Capacities, and sublime Speculations, that Dignifie and Distinguish themselves from the rest of the World by Specious Names, and Pompous Titles, and continue notwithstanding as very _Reptiles_ in Sense, as those they converse so much with. I wou’d not have any Body mistake me so far, as to think I wou’d in the least reflect upon any sincere, and intelligent Enquirer into Nature, of which I as heartily with a better knowledge, as any _Vertuoso_ of ’em all. You can be my Witness, _Madam_, that I us’d to say, I thought Mr. _Boyle_ more honourable for his learned Labours, than for his Noble Birth; and that the _Royal Society_, by their great and celebrated Performances, were an Illustrious Argument of the Wisdom of the _August_ Prince, their Founder of happy _Memory_; and that they highly merited the _Esteem_, _Respect_ and _Honour_ paid ’em by the Lovers of Learning all _Europe_ over. But tho’ I have a very great Veneration for the _Society_ in general, I can’t but put a vast difference between the particular Members that compose it. Were _Supererogation_ a Doctrine in Fashion, ’tis probable some of ’em might borrow of their Fellows merit enough to justifie their Arrogance, but alas they are come an Age too late for that trick; They are fallen into a Faithless, Incredulous Generation of Men that will give credit no farther than the visible Stock will extend: And tho’ a Vertuoso should swell a Title-Page even till it burst with large Promises, and sonorous Titles, the World is so ill natur’d as not to think a whit the better of a Book for it. ’Tis an ill time to trade with implicite Faith, when so many have so lately been broken by an overstock of that _Commodity_; no sooner now a days can a Man write, or steal an Hypothesis, and promise Demonstration for it hereafter in this or the next World; but out comes some malicious Answer or other, with Reasons in hand against it, overthrows the credit of it, and puts the poor Author into Fits. For though a great Philosopher that has written a Book of three Shillings may reasonably insult, and despise a six penny Answer, yet the Indignity of so low pric’d a Refutation wou’d make a _Stoick_ fret, and _Frisk_ like a Cow with a Breeze in her Tail, or a Man bitten by a _Tarantula_. Men measure themselves by their _Vanity_, and are greater or less in their own Opinions, according to the proportion they have of it; if they be well stock’d with it, it may be easie to confute, but impossible to convince ’em. He therefore that wou’d set up for a great Man, ought first to be plentifully provided of it, and then a Score of _Cockle Shells_, a dozen of _Hodmandods_, or any Trifle else is a sufficient Foundation to build a Reputation upon. But if a Man shall abdicate his lawful Calling in pure affection to these things, and has for some years spent all the Time and Money he was Master of in prosecution of this Passion, and shall after all hear his _Caterpillars_ affronted, and his _Butter-flies_ irreverently spoken of,