Page:Terræ-filius- or, the Secret History of the University of Oxford.djvu/155

 xxf. Terre-Filis. 9 I am glad that, n �ome eol!ege in oxlgrd, thi, reformation o learning is alreaqy begun l where, I hmr, it is ufual For the tutors, in.their leres-u on man points oF phiioFophy, to tell their pup& j in the -fchools, they mu hold nch a fide of the argument; but thai the ottier fide is demonSably the right fide. - 1[ tNs hon 'fpirit oF reformation ould pre- vail, we might cx ro f 'plain truth and finre knowledge flouri in our uni,erfities, infid of f Iraming and di!uis'd ignormce. But, fay, the rigid difciplinarian, flalI we have no ted rule tb go by ? no fix'd method o deciding our difputes ? What endle animofities and quaeN lI arit amongtt ignorant and obfiinate men, i we  all k to our own licentious iminatio and anrerain' judgments? To 'this I anfw that if we have any dated rule 0r fixed method off deciding difputes, bdes the force of truth and conviSion, we had as gd not ifpute at all if rotk i to  our go[pel, let us en turn to the words of otle, and not rend the ripatetiek ehch with nelefi fchifms and di- vifions, , But if an unigertl lerty were altow'd to fleNte un all fubjeas with ceom and imrtifli, I tould pot be in any gr=t pain for the coafequence. It is, indeed. pretended, that rivtle's authority was fir f all eabh'd, to pre'ent thole quarr!ls and =kirmies which us'd frequently to happen m the univerfiries twecn different parties of.fcholars, ho mntain'd ,dit onions, and fcorn'd to yield eith= of them to the or'her; in which eat they utd to adjoin from the fhoMs into rome neighMuting field, n8 h=e fini th:-ir ebate with more convincing argum:nts, and more?an- fwerable lgmt. In

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