but the author cut of the fame modefty, though without the leaft reafon to be afham'd of his performance, not having yet got any body, whofe name he may make use of, has been pleas'd to publifh it, with no name at all.

For my own part, I profefs partiality to you, and like your work, better than his, becaufe, I believe, I shall never fee fuch another; for, tho' I know you have a provision of the fame, fine paper, by you, (and i hope you will long preferve it) yet, I am afraid, the types are a little too much worn, to make an impreftion fo fair, as that, of the first edition.

In short, my lord, the effay on the militia, which I fend you, is wrote by lord Middlefex *; and this I will venture to fay of it, that, uriefs your grace fhould turn to writing, inftead of acting (which, from public fpirit, I hope, you will not) I do not believe there is one man of his rank, or near it, in this country, that can write fuch another.

I will conclude with wifhing, from the bottom of my heart, that you may live to receive fuch another piece, of a grandfon's writing, by the hand of a friend, and fervant, as truly affectionate, and devoted to you.

I am, &c.

G. D.

[The above were directed, a Monfieur, Monfieur Sharpe, Gentilhomme Anglois, chés Monfieur Le Chevalier Lan.bert, Banquier, a Paris.]

gives me reall pain. I believe the loves me better than any thing but her duty; and yet I know not what to prop fe, and if I did, how to propofe it, with any profpect of fuccefs. Indeed there wants much firmies, and dulity both, to retrieve the mifinanagements that the poison'd dart of misfortune has inflam'd: the 1 think has both, but the principal fpring of action, has, I fear, but one.

I am not furprized at any thing that has happened to you, as to your fituation; 'tis always fo, where the tail directs the head, which I take to be, pretty much the cafe of your prefent expedition. For, tho' the mo tions of the ferpent (who is reckoeed among the wifeft) proceed from thence, it is not always fo fuccessful a guide to other animals. I hear brother John has fent you an excellent perfuafion to economy.And is, himfelf, the great fublime he draws.-I thank you for thinking a little of yourfelf, and your own ellablishment. it does not leffen my attention and concern about it, but it flatters me that you joyn with me, in having fome little regard for a man of meritt, and thinking that he has fome little pretenfions to eat, as well as if he were fitt for nothing elfe. What will do, I don't, as yet ice: but what you mention, will not do the speaker can have no new chaplain this parliament, and what will be the fhape and complexion of things, upon the choice and fetting down of a new one, is far beyond my infight into futurity.

I fhall fay nothing to you about your Italian voyage, till I am fure you are to make it: I am not very folicitous you should, but if you do, it will be much lefs difagreeable to you, than your prefent fituation: tho' throughout the whole, you will find full employment for all your imagination, and claffical curiofity, to

can, and I will give you more than you can deferve, I love to give. Had we not fuch a maller, (whom I ferve and love from the most animated felfishness, but whom, if I durft, I could love without intereft) there are fome people, that would wear out benevolence itself; but fo it is, that the Dr. in his diftrefs, has met with fuch an impenetrable phalanx of friends, ready to cover him, with fhields of the fame metal of the Macedonian ones, fo particularly adapted to take off the edge of his adverfary's weapons, that I think misfortune itfelf, if he did not add his own all conquering affifiance to it, muft give way to a better propect. You know he had commenced a process long fince, againft one Saxon, an apothecary, at his oracle. Fielding's initigation, for defamatory words. This flept; he was bullied by his apothecary, and unaffifted by his friend, deferted by one attorney, and betrayed by another - according to his vocation- and on Fryday, the 17th O. S. his tryal came on in the King's-bench. You will obferve we are at Hammersmith, and the Monday preceding he acquainted me with it. On the Wednesday I was in Pall-mall, and at twelve, going out of town, we parted, in the hall, I for Hammersmith, he for Wellmin fter hall, to find councill to plead for him, having been either difappointed, or neglected to fecure any, till then. When this neceflary point was fettled, he was to fee, and fummon all the people of quality that it was neceflary to produce to his cha racter. Some, very much againt their will, were ordered down to Westminster hall, at four o'clock in the afternoon; fome, I know not why, he indulged till fix. Lord Middlefex and I, were under the first rigid difpenfation. We came into the hall without any dinner, exactly at four, the coldeft afternoon I have felt thefe three months at the gate we learn'd that the chief juftice did not come down till fix; fo that, you

may imagine, that our time hung pretty heavy upon our hands, as there was nobody in the hall, but a few boys playing at taw, and not so much as a milliner, or a tempftreis, to lend us a hand, to help it off. At length, the court fat, the Dr. prov'd his words fully, and call'd to his reputation, in the following order, viz. Duke of Roxborough, earl of Middlefex, Mr. Dodington, Mr. Levion, fir Francis Dathwood, fir Francis Fyles, Mr. Drax and Mr. Fielding. There were feveral other gentlemen attending, whom it was not thought neceffary to call. They whom I have named, fpoke in a manner that even furprized me: as to his kill, in their opinion and the good he had done them, I expected it; but the honeft, dianterefled man, that they wished for as a friend, to live with, efteem'd, looked upon his acquaintance, and friendship as a happiness, &c. This affectionate treatment, really, I did not expect, and I am confident, it furpriz'd and affected the court, as you will find, by and by. Our lives are checquer'd, there are fhades, as well as lights, in all true pictures of humainty. the victim was thus deck'd, his horns gilded, and interwoven with feiloons of flowers, that merciless executioner, HC-, cut him up-wth a butcher's knife-abused him for above an hour, with the most illiberal bar Billingfgate, fo ftrongly, that the poor Dr. who fate very near him, was forc'd to fly the court, and take fhelter against the ftorm, either in heaven or hell, I know not which, being both, you know, in the neighbourhood, but which you will be able to afcertain, if you confult the princes of Pot-hookra, the Rabbins, upon the tendency of men of his profeifion: when the tempeft abated, he emerg'd, and the jury gave us a verdict, and zcl. damages, which I really think would have been 100, if not zool. had we been a licentiate, which very few are, but thofe of the college; and yet the want of it, is, it seems, a

After

great

the ftudy of phyfic, he practifed that art at Seville with fuccefs, till, accused of Judaism, he was thrown into the inquifition, and fuffered the moft dreadful cruelties, in order to force a confeffion. He himself tells us, that he was put into a dark dungeon, fo ftrait that he could fcarce turn himself in it; and fuffered fo many hardships, that his bran began to be difturbed. He talked to himself often in this way: Am I indeed that don Balthafar Orobio who walked freely about in Seville, who was entirely at eafe, and had the bleffings of a wife and children?' Sometimes, fuppofing that his patt life was but a dream, and that the dungeon where he then lay was his true birth-place, and which to all appearance would alfo prove the place of his death. At other times, as he had a very metaphyfical head, he first formed arguments of that kind, and then refolved them; performing thus the three different parts of opponent, relpondent, and moderator, at the fame time. In this whimical way he amufed himself from time to time, and conftantly denied that he was a Jew. After having appeared twice or thrice before the inquifitors, he was used as follow at the bottom of a fubterraneous vault, lighted by two or three fmall torches, he appeared before two perfons, one of whom was judge of the inquifition, and the other fecretary; who, afking him whether he would confefs the truth? protested, that in cafe of a criminal's denial, the holy office would not be deemed the caufe of his death if he should expire under the torments, but that it must be imputed entirely to his own obftinacy. Then the executioner fript off his clothes, tied his feet and hands with a ftrong cord, and fet him upon a little flool, while he paffed the cord through fome iron buckles which were fixed in the wall; then drawing away the tool, he remained hanging by the cord, which the executioner ft ll drew harder and harder, to make him confefs, till a furgeon affured the court of examinants, that he could not poffi

bly bear more without expiring. These cords put him to exquifite tortures, by cutting into the Hesb, and making the blood bu ft from under his nails. As there was certai dy danger that the cords would tear off his flesh, to prevent the worst, care was taken to gird him with fome bands about the breaft, which however were drawn fo very tight, that he would have run the risk of not being able to breathe, if he had not held his breath in while the executioner put the bands round him; by which device his lungs had room enough to perform thei functions. In the fevereft extremity of his fufferi. gs, he was told that this was but the beginning of his torments, and that he would better confefs before they proceeded to extremities. Orobio added further, that the executioner, being on a fmall ladder, in order to frighten him, frequently let it fall againft the fhin-bones of his legs; fo that the ftaves being fharp, created exquisite pain. At laft, after three years confinement, finding themfelves baffied by his perfeverance in denying his religion, they ordered his wounds to be cured, and difcharged him. As foon as he had got liberty, he refolved to quit the Spanish dominions; and, going to France, was made professor of phyfic at Thouloufe. The thefes which he made as candidate for this place were upon putrefaction; and he maintained them with fo much metaphyfical fubtlety, as embarraffed all his competitors. He continued in this city for fome time, ftill outwardly profeffing popery: but at laff, weary of diffembling, he repaired to Amfterdam, where he was circumcifed, took the name of Ifaac, and profefied Judaifm; ftill continuing, however, to practife phyfic, in which he was much efteemed. Upon the publication of Spinoza's book, he deipifed a fyftem the falfenefs of which he quickly difcovered; and when Bredenbourg's answer to it came to his hands, O10bio, being perfuaded that the writer, in refuting Spinoza, had also admitted