This abridgment was fo highly approved of by all perfons of understanding, and fincere lovers of truth, that they expreffed the strongest desire to see the whole work.

At length the happy Revolution in 1688, by the courage and good conduct of the Prince of Orange, open-ed a way for Mr. Locke's return into his own country, whither he came in the fleet which conveyed the Princefs of Orange: and, upon the restoration of public liberty, he thought it proper to affert his own private rights. He endeavoured, therefore, to procure his reftoration to his place of student of Christ Church; not that he defigned to return thither, but only that it might appear from thence that he had been unjustly deprived of it. But when he found that the College could not be prevailed on to dispoffefs the person who had been elected in his room, and that they would only admit him as a fupernumerary ftudent, he defifted from his claim. He was now at full liberty to pursue his fpeculations; and accordingly, in the year 1689, he published his "Effay on Human Understanding." This work,

which has made our Author's name immortal, and which does honour to our country, gave great offence to many people at the first publication. It was propofed, at a meeting of the heads of houses of the Univerfity of Oxford, to cenfure and difcourage the reading of it; and after various debates, among themselves, it was concluded that each head of an house should endeavour to prevent its being read in his college. The reafon of this is obvious; Mr. Locke had let in more light upon the minds of men than was confiftent with the dark defigns of fome perfons.

In the fame year, Mr. Locke alfo publifhed his "Two "Treatifes on Government," in which he fully vindicated the principles upon which " the Revolution" was founded, and entirely overturned all the doctrines of flavery.

His writings had now procured him fuch high esteem, and he had merited fo much of the government, that it would have been eafy for him to have obtained a

very confiderable poft; but he contented himself with that of "Commiffioner of Appeals," worth about 2007. per annum. He was offered to go abroad in a public character; and it was left to his choice whether he would be Envoy at the Court of the Emperor, the Elector of Brandenburg, or any other where he thought the gain moft fuitable to him; but he declined it, on account of his ill health.

About this time the public coin was very bad, having been fo much clipped, and no care used to remedy it, that it wanted about a third of its due value. The effect of this was, that the people thought themselves a great deal richer than indeed they were; for though; the coin was yet raised in its value by public authority, it was put off in trade for above a third part more than it weighed. Mr. Locke had obferved this diforder ever fince his return to England, and he frequently spoke of it, that fome meafures might be taken to prevent it. He faid, "that the nation was in greater danger "from a fecret, unobfer ved abufe, than from all those "other evils, of which perfons were generally fo ap"prehenfive; and that if care was not taken to rec"tify the coin, that irregularity alone would prove fa"tal to us, though we should fucceed in every thing "elfe." One day, when he seemed very much disturbed about this matter, fome perfons rallied him, as if he tormented himself with a groundless fear; he anfwered, "that perfons might laugh if they pleased, "but they would find in a very short time, that if care "was not taken, we should want money in England to "buy bread." And accordingly there were fuch diforders on this account, that the Parliament took the matter into the most ferious confideration. To affift the great men at the head of affairs (who are not always the best judges) to form a right understanding of this matter, and to excite them to rectify this fhameful · abufe, Mr. Locke published a little treatife, entitled, "Some Confiderations of the Confequences of the low"ering of the Intereft, and raising the Value of Mon"ey ;" in which there are many nice and curious ob

fervations on both these fubjects, as well as on trade in general. This treatife was fhortly followed by two more upon the fame fubject, in which he obviated all objections, and confuted all his oppofers.

He fully fhowed to the world by thefe difcourfes, that he was as able to reafon on trade and bufinefs as on the most abstract points of fcience, and that he was none of thofe philofophers who fpent their lives in fearch of truths merely fpeculative, and who, by their ignorance of thofe things which concern the public good, are incapable of ferving their country. Thefe writings recommended him to the notice of the greateft perfons, with whom he ufed to converfe very freely. He held weekly conferences with the Earl of Pembroke, then Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal; and when the air of London began to affect his lungs, he went for fome days to the Earl of Peterborough's feat, near Fulham, where he always met with the most friendly reception but he was obliged afterwards entirely to leave London, at least all the winter season, and go to fome place at a greater diftance. He had made frequent vifits at different times to Sir Francis Mafham's, who lived at Oates in Effex; where he found the air fo good, fo agreeable to his conftitution, and the fociety there fo delightful, that he was eafily prevailed with to become one of the family, and to fettle there during his life. He was received upon his own terms, that he might have his entire liberty; and look upon himself as at his own houfe.. Here he applied himself to his studies as much as his weak health would allow, being seldom abfent, because the air of London became more and more troublesome to him. He came to town only in the fummer for three or four months, and if he returned to Oates any thing indifpofed, the air of that place foon recovered him.

In 1693 he published his "Thoughts concerning "the Education of Children;" but he improved it confiderably afterwards.

In 1695 Mr. Locke published his treatife of "the "Reasonableness of Christianity," in which he has

proved that the Chriftian Religion, as delivered in the fcriptures, and free from all corrupt mixtures, is the moft reasonable inftitution in the world. This book was attacked by an ignorant but zealous divine, Dr. Edwards, in a very rude and fcurrilous manner. Mr. Locke anfwered Edwards, and defended his anfwer with fuch ftrength of reason, that he might justly have expected from his adverfary a public acknowledgment of his error, if he had not been one of those writers who have no more fhame than reafon in them. Mr. Locke was alfo obliged to Mr. Bolde, a worthy and pious clergyman, for vindicating his principles against the cavils of Edwards.

Some

Some time before this, Mr. Toland published a book, entitled, " Christianity not Myfterious," in which he endeavoured to prove, "that there is nothing in the "Chriftian religion not only contrary to reafon, but " even nothing above it." Mr. Toland, in explaining fome of his notions, ufed feveral arguments, from Mr. Locke's" Effay on Human Understanding." Unitarians alfo about this time published several treatifes, in which they affirmed, that there was nothing in the Chriftian religion but what was rational and intelligible; and Mr. Locke having afferted in his writings that revelation delivers nothing contrary to reafon : these things engaged Dr. Stillingfleet, the learned bithop of Worcester, to publifh a treatife, in which he endeavoured to defend the doctrine of the Trinity againft Mr. Toland and the Unitarians. In this treatife the bifhop oppofed fome of Mr. Locke's principles, judging them heretical, and favouring the above mentioned writers. Mr. Locke anfwered him, and the bifhop replied the fame year. This reply was confuted by a fecond letter of Mr. Locke's, which drew a fecond answer from the bishop in 1695. And Mr. Locke again replied in a third letter, wherein he treated more -largely of "the certainty of reafon by ideas, of the "certainty of faith, of the refurrection of the fame "body, and the immateriality of the foul." He showed the perfect agreement of his principles with the Chrif

In

tian religion, and that he had advanced nothing which had the leaft tendency to fcepticifm, which the bishop had very ignorantly charged him with. But the bishop died fome time after this, and the difpute ended. this controverfy, every body admired the strength of Mr. Locke's reasoning, his great clearness and exactnefs, both in explaining his own notions and principles, and confuting thofe of his adverfary. Nor were men of understanding less furprized, that so learned a man as the bishop should engage in a controversy, wherein he had all the difadvantages poffible; for he was by no means able to maintain his opinions against Mr. Locke, whofe reafoning he neither understood, nor the thing itself about which he difputed. This learned bishop had spent the greateft part of his time in the study of ecclefiaftical antiquities, and reading a prodigious number of books, but was no great philofopher; nor had he ever accustomed himself to that close way of thinking and reafoning in which Mr. Locke did fo highly excel. However, though our philofopher had fo great a victory over the bishop, and had reafon to complain of the bishop's unjust charges against him, and for his writing on fubjects, of which he was fo grossly ignorant; yet he did not make an infolent triumph over his ignorance, but in the confutation of his errors treated him with great refpect. He fhows, indeed, that the bishop did not understand the subject he wrote about and that he was very incorrect and inaccurate in his expreffions: but he rather infinuates this, by producing the bishop's own words, and leaving his readers to judge, than reflect on him for it. In fhort, never was a controverfy managed with fo much fkill and art on one fide, nor on the other, fo unjustly, confufedly, or fo little to the credit of the author. Time, which is the best judge of things, has abundantly manifefted this. The bishop's writings on that fubject are neglected, and buried in oblivion; but those of our author will live for ever.

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In 1695, Mr. Locke was appointed one of the Commiffioners of Trade and Plantations, a place worth 1000L