our pleasure and duty might be made to accompany one another; our virtue wou'd be improv'd in proportion to our delight; and a more vigorous and lively devotion created in the heart, than the best form of words without its assistance could effect.
From the Evening Post, Thursday, Feb. 4. No. 3362.
THE Proprietors of this antient paper, to oblige their readers, have added an entertainment called, The Templer, which being design'd for publick amusement, we think ourselves oblig'd to take notice of it, viz.
The Templer, No. 1.
BEgins with mentioning several difficulties that attend his undertaking, but desires the reader to suspend his judgment of the work for a time, and, according as he acquits himself to condemn or absolve him. Next, he gives an account of himself, says, he is nephew, by the mother's side, to the Templer, whom the Spectator mention'd as his intimate friend: that he was educated at the University, and arrived in town when his uncle was a member of that Club; he accompanied Sir Roger in his morning-walks, drank tea with Will. Honeycomb, and smoked a pipe with the Spectator himself.
On the dissolution of that society, his uncle, the Templer, betook himself to close study, but soon after quitted both business and town, and retired to his estate in the country, where he continued writing for his own amusement several essays, as subjects occasionally presented themselves: these he bestow'd on our author, to enable him to undertake a work of this kind, and intended him farther assistauce, but is since dead.
Promises more particulars of his own life and character, and concludes with an invitation to gentlemen of wit and capacity, to second his endeavours with their assistance.
The free-Briton, Thursday, February 4. No 62.
Farther considerations on the late proceedings against the agents of the Craftsman
THE Craftsman having blacken'd the acts of power, which had been exercis'd on his agents, as acts of oppression, the Free Briton in this paper, enters the lists with him in defence of the measures taken by the Government against him and them.
The Craftsman having admitted that the writers for the Government do not contend for any Act of Parliament to restrain the Liberty of the Press, but only for confining this Liberty to narrower bounds, our author allows his complaint to be just; for he insisted on confining every writer to truth, and debarring them from a latitude of lying, without which, he says, the Craftsman could not subsift a week longer.
The Craftsman says, that the privilege we enjoy of examining all matters of religion and government, would be of no advantage to us, if it was confined to panegyrick, and we were not allow'd the liberty of censuring men in power. But our author replies, that he only contends against the abuse of enquiry, by the introduction of defamatory lies.
He proceeds to answer the Craftsman's arguments relating to the opposition and difficulties which the treaty of Seville has met with. Says, that we have suffer'd nothing by delay; the Emperor is more embarassed, his troops wearied; his treasures exhausted; Italy loaded and oppressed; all which con tribute to make the treaty of Seville daily more practicable.
The current of advices having run very strong in favour of a general accommodation, the Craftsman publish'd his Hague-letter, in which he insinuated vile things of the ministry and their negotiations, for which he had novouch-
