t of religion) that the applying the money granted
"to accomplish so excellent a design,"[4] would, in their opinion, be the
most effectual way of carrying on the war; that it would (to use their
own words) "be a means of drawing down blessings on her Majesty's
undertakings, as it adds to the number of those places, where the prayers
of her devout and faithful subjects, will be daily offered up to God, for
the prosperity of her government at home, and the success of her arms
abroad."

I am sometimes hoping, that we are not naturally so bad a people, as we
have appeared for some years past. Faction, in order to support itself,
is generally forced to make use of such abominable instruments, that as
long as it prevails, the genius of a nation is overpressed, and cannot
appear to exert itself: but when _that_ is broke and suppressed, when
things return to the old course, mankind will naturally fall to act from
principles of reason and religion. The Romans, upon a great victory, or
escape from public danger, frequently built a temple in honour of some
god, to whose peculiar favour they imputed their success or delivery: and
sometimes the general did the like, _at his own expense_, to acquit
himself of some pious vow he had made. How little of any thing resembling
this hath been done by us after all our victories! and perhaps for that
reason, among others, they have turned to so little account. But what
could we expect? We acted all along as if we believed nothing of a God or
His providence; and therefore it was consistent to offer up our edifices
only to those, whom we looked upon as givers of all victory, in His
stead.

I have computed, that fifty churches may be built by a medium, at six
thousand pound for a church; which is somewhat _under_ the price of a
subject's palace: yet perhaps the care of above two hundred thousand
souls, with the benefit of their prayers for the prosperity of their
Queen and country, may be almost put in the balance with the domestic
convenience, or even magnificence of any subject whatsoever.

Sir William Petty, who under the name of Captain Graunt, published some
observations upon bills of mortality about five years after the
Restoration;[5] tells us, the parishes in London, were even then so
unequally divided, that some were two hundred times larger than others.
Since that time, the increase of trade, the frequency of Parliaments, the
desire of living in the metropolis, together with that ge