ny other indications; which makes me wonder you should reduce them to but one, namely origination, of which you fay there are but three forts in human nature. Admitted. The first perfon muft, AY MUST, have been created; right; and confequently is (was you mean) not BEGOTTEN; very right again: Nor did he any other way PROCEED from it; good; fo ar agreed.

"Now the fecond human perfon, for ought that appears to the contrary, may have been made out "of the body of the firft; and therefore tho "not BEGOTTEN by, yet may have PROCEEDED "from, human nature." I confefs this argument to me no way appears conclufive of the queftion now debated amongst us; yet I do not know, but as it is the rule amongst you Hebrecians to read that language backwards, fo it may be likewife to begin your arguments at the . end too. But to return. wrong

Phy! Mr. HIGGS, what's become of your mighty zeal for the honour of the holy history? Methinks your "For what appears to the con"trary," feems to be very faint and languid, nothing like your blufters for Mofes and the old Woman at Endor; and then your "May have been," &c. feems weaker and weaker. Why! it looks as if you defigned to come on my Side of B 4

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the table, and my fide of the question too. I expected, learned friend, to have seen that fentence ftand thus, MUST, ay MUST, in capitals. Then as for your begotten and proceeded, I doubted not to have feen them alfo diftinguifhed from the reft of the words in fize, if not in colour, as being ESTABLISHED terms of art amongft the masters of modern arithmetic.

"The third human perfon must have been "begotten," and fo undoubtedly he was, as well as the 4th and 5th, and fo on to the last night's job; but how (from thefe premifes) you conclude, therefore there can be but three perfonal proprieties, or diftinguishing marks of one person from another, I fee not. But to weaken the force of that Ergo, I appeal to the whole town, if they think the facetious granny has not, or the late humble Shoe-cleaner at the horse-guards had not, other perfonal diftinguifhing proprieties befides thofe abovementioned, i. e. unbegotten, begotten, and proceeding.

My dear friend, in your excefs of good hu. mour, you next fhew us the perfection of human nature lies in having these perfonal diftinctions. I perfwade myself you do not mean those eminent ones in the two inftances abovementioned. And as I have already fuppofed you do not mean these remarkable perfonal proprieties inftanced before; therefore, I must look for what you do, and I

find

find you faying it will appear to be a perfection in human nature, to have thefe three perfonal proprieties. "It must be allow'd."

1. To create duft into a human body, is a perfection of that duft." I own this Affertion (without entering into a phyfical enquiry of the matter) will bear a great debate, if we are allow'd to produce our authorities for what we might fay from the pulpit or the pillory; the former I am fure has furnished us with many hours talk upon the miferies, pains, and anxieties, to which duft, fo modified, is prone, and many old women and fplenetic religiofo's have confirmed all this vivâ voce; even that great inftance of patience, Joв himself, (God only knows if the ftory is true, for it was a great way off, and a long while ago) fomewhere wishes his duft had continued duft, or in his own words, that he had never been born; and if the vifionary complaints of all ages had been faithfully committed to paper, I prefume we should have had authorities fufficient to have over-ruled your fingle affertion.

2. As to the fecond, if the woman had been created of the more perfect part of the " more perfect fubftance," it would have been much better for us men, fay fome waggish husbands,

3. "To be begotten by both," does not argue a greater perfection, fince whatever degree B 5

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of imperfection is contained in either, a share of it muft neceffarily be convey'd with what you call the animal fpirits of both, for we know the liquor will have a fmatch of the cafk; befides this, the parfon agrees, that the begotten and proceeding too, bring fo much imperfection away with them, that they will not undertake to wash it off, without being well paid for their pains; " And "therefore fince it has been" afferted and fubfcribed too, that a unit does fubfift in more numbers than one, it is now evident thefe numbers are three, because the "diftinct figures by which these "numbers are diftinguish'd are three, viz. 1, 2, 3. Quod erat demonftrandum.

My friend, I perceive you have now turned the other end of your glafs, and found out fome Im perfections in the perfonal diftin&tions of human kind, which I fee you are very willing to remove : come on then.

Ift and 2dly. Two of the many imperfections of the human perfonal proprieties or diftinctions may be crook backs and fquint eyes; remove these, and 'tis poffible the woman may prove a perfect toaft, and my lord a very pretty fellow.

3dly. "A third imperfection in the human "perfonal proprieties is, that one is older," much older than another; remove this," and the old perfon becomes brifk and airy, and I am

per

perfwaded many a ftaid matron will let you par take of the benefit; even I the humble author will not be ungrateful; for I profefs I labour much under the imperfection of priority of time, or the women complain unjustly.

You are so very civil, fir, in finding fo few imperfections in the perfonal difference of the hu man race, that we must be thankful to you for it, as well as for lending us your kind affiftance to 66 remove them" ; but I fear if I was to examine further, I fhould find you call the very differences that nature (or the god of nature) has wifely made betwixt perfons and things for diftinction fake, imperfections, and are willing to have them removed. Why, I will tell you what, remove all thefe differences, we will fairly own three perfons are really one; but untill you do that, as I have learnt at the writing-school, I will continue to affert, that once one is not three, and three times one are more than one.

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I own with you, that the capacity of "begetting a fon like myfelf" (being a very pretty fellow) and the pleasure in fo doing, "was a "perfection" and as to your "unity being re"fembled only to a unity," you are very right; nay, I agree with you entirely, learned fir, that the "multiplication of this unity" by its felf, and producing three is an imperfection"; I B 6

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