Locke spent the winter of 1694/5 at Oates, preparing the 3rd edition of Some thoughts, drafting his critique of Malebranche and his English follower John Norris, and studying the Bible. Thus far, there had been few reactions to the Essay, and those had come from quarrelsome metaphysicians and outraged Churchmen. John Biddle¹ has argued that Locke may have been aware, however, of a quite different sort of reaction. In 1693, he had met a young Irishman named John Toland, who seemed taken with Locke’s ideas. It had soon become known in the coffee houses of London that Toland was preparing a work denying that the Christian religion contained any mysteries (any tenets not discoverable through reason). Locke was still in contact with Toland and they seem to have exchanged some papers. It is thus possible that Locke had seen a draft of Christianity not mysterious (published in 1696) before he wrote his Reasonableness of Christianity. The latter can indeed be seen as a preemptive reply to Toland’s book. As a professed Christian, Locke took exception to Toland’s radical separation of reason and faith, which seemed to deny all place to revelation. Although Locke placed severe limitations on certain knowledge, he did feel that reason could achieve knowledge of the essential articles of the Christian faith and, moreover, that the understanding could lead reasonable men to assent to the revelation contained in the Scriptures. The reasonableness of Christianity was an exploration of the content of faith, just as Book IV of the Essay had contained an account of the nature of faith and assent. It was a defense of the Christian faith and scriptural revelation from the dangers of extreme scepticism. Ironically, the publication of Reasonableness merely called attention to the sceptical tendencies in Locke’s Essay, and the author found himself accused of the very Deism he was trying to combat.

¹ Biddle, “Locke’s critique of innate principles and Toland’s Deism” (1976)

Locke was defended by the anonymous author of The exceptions of Mr. Edwards … examined, but also published his own Vindication (1695). Edwards responded abusively to both authors in Socinianism unmask’d. Locke did not reply; by this time, Toland’s Christianity not mysterious had appeared and Stillingfleet had attacked the Essay. However, Samuel Bold joined the debate against Edwards and after further exchanges, Locke brought out an extensive and pedantic Second vindication (1697). By 1698, the attacks on Reasonableness had stopped — probably absorbed into the controversy over An essay concerning human understanding, which persisted for some years (see “Attack and defense” above).

There is a curious sequel to Locke’s interlinear AEsop.³ Around 1830, the London publisher John Taylor was advertising a series of “literal interlinear translations, on the plan recommended by Mr. Locke.” The series included Greek authors such as Lucian and Herodotus and Latin works such as Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Tacitus’ Agricola. The small books were not made for posterity; I have seen only one example, a 2nd edition of The odes of Anacreon in the Boston Public Library.

² “Locke’s Aesop’s Fables” / Robert H. Horwitz, Judith B. Finn. // IN: Locke newsletter. – 6 (1975):71-88.

³See C. A. Stray, “ ‘Locke’s system of classical instruction’ (1827-  )” (1991)