Volume 2 > Half-Volume 4

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length, in A Defence of a Book entitled the Snake in
the Grass. This again provoked a host of answers,
amongst which was one by the Quakers entitled A
Switch for the Snake. To this Mr. Leslie again re-
plied, in A Second Defence, or the Third and Last
Part of the Snake in the Grass.
The most celebrated works of Mr. Leslie, though
these just enumerated discovered singular ability,
were those which he wrote against the Deists. The
first of these was published in 1697 in a letter to a
friend, and was entitled A Short and Easy Method
with the Deists. The friend alluded to in the title
was a lady, though the work bears that it was a
gentleman. Having been thrown accidentally into
the company of infidels, she applied to Mr. Leslie
for "some short topic of reason, without running to
authorities and the intricate mazes of learning." The
treatise was effectual, and Mr. Leslie, although it
was not his original intention, was prevailed upon to
publish it. This work he enlarged considerably in
a second edition. No answer appeared to the Short
and Easy Method till 1710, when it was replied to
in a treatise entitled A Detection of the True Mean-
ing and Wicked Designs of a Book entitled, &c.
Mr. Leslie replied to this attack in The Truth of
Christianity Demonstrated, to which was prefixed A
Vindication of the Short Method with the Deists.
These works against Deism produced a powerful
effect, and amongst others the conversion of a person
of the name of Gildon, who had acquired consider-
able celebrity as a member of that persuasion. This
man not only professed himself convinced of his
errors, and publicly retracted them, but wrote a book
against the opinions which he had formerly enter-
tained, entitled The Deist's Manual, or a Rational
Inquiry into the Christian Religion.
Encouraged by the success of his attack on Deism,
Mr. Leslie in 1699 produced his Short Method with
the Jews, a work which was first suggested by a
similar circumstance with that which had given rise
to his Short Method with the Deists. An eminent
Jew had been converted by his reasoning, and had
intimated his intention of publicly owning his con-
viction. The convert, however, died during Mr.
Leslie's absence, without exhibiting the recantation
which he had proposed.
The next controversy in which Mr. Leslie was en-
gaged was with the Socinians. It began in 1694.
In 1697 he published the first of the six dialogues,
entitled The Socinian Controversy Discussed. This
was answered in a short tract, entitled Remarks on
Mr, Charles Leslies First Dialogue on the Socinian
Controversy. Mr. Leslie replied, and was again
answered by his opponent in A Vindication of the
Remarks. Mr. Leslie now published A Reply to the
Vindication, and with this ended the first part of the
controversy.
His principal works against the Papists were, "The
True Nature of the Catholic Church, in answer to the
Bishop of Meaux's Letter to Mr. Nelson," printed
in 1703; The Case Stated between the Church of Rome
and the Church of England, published in 1713; and
Of Private Judgment and Authority in Matters of
Faith. These works are said to have made several
converts from Popery.
Although thus earnestly and laboriously employed
in the cause of religion, Mr. Leslie did not neglect
the interests, so far as any efforts of his could serve
them, of the exiled family. He wrote several poli-
tical tracts during this period, and made several
journeys to Bar le Due, to visit the Pretender, who
was then residing there. These journeys, however,
and his political treatises, especially one entitled
The Good Old Cause, published in 1710, gave such
offence to the ruling party, that it is said a warrant
for his apprehension was actually issued against him.
However this may be, he found it necessary to quit
the kingdom in 1713, when he proceeded to Bar le
Duc, and took up his residence by invitation with
the Pretender, who procured a room to be fitted up
for him in his own house. While here Mr. Leslie
was permitted to officiate in a private chapel after
the manner of the Church of England, and it is even
said that the Pretender had promised to listen to his
arguments concerning his religion, and that Mr.
Leslie had in vain endeavoured his conversion. This,
however, is contradicted by Lord Bolingbroke, who
asserts that he not only refused to listen to Mr.
Leslie, but forbade all discussion on religious mat-
ters. Notwithstanding of this, however, and of
several other subjects of dissatisfaction with the
Chevalier, whose conduct towards him does not ap-
pear to have been altogether adjusted to his deserts,
Mr. Leslie continued to remain with him, and in
1716 accompanied him into Italy after his unsuccess-
ful attempt upon England. Here he remained till
1721, when he found his situation so exceedingly dis-
agreeable that he determined on returning to his
native country. This he accomplished, but died in
the following year, on the 13th April, in his own
house at Glaslough, in the county of Monaghan.
The list of Mr. Leslie's works, political and theo-
logical, is exceedingly voluminous. The theological
works, in seven volumes, were printed in 1832 at the
Oxford university press.
LESLIE, JOHN, Bishop of Ross, and distinguished
for his indefatigable exertions in behalf of Queen
Mary, was born in 1526, being the son of Gavin
Leslie, an eminent lawyer descended from the
Barons of Balquhain, one of the most respectable
branches of the ancient family of Leslie. He re-
ceived his education at the university of Aberdeen,
and in 1547 was made canon of the cathedral church
of that diocese. He subsequently pursued his studies
in the universities of Toulouse, Poictiers, and Paris,
at which last place he took the degree of Doctor of
Laws. In 1554 he was ordered home by the queen-
regent, and made official and vicar-general of the
diocese of Aberdeen. In the turmoil of the Refor-
mation, which soon after commenced, Leslie became
a noted champion of the Romish faith, and appeared
on that side in the famous disputation at Edinburgh
in 1560. When it was resolved to bring over the
young queen from France to assume the government
of her native country, Leslie was the chief deputy
sent to her by the Catholics, to gain her exclusive
favour for that party; but though he had the dex-
terity to arrive before the Protestant deputation, he
was not successful. Leslie, however, returned to
Scotland in the queen's company, and was appointed
by her a privy-councillor and one of the senators of
the College of Justice. In 1564 the abbey of Lin-
dores was conferred upon him, and he was soon
after promoted to the bishopric of Ross; offices
catholic in form, but which now referred to little
more than certain temporalities to which they con-
ferred a title. Leslie was one of the sixteen com-
missioners appointed in this reign to revise the Scot-
tish laws, and it was chiefly owing to his care that
the volume of the acts of parliament, usually called
the Black Acts, from its being printed in the old
English character, was given to the world in 1566.
The name of the Bishop of Ross derives its chief
lustre from the steadfastness and zeal with which he
adhered to the fortunes of his royal mistress after
they had experienced the remarkable reverse which
is well known to have befallen them. When Mary