sir, is my telescope. And this glass is my inverting mirror, the two chosen instruments by which I carry on all my operations.

IMP. I thought, cousin, we devils have no need of glasses either perspective or visual. What is your sight bad, Discordans?

Dis. No, no, my sight is as piercing as the eye of an eagle, but piercing as it is, I cannot do without my glasses.

IMP. Then, I suppose, the glasses are for the use of your subjects. Indeed, cousin, I never took you to be a friendly devil before.

DIS. Not so friendly as you imagine, coz, nor are the glasses for their use, but for their abuse. For there is not one who makes use of either glass, but he is abused, as sure as ever he uses it. This is no very great friendship, sir, is it?

INFID. No, cousin; if so, you approve yourself the offspring of great Belzebub. I should be glad to hear something of their uses, and the manner of your operation by them.

Dis. I am ready to oblige you, sir, if the great Fastosus is pleased to permit me.

FAST. You do me honour, my son. I permit you
I permit you with all my

heart.

Dis. Then, sir, if you please, you shall try my telescope first. Take it in your hand, sir, and put it to your eye---Now, sir, what do you see?

INFID. See---I see the greatest mountain that ever I beheld--the top of it reacheth even to the stars. Strange! I did not think there had been such a thing in the world! Why the highest mountain in Armenia, is but a hillock when compared to this!

Dis. Now, sir, be pleased to take down the glass; look the same way, with your naked eye, and try what you can discover. INFID. Nay, now I can see nothing at all, but a mole-hill about a score of yards from us. But what is gone with the mountain think you?

Dis. That very mole-hill, sir, is the mountain which you saw; to convince you of it, Impiator shall make the trial likewise. Now, Impiator, what do you see?

IMP. See, why I see the wondrous mountain; and I see, a prodigious number of monsters, ten times as big as an elephant, travelling up the sides of it.

Dis. Now, sir, the mole-hill is the mountain, and the ants are the monsters that inhabit it.

INFID. Amazing! that any instrument can change the appearance of things so much from the reality. Indeed, Discor dars, I can hardly believe my own eyes.

Dis. Sir, you shall have full conviction. Put the glass to your eye, and mind well, when I roll this ball on the green, and

tell me what it appears to you to be?---Now, sir---you have seen it, what do you say?

INFID. I am more astonished than ever. It appeared to be well nigh as huge as the body of Saturn, and seemed to roll through immeasurable space. Now I am convinced, incredulous as I am.

Dis. All is well so far. Now you shall try the other end of the telescope, and learn the wonders of miniature. Let us look towards the other side of the valley. You see a very large oak, whose arms are extended at least two hundred feet in breadth, Do you not see it, sir?

INFID. See it. How you talk! I might see that tree without spectacles, if I were three fourths blind.

Dis. Be not too positive, sir. Take a good view of it now, lest you should not readily apprehend it with the glass.

INFID. Why, cousin, I cannot fail seeing this tree at the first trial, it is such a large one, and just at hand too?

Dis. Well then, please to put the glass to your eye, the contrary way to what you did before.---Now, sir, what do you see? INFID. I can see nothing at all. What is become of the tree, think you?

Dis. Look better, sir. The tree stands just where it did, I assure you.

IMP. I suppose my father has not the glass right at his eye has he, cousin?

Dis. Yes, yes, it is very right. Do you discover any thing o. the tree yet?

INFID. No---nothing at all; is not the glass fallen out, think you?

DIS. No, sir, the glass is all right. But tell me do you see nothing of any kind?

INFID. Yes, I see at a prodigious distance, some kind of a shrub, about the size of a common thistle, to me it appears to be about fifteen inches high.

DIS. Look stedfastly at it, sir,---and see if you can find out what species it is of?

INFID. I take it to be a small oak plant, but at such a distance, it is not easy to distinguish the species of such a diminutive shrub.

DIS. Now sir, I perceive you discern it right, if you please you may take down the glass. You see, sir, the oak tree stands just where it did; and now you can discover nothing of the shrub. Believe me, sir, the plant which you saw is none other than that stately oak, magically diminished in its appearance, by the power of the glass. The oak itself hath undergone no change, neither did the ball, nor the mole-hill. All the change is only in appearance.

INFID. I am amazed at the astonishing pc wers of this instrument, when it is used one way, it magnifies a mole-hill to a stupendous mountain, and a tennis-ball to a world; and when used the contrary way, it reduceth an oak of the most gigantic stature, into one of the most dwarfish shrubs. I pray you, sir, what is the name of this instrument? And where was it invented?

Dis. Sir, the name of this amazing instrument is PREJUDICE, it was invented by Lucifer, the most famous mathematician in hell; is of excellent use in forwarding the delightful works of darkness, and securing the dominion of Belzebub over mankind upon earth.

INFID. Dear cousin, I am quite impatient to have a description of its uses: it cannot fail being of excellent service, if skilfully managed, as I doubt not it is, in the hand of Discordans.

Dis. Sir, having already seen something of its amazing effects, you may well believe it is very useful to me. By this partial glass, it is, I sow contention, strife, and discord, wherever I come. It is my custom, when I begin my operations, and intend to set people together by the ears, to visit each of them separately; apply my glass to his eye, in the magnifying way, and as you see it is so constructed that it will turn any way, I turn it towards himself, by which he obtains a partial view of his own virtue and merit. Then I apply the glass the contrary way, and direct my dupe to consider his vices in the diminishing medium, by which he almost, if not wholly, loseth sight of them. Having had such a partial view of his own virtues and vices, the fool takes the former to be a thousand times greater, and the latter a thousand times less, than they really are; by these means he is prejudiced in his own favour, so far, that he is ready to quarrel with all who think not as well of him as he does of himself.* Thus I prejudice almost every man in his own favour, so far that each looks upon himself as most worthy of general regard. From this, it is, that you may meet with a drummer who looks upon himself as more able to command well, than his colonel; or a catchpole, who deems himself fit for an alderman; and a scurvy attorney, who flatters himself that he knows more than the lord chancellor of the realm.

But for this prejudice in their own favour, you should never hear of revolutions of state, destructive wars, cruel assassinations, and domestic broils, amongst mankind so grateful to us infernal spirits. "Tis by this device, you will find one fool wiser in his own conceit than ten men who can render a reason. Yea, gentlemen, it is from the good opinion almost every man hath of himself, originally derived from the use of my partial telescope,

A recent instance of this effect of self-esteem, the author met with in his nearest religious connections, which he thinks meet to add to those instances of more ancient date.

M

that all divisions, and animosities of every kind, and amongst every people in church and state do flow. Though indeed the gentlemen concerned in religious contentions, would persuade the world, that it is the glory of God, and the furtherance of the gospel they have in view, in all their curses and anathemas, which they toss and retoss against one another; the vulgar take it for granted to be so, and therefore readily join with their re

verend leaders.

In the mean while, man being sufficiently prejudiced in his own favour, I betake me to the following operations, from whence all jealousies, back-bitings, murmurings, evil-surmises, &c. spring. I put the diminishing end of my telescope to the eye of my dupe, and direct him thus to behold the virtues of his neighbour. The instance of the oak, reduced to the most diminutive shrub, will convince you that a man's virtue will appear little enough, if at all discernible, when viewed with my partial glass. So when the man with it examines the virtues of his neighbours, he is put to his wits end to find any virtue at all, just as you were to find out the oak: but he sees, as he thinks, too much cause to conclude, that his neighbour is a very bad man. And if such a thing should be, that a man's virtue is so strong that it forceth evidence, even over the belly of prejudice, by its own native lustre; its appearance is changed from its reality, as the oak to the shrub, in the foregoing experi

ment.

Then I direct my disciple to apply the magnifying end of the telescope, and to take an ample view of his neighbour's vices, and deformity; and this he doth to the greatest advantage; the two instances of a mole-hill transformed to a mountain, and a rolling ball to a revolving world, will convince you, how glaring any man's vices will be, when viewed with the magnifying end of my valuable telescope, Prejudice.

On obtaining this discovery, says my dupe, "Ah! how glaring his vices appear! when I sought for virture, I could not discern so much as the smallest of her traces in him; but now I seek for his vices, truly there is nothing else to be seen. Can this man be a Christian? No, surely! If this be Christianity, I will for ever renounce it. Thus, my very reverent uncle, I frequently persuade people who are really worthless, to despise, revile, and contemn those who are in every respect much preferable to themselves; to deny the character of virtuous men, even to the most virtuous of their day.'

INFID. Now, nephew, you delight my ear indeed; and I freely Own you of my illustrious kindred; nor are you less dexterous in pursuit of your calling, than the greatest of all our fraternity. The great Fastosus and I only excepted.

IMP. Gentlemen, I have been silent a long time, which, 1 believe, I am as little given to as any; but now wonder unbraces

my tongue, and I cannot but admire the art and industry of my cousin Discordans.

Dis. Although I am no way remarkable for gratitude, I thank you, cousin Impiator, for your compliment. There is this glass, which likew' se demands your attention, will you please to examine it gentlemen?

INFID. Come, cousin, I will, please to let me look at it.

Dis. Now for a fresh surprise. Do you please to place the mirror, and look into it.

INFID. I will, cousin. But what is the matter, think you? I see nothing but gross darkness. How comes this to pass, Discordans?

Dis. It is the nature of the instrument. Be pleased to turn yourself so as to look upon either, or all of us, in it. what do you see?

Now sir,

INFID. Strange! you all appear as angels of light. Did I not perfectly know the contrary, I could have sworn upon the alcoran, or the mass-book, that Impiator had been Uriel; Avaro had been the genius of Benevolence; that Fastosus had been Humility; and you, Discordans, the angel of Peace.

This glass is really more wonderful than the former. What an amazing power of inversion it hath, cousin! Why it transformeth light into darkness, and darkness into light; changeth the appearance of devils into that of angels of light. Well, Discordans, if this will not answer your end, I do not know what will. I pray you, cousin, what do you call it?

Dis. This, sir, I call my inverting mirror, but the proper name of it is FALSE REASONING. An instrument of the true Luciferian construction, and most admirably adapted to my dividing purposes. It is the oracle at which, for the most part, mankind. enquire after the truth of any matter; but from what you have seen you will readily believe that there is no truth in it; therefore its discoveries, if the truth were known, would be deemed absolute falsehood. But I am very careful to keep up its honour with the people, as I could do but little business without it.

FAST. Right, my son, and it proves to be in high esteem; for the ancients were not more fond of our brother Apollo, who kept his court at Delphos, than the moderns are of the inverting mirror of false reasoning.

INFID. Good cousin, a word or two, concerning its uses, yea, make an oration of it, if you please; for it will be very agreeable, even to Impiator himself, I dare say.

IMP. No danger of me, I assure you! I begin now to have some taste for information, all that I have heard being so very agreeable. Cousin Discordans, you may freely proceed, without any fear of bearing too hard upon my patience.

Dis. But for this inverting mirror, gentlemen, I could do but ittle against the children of men; for excellent as my telescope