TO LAN D. 597 writings of the New Testament. This induced an attempt to vindicate himself in “Amyntor; or, a Defence of Milton's Life;” which he afterwards asserted was intended not to invalidate, but to illustrate and confirm, the canon of the Scriptures; but on which it was regarded as so direct an attack, as to call for severe animadversion from Dr. Samuel Clarke, and many other learned divines. In 1701, the lower House of Convocation having ap pointed a committee to examine impious, heretical, and immoral books, they extracted five propositions from his “Christianity not mysterious,” on which they resolved, that “in their judgment, the said book contained perni cious principles, of dangerous consequence to the Christian religion; that it tended, and (as they conceived) was written on a design, to subvert the fundamental articles of the Christian faith; and that the propositions extracted from i t , together with divers others o f the same nature, were pernicious, dangerous, scandalous, and destructive o f Christianity.” On reporting this resolution t o the upper House, i t was unanimously determined t o proceed against the author; which was however dropped o n the opinions. o f several lawyers, that the House had not sufficient autho rity, without a license from the king, t o censure judicially any such publication. This was a source o f much triumph t o Toland, who, i n his “Vindicius Liberus,” gave full scope t o his vanity, and removed much o f the disguise under which h e had previously concealed many o f his principles both religious and political. Since his arrival i n England h e had taken a considerable share i n the war o f pamphlets, which had a t that time risen t o s o great a height; and o n the passing o f the act o f settlement i n June 1701, h e published his “Anglia Libera.” The Earl o f Macclesfield, being sent over t o Hanover with the act, Toland attended him there; and having presented his “Anglia Libera,” t o her electoral highness, was the first who had the honour o f kissing her hand upon the act o f succession. He remained a t her court five o r six weeks, and o n his departure was presented with gold medals, and
