SUCH is the present afflicting Situation of Affairs, and such the universal Prevalence of Animosity, that each Man seems to have obtained his SUMMUM BONUM, when by all the Arts of a Sophist, he can lay hold of any Means, (no Matter how base) to wound his Neighbour's Reputation. A re­cent and glaring Instance of this detracting Spirit, we have had in a late scandalous Phamph­let, entituled ‘The Author of QUAKER UNMASK'D strip'd stark naked, or the DELI­NEATED PRESBYTERIAN play'd Hob with;’ where a Gentleman of unblemish'd Morals is openly and audaciously insulted and proclaimed to the World to be an unjust and deceiving Man.

This grovling Performance is written with neither Spirit nor Judgment; and contains nothing to recommend it to the Perusal of any candid, unbigotted Person, save that it tends [Page 3] to shew the malevolent Author of it in his proper Colours; to wit, a Disturber of the public Tranquility and a Pest of Society, But to proceed;—my Design, at present, is neither to defend the Conduct of the Presbyterians nor the Quakers; but solely to vindicate that Gen­tleman, from the villainous Aspersions of his designing Enemies; and in this Undertaking, I shall appear justifiable in the Eyes of all, un­biass'd by Prejudice.

Our ingenious Pamphleteer, when he sat down to compose his elaborate and learned Treatise, seems to have intended to do all the Mischief in his Power; and being regardless of the sacred Laws of Speech, (for he deals in the marvellous) and having no other Method to give Vent to his Malice, he without Reason or Provocation charges a Person entirely inno­cent of the Fact, with being the Author of a late Piece, entituled "QUAKER UNMASK'D," [Page 4]and taking it for granted that he was the Man, thence draws this sagacious and infallible In­ference, that therefore he is a Lyer. The Gentleman so grosly abus'd, was no Doubt suppos'd by our Author, to have wrote the Pamphlet he pretends to animadvert upon; and now nicely does he do it! First with usher­ing in his Lampoon by deriding another Gen­tleman, whose prudent Behaviour in the late unhappy Disturbances, I leave to cooler Times to determine. But that I may detain your At­tentions no longer, shall with all the Brevity possible, convince you, by a few Remaks on that libellous Lampoon, which I just now spoke of, that the Author of it hath acted an un­manly and ungenerous Part. If any Man among you (save St. James) seem to be religious and bridleth not his Tongue, but deceiveth his two Heart; this Man's Religion is vain.

What favourable Sentiments can you enter­tain of him, who, upon a bare, groundless Supposition, would endeavour to blast the Reputation of a fellow Creature? Do not your Hearts tell you, such a Man as this is and must of Necessity be a Villain? surely they do. Why then Mr. Pamphleteer labours under this [Page 5] Disadvantage; for his whole Performance is one continued Piece of Detraction. The Faults he lays to the Charge of that Gentle­men of whom he hath had the Impudence to speak so freely, are all invented by Malice, with a Design to rob him of his honest Fame; but his Character is too well establish'd to be sullied by the invidious Representations of every vagabond Quill-Driver. Our Author accuses him of being a Promoter of Discord, and a bad Member of Society; but these are Faults which cannot, with the least Appear­ance of Justice, be attributed to him; that he has his Failings as a Man I allow: for Imper­fection is the grand Characteristic of subluna­ry Beings; and as the Poet says,

Let us now consider what he says next. ‘I sincerely hope that the Sentiments of Ab­horence of your infamous Piece, which I shall express, will be of so much Service to you, that you will never hereafter prostitute your Pen to any such base Purposes for the sake of any Party whatever at the Expence of [Page 6] Truth; nor to vindicate the Actions of a Set of Murderers and Rioters, destitute of the Principles of Humanity.’ Now supposing this Gentleman to have wrote that infamous Piece, (the contrary of which I affirm) in what Part of it does he countenance Murderers and Rioters? Is it when he tells us he would, by no means attempt to justify the killing of In­dians while under the Protection of the Go­vernment? Or was it when we were in such Confusion, upon the first Alarm, of the Paxton People being on the Road arm'd, whose Intentions were not suppos'd to be the best; at which Time he chearfully offer'd himself to go meet them, and stop their Progress if possi­ble? Or was it at Germantown, when he ex­postulated, advis'd, threatned and us'd his ut­most Interest to prevail with them to return to their respective Habitations?—Thus you see, we have fairly convicted Mr. Delineator of a notorious Falshood.

Page the seventh he tell us ‘it is impossible you can recover your usual Credit but by a sincere and public Acknowledgment, that you were prompted thereto by Envy, Hatred and Malice, and that the Father of Lyes was [Page 7] your Dictator.’—I can hardly keep my Pa­tience to hear him talk at so ridiculous a Rate; surely our Author hath not wrote himself to such a Pitch of Vanity, as to imagine that his ungrammatical Scribling will destroy the least Part of that Gentleman's unspotted Fame; his Life and Manners will refute all he hath ad­vanc'd; and with Confidence I say it, his Vir­tues are full Proof against all his malicious In­ventions; and for him to undertake to censure and condemn the conduct of one so much his superior, only exposes his own Weakness and renders him liable to be compar'd to the Pup­py who bark'd at the Moon.

Page the 9th. ‘I know, from your Youth, that you were capable to excogitate Lyes with a better Grace, than any of your School­mates, who have often employed you to save their Posteriors from the Ceremony of the Birch.’ Concerning this Assertion, I shall not pretend to say a great deal; save, that our Pam­phleteer hath paid a greatful Acknowledgement for past Favours; for how he comes to be so particularly acquainted with that Gentleman's Benevolence, in saving his School-fellows from a Whipping, unless Experience hath taught him, I shall not venture to decide.

[Page 8] But let us read a little further. ‘You ha [...] lyed in Order to injure the spotless Char­ter of Individuals.’ This is a most flagr [...] Untruth. Who were those People whom he [...]lified? if he had known he would have mention­ed them; but as he hath not, I shall concl [...] that there were no such Persons; and of Conse­quence, this Assertion is extremely wick [...] and without Foundation.

It would be a needless Task, and trespass [...] upon your Indulgence to make any further marks upon this Performance, after such [...]dent Proof, that its Author paid no Regar [...] [...] Truth, as may be seen throughout the who [...]. I shall therefore dismiss it with saying, t [...] [...] intend no Affront to any Party whatever, that nothing but so injur'd a Cause could [...] induc'd me to take up my Pen, as Writing [...] far from my Thoughts.