and only misled in the Duties of it, are very scarce; yet in most
Multitudes, especially of the sober Party, there are ignorant
Well-wishers to Religion, that, by proper Means, may be raised to
Devotion for a Time and of whom I have said, that tho' they were bad
Livers, they often desired to repent; and would sometimes actually set
about it, if their Passions would let them. All these an artful
Preacher may persuade to any Thing, and do with them almost what he
pleases. A bold Assurance of Victory, emphatically pronounc'd by a
popular Preacher, has often been as little doubted of among such, as
if it had been a Voice from Heaven.

Hor. I now plainly see the vast Use that may be made of Fast-Days, as
well afterwards when they are over, as during the Time they are kept.

Cleo. The Days of Supplication among the Heathens, as I hinted before,
were celebrated for the same Purpose; but their Arts to make People
believe, that the Deity was on their side, and Heaven espoused their
Cause, were very trifling in Comparison to those of Christian Divines.
When the _Pagan_ Priests had told the People, that the Chickens had eat
their Meat very well, and the Entrails of the Victim were found, and
that the Rest of the Omens were lucky, they had done, and were forced
to leave the Belief of those Things to the Soldiers. But--

Hor. You need not to say any more, for I am convinced, and have now so
clear an Idea of the Usefulness of Extraordinary Devotions, and a
great Shew of Piety, among military Men; I mean the Political
Usefulness of them, abstract from all Thoughts of Religion; that I
begin to think them necessary, and wonder, how great and wise Generals
ever would or could do without them. For it is evident, that since the
Prince of _Conde's_ and _Cromwel's_ Armies, such a Shew of Godliness has