New-England Courant.

Corruptio optimi est pessima.

To the Author of the New-England Courant.

SIR,
It has been for some Time a Question with me, Whether a Commonwealth suffers more by hypocritical Pretenders to Religion, or by the openly Profane? But some late Thoughts of this Nature, have inclined me to think, that the Hypocrite is the most dangerous Person of the Two, especially if he sustains a Post in the Government, and we consider his Conduct as it regards the Publick. The first Artifice of a State Hypocrite is, by a few savoury Expessions which cost him Nothing, to betray the best Men in his Country into an Opinion of his Goodness; and if the Country wherein he lives is noted for the Purity of Religion, he the more easily gains his End, and consequently may more justly be expos'd snd detested. A notoriously profane Person in a private Capacity, ruins himself, and perhaps forwards the Destruction of a few of his Equals; but a publick Hypocrite every day deceives his betters, and makes them the Ignorant Trumpeters of his supposed Godliness: They take him for a Saint, and pass him for one, without considering that they are (as it were) the Instruments of publick Mischief out of Conscince, and ruin their Country for God's sake.

THIS Political Descripition of a Hypocrite, may (for ought I know) be taken for a new Doctrine by some of your Readers; but let them consider, that a little Religion, and a little Honesty, goes a great way in Courts. 'Tis not inconsistent with Charity to distrust a Religious Man in Power, tho' he may be a good Man; he has many Temptations "to propagate publick Destruction for Personal Advantages and Security:" And if his Natural Temper be covetous, and his Actions often contradict his pious Discourse, we may with great Reason conclude, that he has some other Design in his Religion besides barely getting to Heaven. But the most dangerous Hypocrite in a Common-Wealth, is one who leaves the Gospel for the sake of Law: A Man compounded of Law and Gospel, is able to cheat a whole Country with his Religion, and then destroy them under Colour of Law: and here the Clergy are in great Danger of being deceiv'd, and the People of being deceiv'd by the Clergy, until the Monster arrives to such Power and Wealth, that he is out of the reach of both, and can oppress the People without their own blind Assistance. And it is a sad Observation, that when the People too late see their Error, yet the Clergy still persist in their Encomiums on the Hypocrite; and when he happens to die for the Good of his Country, without leaving behind him the Memory of one good Action, he will be sure to have his Funeral-Sermon stuff'd with Pious Expressions which he dropt ar such a Time, and at such a Place, and on such an Occasion; than which nothing can more prejudicial to the Interest of Religion, nor indeed to the Memory of the Person deceas'd, The Reason of this Blindness

in the Clergy is, because they are honorably supported (as they ought to be) by their People, and see nor feel nothing of the Oppression which is obvious and burdensome to every one else.

But this Subject raises in me an Indignation not to be born; and if we had, or are like to have any Instances of this Nature in New-England, we cannot better manifest our Love to Religion and the Country, than by setting the Deceivers in a true Light, and undeceiving the Deceived, however such Discoveries may be represented by the ignorant or designing Enimies of our Peace and Safety.

I than conclude with a Paragraph or two from an ingenious Political Wrter in the London Journal, the better to Convince your Readers, that Publick Destruction may be easily carry'd on by hypocritical Pretenders to Religion.

"A raging Passion for immoderate Gain had made Men universally and intensely hard-hearted; They were every where devouring one another. And yet the Directors and their Accomplices, who were the acting Instruments of all this outrageous Maddnessand Mischief, set up for wonderful pious Persons, while they are defying Almighty God, and plundering Men; and they set apart a Fund of Subscriptions for charitable Use; that is, they (Illigible) made a whole People Beggars, and charitably supported a few necessitous and worthless FAVORITES. I doubt not, but if the Villany had gone on with Success, they would have had their Names handed down to Posterity with Encomiums as the Names of other publick Robbers have been! We have Historians and ODE MAKERS now living , very proper for such a task. It is most certain that most People did, at one Time, believe the Directors to be great and worthy Pesons, And an honest Country Clergyman told me last Summer, upon the Road, that Sir John was an excellent publick-spirited Person, for that he had beautified his Chancel.

Upon the whole we must not judge of one another by their best Actions; since the worst of Men do some Good, and all Men make fine Professions; But we must judge of Men by the whole of their Conduct, and the Effects of it. Thorough Honesty requires great and long Proof, since many a Man, long though honest, has at length proved a Knave. And it is from judging without Proof, or false Proof, that Mankind continue Unhappy.

I am SIR,
   Your humble Servant,
      SILENCE DOGOOD

To the Author of the New-England Courant.

SIR, If I should keep up a Correspondence with you, I should rather choose to send you some pieces out of received and approved Authors, than any thing of my own; for what has been published by others, and past the Test without offence, will keep you and I clear of Danger.

It has often Happened (says a learned and observing *Author) in a civil as well as private Life, that we will not believe the Danger of Things, till the Evil is come upon us. It puts me in mind of a Fable

in Aesop very Much a propo to the circumstances of a Country, little differing in latitude with ours.

The was a Country Fellow at Work a sowing his Grain, and a Swallow, being a Bird being famous for Providence and Foresight, called a Company of little Birds about her, and bad them take Notice what that Fellow was doing. You must know (says the Swallow) that all the Fowlers Nets and Snares are made of Hemp and Flax, and that's the Seed he is now sowing; Pick it up in Time, for fear what may come on it. In short, they put it off til it took to root, and then again til it sprung up into the Blade. Upon this the Swallow told them once for all, that it was not yet too late to prevent the Mischief, if they did but bestir themselvess, and set heartily about it; but finding no heed was given to what she said, she e'en bid adieu to her old Companions in the Woods, and so betook her self to a private Life, and to the Conversation of Men. This Flax and Hemp came in Time to be gathered and wrought, and it was the Swallow's Fortune to see several f the same Birds that the forewarned taken in the Nets, made of the same Stuff she told them of. They came at last to be sensible of the Folly of slipping the Opportunity, but they were lost beyond all Redemption first.

Good Counsel, as Sir Roger L'estangee observes, is cast away upon the Arrogant, the Self-conceited, or the stupid, who are either too proud to take it, or too heavy to understand it.

Yours, PHILANDER.

To the Author of the New-England Courant.

SIR, Boston, July 16.
The Hostilities Commtted of late, by the Eastern Savages, have occasion'd plentiful and various Discourse among us; and the great Question is, Whether it is best for us to make a War with them, or not? The chief Reasons that have been urg'd against making Was, (so far as I can learn) are threefold:

1st. Particular Gentlemen having vast Tracts of Land, have settled Families thereon Scattering, and distant from one another, and this Province is not oblig'd to be at the Charge of defending them.

2 ly. The Dammage done by the Indians, is out of this Province, and consequently does not concern us.

3 ly. The Indians have killed no body, and therefore we cannot justly make a War with them.

What weight there is in these Arguments, I will not undertake to determine: but hereby I hope I shall stir up some abler Hand to discuss this Matter, and set it in a true Light. I shall only add, that I humbly conceive it will not be for the Honour, of our KING, or the Benefit of this Province, to quit the Eastern Settlements: and, that if we should quit them, the Popish Missionaries, who have all along instigated the Indians, will not fail to set them on our Western Frontiers. Yours, & c.

We have certain Advice from the Easward (since the Date of the above Letter) that the Indians have kill'd one Man, and are daily plundering the People of their Cattle and Goods, and burning their Houses. We are likewise inform'd (by some Persons lately come from the Eastward) that Capt. Johnson Harmond, being advis'd of a Body of Indians who had burnt the Town of Brunswick, went after them with his Company the Night following, and finding them asleep, kill'd 18 of them on the Spot, with the Loss of but one of his own Men. "Tis said there was a considerable Body of Indians at a Small Distanceee, who were alarm'd by the firing; so that the English were oblig'd to take their Boats and come off.

FORIEGN AFFAIRS.

Hague, March 20. The Deputies Extraordinary of Zeland who came hither to confer with those of the States Gederal about farming the Customs, are returned home, as are also their Admiralty Commissaries,

after having left in Writing their Reasons of Diffent to Farming their Customs. The late Proposal from the Province of Holland, to fit out 5 Frigats for Safety of Commerce in the Mediterranian against the Algerines, is agreed to by the States General, and 'tis reported they will be ready to put to Sea by the first of May next.

It is said, That the Spanish Officers continue to raise Recruits in these Provinces and the Countries adjacent, and that as farsr as they are leviedd, they are shipped at Rotterdam for Bilboa.

Tturin, March 14. The 12th Instant beeing the BirthDay of her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, Mr. Molfworth his Britannick Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, entertained here several of the Nobility of both Sexes, with a very fine Concert of Mucick, and afterwards wth a Supper, where all the Company wore Leeks, in Honour to the Priness and the ancient British Nation.

Boston, July 23. Yesterday in the Afternoon came in Capt. Bennet Johns from London, 11 Weeks Passage from Gravesend, and 7 from Falmont: But we have not any Prints yet come to hand.

On Monday last a Girl was drown'd at Scarlet's Wharff, who fell in between the Ship and the Wharff. And some Day last Week a Man was very much hurt by the blowing up of a Roc, which they were oblig'd to do as they were digging a Well at Roxbury, and 'tis said his Life is dispaired of.

Custom-House, Boston, Entred Inwards. Thomas Sturges, John Stephens, Ralph Ellingwood, William Card, John Davis & William Punchard from Connecticut, Francis Frederick from Annapolis Royal, Ezekiel Bonijor, James Prince, Nicholas George, and Richard Waite from North Carolina, William Beekman from New York, William Dobbs and Elias Wair from Philadelphia, Hoshua Thomas from Virginia, Hopkin Richardson, Pink Phenix from Teneriffe, and Francis Upcot from Barnstable, Thomas Jones from St. Thomas, James Nichols, and Ebenezer Bacon from North Carolina.

Cleared Out.

Michael Bowden, Jacob Parker, Thomas Verien, and John Stephens fr New Hampshire, James Lewis and Gershan Cobb for Newport and Connecticut, Natanael Lathrop, and Miles Gale for North Carolina, Thomas Lathrop for Virginia, Roger Dench for Newfoundland, John Compton for Bermunda, David Cambie for Liverpool, Henry Dfavis, Ship Friends Adventure for London, Phillip Lewis for Surranam, Richhard Wait for North Carolina.

Outward Bound

Isaac Freeman and Thomas Sturgis for Newport & Connecticut, William Beekman for New York, William Dobbs for Pennsyvania, Ezekiel Bonijott for North Carolina, John enteman, Henry Timberlike, Ebenezer Allen, John Flucker, Andrew Dilbridge for West Indies.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

A SERVANT MAID'S TIME for TWO YEARS to be disposed of. Inquire of the Printer hereof.

A likely NEGRO WOMAN to be SOLD by Mr. Thomas Selby at the Crown ofe-House, the lower end of Kingstreet.

Ran away from his Master Mr. Josiah Franklin of Boston,Talow-Chandler, on the first of this Instant July, an Irish Man Servant, named Wiliam Tinsley, about 20 years of Age, of a middle Stature, Black Hair lately cut of, somewhat fresh-coloured Countenance, a large lower Lip, of a mean Aspect, large Legs and heavy in his going; He had on when he went away, a Felt Hat, a white knit Cap striped with red and blue, white Shirt and Neckcloth, a brown Colour'd Jacket almost new, a Frieze Coat of a dark Colour, grey Yarn Stockings, leather Breeches trim'd with Black, and round toe'd Shoes. Whosoever shall apprehend the said Runaway Servant, and him safely convey to his abovesaid Master, at the blue Ball in Union Street Boston, shal have Forty Shillings Reward, and all necessary Charges paid.