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lowing their divine authority: at the fame time reprobating and damning the Pope, with the old religion

Mof Whilft you explain. you entangle, and I am loft in a greater maze of intricacies, than in your former mifchievous and mifbelieving religion or fyftem, fo oppofite to Scripture, reafon and truth; which makes a good man fhudder.

Calu. What I now advance is not new, but the principle on what the Proteftant caufe ftands upon; my affertion is not to add, but to explain. Afof. Pardon me, but I dread herefy, remembering Core, Dathan and Abiram.

Caly. I fhall lead you into no error, being checked by my too Good God; (ftrikes his breaft. O God be merciful to me a finner, your poor Creature!) All I wish is to expole error, and to ftand in defence of that divine truth I have fo much injured. (Calvin weeps and throws himfelf proftrate, kifling the earth; how much lower have you humbled yourself for me, my God!)

Mof. This is too much; Is it God, or is it my weaknefs that chills my heart; O Ifrael, wher fhaji 1,-I cannot speak. (Weeps.)

Luth. Looking at: the Boy, I will proceed where Calvin was called off. (As dinner is at hand, and I long to be at it, whispers the Boy;. We grant the Catholick, Apoftolick Religion, if I may fo fay, Infallibility of two kinds, to make choice at will, being our elder fifter and takes by order of birth-right, and we the refidue, as the younger daughter. Now, as my competitor and

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rival, in all things but Popery, there on the floor, explained, as he would have it to Mofes, now there melancholy, that Efau, though elder, relinquifhed the bleffing to his younger brother, Ja cob. Infallibility, as it is faid. being of two natures, according to our Proteftant principle, the Catholick, our elder fifter, had her first choice, and partook directly after the times of the Apofles, and approved of the evil, and laid afide the good; which evil fince that date have ever been termed Popery. The refidue or good principle lay dormant for 1450 years, when Luther, our common father, got into poffeffion; which birthright his pofterity retains unto this day. This proves to you that there is two infallible and eternal principles, one good and one evil, iffuing from the Godhead. To enumerate their idolatrous and wicked errors would take up too much time and labour, which I am not difpofed to do at this juncture; as I am fick to death, to fatisfy an ungodly enemy, which I made it my ftudy, fince I became my own mafter, never to offend; he is the moft welcome gueft you can be feated with at a table well fpread with rich fubftantial dishes and good wines. I do, and always thought a great quantity of victuals and drink is affuredly the end and intention of man's creation in the

flesh. I know it by feventy years, you will perhaps fay a long experience, that the chief and principal ground of my fiudy, thought, contrivance, inquiry, hoping, moaning, fighing, fcenting, fmelling, eying, wifhing, feeling, in a word, feafting and banqueting, have ever been my hea

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ven. In this valley of tears, by this nourishing, pleafing and gratifying my outward man, which you will do me the juftice to fay, do not look the worfe for wear, weighing a few weeks fince, as I have adopted and made it a rule, once a year fince I arrived at manhood, I think at my last, 29 ftone, 12 pounds, 9 ounces and a fraction: I fuppofe I might lofe a pound or two fince I left England, as I was never on my travels before; neither fhould I now leave the moft comfortable fituation; bless your foul, the Livings making together, perquifites included mind ye, good gool. per annum, exclufive of a number of prefents of various kinds, forts and denominations, which my flocks are daily, as they know my predomi nant predilection, paffion, luft or guft for keeping up, ftrengthen, fupport and fortify the extremities, members, and body at large, against either Turk, Jew, or any and all adverfaries, with the Pope at their head. Our enemies, you fee, are numerous, and like a torrent bear all before them; only for a moment look at Great Antichrift, and join me in defending the common league of Proteftantifm.

Calv. (Groans and ftrikes his breaft; exclaims,) 0 O my God, Is it poffible that your creature, which you created to your own image and likenefs, endowed with faculties to love, honour and obey, and in all occurrences adore your holy will, fhould act the fiend you banished for difobedience, and created me to fill his celeftial throne; but it is a truth, and in vain will it be for an abandoned wretch, to feek excufes to palliate

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his crimes, and of the moft criminal nature, even the heinous fin of blafpheming the Holy Ghoft, which my God has declared is the greatest in the catalogue of fins; when the Jews accufed him of working miracles by the power of Satan; this fin imbibed and grew with me from my childhood, and would have accompanied and accused me at the tribunal of my God, had his infinite mercy not wrefted me. And fhall I lofe one precious minute of what little remains of life; you are pleased to spare me, my Lord, to reconcile myfelf to you and your darling fpoufe, that I have fo much blafphemed and difhonoured, and am the caule of thousands falling into the fame fnare. No, my God, I go this inftant. My dear Child, will you be my conductor? Adieu, Dear Rabbi, I fhall ever be grateful to your kind and wholefome admonitions; I hope you will, whilft you affift others, remind yourself. And you, my dear Luther, you were my brother-labourer in the vineyard of deftruction, imitate and join me in reclaiming firft ourfelves, and then labouring in the vineyard of Chrift.

Luth. I wifhed for reft; but behold a double blefling. All alone, and a plentiful table, with a keen appetite. I muft devour a double portion, my old co-mate has deferted. I fhall feed luftily; but though alone, I am not alone, when I have at my command my defire. Here comes fome one, I must as becomes the Venerable. (Grace). We admire and praise your royal munificence, in providing your children with all bleflings, celefial and terreftrial, O Lord God of Holts.

Hoft.

Hof. So be it, Moft Reverend Sir.

uth. Pray what have you fo curiously preferyed within that cloth.

Hoft. Your Reverence will be pleased to remind yourfelf; a fortnight fince you ordered the inteftines of a He-Antelope to be carefully hung under our privy, to imbibe, for one fortnight, the effluvia iffuing from excremental fluids; at the expiration of time given, it was, as your Reverence was pleafed to dictate, put into a fufficient. clofe covered pipkin, and ftewed 24 hours over a gentle heat, until the whole might be fucked through a quill; after fuch preparation your Reverence commanded it fhould be then clipped into fine faufage meat with one-half pound weight of the fat of bacon chopped fine, one Dutch pickled herring in like manner, fweet herbs and pice; the whole put into a fwine's Urinc-vessel, and then a repetition of fix hours ftewing, which, as your Reverence will be pleafed to find, every injunction moft ftrictly adhered to. Your Reverence was pleafed to order this cookery fhould

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be put into a fufficient veffel or difh, with a fufficient ledge round about; to contain a double row, one of blood-puddings, the other of faufages; all your Reverence's commands we have ufed our endeavours moft punctually to comply with, and we hope, with heart-felt defires, you will find it rich, pleafing, ftrong, favory, and concocted with eafy digestion: your Reverence moft undoubtedly has a moft exquifite talent for elegance, prudence and economy.

Luth.

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