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Poem
September 15, 1774
The Virginia Gazette
Richmond, Williamsburg, Richmond County, Virginia
What is this article about?
Satirical poem deriding a freethinker's rejection of the Bible, bishops, and Christian apologists like Conybeare and Sherlock, favoring reason, passions, and natural laws akin to animal instincts, while equating liberty with license and denying afterlife pleasures.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
The FREETHINKER'S FAITH.
An Esquire born, a Templar bred;
The Bible I have never read.
Your Bishops, down from Paul to Grindal.
Are asses all to Hobbes and Tindal;
Toland's and Woolston's Words are better
Than any testimonial Letter.
My Reason to my Will subsides,
And then my Passions are my Guides.
Let Conybeare or Sherlock write,
With Leland, for the Gospel Light;
Such Books as theirs I never handle,
The Law of Nature is my Candle.
The Law which most my Temper suits,
I claim in common with the Brutes;
The law of Whoring, Eating, Drinking,
The just Result of fair Freethinking.
True British Liberty, in my Sense,
Is but another Word for License;
For, though the Clergy would corrupt us,
Post Mortem nulla est Voluptas.
And with this Thought my Heart I cherish,
Proud Man is like the Beasts that perish.
An Esquire born, a Templar bred;
The Bible I have never read.
Your Bishops, down from Paul to Grindal.
Are asses all to Hobbes and Tindal;
Toland's and Woolston's Words are better
Than any testimonial Letter.
My Reason to my Will subsides,
And then my Passions are my Guides.
Let Conybeare or Sherlock write,
With Leland, for the Gospel Light;
Such Books as theirs I never handle,
The Law of Nature is my Candle.
The Law which most my Temper suits,
I claim in common with the Brutes;
The law of Whoring, Eating, Drinking,
The just Result of fair Freethinking.
True British Liberty, in my Sense,
Is but another Word for License;
For, though the Clergy would corrupt us,
Post Mortem nulla est Voluptas.
And with this Thought my Heart I cherish,
Proud Man is like the Beasts that perish.
What sub-type of article is it?
Satire
What themes does it cover?
Satire Society
Religious Faith
What keywords are associated?
Freethinker
Faith
Satire
Bible
Bishops
Reason
Liberty
License
Poem Details
Title
The Freethinker's Faith.
Key Lines
The Bible I Have Never Read.
Your Bishops, Down From Paul To Grindal.
Are Asses All To Hobbes And Tindal;
The Law Of Nature Is My Candle.
True British Liberty, In My Sense,
Is But Another Word For License;
Proud Man Is Like The Beasts That Perish.