[A Romish
missionary must, with a very bad grace, blame the Jugglers, for what
himself makes such a point of religion in his _auricular confession_.
Even the appellation of _Juggler_ is not amiss applicable to those of
their craft, considering all their tricks and mummery not a whit
superior to those of these poor savages, in the eyes of common-sense.
Who does not know, that the low-burlesque word of _Hocus-pocus_, is an
humorous corruption of their _Hoc est corpus meum_, by virtue of which,
they make a _God_ out of a vile wafer, and think it finely solved, by
calling it a _mystery_, which, by the way is but another name for
_nonsense_. Is there any thing amongst the savages half so absurd or so
impious?] To this purpose he gets up, laments, and bitterly inveighs
against the bad dispositions of those of the assistants, whose fault it
was, that the effects of his art were obstructed. Then going round the
company, he obliges them to whisper him in the ear, whatever held the
first place in their minds; and the simplicity of the greater number is
such, as to make them reveal to him what it would be more prudent to
conceal.
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