The Virginia Gazette

To the PRINTER.

Mr. HUNTER,

OUR commendable Readiness to transmit to the Public whatever may be of public Service, together with the Request of my Correspondent, prompts me to send you the following Letter; which you may publish, if you please, without offending him, or

Your constant Reader,

B. M.

Gens humana ruit per vetitum nefas. Hor. Od. 4. Lib. 1.

Acrior admonitu e; irritaturq; retenta

Et crecit rabies : Remoraminaq; ipa nocebant. Ov. Met. Lib. 4

SIR,

I am surprised that a Gentleman sustaining the Character of a B
dash and a M
dash te, should require my Assistance to convince you of the Reasonableness and Equity of Some Laws of considerable Antiquity, in this Colony, which were designed to restrain some Prac
tices, that, according to the Dialect of our superstitious Ancestors, and the Prejudices of their Education, were called Extravagancies, or Impieties ; but now, in this refined Age, are become Parts of Politeness and Good
dash Breeding.— You urge, " That tender Consciences are unhappily opprest and hampered with the Acts that have been past against Blasphemy, Swearing, Drunkenness, and Gaming; without which Ornaments our

" Gentlemen would be as much out of the Fashion, as if they should

"conform in their Dress to the starched Simplicity of our Fore
dash fathers:

" And that our present Legislators have not discovered such a generous Zeal

" for patronizing Liberty, as to free us from these popish Impositions; which

affords some bigotted Precisians a Handle to plead, that these Acts are still

" in Force."You complain, " that the Reformation from Popery is but

" imperfect, while Protestants are laid under such antichristian Restraints ;"

and seem to prophesy, " that this will, in the End, bring in the Preten
dash der."

My Respects to you, (Sir) prompt me to communicate my Sentiments,

upon your Invitation, with the utmost Freedom, in order to extricate you

out of this Difficulty. and to vindicate the Honour of our Laws.
dash But

I must introduce myself with this Request, that you would not count my

Arguments invalid, meerly because they may not be expressed in the Man
dash ner which is common to many of our modern Gentlemen. It was my

Unhappiness not to have so much Money, when at College, as to pur
dash chase an A. B. or an A. M. to be annexed to my Name, without Learn
dash ing ; and so perverse and pedantic has been my Temper ever since, that

I have spent ten times more Time in poring over a Book, than in shuffling

a Pack of Cards ; and had more Pleasure in Logic or Grammar, than in

Dice or Cock
dash fighting, notwithstanding the many laudable Examples set be
dash fore me, in Favour of the latter, by so many Gentlemen.I therefore

hope your Pardon. if I should shew more of the Scholar than of the Gen
dash tleman in my Writing; · if I should happen so far to conform to the Vulgar,

as to speak common Sense ; if I should spell right; or be so pedantic, as to

write grammatical English.— This Request I thought necessary to premise,

lest you Should disregard what I offer, for trifling Faults.

You must grant, that it is not beneath the Wisdom of a Legislature, to

pass such Laws as tend to encreaseand heighten the Sweetnes and Relish

of the Pleasures of a Nation : for you know, Sir, the Happiness of Man
dash kind is the End of Government:And you must also grant, That many

Gentlemen of Distinction would live a most uncomfortable Life, and piti
dash fully groan under the Burden of superfluous Time, were it not for the

Pleasures prohibited by the Acts you mention. You are sensible, Sir, by

Experience, how cumberome the Tongue would be, were it always con
dash fined to plain Sense, without sporting it self with those Things which are ac
dash counted sacred by Persons of mean Education. How are the Hands, which

otherwise would stiffen for want of Motion, invigorated at Cards or Dice?

And the Palate refreshed with what you call a hearty Drink, and others ex
dash cessive Drinking?
dash Now,Sir, I appeal to your self, and all the Gen
dash tlemen that adopt your Objection, Whether you don't find the Sweetnes

of these Things sensibly heightened, by the Consideration, that they are

forbidden ?
dash I confess I am such a Rustic, that I can't perceive any

more intrinsic Pleasure in mentioning the Name of God prophanely, by

Way of an Oath, than there is in mentioning it solemnly, by Way of

Adoration: nor have the Words Devil, Damnation, and others that pass

for polite Tropes, any more Beauty in my View, than Gibberish, Hocus

pocus, or Abracadabra. When Vomiting is occasioned by excessive Drink
dash ing, I see nothing more polite, or more relishing in it, than if it were oc
dash casioned by a Dose of Physick.
dash These Practices, therefore, would be

disagreeable and insipid, were they not recommended and relished by a

Prohibition. If Prayer was forbidden, and Blasphemy and Swearing com
dash manded, our Country would swarm with praying Fellows, as it is now po
dash litely replenished with swearing and blaspheming G
dash n; and Gaming

would be as ungentleman
dash like as planting Tobacco, if it were enjoined by

Authority, as the latter virtually is.
dash Does not the Scripture also con
dash firm this, when it says, Stolen Waters are sweet: And, Sin took Occasion by

the Commandment ; for without the Law, Sin was dead.

This Argument must extort from you this Concession, that these Acts

are of public Benefit, and ought to be continued in Force, because they

add a peculiar Relish to one principal Branch of the Pleasures of our

Country. And indeed, Sir, considering how many valuable Practices are

daily declining among us, it were to be wished, that some public spirited

Gentlemen would prepare a Bill for laying them under the strongest Pro
dash hibitions.

Let me next tell you, That your main Objection against these Acts, is

entirely groundless; for, Sir, produce me one Instance, if you can, that

has suffered in Body, Estate, or Character, for exempting his Conscience

from these Impositions ? Has not the Swearer all that Liberty or his

Tongue, which a generous Protestant can desire? Has not the Drunkard

full Toleration to stand or fall, reel or go forward, or put himself into

any Posture or Motion he pleases ?
dash Suppose a Foreigner, unacquainted

with our Laws, should come into one of our public Assemblies, what ima
ginable Temptation could he have to think, that Swearing, Drunkenness,

&c. are authoritatively forbidden by our Legislature ? Might he not see

a free People swearing and reeling, cursing and gaming, in Presence of the

M
dash te, to whom the Execution of the Law is intrusted ? And the

good
dash natured F
dash ce:assuring them of Exemption, by doing the same

Things himself ?
dash You also know, Sir, that your living above the Re
dash straints of these Acts, has never occasioned you the Loss of one Vote at an

Election, nor prevented your ascending the Bench in Court, under the Cha
dash racter of Worshipful.
dash I can't, therefore, avoid taxing you with Ingrati
dash tude, for complaining of Restraints and Impositions, when you enjoy so

unbounded a Liberty; and when Protestant Dissenters of all Denominations,

(I mean such as protest against Morality, and dissent from Sobriety) are fully

tolerated.

In the third Place, You must own, Sir, That that is serviceable, which.

without Detriment to Body or Estate, affords us Opportunities of disco
dash vering our generous and mild Disposition towards Offenders, and of lay
dash ing Mankind under Obligations to us.
dash Now, Sir, if these Acts were re
dash pealed, it would deprive you, as a M
dash te, of such Opportunitiesz

and the universal Approbation of your Clemency and Indulgence, which

you so much glory in, would cease : For, if Swearing, Drunkenness, and

Gaming were not prohibited, none would account it an Act of Indulgence

in you, not to punish them; nor would any one thank you for Liberty to.

indulge himself in these Gratifications; and consequently, it would be out

of your Power to ingratiate yourself with your Neighbours, and lay them

under such Obligations to you.

Again, You know, Sir, that great Spirits are always fond of Opportu
dash nities to Shew their Valour and Magnanimity : And as strong Men will

voluntarily put themselves under heavy Burdens, to display their Ability to

cast them off; or as Sampson is said tohave suffered his Wife to bind him

for Experiment of his Strength : So our great spirited Gentlemen are fond

of shewing their Courage, in encountering the Authority of the Legisla
dash ture, and breaking thro'the Cob
dash Webb of Law, to demonstrate that such

noble Minds will stoop to no Restraints : which valuable End could not be

obtained, were these Laws repealed.
dash Besides, this is a Kind of military

Discipline, to prepare them to oppose a foreign Invader; for when they

have been inured to oppose the Restraints of domestic Authority, sure they

will not submit to the Impositions of a foreign Power; and consequently.

your Apprehensions, that these Acts do endanger the Protestant Religion, and

may tend to bring in the Pretender, are really groundless.

I might add, That these Laws may be improved as Histories, to inform

us of the Sentiments and Practices of our bigotted Ancestors ; with

whom it seems to have been the Custom to enumerate good Sense, Morality,

and Reverence to the Deity, among the Ornaments or Constituents of a

Gentleman.

I presume Sir, that by this Time you are convinced of the Invalidity of

your Objections; and therefore, lest I should deprive you of being edified

at a C
dash k F
dash t, or H
dash se R
dash ce, I conclude; assuring you that I am

Sir,

Your sincere, tho' unpolite, Friend.

March 10, 1750
dash 1.

B. M.

P. S. Pray, Sir, don't reject my Reasonings, meerly because they are

not ratified with the modern SEAL of Oaths and Curses.