esides the History of his Works, several
extraordinary Characters of Men and Books, Sects, Parties, and
Opinions." This work being violently opposed, was speedily followed
by "Amyntor," or a defence of Milton's life, containing--1. A general
apology for all writings of that kind. 2. A catalogue of books,
attributed in the primitive times to Jesus Christ, his apostles, and
other eminent persons, with several important remarks relating to the
canon of Scripture. 3. A complete history of the Book, entitled "Icon
Basilike, proving Dr. Gauden, and not King Charles I., to be the author
of it," etc. Those works established the fame of Toland, as well as
formed the groundwork for persecution, which hunted him even on his
death-bed. In the year 1699 Toland collected, edited, and published,
from the original MSS., the whole of the works of James Harrington,
prefixed by a memoir of this extraordinary theorist. In his preface he
says that he composed this work "in his beloved retirement at Cannon,
near Bansted, in Surrey." From this, along with other excerpts scattered
through his works, we cannot but infer that at the outset of his
career he possessed a moderate competence of worldly wealth and social
position. He says his idea was "to transmit to posterity the worthy
memory of James Harrington, a bright ornament to useful learning, a
hearty lover of his native country, and a generous benefactor to the
whole world; a person who obscured the false lustre of our modern
politicians, and equalled (if not exceeded) all the ancient
legislators." This to us is an interesting fact, for it shows the early
unanimity which existed between the earlier reformers in politics and
those of theology. The supervision of the "Oceana" by Toland, bears the
same inferential analogy, as if Mr. Holyoake were the biographer and
publisher of the "New Moral World" and its author. In 1700, he published
"Anglia Libera; or, the Limitation and Succession of the Crown of
England, explained and Asserted," etc. This book is concluded by the
following apothegm, assuring the people "that no king can ever be so
good as one of their own making, as there is no title equal to their
approbation, which is the only divine right of all magistracy, for the
voice of the people is the voice of God." In 1702, Toland spent some
time in Germany, publish-ing a series of Letters to a friend in
Holland, entitled "Some Remarks on the King of Prussia's Country, on
his Government, his C