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party would at least make him known to that party, be it ever fo low and contemptible; and this local importance it is which draws off vain minds from those scenes of general usefulness, in which, though they are of more value, they are of lefs diftinction.

About this time he got hold of a famous little book written by the NEW PHILOSOPHER, whofe peftilent doctrines have gone about feeking whom they may destroy; these doctrines found a ready entrance into Mr. Fantom's mind; a mind at once fhallow and inquifitive, fpeculative and vain, ambitious and diffatiffied. As almost every book was new to him, he fell into the common error of those who begin to read late in life, that of thinking that what he did not know himself, was equally new to others; and he was apt to fancy that he and the author he was reading were the only two people in the world who knew any thing, This book led to the grand discovery; he

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had now found what his heart panted after, a way to distinguish himself. To start out a full grown philofopher at once, to be wife without education, to difpute without learning, and to make profelytes without argument, was a fhort cut to fame, which well fuited his vanity and his ignoHe rejoiced that he had been fo clever as to examine for himself, pitied his friends who took things upon truft, and was refolved to affert the freedom of his own mind. To a man fond of bold novelties and daring paradoxes, folid argument would be flat, and truth would be dull, merely because it is not new. Mr. Fantom believed, not in proportion to the strength of the evidence, but to the impudence of the affertion. The trampling on holy ground with dirty fhoes, the fmearing the fanctuary with filth and mire, the calling prophets and apoftles by the most scurrilous names was new, and dashing, and dazzling. Mr. Fantom, now being fet free from the chains of flavery and fuperftition,

was

was refolved to fhow his zeal in the ufual way, by trying to free others; but it would have hurt his vanity had he known that he was the convert of a man who had written only for the vulgar, who had invented nothing, no not even one idea of original wickedness; but who had stooped to rake up out of the kennel of infidelity, all the loathfome dregs and offal dirt, which politer unbelievers had thrown away as too grofs and offenfive for their better bred readers.

Mr. Fantom, who confidered that a philofopher must fet up with a little fort of stock in trade, now picked up all the common-place notions against Christianity, which have been anfwered a hundred times over; these he kept by him ready cut and dried, and brought out in all companies with a zeal which would have done honour to a better caufe, but which the friends to a better cause are not fo apt to dif cover. He foon got all the cant of the new school. He prated about narrowness,

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and ignorance, and bigotry, and prejudice, and prieftcraft, on the one hand; and on the other, of public good, the love of mankind, and liberality, and candour, and toleration, and above all, benevolence. Benevolence, he said, made up the whole of religion, and all the other parts of it were nothing but cant, and jargon, and hypocrify. By benevolence he understood a gloomy and indefinite anxiety about the happiness of people with whom he was utterly disconnected, and whom Providence had put it out of his reach either to ferve or injure. And by the happiness this benevolence was fo anxious to promote, he meant an exemption from the power of the laws, and an emancipation from the restraints of religion, confcience, and moral obligation.

Finding, however, that he made little impreffion on his old club at the Cat and Bagpipes, he grew tired of their company. This club confifted of a few fober citizens, who met of an evening for a little harm

lefs

lefs recreation after bufinefs: their object was, not to reform parliament, but their own fhops; not to correct the abuses of government, but of parish officers; not to cure the exceffes of administration, but of their own porters and apprentices; to talk over the news of the day without afpiring to direct the events of it. They read the papers with that anxiety which every honeft man feels in the daily history of his country. But as trade, which they did understand, flourished, they were careful not to reprobate thofe public measures by which it was protected, and which they did not understand. In fuch turbulent times it was a comfort to each to feel he was a tradefman, and not a ftatesman; that he was not called to refponfibility for a truft for which he found he had no talents, while he was at full liberty to employ the talents he really poffeffed, in fairly amaffing a fortune, of which the laws would be the best guardian, and govern. ment the best security. Thus a legitimate

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