An answer to a letter to Dr. Burnet, occasioned by his letter to Mr. Lowth

An answer to a letter to Dr. Burnet, occasioned by his letter to Mr. Lowth

Table of contents

An ANSWER to a Letter to Dr. Burnet, occasioned by his Letter to Mr. Lowth.

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An ANSWER to a Letter to Dr. Burnet, occasioned by his Letter to Mr. Lowth.

SIR,

I Thought you had some remnants of Shame and Sence left with you, and that a Correction you met with some Years ago, had brought you a little into order; but, as was then observed, Nature is Nature still, and will return and have the better, where neither Religion, Vertue, nor good Manners, have force enough to restrain a petulant and insolent Temper.

You intend to support a Forgery, of which I have reason to suppose [Page] you the Parent, as well as you are now the Nurse to it, and therefore you are tender of your own Brat, but with what success I can even make you your self the Judg; and if you knew the opinion that I have of your sincerity, you would believe this was a great evidence of my being very well assured that I am in the right. But some Men have got a trick of facing all things down with Noise and Impudence▪ and imagine that blustering and foul Language will carry all before it.

In short, for no Man can take pleasure to take a Kennel long, you discharge a whole Sheet full of Slime and Choler at me, for asserting that I had omitted no part of that Manuscript of Cranmer's▪ and that I had particularly printed that for [Page] the omission of which Mr. Lowth has accused me, whereas you tell me that I have only printed the Subscription of T. Cantuarien, to an Assertion concerning Extream Unction, and that I have not added it to the Assertions concerning Church Power. Now how any Man that had his sense about him, and thought that I would call him to an account of it, could venture on so gross a piece of falshood and folly both, I cannot easily imagine; so that really I am inclined to think, the last New Moon, or the New Wine, have their shares in it.

In the beginning of those Papers, Pag. 201. line 6. where I set down their Title, I tell, That as they are taken from the Originals, under the Hands of those Bishops and Divines, [Page] so I add, That in copying them, I judged it might be more acceptable to the Reader to see every Man's Answer set down after every Question, and therefore they are published in that Method. Thus instead of setting every Paper entirely by it self, I set every Man's Answer under every Question; to which I was advised, as being the easier method to give a view of their Thoughts of every particular altogether. And Pag. 242. when I come to the last Question, I set this down on the Margent, over against Cranmer's Subscription; These are the Subscriptions which are at the end of every Man's Paper. After all this, no man but you, could have been so forsaken of common Sense and Honesty, as to pretend that the Subscription to which I refer, was only to the last Article concerning Extream Unction, and not [Page] to the whole Paper; and by this same art of Reasoning, you may pretend that your Subscription belongs only to the last line of your Letter.

I do assure you I do not admire your Understanding so much, as I perceive you do your self; yet I did not think it was so sunk, for this is such childish and gross Ignorance, that your Friends had best enter a Caveat, lest you be beg'd for it. But I am afraid your Morals are more in fault here than your Intellectuals. You thought somewhat must be said for supporting your Friend, and so took hold of any thing could furnish out a Letter.

And now for the Flourish and Garniture of your Letter, it is so like the Author, that none who have given themselves the trouble to read any of his Books, can miss him. The Character is indelible, and sticks as close as if he [Page] were stigmatized with it. I will let it all go, for I am not practised to search among Excrements, only one remarkable Line in it deserves some Observation. You sprinkle a little Civility, p 2. l. 13. and call my History, the only good thing I ever wrote, that could recommend me to the kind Opinion of Honest Men, that know the difference between English and Scotch. This lewd Reflection on a whole Nation, as it shews the clownishness of your Temper, for all your pretence to Courtliness, so it shews your contempt of the King and the whole Royal Family, and of that blessed Martyr himself, that was born in that Kingdom, notwithstanding all your Affectations, and writing of Addresses in the Name of the Primitive Church.

But thus it is, That because in the last disposal of Bishopricks, the Secretary [Page] to the Primitive Church was forgotten, he who but a Year ago set his Majesty above Christ himself, and taxed the Expression of praying for the King as Supream under Christ, as crude, not to call it profane, is now so disgusted, that he says, Honest Men (and to be sure he ranks himself in that number, tho he is singular in that too) know the difference between English and Scotch. And thus while you fall on me, you secretly discover what lies at your Heart ever since the last Disappointment. But now that you have so wisely taken a whole Nation to task, it seems you intend to have all the Characters of the Rehearsal Transprosed to you; and that you are not contented with being Bays, but you will be Draw-can-sir too. I wish you a better mind, and am,

Yours, &c.

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I have now justified my sincerity in my History; and that being established, I will think my self little concerned in all the Billingsgate Language that you or any else can throw out upon me. I would not have said so much, if there were not some Occasions in which it is necessary to answer a Fool according to his Folly, as well as there are others in which it is as necessary not to answer him according to his Folly: And as I have brought my self, not without some uneasiness, to treat you as you deserve, so it will be much easier for me, to despise all you can say, and to be silent hereafter.

FINIS.

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LONDON: Printed for Richard Baldwin, in the Old-Baily Corner on Ludgate-Hill. 1685.

Information about this book

Title statement

An answer to a letter to Dr. Burnet, occasioned by his letter to Mr. Lowth

Burnet, Gilbert, 1643-1715.

Edition statement

1685

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2004-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A30321

ID [STC]

Wing B5758

ID [STC]

ESTC R7059

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

11626170

ID [OCLC]

ocm 11626170

ID [VID]

47922

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This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A30321)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 47922)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 484:25)

Source

— An answer to a letter to Dr. Burnet, occasioned by his letter to Mr. Lowth, Burnet, Gilbert, 1643-1715..

Extent

8 p. ; 20 cm.

Printed for Richard Baldwin,. London :: 1685.. (Attributed to Burnet by Wing.) (Reproduction of original in Huntington Library.)

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