LETTER XLIII.

217

lieve what an effect this has had upon the teasers. Observing the rewards of distance and modesty, they have totally changed their conduct. I took the liberty of mentioning this to the king."My dogs, (said he) St Evremond, are more incorrigible than yours: they will never give over teasing, till they get the bone."

(218)

LETTER XLIV.

ST. EVREMOND TO WALLer.

Before the infamous and disgraceful peace of the Pyrenees, a political writer of considerable name in France, proposed upon the necessity of military reinforcements, that the ecclesiastics should be called to the discipline of arms ;—that the Monasteries, like so many graves at the general resurrection, should give up their dead; -and that a set of men, who were a burthen to society and to themselves, should be made use of in the preservation of civil property. The Cardinal Premier was so enraged at this proposal, that had not the author made a seasonable visit to another country, he would soon have become as useless a subject to France, as those whose confinement was voluntary.

1

Nevertheless there was something very reasonable in what he advanced; and it is really astonishing, that in a country, distinguished for the cultivation of civil and political knowledge there should be the least remains of any institution so absurd as that of cutting off a number of men from the service of their fellow creatures for the glory of God. Certainly the best and most acceptable services we are capable of ren

LETTER XLIV.

219

dering to the Creator of the universe, must be those that arise from the discharge of the social duties and it has often been matter of serious amazement to me, how ecclesiastics came by the idea, that they should do the greatest honour to God by renouncing all intercourse with his works.

But I suppose there might be reasons of private indulgence, secret intrigue, and unin. spected growth of power. These nests of holy loungers the church must have considered as a corps de reserve, that would be ready to defend that power which supported them in indolence, in case of unforeseen or dangerous invasions. It is plain that your Henry the eighth looked upon them in this light, when he had the good sense and the good policy to extirpate them from his dominions,

Christianity, with respect to the support of auch institutions as these, is a system more burthensome and less serviceable than Mahom etism, or even Druidism. The Druid would retire to his groves for the exercise of his superstitious devotion; but if his country were attacked by an enemy, he failed not to be in front of battle.

220

LETTER XLIV.

In proportion to the progress of philosophy and the advancement of moral knowledge, it might have been expected, that the idea of rendering the body of ecclesiastics useful to society, should have been more effectually attended to. But, perhaps, there never was a time, when they were less serviceable than a tpresent.

When your Richard the first was at war with France, he found a formidable enemy in Philip, bishop of Beau-vieu, who annoyed his coasts with distinguished valour and intrepidity. The Bishop, however, was at length taken by Rich[ard in a skirmish. The Pope demanded his dismission as an ecclesiastical person, and bade the King reverence his son's coat. Richard immediately sent the Bishop's coat of mail to the Pope, with these words engraven upon it: "See. "whether this be thy son's coat or not."