His infinite

God thought fit to form. Knowledge conceiv'd the Ideas of this innumerable Diverfity of Species and Individuals, and his unbounded Power gave Existence to a World, to which we can affign no Limits. I will only add, that I do not fee what Reafon there is to deny acknowledging a free Choice in this Multitude of Species, to which God has been pleased to determine himfelf. Would his Wisdom have been forgotten, if he had form'd one lefs? or wou'd it have been carried to an Excefs, if he had added one more?

IT feems to me too, and I cannot think otherwife, that a Univerfe, which contains free and active Intelligences, is evidently a Work more worthy of God, than one compofed of Parts, which, from the first Moment of their Exiftence, will continue to act, or rather to receive inevitably every one its own Condition, in which it seems to do that of itfelf, to which in reality it is determined by an antecedent Impreffion, without being able to avoid

it.

WHEN

WHEN he continues, verfe 235, -----One Step broken, the great Scale's deftroy'd. From Nature's Chain whatever Link you ftrike, Tenth or ten thousandth, breaks the Chain alike. And if each Syftem in gradation roll, Alike effential to th' amazing Whole, The leaft Confufion, but in one, not all That Syftem only, but the Whole must fall. Let Earth unbalanc'd from her Orbit fly, Planets and Suns ruh lawless through the Sky. Let ruling Angels from their Spheres be hurl'd, Being on Being wreck'd, and World on World, Heav'n's whole Foundations to their Centre nod, And Nature tremble, to the Throne of God. the Poet fuffers himself to be carried away by his Fire, and fuppofes a System of Nature, which has no more Foundation than the Imaginations of Cyrano de Berjerac.

WE have now no difficulty to conceive that every Star is a Sun, which like ours turns upon its Centre, and gives Light to its Planets. By virtue of the Laws of Impulfe, or thofe of Attraction, all thefe Conjunctions keep themselves in. a perfect Equilibrium. The Proportions betwixt heir Motions are so well efta

blished,

blished, that if there fhou'd happen any Change, a constant Mechanism wou'd foon have repaired it.

BUT a thousand and ten thoufand Alterations may happen in the Planets, with regard to their Plants, their Waters, and their Animals, without the Syftem's fuffering in the least from them. The Laws, by which it confifts, receive no Modification from all thofe little Changes which are made about us. To fuppofe this, is carrying the Syftem too far; and the Patrons of Fatalifm have took care not to let flip fo fpecious an Occafion of freeing themselves from all Conftraint. They were very earneft to put themselves into this Chain, in order to go on at random, and to have nothing to reproach themselves with, whatever they might happen to do.

WOULD it be a Proof of the Skill of an Architect, to have built a House in fuch a Manner, that there cou'd not be fo much as a Stone or a piece of Wood taken away, but that it must fall entirely down? Wou'd fuch a clofe Connection between all the Houfes in aTown, from one End to the other, declare it a Master

piece? Does fo great a Conformity with a House made of Cards, fhow any Excel.. lency? What wou'd be faid of an Engineer, who, to make his Art admired, fhou'd have compofed the Stones of a whole Fortification, in fuch a Manner, that not one cou'd be removed from its Place, but the Whole must be overthrown? And is it not infinitely better, that the Effect of a Cannon Ball fhau'd be confined to make but one Hole?

A YOUNG Man diforders his Affairs by lofing his Money in Gaming with one of his Fellow Citizens. Will this Diforder extend to the Extremity of the County? Will it extend even to half a League?

THE Belts which are obferved to be in Jupiter, fhew that there are great Changes in that Planet. Do we feel any Effects from these?

THERE are fixed Stars which vanish, and appear again: Do we at all perceive that fo great an Effect extends to the neighbouring Stars?

'Tis a more evident Proof of Wisdom in the great Mafter, that a Whole (I do not mean the univerfal Whole, but particular

K

cular Systems) a Whole like this of the Earth, and its little Vortex fhou'd subsist, notwithstanding the Alterations which happen in the Parts that compofe it.

THE Defire of establishing the System of Fatality gave rife to the inventing that of these chimerical Dependencies, and made them to be confidently deliver'd as neceffary, without the leaft Proof.

"I have got drunk; it was neceffary "I fhou'd do fo, for every thing in the "Universe is connected. My Head achs; "Well, then you will not do so any more,

Why not? If it be my Fate, it is my "Bufinefs to acquiefce." This is what they are pleased to call by the venerable Name of Submiffion to divine Providence.

"But you are subject to epileptic Fits, "and may, perhaps, die in one of them.

If that happens, it will be my Fate, and the Good of the Univerfe requires it. Die and adore God (Verse * 88) is my Motto. I do not refrain from Wine, and I am not afraid of its Effects. Upon the whole, WHATEVER IS, IS RIGHT.

*Wait the great Teacher Death, and God adore. NERO