Plea at the heavenly Tribunal? One would almoft be tempted to think they fancied fo, fince otherwife, it would be impoffible to account for their Actions: It would be abfolutely impoffible, we fay, if they believed themselves bound by the fame unalterable Rules of Truth and Juftice as other Men, to reconcile any Part of their Conduct therewith, they muft, certainly therefore have fome other Maxims to walk by.

But leaving thefe Pefts of Human Society to the Sting of their own Confciences, which will one Day furely meet with them, and to the Supreme Difpofer of all Events, who even now takes Cognizance of all their Actions, and will, at the laft great Affize, jaftly make Retribution to them accordingly, without Partiality, or Respect of Perfons, let us now go on to confider fome other grievous Offenders againft this Law, who nevertheless, from a too prevailing, though abominable Cuftom, are apt to fancy themfelves intirely innocent in this refpect. We have already feen how crowned Heads imagine themselves privileged under the Sanction of the Word Honour, to commit all Manner of Enormities, not only with Impunity, and without Blame, but even with Applaufe; and we fhall now fhew how, under the Cover of the fame Cant Term, for they have thereby made it no more, a Perfon, who would take it extremely ill to be deemed a Cut-throat, Pickpocket, and Scoundrel, will be guilty of Actions which give him a Claim moft juftly to every one of these honourable Titles, and at the fame Time imagine himself a compleat fine Gentleman, and confequently one whofe Company is to be coveted, and whom any body may be proud to imitate.

A modern Man of Honour then, is one who will draw you in to game, cheat you out of your whole Eflate, by playing booty Matches, flipping

of

of Cards, or by falfe Dice; will not pay one juft Debt, but if fued, infifts on his Privilege, to exempt himfelf from it; will debauch the Wife of his most intimate Friend; fell his Country for a dirty Bribe; and perfift in the moft palpable Lie; and fhould you only infinuate, his being wanting either in Honefty, Truth, Juftice, or Friendship, would challenge you, and cut your Throat for fo doing.

Would it not aftonish any serious Person, and make him fhudder with Horror, to think fuch Crimes as these should be perpetrated in a Coun try that is called Chriftian? Certainly it would; What then muft it do, to hear what is really Truth, not only that all these Enormities are fre quently committed, but that the Scoundrel who is guilty of every one, fhall escape with Impunity, be applauded and valued for killing his Man fairly, have his Company courted, and be dignified with the Character of a Man of ftrict Honour? Must it not make him tremble for a Country where fuch Abu. fes are openly tolerated and connived at? Yet this is the wretched Case of this once Chriftian Nation!

If a Man will not bear to be told he lies, tho' he maintains the most notorious Untruth, without calling you to an Account for it; if he will not put up with the Name of Rogue, without cutting your Throat; though he runs in Debt out of Wantonnefs, with Defign never to pay, and ruins whole Families; if he will defend the Character of the poor Creature he has debauched, at the Expence of the Life of his dearest Friend; if he will punish with Death the leaft Infinuation of his having played foul, or being bribed, tho' both are real Facts, fuch an one, let his Wife, Creditors, Friend, or Country, think what they please to the contrary, will be univerfally allowed by your People of Fashion, to be a Perfon who knows the World,

and

and a Man of unblemished Honour! Thus is Murder, Rapine, and Injuftice, with a Violation of all Laws Human and Divine, fanctified in a Kingdom which goes under the Name of Chriftian.

Pudet, bac Opprobria nobis,

Et dici potuiffe, & non potuiffe refelli.

Having now premifed as much as we think neceffary, concerning the feveral Ways by which this Commandment is violated, we fhall next fhew how. cautious we ought to be of tranfgrelling this Law, on any Account whatever, even after the greatest and most continual Provocations. Now nothing, we think, can fet this in a clearer Light, than the Cafe of that excellent Pattern for all fucceeding Ages, the Royal Pfalmift, who being filed in ScripFure the Man after God's own Heart, and being a Prophet as well as a Prince, may be reasonably fupfuppofed to be fully acquainted with his Duty. This incomparable Perfon then, after having been the immediate Inftrument in the Hand of Providence of delivering his Country, by the Death of Goliab, not only from Ignominy and Reproach, bur from cruel Bondage, inftead of being rewarded for fo great Service, faw himself expofed undefervedly to the Envy and Hatred of Saul, infomuch that he daily fought to kill him, and laid Snares for his Life.

But did David therefore think himself privileged to flay Saul? Far from it; though it was after the moft repeated Provocations. Though it might be justly faid to be in his own Defence, and though he knew the LORD had rejected Saul from reigning over Ifrael, and had even caufed Samuel to anoint him King in his ftead; yet, when Gop had delivered his cruel Enemy into his Hand, fo that he might have killed him with the greateft Eafe and Safety, he only cut off the Skirt of his Robe,

and

and repented even of that; and this, at the very Time when Saul was come out exprefly in Pursuit of him, with three Thousand chofen Men, fully determined to fhew him no Mercy.

Now this was after Saul had twice thrown his Javelin at him to flay him; after he had given him his Daughter for a Snare; after he had fent Meffengers to feize him in his Bed; after he had barbaroufly murdered all the Priefts for only fupplying him with Bread and a Sword; in fhort, after he had fought his Death all manner of Ways. It is evident therefore hereby, that if any Provocations could be a fufficient Juftification of our revenging ourselves on our Adveríaries, David would have been warranted in fo doing upon Saul; but we find him fo far from this, that his Heart smote him, and he was ftung with Remorfe for only cutting off the Skirt of his Robe, when he had him abfolutely in his Power.

What then muft we think of thofe Men, who will not only make no Scruple of taking the most fevere Revenge for every flight Affront, but being guilty of the greatest Injustice, Treachery, and Villainy; and inftead of acknowledging their Offence, and making all the Reparation in their Power, if reproved for it, will maintain their former Wickedness by the additional Aggravation of murdering the Reprover? Muft not fuch Perfons, however they escape Chaftisement here, expect the moft dreadful Punishment hereafter? Certainly they muft; and yet most of the Duels that are fought, are on fome fuch Account; and many a Man, whofe Wife has been whored by the infidious Arts of a treacherous Friend, has afterwards had the additional Sati faction of having his Throat cut by the fame, in Juftification of that enormous Perfidy and Wickednets. Many a one who has

been tricked out] of an Estate at Cards and Dice, has been afterwards decently run through the Lungs by the Perfon who has done it, on expreffing his Sufpicion of foul Play. Such is the Force of Fashion! Such is the hopeful Effect of the Establishment of a moft pernicious and diabolical Cuftom, in defiance of all the Dictates of common Senfe, Right Reafon, Equity, and Religion!

But, when the fame fenfelefs Practice (which daily expofes the Lives of Men of Family and Fortune to the Attacks of every Upstart, or Pickpocket, who can furnish himself with a genteel Habit and a Sword) prevailed formerly in France, whereby the Community was frequently deprived of the Services of its most valuable Members, by the Hands of the moft worthless, Levis XIV. who, though our inveterate Enemy, must be allowed to have been a great and a wife Prince, refolved at once to put an End thereto; and accordingly he bound himself by a most folemn Vow, made at the Sacrament, never to pardon any one of what Rank foever, who was guilty of fighting a Duel; and this Vow, which he kept inviolably to his dying Day, proved an effectual Remedy for fo great an Evil, and faved the Lives of fome Hundreds of his braveft Subjects.

We are very fond of apeing the French in Things ridiculous, and it would be well if we followed them alfo in fuch as are laudable; in fhort, as we profefs a purer Religion than they, it were to be wifhed, the Wisdom of the Nation would provide fome effectual Cure, for fo abominable a Practice, which tends not only to the Deftruction of the Lives, but of the Souls alfo of our Countrymen: It being fcarcely to be imagined, that any one who is killed in a Duel, leaves the World with that Compofure of Spirit, and univerfal Charity, which is abfolutely neceffary at the Hour of Death for all thofe, who, being in their Senfes, are defirous of fecuring