ion as has since
happened; and he is very much wronged by the common Voice of the Town,
if he has not found it as hard to excuse himself from entring into
Publick Employments in this Reign, as in that of the late King
_Charles_.

For my own part, I can profess with the greatest Truth in the world,
That before this Libel of _De Cros_, I have never met with in all my
Conversation and Reading, with the least Reproach from any man against
Sir _W. T._ except it be in one point; Of his having made too rashly, or
kept too obstinately, his Resolution, Never to enter again into Publick
Employments; especially since he lives in an Age where such persons as
he appears to be by his Writings, might be of so uncommon use and
Advantage to his Country: This I cannot but own, I have often heard
said, and that somewhat warmly, to his charge, and must leave it to
himself to clear it as he can. But however, _De Cros_ it seems knows his
thought best, and must be believed in all he says upon this Point, as
well as the rest: And I only wish, since the Spark is so good at
finding out what other men think, that he would take the pains to learn
for his comfort what all men think of him: One thing I am sure is, that
with all the Bloaches of his dirty Pencil, he has daub'd up a Picture of
Sir _W. T._ which has top-fil'd the measure of all Forgery; _Sed Vetitum
nihil est scheleri_, and which is as true and like the Original, as a
man would make of this Dauber, if he should say, _De Cros_ were a very
honest, worthy, well-natur'd, well-bred, fair-spoken, plain-dealing,
ingenious Writer; of excellent Morals, wondrous Wit, and exact Truth.

And now I have done with him, I can hardly answer it to my self why I
ever began, or why I went about to foul my fingers with such a Subject:
I am sure nothing could have forced me but an irresistible Impulse, and
some natural love I bear to Vertue, to Learning, and to Truth; of all
which I find so great a share in this Honourable person's Writings,
which I have read so often, and with so much pleasure; and from which I
cannot but confess to have learnt more than from all other Books I have
read in my life; which I say after much greater and better Readers than
my self, and yet I have been a great Porer too. All this would not
suffer me to let _De Cros_'s Libel pass without these Reflections; for
as to any regular Reply, it could no more be made to this, than to a
Paper that comes with a very fair Superscription, a