And first, how came it into your minds that a man can be an atheist, I mean an atheist in his conscience? I know that David confesseth of himself, upon sight of the prosperity of the wicked, that his feet had almost slipped, that is, that he had slipped into a short doubtfulness of the Divine Providence. And if anything else can cause a man to slip in the same kind, it is the seeing such as you (who though you write nothing but what is dictated to each of you by a doctor of divinity) do break the greatest of God’s commandments, which is charity, in every line before his face. And though such forgettings of God be somewhat more than short doubtings, and sudden transportations incident to human passion, yet I do not for that cause think you atheists and enemies of religion, but only ignorant and imprudent Christians. But how, I say, could you think me an atheist, unless it were because finding your doubts of the Deity more frequent than other men do, you are thereby the apter to fall upon that kind of reproach? Wherein you are like women of poor and evil education when they scold; amongst whom the readiest disgraceful word is whore: why not thief, or any other ill name, but because, when they remember themselves, they think that reproach the likeliest to be true? Secondly, tell me what crime it was which the Latins called by the name of _scelus_? You think not, unless you be Stoics, that all crimes are equal. _Scelus_ was never used but for a crime of greatest mischief, as the taking away of life and honour; and besides, basely acted, as by some clandestine way, or by such a way as might be covered with a lie. But when you insinuate in a writing published that I am an atheist, you make yourselves authors to the multitude, and do all you can to stir them up to attempt upon my life; and if it succeed, then to sneak out of it by leaving the fault on them that are but actors. This is to endeavour great mischief basely, and therefore _scelus_. Again, to deprive a man of the honour he hath merited, is no little wickedness; and this you endeavour to do by publishing falsely that I challenge as my own the inventions of other men. This is therefore _scelus_ publicly to tell all the world that I will be angry with all men that do not presently submit to my dictates; to deprive me of the friendship of all the world; great damage, and a lie, and yours. For to publish any untruth of another man to his disgrace, on hearsay from his enemy, is the same fault as if he published it on his own credit. If I should say I have heard that Dr. Wallis was esteemed at Oxford for a simple fellow, and much inferior to his fellow-professor Dr. Ward (as indeed I have heard, but do not believe it), though this be no great disgrace to Dr. Wallis, yet he would think I did him injury. Therefore public accusation upon hearsay is _scelus_. And whosoever does any of these things does _sceleratè_. But you the professors of the mathematics at Oxford, by the