wonder if the flights human ordinances, and refuses to comply with any established form of religion, as thinking herself directed by a much fuperior guide. As Enthusiasm is a kind of excess in devotion, Superstition is the excess not only of devotion, but of religion in general; according to an old Heathen faying, quoted by Aulus Gellius, Religentem effe oportet; religiofum nefas; A man fhould be religious, not fuperftitious; for, as the author tells us, Nigidius obferved upon this paffage, that the Latin words which terminate in ofus generally imply vicious characters, and the having of any quality to an excess. An Enthusiast in religion is like an obftinate clown, a fuperftitious man like an infipid courtier. Enthufiafm has fomething in it of madness, Superftition of folly. Most of the Sects that fall fhort of the Church of England, have in them ftrong tinctures of Enthufiafm, as the Roman Catholic Religion is one huge over-grown body of childish and idle Superftitions. The Roman Catholic Church feems indeed irrecoverably loft in this particular. If an abfurd dress or behaviour be intro A introduced in the world, it will foon be found out and difcarded: On the contrary, a habit or ceremony, tho' never fo ridiculous, which has taken fanctuary in the Church, fticks in it for ever. Gothic Bishop, perhaps, thought it pro-. per to repeat fuch a form in fuch particular fhoes or flippers; another fancied it would be very decent if fuch a part of public devotions were performed with a Mitre on his head, and a Crofier in his hand: To this a brother Vandal, as wife as the others, adds an antick drefs, which he conceived would allude very aptly to fuch and fuch myfteries, 'till by degrees the whole office was degenerated into an empty fhow. Their fucceffors fee the vanity and inconvenience of these ceremonies; but inftead of reforming, perhaps add others, which they think more fignificant, and which take poffeffion in the fame manner, and are never to be driven out after they have been once admitted. I have feen the Pope officiate at St. Peter's, where, for two hours together, he was bufied in putting on or off his different accoutrements, according to the different parts he was to act in them. Nothing is fo glorious in the eyes of mankind, and ornamental to human nature, fetting afide the infinite advantages which arife from it, as a strong steady mafculine piety; but Enthusiasm and Superftition are the weakneffes of human reason, that expofe us to the fcorn and derifion of Infidels, and fink us even below the Beasts that perish. Idolatry may be looked upon as another error arifing from mistaken Devotion; but because reflections on that fubject would be of no use to an English reader I shall not enlarge upon it. Omnibus in terris, quæ funt à Gadibus ufque L Juv. N. my laft Saturday's paper I laid down fome thoughts upon Devotion in general, and fhall here fhew what were the notions of the moft refined Heathens on this fubject, as they are represented in Plato's dialogue upon Prayer, intitled Alcibiades the Second, which doubtlefs gave occafion to Juvenal's tenth Sa tire, and to the second Satire of Perfius; as the laft of thefe authors has almoft tranfcribed the preceding dialogue, intitled, Alcibiades the First, in his fourth Satire. The speakers in this dialogue upon Prayer, are Socrates and Alcibiades; and the fubftance of it (when drawn together out of the intricacies and digreffions) as follows. Socrates meeting his pupil Alcibiades, as he was going to his devotions, and obferving his eyes to be fixed upon the earth with great seriousness and attention, tells him, that he had reason to be thoughtful on that occafion, fince it was poffible for a man to bring down evils upon himself by his own Prayers, and that thofe things which the Gods fend him in answer to his petitions might turn to his destruction: This, fays he, may not only happen when a man prays for what he knows is mifchievous in its own nature, as Oedipus implored the Gods to fow diffenfion between his fons, but when he prays for what he believes would be for his good, and against what he believes would be to his detriment. This the Philofopher fhews must neceffaI 2 rily rily happen among us, fince most men are blinded with ignorance, prejudice, or paffion, which hinder them from seeing fuch things as are really beneficial to them. For an inftance, he asks Alcibiades, Whether he would not be thoroughly pleased and fatisfied if that God to whom he was going to address himfelf, should promise to make him the Sovereign of the whole earth? Alcibiades anfwers, that he fhould doubtless look upon fuch a promife as the greatest favour that could be bestowed upon him. Socrates then asks him, If after receiving this great favour he would be contented to lofe his life? Or if he would receive it though he was fure he fhould make an ill use of it? To both which questions Alcibiades anfwers in the negative. Socrates then fhews him from the examples of others, how these might probably be the effects of fuch a bleffing. He then adds, That other reputed pieces of good fortune, as that of having a fon or procuring the higheft poft in a government, are fubject to the like fatal confequences; which nevertheless, says he, men ardently defire, and would not fail to pray for, if they thought their prayers |