In short, thou’rt like a common shore, Filling and emptying, never pure From pride, or pomp, or sin: That, (speak they truth who say they know,) With all thy _scavengers_ can do, They cannot keep thee clean.” The second canto, which consists of 363 stanzas, is devoted to the Church’s “Divine right” to take tithes, and to enact, and to enforce laws, in reference to Easter dues, leases, etc.; to impose creeds; to preach; and to give sacraments. The following are the second and third verses. “This _sprite_ unseen, whence does it spring? Is it a beggar or a king? Or vile hermaphrodite? To me _this_ seems to be its sex; It sometimes asks, and sometimes takes, Careless of _wrong_ or _right_. I think its source is easy traced, As are its claims in order placed, Its furniture and crests; A blended spawn of Church and State, Its father—_Constantine_ the _Great_, Its dam—the pride of priests.” The third canto is principally devoted to preachers and preaching; the fourth to christenings, confirmations, Church emoluments, the Lisbon earthquake, and England’s danger. No one will agree with all the author’s sentiments; but all must admit the pungency and power of his withering wit. Space forbids the insertion of lengthened extracts from Edward Perronet’s suppressed production; but the following are fair specimens of its style and spirit. To express the indignation and disgust of a Churchman at the thought of receiving the sacrament from a lay preacher, whose call to preach is as much Divine as is that of the preacher episcopally ordained, the poet writes,— “What, take the ordinance from them! O, what a frenzy of a dream! Nor _deacon_ nor a priest! Sooner renounce our _grace_ or friends, Than take it from _their_ fingers’ ends! A lay, unhallowed beast!” Perronet, in a note, denounces the doctrine of the Lord’s supper being “a sacrifice”; and says, so long as this delusion is maintained, the sacrament must be administered by priests, and by priests only. He writes: “only reduce this _simple_ institution to its _primitive_ and _scriptural_ standard, and then, a handful of _private_ individuals, or a single family, may communicate, as the Christians did of old, and the _sacrament_ (so called) become, once more, _literally_, a daily sacrifice of _prayer_ and _thanksgiving_.” (Page 128.) In another note (page 235), after referring to a book entitled, “The Dissenting Gentleman’s Answer to the Rev. Mr. White,” he says: “I was born, and am like to die in the tottering _communion_ of the Church of England; but I despise her nonsense; and thank God, that I have once read a book, that no fool _can_ answer, and that no _honest_ man _will_.” He then proceeds to pronounce the Church’s doom. The reader must be satisfied with two stanzas only.