that Dr. More 's Dialogues do no way oppose my Sense He explodes not the Mechanism of Nature as M. Stubb tells us but such a Mechanism as is supposed to suffice for all the Effects of Nature without help from any immaterial Agent This may be seen easily by those that read the Book and endeavour to understand it But M. Stubb reads by Indexes and Catches which is enough for the purposes of a Caviller Having thus explained my meaning I need not be concerned in what he adds in his Review p. 170. c. For all his Arguments are impertinent in reference to my sense and I may take occasion ex abundanti hereafter to prove that they are trivial and childish in reference to any other For they can do no execution even upon the mere Mechanical Hypothesis But 9. to let that alone now I cannot forbear noting here the intolerable Impudence and Lying of this man p. 173. where he goes on with the Impertinence he begun p. 16. He tells us there That his Opinion had been amply maintain'd of late by Dr. Hen. More in opposition to what the Royal Society lays down in their History viz. That Generation Corruption Alteration and all the Vicissitudes of Nature are nothing else but the Effects arising from the meeting of little Bodies of differing Figures Magnitudes and Velocities Than which Opinions saith he there can be nothing more pestilent and pernicious and Dr. More albeit a Member of this Society heretofore for be allows nothing to it now yet a pious one professeth that this Mechanical Philosophy inclines to Atheism neither would he approve of those Deductions as necessary but ridiculous when I upbraided him lately with that nonsensical and illiterate History Upon my reading of this Paragraph I resolved to write to Dr. More to know whether he had deserted the Society or whether those other passages were true I writ accordingly and that learned Doctor was pleased to return me the following Answer in which you may see the insufferable Impudence of this Prodigious Romancer A Letter from Dr. More to I. G. giving an Account how M. Stubb belies him p. 173. SIR I Thank you for yours which I received by the hand of your Friend and Neighbour M. C. Before I received your Letter I had not read half a Page in your Antagonists Book for I had only seen it once by chance in one of our Fellows Chambers but had no leisure as yet to read it my time being taken up with other matters And therefore I was wholly ignorant of those passages p. 173. till your Letter gave me an occasion to enquire after the Book and to read all there that concerns my self At which I must confess I was much surprised especially at that particular passage which was pointed me to by another Letter from a Friend the day after yours that passage I mean wherein he makes as if I were not still a Member of the Royal Society but had left it grounding his Assertion upon this Reason For he allows nothing to it now It was a great marvel to me that he should pretend to know better than my self whether I be still of the Royal Society or no. For I take my self still to be of it and I am sure I have not left it And as for the Reason he would build his Conclusion upon in that sense as it will seem to sound to all men at the first reading namely That I allow them no Respect nor have any Esteem for them now it is grosly false For the great Opinion I have of their experimental Philosophy I have at least two moneths ago amply testified in my Preface to my Enchiridion Metaphysicum when I did not at all dream of any such passage of your Antagonist concerning me in his Book And do particularly note how serviceable their Natural Experiments in matter are to the clear Knowledge and Demonstration of the Existence of immaterial Beings So far are they from tending to Atheism And 't is invidiously done of your Adversary to commend me for Piety with an unworthy and odious Reflection on the Society as if men were less pious for being thereof whenas I dare say there are as pious Persons of that Society as there are out of it and it is a gross mistake in him that he looks upon that Mechanick Philosophy which I oppose to be the Philosophy the Royal Society doth profess or would support But the Philosophy which they aim at is a more perfect Philosophy as yet to be raised out of faithful and skilful Experiments in
History of Salt-Petre 'T is like he understands that Tree He experimented something more than ordinary of it at Oxford and perhaps if he had right done him he would have more experience of another Tree But I must not stay to remark here He gives out That he will make the Lord Bishop of CHESTER smart and writ to one as I am credibly told that he was making inquiries into his Lordships Learning parts and qualifications for a Bishop How fit is he to be a visitour of Bishops But to confine my self to what is printed He gives notice in the Preface of his Legends of several Books more that he hath coming in pursuance of the Projects of his former Particularly he threatens one against my LETTER concerning ARISTOTLE a Design suitable to the Grandeur of M. Stubbe's mind That short Discourse was first only a private Letter written when I was not 23 years of Age and printed six or seven years ago Let the mighty man in the glory of his conquests insult over an essay of a green youth and take six years time to write against two sheets of Paper which for ought he can tell the Author by this time disrellisheth himself But the truth is I do not know whether I have any reason to do so or not having not read it over since Whatever other faults there may be in the Composure I 'm sure there is no Lying as M. Stubbe chargeth it according to the usual way of his civility I reported no matter of Fact concerning Aristotle or his Philosophy but from some good and approved Author though perhaps I should find trouble now in the particular citations because I want the opportunity of those Books that I then used and I have lost the Notes that I took from them Whether it will be worth my Labour to answer what M. Stubbe shall write against that young exercise of my Pen. I cannot certainly foresee but I shrewdly guess Perhaps the sole consideration of my youth when I writ it will excuse more faulâ—s than M. Stubbe's wit and spight together can discover or as much as pretend to find there If he confutes that Letter with the like Ignorance and impertinence as he hath used in his Animadversions on Plus Ultra T will be answer enough to print it again The Lyes he pretends it guilty of will I may expect be disproved by some that are so indeed for his Authors must spâ—ak what he would have them say and he tells a gross one in the few words in which he mentions the design of confuting me when he saith that I have never as much as read over Diogenes Laertius which were impossible he should know though it were true I only take notice further concerning this that according to that little cunning which I mentioned before He would fain draw in the Royal Society to be concern'd in that Letter of mine That so his intended Triumph might be greater and the Virtuosi prejudiced by his pretended advantages against it The Letter forsooth is joined to the Edition of my Scâ—psis Scientifica which bears the Arms and is dedicated to the Royal Society Pref. to Leg. That Book was indeed Dedicated to the Society but I was not then a Member of it And are Patrons of Books responsible for their imperfections If so 't were very bad news for the modest Dr. Willis to whom the cleanly discourse of Chocolate is directed The Prefixing the Societies Arms to my Dedication was the Stationers conceit and the mention of it puts me in mind of a ridiculous offence that was once taken against another Book of mine The Printer had set a flourish at the beginning over the Dedication 'T was a Cut of Henry 8. lying by a Tree which some took for an emblem of Protestantism coming out of his Codpiece Just such Arguments M. Stubbe useth to prove that the Royal Society have a design to reduce us to Popery And I remember when the Theatre at Oxford was newly built he very sadly told me and made a deal of tragical talk about it That They had pictured God the Father in the midst of the Cieling in the shape of an old man when the figure he meant was but a Mythological picture what particularly I have forgot I wonder this was not insisted on to prove that the Society designs Popery no doubt it had been as good a one as any he hath produced But I am a little stept besides my design of presenting some Instances of his rare modesty and civility in his last Books I shall now do it briefly He calls the Royal Society Trojan Horse Pref. to Camp and an illiterate Company p. 21. The Members of it Great Impostors Pref. 10 C. Fopps Pref. to Leg. and poor Devils in his Letter to Sir N. N. viz. Sir Nicholas Nemo And p. 21. in his Postscript speaking of the overthrow of the Royal Society He expresseth himself thus which not only all Doctors but all good men oâ—ght to endeavour That the disasters of the late Dutch War the Plague and Fire of London were less inconveniences than their perpetuity That these calamities admitted some remedy hereafter but the evils they are likely to occasion us would never be corrected by any humane Providence and I doubted not whether God would support us by his Prudence when they had debauched the Nation from all piety and morality as well as civil wisdom This was he saith part of the purport of another Discourse of his about the errors and cheats of the Virtuosi I now begin to repent that I have troubled my self so much with this hot-headed Impertinent for I perceive that no one is so fit to answer him as the Keeper of Bedlam I begin to pity him and to wish that The Colledge of Physicians to requite him for that grandeur he saith he designs for them would prescribe somewhat for him For certainly there is much ground to think that the phansie of his supposed great exploits hath blown him up to a great distraction Let us hear how he swaggers on It is said that my Animadversions on M. Glanvill contain little of matter to which I answer That they contain enough to have made twenty Uirtuost famous and would hâ—ve acquired them a memorial of ingenious and noble experimentators They contain enough to shew the Ignorance of that person who had so insulted over all Vniversity-Learning and particularly over the Physicians They contain enough since they contain more then They All Knew and think I have done great service to the Learned in shewing that these Virtuosi are very great Impostors To the Reader in Camp Again in the Dedication of his Legends to the Vniversities thus I have stooped the Talbots their Supporters for them and if ever They hunt well hereafter this Age knows whom they are obliged to In a Letter to Dr. Merrett which is after inserted He rants thus If you will proceed with them you must be trampled on with Themâ— who are irrecoverably
lost To the same 〈◊〉 he speaks in his Epistle to Sir Nicholas Nemo p. 18. The removal of these viz. The Royal Society will not derogate from but illustrate the Kings renown and confirm England in the Reverence of his generosity and their Detestableness By the way what sense is this â— The Reverence of their Detestableness M. Stubbe saith in the Preface to his Legends That if there be any person worthy of his indignation that will justifie the rhetoricalness of the History of the Royal Society he will write about that and make the Comical wits renounce the Antient Orators as they do now the Philosophers A rare Censor of Rhetorick and Oratory this that doth not himself write Grammatical sense This I should offer to him if he were recover'd and fit to be discours't soberly with That I will shew more gross non sense in his writings than he can of pretended mistakeâ— in all the Virtuosi that ever writ I do not mean in the stupidity ignorance and incoherence of his reasonings only but in the frame of the very words But for a little more of his vapouring I have a thousand faults more to charge them with but I reserve them for another Treatise which if they do not submit to the Collâ—dge of Physicians and the two Universities I will publish In his Letter to his Friend Sir N. Nâ—mo p. 16. Submit O ye Virtuosi for fear of that dreadful Treatise If that be once publisheâ— you are more then irrecoverably lost For he hath told you you are so far gone already How he would have you submit he expresseth in Camp Rev. p. 15 viz. You must declare solemnly to the world that you understand nothing of ancient or modern Writers that is the best way he saith to secure yâ—ur credit from being thought Plegiaries and Cheats ibid. Non-sense again but that 's no News He adds if they would but get any one to teach them Latin and Greek â— it would have saved me some trouble as you will see in my Animadversions on their History Neither is this period true English If any one had taught M. Stubbe to write sense he might have saved me trouble as any one may see in my Animadversions on his But for a passage or two more As for M. Glanvill ' s Book it was perused by several of their members and corrected by them a broad falshood as I have shewn in my Preface and how much we are redâ—vable to a Society that could allow of that and would not at my reiterated importunities call it in or disclaim it let all Physicians judge Pref. to Camp And again p. 15. They might have appeased me Goodly would they have call'd 〈◊〉 these two Books viz. the HISTORY of the Royal Society and PLUS ULTRA but since they would not do that I suspect their intentions that they drive on Campanellaâ—â— project why else should they scruple at it If They will not call in and renounce all Books that offend M. Stubbe 'T is evident they drive on Campanella's projectsâ— There can be no other reason why they should scruple it Further in the Preface thus Nor would I have any man believe that there are so many eminent Physicians of the Royal Society for neither is the number of those admitted considerable I find 30 Doctors of Physick in the last years Catalogue and many if not most of them of the Colledge Few of note but have deserted it again The rest approve not of it so that all the talk will not amount to three understanding persons I am assured that 't is false that any of note except one or two have deserted it and M. Stubbe should tell us How those that remain have signified their disapproval Among several other very ingenious persons of the faculty of Physick I remember these of Note in the number of Fellows of the Royal Society Sir Geo. Ent Dr. Glisson Dr. Goddard Dr. Willis Dr. Whistler Dr. Walter Needham Dr. Iasp. Needham Dr. Clerk Dr. Allen Dr. Horshaw Dr. Merrett Dr. Croon Dr. Power Dr. Trustan one or two of these are understanding persons M. Stubbe saith not three would he tell us now which are the one or two that have understanding among them At this rate M. Stubbe makes the Colledge of Physicians as illiterate a Company as the Virtuosi And let any one in that famed body of Learned men be named in opposition to any thing he shall think fit to say and that person be he who he will shall be cast among the Fools and Illiterate I have more reason for this saying then I 'le mention here All the famous Doctors named excepting one or two are Prattle-boxes and Ignoramus's who can scape the lash of such a Tongue But I had almost forgot that to shew his candour and good nature he acknowledgeth some of the Society For he saith in the Preface to his Legends That he must be insensible of all merit that can derogate from Sir Rob. Moray Dr. Wren and Dr. Wallis and it doth not he tells us become any one that knows M. Boyle to think that he would abet a design to subvert Piety and the Protestant Religion It seems he allows Sir R. M. Dr. Wren and Dr. Wallis to be understanding persons and rather then leave out M. Boyle he shall be brought in too though but for a negative merit These are the excepted persons that have the honâ—â—r of some place in his favour The rest are Virtuosi and deserve all that contempt with which we depretiate the Illiterate and Fools But how comes Dr. Wallis that was branded by him with so many charges of illiterateness and ignorance and all things else of contempt as we have seen how comes this Gentleman now to be so highly in his Books It seems the Doctor is exceedingly improved in 10 or 11 years and hath got a great stock of merit since M. Stubbe writ against him or rather men shall have merit when M. Stubbe pleaseth and when he pleaseth they shall have none 'T is to be hoped that the rest of the Virtuosi in ten years more may get a little merit too and obtain from him at least a negative commendation And now what can any one think that reads these passages but that M. Stubbe is over-heated in his head This is the most charitable thought can be entertain'd of him I expect that hereafter he should make it his excuse and certainly 't will be a better Apology then that of serving a Patron I lately received a Letter of his which he writ to Dr. Merrett with a desire that I would print it in this Postscript 'T is very pleasant stuff and I here present it to the Reader for a little further entertainment A Letter from M. Henry Stubbe to Dr. Merrett Doctor of Physick and Fellow of the Colledge of Physicians Dr. Merrett HAving not yet seen your book wherein I am concern'd I cannot tell how far I am to resent it But I understand you are exasperated
against M. Starky about a Postscript bearing my name Sir There is nothing therein spoken positively but upon supposition If one may judge of your abilities by what you have writ against the Apothecaries then These words are not â—ctionable at least till the case be decided in Physick And 't is but fiâ—ting that you suspend your process till I appear against you in Print which I will do next Term and appeal in the judgment of the Colledâ—e or what Members thereof you 'l chooseâ— It is all one to me For whosoever differâ— from my judgment where I oppose you will but injure himself and betray his ignorance in Physick But Sir to let you see how civil I am to my own faculty if you will desert the ROYAL SOCIETY and endeavour to adjust the differences rather then to widen them betwixt Physicians and Apothecaries and joyn in the common interest and support of our profession against the Quacks and Virtuosi I will be ready so far to gratifie the desiresâ— of some of your friends and mine as to add aftâ—r the debate betwixt you and me upon the case That I do believe your haste and passion might occasion the miscarriage and that your abilities are not to be measured of by any single failure I beseech you consider the interest and honour of our profession in your quarrels and let us not out of passion against the Apothecaries destroy our selves and give advantage to the multitude of Quacks under the protection of the Royal Society and the pretence of making their own Medicaments You see with what success I have managed the quarrel in behalf of Physick against the Uirtuâ—â—t Desert these ignorant and insolent persons and let me not be blown up behind by the divisions of the Colledge the Grandeur whereof is my Design If you will comply herein I will treat you civilly enough If you will proceed with â—hem you must be content to be trampled on with them who are irrecoverably lost You sâ—â— what miserable Apologies the Wit of Dr. Spratt and the reviâ—ing of the Bishop of Chester hath produced What man of Common sâ—nce would associate with such Partisans 'T is your interest and 't is for your credit to abandon thesâ—â—atch doterels I know my advanâ—ages over that book of yours which I write against â—nd your repute will extreamly depend considering the odium you are under upon my â—ibility to you The world will laugh to see our pens revenge themselves in Westminster-Hall Let us not divert any eye from scorning the Royal Society That is the interest of every English man I 'm sure You may tell them from me that their dull Letter to me is answered and that I will bestow a Preface on Glanvill and the rest when that against you is publish't which is not yet gone to the Press because I attend the news of your depâ—rtment who I hear are upon disclaiming the Royal Society the Declaration thereof will be enough to make me Your very humble Servant H. Stubbe Warwick Aug. 16. 1670. Dr. Merrett sent me his Answer to this Letter and I had made it publick having his permission to do so but that my Postscript swells to too great a bigness Nor indeed doth it need any Deâ—â—ant to render it contemptible and ridiculous Only this I think â—it to insâ—rt out of the Doctors remarks That whereas the Quack of Warwick saith he hears He is deâ—eâ—â—ing the Royal Society to which he threatens and invites him The Doctor professeth his great and just esteem of that Honourable Assembly in the words that follow I shall save my self the labour of apologizing for the ROYAL SOCIETY whose repute with foreign Princes and learned men of all sorts witnessed by their pens and the imitation of the like Societies by themâ— The resort of Ambassadors to their Meetings and the many Books publisht by the Members thereof evidence to the world the ignorance and insolence of this pitiful Scribler He goes on owning his relation to them with great respect and though he confesseth that for a year or so he hath by his occasions been often diverted from their meetings yet adds that he hopes to frequent them more for the future Thus we see in another instance how impudently M. Stubbe romanceth in his Stories of persons withdrawing from the Royal Society He names but two of those he pretends to be declining from it viz. Dr. More and Dr. Merrett and I have I suppose presented such effectual confutations of his bold falshood from both these learned Gentlemen as would make any man blush but M. Stubbe I shall make no other remarks upon the recited Letter Every Reader will make enough for the credit of the writer He tells us in one of his last Books That he hath some vertues of the most celebrated times I hope he doth not mean veracity or modesty If he would let us know what the celebrated Times were in which the Qualities I have noted from his writings were Vertues 't would be a discovery and I 'le assure him none of the Virtuosi would take the honour from him of finding out the new vertues or being the most eminent in them But now I remember he hath already given hint enough for the discovery For in the Preface to his laâ—e Book of Chocolate He saith of Presbytery that it is malice and disingenuity heightned with all the circumstances imâ—ginable in men this 〈◊〉 Hell We know he celebrated the Times in which the Creatures and Supplanters of Presbytery reigned and there is no doubt but They abounded as mâ—ch with those good Qualities which he makes the essence of Presbytery as any men this side the place he speaks of And since Those were his celebrated Times we may learn easily what were the vertues and in how high a degree M. Stubbe pâ—ssâ—sseth â—hem he is blind that doth not see For my part However ignorant I am otherwise He hath sufâ—â—ciently informed me in this and there is no doubt but after what I have done in the foregoing Account I must expect further exercisâ— of his celebrated vertues towards me Iâ— his râ—ge and â—â—ight were â—o kindled only â—y a Cut finger How will he be inflamed by the wounds my representation of his impudence falshoods and impertitencies hath given him Let him now raise his malicious pride to itâ— most ridiculous height and spit his most spightful scorns and contempts upon me from it Let him set his cavilling invention on work for more falshoods and slandâ—rs to vilifie and debase me and call in his friend M. Cross to help him out of his Storehouse of Lâ—gâ—nds and Reproacheâ— Let him wrest my 〈◊〉 and confute his own dreams and the Eâ—â—ata of the Press to stuff up a Book of mâ—re folly and impertinâ—nce or which it may be he may think the wiser course Let him neâ— give me up to the Common pens as he threatens to be laught at and leave them to prove what he hath couragiously affirmed as he did
in the case of M. Baxter These returns I may expect from one that hath so many good Qualities of his Celebrated Times In this way he can write on for ever for such proceedings are most suitable to his parts and virtues By them he will make himself the admiration of Envious Fools but the scorn of the wise and intelligent which latter he hath sufficiently done already And therefore I shall leave him to the Applâ—â—dâ— of hiâ— Friends and the Contempts of the Friends of vertue and wisdom after I have justified my self in a thing which is like to be objected by this Antagonist I am told he will Answer all that I have produced out of his writings to shew the Hypocrisie of his pretenses for Monarchy and the Church of England by recharging me with compliance with those Times An Answer befitting such a Writer and let him make the most of that charge My great fault was that I was born in that unhappy season and bred in those dismal daysâ— But can he accuse me of any thing I ever said or did that was Disloyal Did I write a Defence of the Cause of Regicides and Vsurpers â— or Defame Kingly Government or blaspheme my persecuted Soveraign or promote Anarchy and publick ruine If M. Stubbe cannot prove any of thâ—se as I daâ—e him to offer at it He cannot recriminate And his charges of this kind will bâ— contemptible â— and like all the rest He had best write against me for coming into the world in an ill Time and for being born a Child â— I have not the least offence besides to answer forâ— in reference to the Government â— except what I apologized for before the recital I have made of his former Trâ—asons and Impieties I have now done for the present with M. Stubbe But must add this to some silly sneaks who think he hath written things not to be answer'd â— That Impudence and non-sense are the most troublesom things to answer in the world I have prov'd alreadyâ— and shall yet more fully shew that the Argumentative part of his Book against me is so far from being unanswerable that it cannot deserve any other Answer then a smile and silence For most of that he saith is lamentably inconsistent and impertinent He tells us He sends the things to the Press that were suggested as he travell'd and one may judge by their incoherence that he rid upon a trotting Horse upon which I leave him pursuing the Virtuosi and add this Advertisement If any man hath a design to write his Life and further to describe this Sir Hudibrâ—s and his Steed He will do well to hold his hand a while For M. Stubbe's Friend M. Cross hath writ a Book call'd Biographia which gives Rules how Lives are to be writ This will be printed if the Licensers will permit the good man to spoil so much paper and so make himself publickly ridiculous And the Hâ—storian had noâ— best begin till he hath M. C. directions for fear he transgress the Rules and incur the lash of the Methodical Pedant This Book it seems is intended to correct the Learned and pious Dr. â—ell for his way of writing the Life of Dr. Hammond and 't is M. C. revenge upon that excellent person for his denying Licence to the scurrilous and non-sensical Book he writ against me I have not heard many particulars of it but only this He calls that Reverend Divine who hath been long Doctor of Divinity presides over the chief Colledge of Oxford is Dean of that Diocess and hath govern'd the Vniversity as Vice-Chancellor with singular wisdom diligence and applause I say he calls that venerable man Iubenis and I believe that name of diminution doth not go alone but the Reverend person from whom I had this lighted on that by chance as he cast his eye upon the Disputer's Papers which he carrieâ—h about for a shew 'T would be well for an old man I know if he had this excuse of being young for his weakness and puerilities for which there can be no Apology made except he confesâ— himself arriv'd to his second childhood And so I take leave of him out of pity and for ought I know for ever FINIS ADVERTISEMENT Concerning the ERRATA and some passages liable to be mistaken THat M. Stubbe may not trouble himself to write more Animadversions on the Errata of the Press I give notice That when I speak of his Reporting the Design of the Royâ—l Society to be laid by a Iesuite p. 2. or 3. It should be by a Fryar The mistake was the persons that told iâ— me who said a Iesuite thinking it seems That Campanella was of that order In Dr. More 's Letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is seâ— instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know not whether the mistake be the Printers or Transcribers 'T was not mine I never writ out that Letter There are several other small errors I took notice of in running over my Printed Papers as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pigmy which should have had no Comma between and the like But I have not my Book now at hand to note them particularly and therefore must lye at M. Stubbe's mercy But these following things were noted while my Papers were by me to prevent mistake P. 174. When I say It must be granted that two pair viz. of Spectacles ordinarily hindâ—r 〈◊〉 sight I would not be understood 〈◊〉 they do so when used by those of Greatâ—â— Age. For two pair to them have but the power of one P. 178. When I say Telescopes represent â—â—jects as they arâ— only in larger proportiâ—ns I mean as they are for figure and only represent them larger then they appear to the 〈◊〉 eye P. 179. When I grant what M. Stubbe saith that in the longest Tubes the Colours of Objects are more remiss whatever he meanâ— I would not be understood as if the length of the Tubes made the remissness oâ— the Light for that is caused by the number of the Glasses or â—he darkness of their metal Books Printed for and sold by James Collins at the Kings-Arms iâ— Ludgate-street neer the West end of St. Paul's and at the Kings-head in Westminster-Hall A Discourse of the Religious Temper and Tâ—ndencies of the modern experimental Philosophy which is profest by the Royal Society To which is annext a Recommendation and Defence of Reason in the affairs of Religion By Ios. Glanvill In octavo Observations upon Military and Political Affairs â— Written by the most Honourable George Dâ—ke of Albemarle c. Published by Authority In folio A Private Conference between a Rich Alderman and a Poor Country Vicar made Publick Wheâ—ein is discoursed the Obligation of Oaths which have been imposed on the Subjects of England With other Matters relating to â—he present State of Affairs In octavo Praxis Medicinae or the Universal Body of Physick Containing all Inward Dâ—seases incident to the Body of Man Explaining the Nature of every Disâ—ase with Proper Remedies assigned to them Very useful for Physicians Chiâ—urgeons and Apothecaries and more â—specially for such who consult their own Health Written by that famous and learned Physician Walter Bruell In quarto The Christians Victory over Death A Sermon at the Funeral of the most Honourable George Duke of Albemarle c. in the Collegiate Church of St. Peter's Westminster on the 30. of April 1670. By Seth Lord Bishop of Sarum Preached and Published by his Majesties special Command In quarto The Episcopacy of the Church of England justified to be Apostolical from the Authority of the Antient Primitive Church And from the Confessions of the most famous Divines of the Reformed Churches beyond the Seas Being a full Satisfâ—ction in this Cause as well for the Necessity as for the Iust Right thereof as consonant to the Word of God By the Right Reverend Father in God Thomas Morton late Lord Bishop of Dâ—resme Before which is prefixed a Preface to the Reader concerning this Subject by Sir Henry Yelverton Baronet In octavo