their quality. Every virtue has certain bounds, and when it exceeds them it becomes a vice; for the last step of a virtue and the first step of a vice are contiguous. But, surely, it is no wildness of candour that leads us to give the liberty we take; that suffers a man to think for himself unawed, and that concludes he may be a follower of God, though he follows not with us."

Wickliffe's bones were dug up forty years after he was buried, and thrown into the river. But it deserves to be recorded of Charles V. that he would not suffer Luther's bones to be touched, though he was an avowed enemy to him. While Charles's troops were quartered at Wirtemburg, in 1547, which was one year after Luther's death, a soldier gave Luther's effigy, in the church of the castle, two stabs with his dagger; and the Spaniards earnestly desired that his tomb might be pulled down, and his bones dug up and burnt: but the emperor wisely answered, "I have nothing farther to do with Luther; he has henceforth another judge, whose jurisdiction it is not lawful for me to usurp. Know that I make no war with the dead, but with the living, who still make war with me." He would not, therefore, suffer his tomb to be demolished, and he forbade any attempt of that nature upon pain of death.

Dr. H, Bishop of W, had observed among his hearers a poor man remarkably attentive, and made him some little presents. After a while, he missed his humble auditor, and, meeting him, said, "John, how is it that I do not see you in this aisle as usual?" John, with some hesitation, replied, "My lord, I hope you will not be offended, and I will tell you the truth. I went the other day to hear the methodists, and I un

derstand their plain words so much better, that I have attended them ever since." The bishop put his hand into his pocket, and gave him a guinea, with words to this effect: "God bless you! and go where you can receive the greatest profit to your soul."

When Archbishop Secker was laid on his couch with a broken thigh, and sensible of his approaching dissolution, Mr. Talbot, of Reading, who had lived in great intimacy with, and had received his preferment from him, visited him at Lambeth before they parted. "You will "You will pray with me, Talbot," said the archbishop. Mr. Talbot rose, and went to look for a prayer book. "That is not what I want now," said the dying prelate: "kneel down by me, and pray for me, in the way I know you are used to do." With which command Mr. Talbot readily complied, and prayed earnestly from his heart for his dying friend, whom he saw

no more.

The archbishop's conduct, which he observed towards the several divisions and denominations of Christians in this kingdom, was such as shewed his way of thinking to be truly liberal and catholic. He was sincerely desirous of cultivating a good understanding with the dissenters. He considered them in general as a conscientious and valuable class of men. With some of the most eminent of them, Watts, Doddridge, Leland, Chandler, Lardner, he mantained an intercourse of friendship or civility. By the most candid and considerate part of them he was highly reverenced and esteemed; and to such among them as needed help he shewed no less kindness and liberality than to those of his own communion.

What an honour. did the comprehension bill,

for relaxing the terms of conformity on behalf of the protestant dissenters, confer on the names of Dr. Wilkins, afterwards Bishop of Winchester, Lord Bridgman, Sir Matthew Hale, Tillotson, and Stillingfleet! the bill, however was thrown out by the bishops; and though, afterwards, the scheme was revived, and again rejected, yet in what a striking point of view does it exhibit to us the liberality and candour of the excellent characters above named, as also of the king and queen, who expressed their desire of an union!

LUXURY.

THE Almighty is justly styled the Father of mercies. He opens his liberal hand, and is perpetually supplying the wants of his creatures. But how lamentable is it that his favours should be abused, and that those blessings, which should lead us to admire and adore him, become, through our depravity, the occasion of rendering ourselves like beasts!" Human life, we own, is full of troubles; and we are all tempted to alleviate them as much as we can, by freely enjoying the pleasurable moments which Providence thinks fit to allow us; and enjoy them we may but if we would enjoy them safely, and enjoy them long, let us temper them with the fear of God.

As

soon as this is forgotten, the sound of the harp and the viol is changed into the signal of death. The serpent comes forth from the roses where it had lain in ambush, and gives the fatal sting.

Pleasure in moderation is the cordial; in excess, it is the bane of life."

Luxury, among the Romans, prevailed to such a degree, that several laws were made to suppress or at least limit it. The extravagance of the table began about the time of the battle of Actium, and continued in great excess till the reign of Galba. Peacocks, cranes of Malta, nightingales, venison, wild and tame fowl, were considered as delicacies. A profusion of provisions was the reigning taste. Whole wild boars were often served up, and sometimes they were filled up with various small animals, and birds of different kinds: this dish they called the Trojan horse, in allusion to the wooden horse filled with soldiers. Fowls, and game of all sorts, were served up in whole pyramids, piled up in dishes as broad as moderate tables. Lucullus had a particular name for each apartment; and whatever room he ordered his servants to prepare the entertainment, they knew by the direction, the expence to which they were to go. When he supped in the Apollo, the expence was fixed at 50,000 drachmæ; that is, 1,2501. M. Antony provided eight boars for twelve guests. Vitellius had a large silver platter, said to have cost a million of sesterces, called Minerva's Buckler. In this he blended together the livers of gilt heads, the brains of pheasants and peacocks, the tongues of phenicopters, and the milts of lampreys. Caligula served up to his guests pearls of great value dissolved in vinegar; the same was done also by Clodius, the son of Æsop, the tragedian. Apicius laid aside 90,000,000 of sesterces, besides a mighty revenue, for no other purpose but to be sacrificed to luxury:

finding himself involved in debt, he looked over his account, and though he had the sum of 10,000,000 of sesterces still left, he poisoned himself, for fear of being starved to death.

The Roman laws to restrain luxury were Lex Orchia, Fannia Didia, Licinia Cornelia, and many others but all these were two little; for, as riches increased among them, so did sensuality.

What were the ideas of luxury entertained in England about two centuries ago, may be gathered from the following passage of Holinshed, who, in a discourse prefixed to his History, speaking of the increase of luxury, says, "Neither do I speak this in reproach of any man, God is my judge: but to shew that I do rejoice rather to see how God has blessed us with his good gifts, and to behold how that, in a time wherein all things are grown to the most excessive prices, we yet do find means to obtain and achieve such furniture as heretofore was impossible. There are old men yet dwelling in the village where I remain, which have noted three things to be marvellously altered so in England within their round remembrance; one is, the multitude of chimnies lately erected, whereas, in their young days, there were not above two or three, if so many, in most uplandish towns of the realm (the religious houses and manor places of their lords always excepted, and, peradventure, some great parsonages), but each make his fire against a reredoss [skreen] in the hall where he dressed his meet, and where he dined. The second is, the great amendment of lodging: for, said they, our fathers and we ourselves have lain oft upon straw pallets covered only with a sheet, under