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SHORT VIEW.

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HE behaviour of the clergy having seemed to be very extraordinary on fome late occafions, I was led by my reflections on that head to make fome further enquiry, than I had hitherto done, what the conduct of that fet of men had been from the more early times of our government down to the prefent, and what had been the opinions of the wifeft of our ancestors about it.

I thought it was far from improper at this time to know not only what restrictions to the power and wealth of the church, the legiflature had formerly deemed requifite, but also whether the clergy had not by their behaviour made thofe reftrictions abfolutely neceffary. From thence we may better know what to think of their clamours of late, upon any attempt to put the least limits to their property, or reftrictions to their power, in fuch cases, where it might be made use of to opprefs any of their fellow-fubjects.

For though the reasonableness of laws to prevent the abuse of power, or an exorbitant increase of property in any fet of men, where there is only a probability of either, is itself fufficient to recommend the enacting them, even though we had not already been fenfible of fuch abuses; yet the neceffity of fuch laws is ftill further enforced, when founded on examples and experience, and confirmed by the opinions of our wife predeceffors.

It is for this reafon, I trouble the public with the following fheets, that by laying before them in as fhort and compendious a manner, as I am able, an hiftorical account of the conduct of the clergy of this nation, as far as it any way affected civil affairs fince the time of William I. they may form a judgment from matters of fact, how far neceffary all precautions in the laity against the designs of the clergy are, according as they fee this conduct of theirs has promoted the public good or otherwise.

Whoever looks into our antient hiftories, will find the clergy have been always guided by a diftinct intereft of their own, most frequently contrary to that of the nation: inftead of aferting the liberty of the people, they

have been moft inftrumental in all attempts to deftroy it; instead of propagating generous notions of freedom, they have conftantly endeavoured to inftil into the minds of men the moft flavifh maxims, and taught leffons of the most blind and abject fubmiffion.

Their oppofition to power, whenever they have made any, has generally been factious and selfish, not grounded on motives of regard for the good of the commonwealth, but occafioned by fome attempt upon their temporal intereft or privileges, which was often no other than a juft intention of retrenching their encroachments upon the crown, and people.

Accordingly we may obferve, that the most dangerous defigns against the public have been formed by fuch of our princes, who began with fecuring the clergy to their intereft by great condefcenfions to them; for we feldom find the clergy to have failed returning the compliment by a concurrence in promot ing the most arbitrary attempts by their doctrine and actions.

The use the clergy have made of what power they have acquired under fuch princes, B 3

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has always been most infupportable to the laity, especially to fuch as have opposed it.

I will not detain the reader any longer from forming his own judgment on this fubject, but haften to my relation of facts, by which only I defire he may be determined, as he fhall find them agreeable to truth, to which I have endeavoured to have the strictest regard.

The battle of Hastings, gained by the duke of Normandy, would have been very far from determining the fate of this country, had the English fufficiently united in its defence, He was in poffeffion of but one caftle in the kingdom, that of Dover. The earls Marcar and Edwin, who had distinguished themselves already in the defence of their country, had fhut themselves up in London with the remains of the army defeated at Haftings. William could not without evident danger march into the heart of the kingdom, and leave that city behind him in poffeffion of his enemies; nor could he lay fiege to a place, that would coft him much time, and employ the greateft part of his army, which was no large one, without leaving all the remote Counties in England at liberty to take proper measures for their fecurity, and to raise feveral