of the following hiftory, among the ancient Sects in Religion, in distant and remote parts of the world, among the rude Barbarians, in that dark and unenlightened age, when a blind ignorance prevailed in their untutored. mind, joined with a mixture of enthusiasm and fuperftition, involved in idolatry, wickednefs, and immorality, the natural confequence of that ignorance which then overfpread the face of the earth. It is lefs (I fay) to be wondered at, when we read in history of whole nations degrading human nature into that of beafts. The Cynics laying afide all the natural restraints of fhame and modefty, commit their unnatural lufts openly. *One of our greatest philofophers maintaining the doctrine of men having their wives in common and another teaching the worst of inceft, that of fathers with their daughters, and the Stoicks affirming that no word or fpeech of any kind, ought to be cenfured or

avoided as filthy or obfcene. And ‡ another great writer tells us of the philosophers of his time that the most notorious vices were fcreened under the fpecious vail of religion, and that they did not labour to maintain the character of philofophers, by any virtuous actions, or modeft deportment, but concealed their vicious lives, under an auftere countenance, and a habit different from the reft of the world.

It may not be amifs, by way of preface, to take a fummary view, in a most concise manner, of all the prevailing religions in the world, which, in the ensuing pages, are so accurately delineated, and which conftitute the fubject of the following work. In order to which I shall divide them into four parts, and speak firft of

EUROPE.

IN Great Britain and Ireland, and the

territories

a 2 Quintillian.

territories thereunto belonging, the Refor med Religion is univerfally established, and in England and Ireland, the Epifcopal government is obferved; but in Scotland, Prefbytery; though in all, there is the indulgence of other perfuafions publicly allowed. The Inquifition has fo great an influence in Italy, and those Isles, that no Heretics are publicly allowed to dwell there, and all of them are called fo, who difown the Pope for their head, and refuse to submit to all the fuperftitions of the church of Rome; only fome Jews are tolerated, and for which they pay a tribute to the Pope, throughout the ecclefiaftical territories; the Venetians tolerate no Jews; in Naples, a few profeffors of the religion of the Greek church are allowed: Sicily, Sardinia, and Malta, permit no profeffion but that of the Roman Catholics: Dalmatia is partly poffeffed by the Venetians, and partly by the Turks the Republic of Ragufa pay tribute

to

to the Turks, but are of the Romish church, and have an archbishop of their own: the Islanders of Corfu, though subject to the Venetians, are of the Greek church: the isle of Candia is under the dominion of the Turks, but befides Mahometans, there are Roman Catholics, Greeks, and Jews, who pay tribute for their liberty. In Spain and Portugal the Inquifition is fo rigid, that none but Romanifts are tolerated. In France they are univerfally Romanifts, and alfo in all those parts of the Netherlands that belong to France or Spain. In the states of Holland, the Reformed Religion, following Calvin, is most universal, though all other opinions are tolerated, whether, Jews, Papists, or Lutherans, only the Papifts are not allowed the open and public exercise of their religion, but the others are allowed to build. fynagogues, churches, &c. At Geneva the Reformed Religion is general. Of the Thirteen Swiss Cantons, five are Romanifts, the others

a 3

others either Calvinifts or Zuinglians, and in moft a mixture of Romanists and Reformed. Germany has almoft as many profeffors as there are princes, ftates, and free cities; but the Emperor is a Roman Catholic, but Lutheranifm is moft countenanced by authority: Calvinifm is the most profeffed in the Palatinates, in the country of Heffe, the dutchy of Wirtembourg, and the Hans towns; Hungary is partly Roman Catholics, and partly Lutherans, and a great number of Arians: Poland is generally Catholics, excepting in Lower Poland, where there are fome Proteftants and in the provinces bordering upon Hungary, Moravia, and Silefia, and thofe advancing towards the fouth and Levant, are generally of the Greek church: Tranfilvania has all forts, but feweft of the Romanifts: Swedeland and Denmark are commonly filed Lutherans.

1

The Mufco

vites follow the Greek church, and though they have a patriarch at Mofcow, yet they