LOdowick Muggleton was born of poor, though honest Parents, living at Chippenham, within fifteen Miles of Bristol: His Relations having but little Means, and a great Charge of Children to maintain, they were forced to send their Daughters to wait on their neighbouring Gentry, and to place their Sons to such Trades as cost little Binding them Apprentices; but, amongst all the rest of those of this worshipful Brood, they were blessed withal, they might have observed, even in his cunicular Days, in this Lodowick Muggleton, an obstinate, dissen­tious, and opposive Spirit; which made them desirous to settle him at some Distance from them, and also to bind him to such a Trade, and Master, as might curb him from that Free­dom, which the Moroseness of his coarse Na­ture extorted from his too indulgent Parents: By which Means, as soon as he had made some small Inspection into his Accidence, without any other Accomplishment, besides a little Writing and Casting of Accompts, he was hur­ried up to London, and there bound Apprentice to one of the cross-legged Order, but of an indifferent Reputation in the Place where he lived, though by Trade a Taylor. We will pass over the Parenthesis of his Youth in Si­lence, therein being nothing but usual Wag­geries, which generally recommend to our Ex­pectation something remarkable, when the use­ful Extravagancies shall be seasoned with Age.

When the Time of his Apprenticeship grew near its Expiration, so that he was admitted more Liberty, than formerly was granted him, he was observed to be a great Haunter of Con­venticles; insomuch that there could not a dissenting Nonconformist diffuse his Sedition in any obscure Corner of the City, but this Lodowick Muggleton would have a Part of it; by which Means, continuing in the same idle Curiosity, and taking great Observation on that unknown Gain, many of that canting Tribe got by their deluded Auditors, he pro­posed to himself a certain and considerable In­come to be got by the same Means, by which he had observed many of those great Pretenders gull both himself and others: For a rooked Conventicler, like a bankrupt Gamester, having, for some Time, been cullied out of his Money, learns the Trick, sets up Hector, and trades for himself.

Thus did Lodowick Muggleton, by sliding out of one Religion into another, so dissatisfy his Judgment, and run himself from the solid Basis of his first Principles; first degenerating, from the orthodox Tenets of the Church of Eng­land, to Presbytery; from thence to Indepen­dency; thence to Anabaptism; thence to Qua­kerism; and, lastly, to no Religion at all.

When Men have, thus, once fooled them­selves out of Religion and a good Conscience, it is no Wonder, that their secular Interests draw them into all Sorts of Impiety and Pro­faneness, as it has done this Lodowick Muggle­ton; who, though, in himself, a poor, silly, despicable Creature, yet had the Confidence to think he had Parts enough to wheedle a Com­pany of silly, credulous Proselytes out of their Souls and Estates: And, indeed, he has had such admirable Success in that wicked Enter­prise, that, tho' we cannot absolutely conclude, that he has cheated them of the first; yet we can prove, if Occasion were, that he has de­frauded them of the latter; as has been often told him, since the first Day of his Standing in the Pillory.

It has been told already, how this impious Impostor lays Claim to a counterfeit Commis­sion, whereby he has infected the Truths of many honest, ignorant People, with an extra­ordinary Power, that was delivered to him by as infamous a Blasphemer as himself, John Reeve; who, as he formerly rivalled Muggle­ton in Impiety, had he been yet living, should certainly have clubbed with him in his deserved Punishment.

It is about twenty-one Years, since this im­pudent Creature began his Impostures; who, knowing himself as defective of Reason, as of Religion, made it one of the grand Maxims of his Policy, That his Proselytes should be fully persuaded, contrary to all Sense, or Probability. Reason was that great Beast, spoken of in the Revelation, and, consequently, not to be con­sulted withal, as to the Examining of any fun­damental Point in Religion; whereby he se­cured both himself, and his shallow Disciples, from all those frequent Disputations and Argu­ings, which, otherwise, must necessarily have diverted them from adhering to his damnable, impious, and irrational Tenets; which I pur­posely omit, as being too unsufferably profane for the modest Ear of any sober, well-meaning Christian.

But we may judge a little of the Theorick by the Practick, I mean, of his Principles by his Practices, and of the Soundness of his Doctrine by those Duties he held himself, and his Fol­lowers, obliged to, in the Performance of it; which, indeed, were none at all; it being his usual Custom, when they met on the Sabbath-day, to entertain them with a Pig of their own Sow; I mean, with Wine, strong Drink, or Victuals; which either they sent in before-hand, or brought along with them; allowing them to be as licentious, as they pleased, in all Things that might gratify, or indulge their Senses.

A Friend of mine was, one Sunday, walking in the Fields; and, meeting there an old Ac­quaintance of his, who was lately turned Mug­gletonian, with a young Baggage in his Hand, which, he did more than suspect, was light, he could not forbear Expressing his Admiration, to this Muggletonian himself, in these, or such-like Terms: ‘I cannot but wonder to see you, my old Neighbour, who have, for these many Years, busied yourself in the Study of Reli­gion, and was, not long since, like to have gone mad, because you knew not which Opi­nion to stick to. I say, I cannot but won­der to see you Abroad, on the Sabbath-day, in this brisk Posture; you are altered both in Countenance, Apparel, and Manners, so that I almost doubt, whom I speak to. Ah, an­swered the Muggletonian, you know, Friend, how I have heretofore troubled myself about Religion indeed; insomuch that it had al­most cost me my Life, but all in vain, till about six Weeks since; at which Time I met with Lodowick Muggleton, who has put me into the easiest Way to Heaven, that ever was invented; for he gives us Liberty, pro­vided we do but believe in his Commission, freely to launch into all those Pleasures, which others, less knowing, call Vices; and, after all, will assure us of eternal Salvation.’ Behold, Reader, what a sweet Religion here is like to be.

But, as Muggleton was liberal in the Free­dom he gave his Adherents, so he was always careful to avoid the Prohibitions of the Law; he generally appointed his Bubbles to meet in the Fields, where he also permitted them to hu­mour their Sensualities with any Recreation, not excepting Uncleanness itself; for which Profaning the Sabbath he was, in Oliver Crom­well's Time, committed to Newgate, where he had like to have been so dealt withal then, that Tyburn had saved the Pillory this Trouble now: But that perfidious Usurper [...] conscious to him­self, that Muggleton could not be a greater Im­postor in the Church, than he was in the State, upon the Consideration of Fratres in malis, restored him to his Liberty.

Howbeit, a little before Oliver's Death, Muggleton, by continual Flatteries, had got into his Books, and, amongst other Prophecies con­cerning [Page]him, had declared, that Oliver should perform more wonderful Actions, than any he had yet atchieved, before he died. But, he happening to depart this Life, before he had done any Thing else that was remarkable, Muggle­ton was demanded, Why his Prophecy proved not true? He answered very wisely, and like himself, viz. That he was sure Oliver would have performed them, had he lived long enough.

But, since his Gracious Majesty's Return, he has driven on a much more profitable theolo­gical Cheat, having assumed the Liberty not only of infusing what Doctrine he pleased into the Minds of his ignorant deluded Followers, but writ several profane Books, which, to his great Advantage, he dispersed among them; poisoning their Minds thereby with a Hodge-podge of rotten Tenets, whereby they are be­come uncapable of relishing the more sound, wholesome, and undoubted Principles of the Church of England.

I shall conclude with one Story more con­cerning Muggleton, and so leave him to the Censure of the ingenuous Reader. A timish Gentleman, accoutered with Sword and Peruke, hearing the Noise this Man cause in the Town, had a great Desire to discourse with him, whom he found alone in his Study; and, [...] Advantage of that Occasion, he urged Muggle­ton so far, that, knowing not what to say, h [...] falls to a solemn Cursing of the Gentleman who was so inraged thereat, that he drew hi [...] Sword, and swore he would run him through immediately, unless he recanted the Sentence o [...] Damnation, which he had presumptuously cast upon him. Muggleton, perceiving, by the Gentleman's Looks, that he really intended what he threatened, did not only recant his Curse, but pitifully intreated him whom he had cursed before; by which we may understand the Invalidity both of him, and his Commission.

Thus, whoever considers the Contents of Muggleton's whole Life, will find it, in toto, nothing but a continued Cheat of above twen­ty-one Years long; which, in the Catastrophe, he may behold worthily rewarded with the mo­dest Punishment of a wooden Ruff, or Pillory; his grey Hairs gilded with Dirt and rotten Eggs; and, in fine, himself brought, by Reason of his own horrid and irreligious Actions, into the greatest Scorn and Contempt imaginable, by all the Lovers of Piety, Discretion, or good Man­ners.