IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A in V.i 1.0 I.I ■ 50 ~^^" tm^^B 1^ Uii ill 2.2 ! ^ 1^ 1.25 IIIIII.4 1.6 ^ ^ m&i ^..^.,. •3fe*yj ■J- '-^p •■ \ ** 1 •- >.. $, f M o, ^ a ]^ G ^ certain G r e at M a 1st ' *.i v^. ... 1 < * '^ .4'- -'$1 1 / > » -'1 " i FROM :His M—- r-Y*s Prefence and Councils for eveti J'-' V- >/ *^ » ^.i ■-* ' V, / i^j >>^' f ^\/^.r-!..v^M^*-,-* ■ -fli^-E^-D R E S S E D V}; /M", \ < '^D ^Ti^pCo die P E OP L E of vEl-N^G LAND. t J •* > li '^ t-- , / • BY- .« J^ .,,»J„-^.. .. ; }0. M. IIABERSASHER •f jf- .' v«,:- ;'■»■. "' ' ■ "- * S o t. .'■ tw i I I ; II I III I ■ M l . I n il I | ii | ii> i ii " 4BfH«iwM£h«MM«9nra«^rifM«, . ■Wffki- :.»'!5 M, Goo P E Ri in -Pater :NoRer-i)Row. •, -■■■*■■ , •■,■■■■ <..'" ,■,♦.."•>'-<■ . .«)i^ ,1. . - •<*■ J:>.■■■^^ ,*c. -..^l Vi^ m -y D f 1 «. »*• vl L( 1 1 1^ i. J> **» TW t ^ if • — .■ n'-'-r' w ^m%w^\m,^yih^h.h\4mmm^immmimtifljl^^ [33 PLAIN R E AS ON S, 6^c. Fellow-citizens and Countrymen, TH E time is at laft come, when duty, as well as inclination, obliges me to addrefs myfelf 10 you. on a fubjedl of the great* eft importance. The liberty of the prefs is not the leaft valuable of an Englilhman's privi- leges; and though of no higher rank than a tradeC man of the city, I am not afraid to write my thoughts with freedom, and offer you my advice in this bold and publick manner. 1 had the advan* lage in my youth of being one year an apprentice to an attorney, in which fervice I contrafted a great afFe(5lion for the conftiruiion and the laws of my country \ and although an accident took me out of that honourable profertlon, yet the early iin£ture I had received, together with the tafte for politicks, that prevails fo much in the city, have made mc apply mylelf, more than could be expefted from one in my ftation, to the (tudy of publick affairs. I need not explain the pains I havcT taken to make myfelf mafter of the political fcience, nor point out the means by which I have attained it. Befides the books and pamphlets which are open to all, I have often been admitted into the Houfe of Com- A mons» tmmm ^ V ■ ^ \ r.: ^ V f^ 4 ] , , , nions, on extraordinary days, by a door-keeper, who is my cuftomcr and particular friend. I have likcwife been long happy in the (Irideft intimacy with the prefident of a certain club, who has a very . torofound knowledge in the art of governmept. He It was, I muft conFefs, who firft infpired me with the defire of becoming an author, for he often af- fured me, that there wais a gravity, clearnefs, and confiftency, in my reafoning, that furprifed him. I was flattered by his good opinion to undertake the prefcnt work, which it has coft me no fmall labour to coUefl: and to arrange. If 1 lliall be fo happy as to be of any fervice to you, my dear country- men, the lofs of time and of bufinefs, nay, even the ruin of my wife and five children, ihall not much difcompofe me. ' : . I have been particularly attentive to a certain great man, ever fince he re-alTumed his power; and it was not long before I difcovered many grofs errors in his adminidration, and perceived the ten- dency of all his meafures to be fatal to his country. But you were then To much dazzled by his fplendid pretenfions, (o infatuated by his eloquence, and fo elevated with a few trifling fuccelles,t hat the attempt would have been vain to call you back to modera- tion and common fenfe: But happily for you, the cafe is now altered. A fingle event has opened your eyes. An old lieutenant g 1 has broke the charm. A dreadful mifcarriage on the coaft of France, which you could not poflibly forefee, has ihaken even Englllh conllancy : and your ears, thank God, have been opcnM to the voice of rea« fon and truth. Thofe noble patriots who have al» ways fecreily oppofed the meafures of the great pretender to reformation in the Hate, on the leaft hint from you, will put thcmlelves in motion. May God grant them courage in proportion to their other ^ 7 ■M «P wmmmmm m§ , C ^ 3 other abilities, and we ihall fcon Tec tliem again abfolute mafters of theK — aid K ! To you then, my long deluded countrj'mcn, and fellow-citizens, do 1 addrefs myfelf on the com- mencement of this neceflary ftorm of F — ft — n. I am a plain man, and one of yourfelves ; and I have nothing to fear or to hope for. From me then - you may expe«St candour and impartiality, in my work you Ihall certainly find the utmoft clearnefs and perfpicnity. I hate the ftiff affeded ftile of our modern writers, which often makes their works of very difficult interpretation j and as for wit and humour, I am bold to fay, that a man muft be with- out morals, who can ufe them in i:he prefent de- fperate ftate of his country. »■■ ' To give you at once a proof how much I abhor hints and infinuations as mean and dailardly arts, 1 will open up to you, without referve; the full ex- tent of my delign, which is to convince you, if I can, that the right honourable W P— , Efq; one of his m y's fee ies of ftate, is a m r extremely dangerous to his country, and to lay before you a few plain reafons for removing him from his m y's prefence and councils for ever. As fanguine as my hopes of fuccefs are, it is polTible they may be difappointed. But whatever be the event, as my intention is fanftified by the (iiicere love of my country, after this effort to fave it, I Ihall at leaft, enjoy that peace and content- ment of mind which arife from the faithful dif- chargc of one's duty. Before I proceed, I muft beg that the honourable m rs of both h s of p 1 may not think therafelves neglected, becaufe I have not addrefled^ myfelf to them in particular. I would not willing- . ..... ly y '/ "i \t ■ ■:. Ifcj m ip"pi , y^ ly offend any true-born Engliihtnan, atid far Icfs fuch refpe£lable perfons ; but a I am certain thac the love of their country is their ruling paflion, and that many of them have private motives, be* frdes, to wifli for the downfal of this proud and irregular m — r, I vsrill leave them to the influ- ence of ihefe moral caufes, and if they fhould prove too weak in the breaft of any fcrupulous m-. r, let him fwallov/ fuch of my plain reafons as he likes beft, and they will infallibly cure him of all his fcru pies. ^, r-. VI I My firfl reafon for removing W ^ P Kfq; from his M y's prefencc and councils for e- ver, is becaufc he is the minifter of the people. TH E faA is notorious, that without par — -tary intercft, againft the inclinations of the c — t, and in oppofition to a powerful f — {\ — n, Mr. P — was railed by the voice of the people alone, in time of danger, to the high (lation he now fills. I do not fay that he is now a? dilagreeable to certain illuftrious perfonages as he was at firft ; for there are (omc who give our, that he is a^' artful in gain- ing private clleem as in acquiring 'public confidence. But I afnrm, ihat, beftdes the affront given by their country to lb many greater and abler men, by this piece of ill judged diftin«5lion, which mull: breed an eternal refentment againft his pcrfon and admi- niftraiion, the voice of the people may be confi- dered as a kind of undue influence on the S-v~r n, and ocher members of the Leg-fl-— t — re, and is therefore highly illegal and unconftiiutional. If former m rs have acquired dominion overP — ts by corruption, which has been loudly complained of, I do not fee that we are in any betrer condition now, when the lame kind of power is attainable ty means of the people's blind admiration of mag- nanimity, ■^^" nanimity, and the vain glory which arifes frt)m «t obftinate purfuit of popular meafurei. Ui But there is a greater evil behind than any of thofe 1 have mentioned : for if the m r fol- lows the example of his great predeccflbrs in power, he will be ever ready to comply with the humours and interefted views of thofe who have raifed him. As this man, therefore, was raifed by the peopl^ it is to be feared that he will ftudy to preferve their favoun and in all his meafures pay regard to the genius and intercft of the people of England, which, God knows, has been ofjea found very inconfiftent with maxims of ftaie, and the priitciples of modern policy. I will make this as clear as the light of day, by an inftance. I could mention the habeas corpus bill, and the a£l for encouragement of feamen, which are ex- actly in point ; but as thefe are pad tranfaftions, they would confine me ftridly to fa(5l, which is a very great reftraint to an ingenious author. I chufe therefore to reft my proof on fomething that is future, though not in the leaft uncertain : let us fuppofe then Mr» S- — y ? — t to be as fuccefsful in the condu^ of the war as your hearts can de- lire J yet when he comes at laft to treat about peacej is it to be expefted tnat he will offer our enemies i'uch terms as they can pofTibly agree to ? Will he not ftand too much upon the honour of England? Will he not fcruple to make fuch reafonable concef* fions as may be neceflary for the trade and naval power of our enemies ? Will he not infift on our preferving fuch conquefts as may prevent the en- croachments of France in all time coming ? And will he not, by his unfeafonable obftinacy, hinder < us from obtaining fuch a kind of peace, as has hither* to been the end of all our wars, fuccefsful or un- , fuccefsful ? ■i . J'. i? i iV If •4 V' I \u m i • ' ' <^ 8 ] - fuccefsful ? Ic is plain then that his being the m-— r of the people threatens ruin to England. Were ic poflible for him to remain in power till the concluflon of the war, I am confident the king of France will infill on it as a preliminary article, that he be compelled to relign his office, and leave the management of the negotiation to men of cooler heads, who underftand and regard the in-^reft of Europe more than he does. Let us difmiis him ourfelves, that it may never be faid to the difgrace of the Englifh nation, that we have yielded to the defire of a tyrant. And, indeed, 1 have no doubt, that before I have done, I Ihall open fuch a cry a- gainftthis prefumptuous darling of the people, as will foon bringhi m down from his lofty height, to the private flation from whence he role, which is the proper fphere of an inhuman and untraftable virtue. * " y >- \ '^,. Another reafon for difmifTing Mr. P — t, is becaufe he was a chief promoter of the militia. aln T is evident, that in this refpeifl, he adled his part well as a m — r of the people. No body, ^^^aTmolt, had ever dared before, ferioufly to think of ■ a fubjedl fo difagreeable to great men in power, and to the worthy gentlemen of the army. Experience had taught the lafl mentioned, that one Britifh fbl- • dier was equal to ten of the militia of France ; and • on that account, ihey were folicitous to fave us the •; ihame and expencc of fo ufelefs a body. They , hold that fighting is a trade, which no man either can or ought to exercife unlefs he has ferved his time to ic. Nay, to hear fome officers difcourfe on , the fubjfift, one would think there was a fecret my- (Icry in ihooting and being Ihot at, (fomeihing like .. ihe 3!* s; ' ■/■'""■ ■■r ,■ ■ ■ < '*" / m— r ^er till le king irticle, I leave cooler reft of s him ifgrace to the doubt, crya- pie, as ght, to hich is amiable )ecaure ed his body, link of ^er, and erience kilh fol- ; ; and us the They either ved his ur(e on ret my- ing like the i: 9 ] ■ ' : the mafon»word) which if a man does not know, it is impoflible for him to be a warrior. . , ., . - Whatever is the caufe of it, there is no doubt, that in this relpedt, they are extremely zealous for the honour of their country. And fo far have they carried their zeal, as I have been told, that when a a wrongheaded Yorklhire Squire, during the time of the laft rebellion, raifed a company of voluntiers, at his own expence, and marched them into the North, fome of the good natured Oflf— rs of the ar — ^y, took all the pains in their power, (with- out leading the man into private quarrels, which might have been dangerous to themfelves) to dif» guu liim at the fervice j in which, at laft, they hap- pily (ucceeded. f • . >: i kv ! ' : I know it has been often faid that a ftanding ar- my is unconftitutional and dangerous. And fuch as our army was at the beginning of the war, it was certainly thought improper or infufHcient for the defence of this ifland j for we fent for many thou- fund foreign troops to fecure us againft the invafion. Fear feized the people. Some were afraid of the invafion, and fome of the foreign mercenaries; but the whole najion called for arms, as their forefa- thers always had done upon the like occafions ; arms were offered them ; but, happily for the nation, they had changed their minds. The danger was o< ver, and they had recovered their fenfes again. And let it never be forgotten for the honour of England : the people rejeded thofe very arms, with difdain, which they fo lately demanded with cla- mour ; and thereby gave the noblefl: proof of a deli- cate love tf liberty that is to be found in ail the annals of mankind. I have heard of a people called the Cappadocians, fome where in the Eaft, or on the coall of Africk, who, i f ; : ■ f [ 10 ] ■ who^ in the times of the Romans, refufed liberty when it was offered them ; but then it is probable, thai they had no hope of obtaining the ufe of arms, Avithout which their liberty would have only ferved to keep them in perpetual terror of their warlike neighbours. Whereas the Englilh, in full poflefllon of liberty, the freeft people upon earth, refufed arms when they were offered them, becaufe to ac- cept of them wouU have betrayed a fufpicion that the liberty of fo brave a people could aver be in danger. ■ * ' ■ * • ...».-- It has been faid that there is a noble band of pa- triots behind the c — rt — n, on whofe part neither vigilaDce nor zeal are wanting to fruftraie the fchemes of the mender of the ftate ; and 'to their artifices the mifcarriage of the militia a£l has been afcribed. But as I am confcious of my own abhor- rence of arms, efpecially of firelocks, I cannot give thcfe great men (whom I honour) the praife I think due to the people of my native land. It has been reported too, that the m — r and his friends are ve- ry indifferent about the militia aft, in the form in which it now ftands. If that is the cafe, I could al« moft wifli it were put in execution ; for if he ever has power to carry through an aft: of his own, the good Lord have mercy upon us! There will not then be a fhop-keeper of us aU, but muft ftand four or five hours a week under arms, and perhaps on great days be obliged to Ihoot. Rather than fuft'er fuch an encroachment on liberty and property, I will give my ronfcnt to furrender the llland to the French or the Germans. - i There is- nothing in the world, let me tell you, my dear friends and countrymen, that would pro- voke me to fire a gun ; and I confels it was this fame militia aft which firll put me on my guard a- gain/t m. gainft this bol^ and dangerous m — r. There wa« fomething fo romantick and daring in his attempt to arm a free people, that I began to fufpedl he was very wrongheaded. Befides the ills I have men- tioned, this adt is fraught with a thoufand more that I have not time to enumerate. The few following will ferve as a fample* The militia aiH;, in procels of time, would have made the landed Interefl: an overmatch for the monied Intereft, under which we have been fo long happily governed : and then a Lord or a ^Squire would have been a greater man than the greateft ftockjobber in London. It would have infallibly deftroyed the game, and loft us the glory of being the fineft fporting country in the world. By doubling the number of warlike men, it would have expoied our wives and daughters to double danger j and which is worft of all, it would have diminiihed the public credit, becaufe all Eu- rope would hav« thereby perceived, that we were not in a condition to maintain a fufHcient (landing ^rmy. , > My third reafon for humbling this haughty m — r, is, becaauie he harrades the army beyond all ex- ample. • ' • .. • IS prcdeceflors in power either colle^led the military force of Great Britain round the capital, where cantoned in towns and villages, or encamped on fome of the wholefome Downs, they wa'ted peaceably for a foreign invafion ; in which fituarions the ofHcers of diftinflion had the full en- joyment of all I he plcafures of life, as became free Britons ; and did no duty but what conduced to health, and ferved to whet their appetites for deli- cate fooi!, beautiful women, and moderate play : or, at the word, they were fent over •a a body t» the plains- of Flanders, to wage reguiai- war under B generals capital ^ \ 1 ,i tl - i ik i : n C i« ] generals of ability, for the glory of their country, and to maintain the balance of power. But our new condu£lor of the war has altered the whole (yftem. and made a commilTion in the army as intolerable as a place in the gallies of France, or a ftation in Bride wel. For not to mention his fending the Half of our troops to North America to be icalpcd by Indians, or blown up by the more perfidious French, and thofe devils the Canadians ; has he not for ma* ny months been contriving and executing expedi- tions to the coaft of France, for no apparent reafon but to vex, fatigue, and harrafs oqr troops, and e- fpecially thole pretty gentlemen the o — rs of the g- ds, beyond what they are able to bear ? The man, as I have difcovered in the courfe of my read- ing, was once an officer of the light horfe himfelf, fo that it is very difficult to conceive, what can ex- cite his rage fo much againft his own order. If I have any notion of the military art, the great objeft of it is the prefervation of the army j and from the minutes of feveral courts martial, which ) have lately perufed, I have learned that the fafety of his majefty's troops was formerly not only the m — r*s, but the g — n — r- — I's chief care in the con- duct of the war. Bur, if this man be fuffered to proceed, at the rate he has begun, for one year longer, I am really of opinion that no man above the rank of a colonel will remain in the anny. And what will becomei of an army without gene- rals ? It is ncedlefs to explain. Many of the moft antient and re'pe^able otficers have already declin- ed the fcrvice ; and fuch an univerfal difcontenc prevails among them, that I tremble for the ap- proach of that hour, when the whole hoary band, who, like the venerable lions on the heads of our fhips, have ftood lb many (lorms of battle, and cut their way through fo many feas of blood, flial), with mmm t n 1 with one content, lay down their truncheons at the feet of their mafter. For my part, I would rather be a ihoe black, or rake the kennels for hob-nails, than ferve as a 1— t or m«^r g— 1 under fuch an en* cerprifing and expedition-making min — r. I do con f els, my dear countrymen, that, upon this fubjeA, 1 cannot keep my temper. It is not the creat men themfelves I To much regret ; for molt of them, thanks to the difcerning fpirit of our former m — rs, and the gratitude of their country, are able to live independent of the fcrvice ; and the remainder, if they pleafe, will find refuge and red in the armies of the monarch of PruHia* But, it is the fervice itfelf, it is the conduct of our future armies, it Is the honour of my coun- try, that makes me fo earned on this part of my fubjet^. In the name of all the powers of war, why was he not contented with the mifcarriage of the expe- dition in the year 1757 ? Why muft he contrive new projeAs to (lamp the names of the comman- ders of that famous year, and the great things they might have done, ftill deeper on the memory of the public ? Had he any reafon to think that there were abler or better men than they upon the lids, or men who had the honour and intered of their country more at heart I No, it is evident his defign mud have beei) to ruin the army altogether, by contriv- ing impoinble defcents upon the coad of France, or fuch as are worle than impofTible. h is very true that the fliipping at St. Malocs have been burnt, and the bafon of Cherburg blown up ; and it is poiBble too, that 50,000 troops have been detained on the coads, who, but for our a« . larms, ^-^x. /! >' -,> •',• 'v t 14 3 larmsy bad been on the banks of the Rhine. Bvl dkl vre not lofe 300 men at St, Cas ? And is not the life of a fingle Britifh foldrer of more value than a thoufand wooden ibip?, or ten thoufantl bulwarks of (lone? And as for th€ detaining of ^o^ooo Frenchmen at home» I rather compute that as lofs. For befides that France had the advantage of their pay, which would have been fpent in Germany but for our invafions ; if fo great a number of troops had joined their army in Weftphnlia, they would have been much more ilreightned for provifiont, and the vidlory at Crevelt would have been dill more glorious. But great and unaccountable as our lofs was^ in the late defcent upon the coatl of France, there is one eircumflance relating to that expedition which gives me more pain than the lofs we have fuftained; A circumftance which, if forefeen by the m r as barely poifible, there is no punifhment he does not deferve. It Is this ; That lince the days of the Edwflfds and the Henrys, the Englilh have had no opportunity of fighting the French upon equal terms in their own country, till the 10th or nth of laft September. I tremble when I think of the imminent danger our army efcaped. A g 1 af* rer the m r's own heart would have certainly fought. With an Englifh P - ce once more on French ground, with the fortune and valour of another Eilward on his fide, he would have feized the glorious opportunity, which the chance of war brir.gs round in 500 years. He would have fought, L\.d what would have been the confe- qucnce ? U* we may believe in pad examples of the like firLiation, and in the acknowledged brave* ry oF oiiv troops, it is. more than probable he would 'nave been vidorious. He would have em* barked u'. his Icifure, and returned in triumph j and I C «5 ] and neKt fumtner we fhould have tn^de ivar exaA^ ]y in the fame manner ; a thing, as I have fh6wn, utterly difagreeable to all the great o — ^rs, andpre^* ty g — rl— m— n of the army, I do aflfure you, nljr dear friends,' the very thoughts of the hazard we run of making a Cred^ or an Agincourt of it, has kept me awake many a night ; and my indignation againrt P — r is raifed in proportion to the homber of fleeplefs hour^ he has cod me; Let us thank heaven, which better direfted our g — — 1 ; hiid he yielded to his own (hipid impetuofityy orlidened to the advice of one raih c 1, we had b^en un- done by fuccefs. But the guardian angel of Britaiii interpofed, in her well known fhape, of a council of war. We turned our backs, and thd enemy gave us a kick in that fide which wa$ turned to them ; and Sdi fuch idle expeditions are sit an end for ever. « . . ;, . -.Atr But what have been the confbquences of this ^vat of alarms, expeditions ahd enterprifes I Has li not produced things ftrange and unheard of in the ifland bf Britain ?. Have nt)t upflarts and beardlefs boys gained fome name in the army I Heretofore it "waS age, and long fervice in the field of war, or of St. St — ph — n's J it was a moded deference to the o- pinions, and an implicite fubmilFion to the will of their (uperiors (which are the great principles of military difciplinc) that procured men preferment in the army. But now, to be impudent enough to talk of battles and of fieges, to have what they call a genius for war, as if a man could be born a general any more than he could be born a button- nirt^*.er : and when in the field to have minded fomething befides their platoons or battalions (which is abfolutely contrary to good difcipline) thefe, -and fuch as thefe, are now the chief quali- . . ' • tics ■,•5 ii. V V . p I l6 2 ties that recommend a man to favour and prefer-^ ment. A fourth reafon againft Mr. S — ^y P— t la, hecauie he fets himfelf in opposition to the eftabliihcd manners of the age. THE clergy, it is true^ whofe trade it U, and a few half- thinking dry moralifls, have been long declaiming againO: the excelTive luxury of the times ; but it is well known to every condderate citizen of London, that without luxury this nation were undone. ^Vhat is it that fupports foreicn trade but luxury ? What promotes the quick circufa" tion of property but luxury ? How are the indnftri* ous poor to be maintained, but by fupplying all the necelTiiies which luxury alone creates to the rich ? .It would be tedious to go round the circle by which it can be demonftrated, that there were no hopes of ever being able to pay the national debt but by the encouragement andf growth of luxury. And it would be as needlels as tedious, becauie every reader will perceive the truth of the propofition with half an eye. Now I am credibly informed that the prefent m — r keeps but a very moderate cable, has but a very few lervants, and indeed fees but very little company ; in ihort, that he copies the (implicity of antient manners, and is fo odd as to divert his lei- fure hours, if he has any (for that is uncertain) in reading of bool^, or with a chofen friend or two and his own wife and children. Whence I con- jecture that he is either covetous, or has a flow un* derilanding, or really defigns to difcourage luxury by his example. That the fird is not his cafe, I will do him the juftice to allow, becaufe he has fcmetimes (hewn a very fooliih prodigality, fome inAanccs * '■ lEi infiances of which I mall probably mention hereaf- ter. I rather incline to think that he is a man of very flow underftanding, and is obliged i j fee little company, that he may have the more time to plod on the affairs of the ftate. For that the bufinefi of this great nation can be carried on with very little expence of tl.ne, or of thought, to men of ability, is manifeft from the example of many of his predeceHbrs. And that he is a man of very li- mited parts, appears farther from the choice he has made of a great many bl — ^kh — ds to ferve under him at feveral of the boards. For it is very re« markable that his ch>ef favourites are thofe, who, like himfelf, are feen very little in public places, and are all day long to be found puzzling their heads in their refpc^tive offices. ' But (lupidity itCelf can never account for the fcantinefs of his table, and the plainnefs of his e- auipage ; for there is nothing to hinder dulnefs it- lelf from living in great fplendor even in folitude. It is therefore plain that he not only wants capa- city, but has formed an abfurd defign to difcou- rage good living by his example. And fince this is really the cafe, it is amazing that the trading pare of this nation can hear his name mentioned with patience. For befides the hurt he intends to do the induftrious tradefman, and merchant, by drying up the great fource of their gains, this fcheme will put an end to their defire of riches, fince, if it fuc- ceeds, it will be next to impofTible for them to find a bankrupt lord, with whom to marry their daugh- ters. The man is fubjeft to the gout, and an abflemi- ous diet may be neccflary for his health. But woul4 he feed all England on boil'd beef becaufe he mui^ Jive on water gruel ? Or is it fo rare a thing for * ♦ / great [18] great perfons to live in the midft of pleafures which they cannot enjoy ? Eating and drinking hav« been vfeful inftruments of government ever fince it was formed, and I hope in God it ihall not be in the power of any (ingle m— r to bring them into dis- credit. The more I think of the nnfeafonablenefs and unjuftice of this part of his conduct, the more I aiii per fwadea that his adminifl ration cannot pof. fibly fad. I know the conftitution of the city of London, and the method of managing bufinefs there; and, 1 mayjbe allowed to have fome little hotion of the Influe e of turtle and of. venilon. But in the rriean time, alas ! the figure of the na- tlon mud fink in the eyes of foreigners, much more than he can raife ^t by his vaunting expeditions; for oirr feafts were become the wonder and envy of all Europe. In this refpedl we had arrived at a high pit^h of glory. . We excelled all the modern world, and came the nearetl of any nation to that dfelicacy of tafte and profufion of expence which was exhibited by the great emperors and (enators of Rome in their private entertainments. I iieed hardly mention gaming, a branch of luxu- ry eiicouraged by able datefmen, as of infinite fer- vice to a great nation, as it occafions a brifk circu* lation of money ; fharpens the genius of young men of fafhion, and breeds them to bufinefs; dif ciigages them from the purfuit of bad women, or inaeed of any women whatever; entirely roots out the love of wives or children, and breaks ail the bonds of friendfliip ; affe^ions that often interfere with their duty to the publick; and by bringing then;i by times into neceflTity, not only hardens them a< gaind inisfostunc^, but fits them above all things for the fervice of the date. But our new dateC- man, it is certain, never plays ; and it is whifpered, that, in this refpeA, he is imitated by a few young people 'c ... » . ^\ » I f, C 19 ] people of great fortunes. It is ealy to foretel what will happen if he continues long at the head of our affairs ; a race of independent lords and gentle- men will arife, under his influence, who may dif- turb the tranquillity of the ft^e, and poflibly over- turn it. And this prophecy will appear to be but too well founded, it you'll confider, Another reafon I have for |)uirtng dowr this lofty m r, that is, becaufe in his fortune we have feen an example of the height to which a man may rife by eloquence and magnanimity. I Remember that a good many years ago, I heard it affirmed by a leading member of the royal ' fociety, that the very end of eloquence, is, by an artfnl addrefs to the imagination and palTions, to miflead the underftanding. And ever fmce that time, I have been of opinion, that a man of true probity would no more give ear to an orator, than a per* fon of chaflity would fafl^en his eyes on a harlot* Truth is always naked, and when any thing afTumec her name, and at the fame time appears drefled out with many gaudy ornaments, you miny be furc ic is not truth, but fallhood. I might appeal to your . own experience, fellow citizens, and afk you if you have not been oftiner cheated and befooled by thofe we call well-(poken men, than by all the world befides? Thcufeof eloquence, therefore, upon any occafion, mull be highly immoral, I have read, fomewhere or other in a book oi hidory, that it was the cuQom of fome an- tient city, for the Iheriffs to hear caufes and pronounce fentence in the dark ; left, I fuppofe, tne perfons, or the behaviour of the parties, ihould have prejudiced the judges in their favour, and in- clined them to pervert juOice, And if partiality can make its way into the mind of man by the eye, C there r 20 3 there is nothing to hinder it from entering there by the ear alTo. AVhen you have a bad caufe before tny of the courts of law, do you not employ that counfellor who is the bell pleader and has mod e- loquence ? And for what reafon ? Why furely, that by his falfe and deceitful glofles you may perfuade the judke out of his fen fes, and (Wav him to favour your fide of the queftion. And fx)r what other reafon can it be, but on account of its immorality, that fome of our mod pious and learned b-ih~p9, and a great part of the clergy, have totally laid a- fide the ufe of eloquence as unbecoming the chair of truth and gravity ? It is to me matter of great wonder, how the wif> doni of this nation can permit the debates in parli- ament dill to be carriea on by the fpeeches of the members. I am fure it would be infinitely better if each of them delivered his opinion in writing, on a Hip of paper, which the clerk might colleA into a box, which box IMr. Speaker could carry home in his coach, and then difcover the fenfe of the ma- jority over a bottle of wine at his leifure j as we are told the king of PrulTia always does when he calk a council of war. Many advantages would accrue from this method of debating, for it would preferve that equality among the members which is eflenti- al to our conftitution ; it would prevent the difco- vcry of many important fecrets of government, by thofe blabbing fellows who are always giving theiri- feives airs : it would fave the nation an immehfe fum that is laid out for fpeaking^, and, which is not of the lead importance, it would let them home to their dinners before three o'clock, and put an end to that heaihenifh cudom of turning night into day. After having faid fo mucli againd eloquence, the application of it to my prefent purpole, diall ,. ;.. ■■ ..! i be be very fiiort* It Is generally thought that this fame Mr. P — t, whofe power gives me fuch concern, not only exccUs all of our own age and nation in that bewitching eloquence which overpowers the mind, but comes the neareft of any modern to Cicero and Demofthenes, thofe greateft maders of the arc of fpeaking which the antient world has to boad of. If it were now lawful to believe in forcery and en- . chantmenty I Ihould certainly be of opinion that this arch-orator is in compadt with the devil ; for a very reafonable and good man once told me, that when Mr. P — t was got to his height in one of his great fpeeches, he verily thought that the parliament houfe (which is as large as many of the churches in the city) wis Ihrunk to the dimenlions of an ordi- nary clofer. I could have no conception of what my friend meant, if he had not explained himfelf by adding, that if the aflembly of the Gods, which heathen authors talk (o much of, could be convok- ed again, or if all the kings and emperors of the earth, with all their retinues, could meet in fome vafl place, like the amphitheatre of Vefpafian at Rome, the dignity of fuch an aflembly could not fur- f)ars the greatnefs of the man, and the power and plendour of his eloquence. And having told you this ftoiy, the article of mag* nanimity will need little illultration ; becaufe all good authors, who have wrote upon the fubjedl, lay it down as a principle, that to excel in eloquence a man muft have this quality likewKe. For my owa part, I do not fee the connedlion, for I know feve-- ral fneaking fellows who are exceedingly well fpo- ken. Be that as it may, our ftatefman is none of the(e, and all men allow that by thefe two talents alone he has arrived at the fummit of power. And this, I mud infift upon it, is a very dangerous ex- ample, that may be remembered for a century to come. J [ 22 ] come. When ambitious young men have ^ifcovcr- ed this new road to preferment, they will certain- ly take into it if they can* Eloquence will become . their favourite ftudy, and they will wholly ncgle^ all the other arts that are fo ornamental xo human life, and fo honourable to their country ; as neither horfe-racing, nor coach*driving, nor bruifmg, nor cocking, nor any other, fpecies of gaming, can be of the lead ule in acquiring eloqUw'ncc, they will abandon them for ever* O England ! O my coun- try! But this is not all, for magnanimity, when richt* ly interpreted, (ignifies a flubborn and unyielding temper; a mind infenfible of the charms of richest, or of pleafure : it (ignifies a proud and difdainful fpirit, that is uncapable of complying, and will hold on its own courfe, through poverty and dilgrace, or even death itfelf; and if the youth of this nation arc to be trained up in fuch principles, judge ye, m^ dear fellow citizens and countrymen, how it will be pofTible to govern it. There is but one re« medy, and that is in your hands. It was you who raifed him, and you muft e'en pull him down a» fain. Wiih unanimous voice you muft petition the — g to remove him from his prefence and coun* cils forever; and fo ihall you infallibly draw off our young nobility and gentry from the ftudy of pernicious arts. For as the wife man fays in the Proverbs, " though the man of underftanding will not always take advice, yet even the fool will lake warning." <( It t'k Another reafon for difmifTing Mr. S y P — t, is becaule he is a great cncourager of learning. 1 F the man himfelf is truly learned, I will venture to pronounce that he is altogether unfit to be • . ^ . . • prime mi T Brii 3 prime m— — r ^f Great j^ritain. For I have kndwa many fcholarS; and have never yet met with one who could fo much as comprehend the courfe of exp change, and much lefs underftand qU the dark my*- fleries of the art of flock-jobbings And how a fcholar of a m r {hall be ablle to fettle the ways and means, and with the help of his Greek andLar tin go through all the perplexing mazes of the fundi and finances, is quite unexplicable to me. I have heard, indeed, that there are certain infe» rior m — rs to whom the care of thofe important branches are committed, and in whofe honefly as Ivell as fkill, our great man has implicite faith. But I have my own doubts^ that men of his chu- ilng will be too like himfelf, fine florid holiday de-» daimers, but quite uncapable of doing real bufi< ne(s. Or if they are indeed men of bufinefSf I laugh much at their pretences to honefVy in that ilridt (enfe fome old people now affcft to ufe the word* We of the city know wha: it is to have the handling of money, and it is impolTible to convince us that any one, but a fool, can let millions pals through his hands, as if they were fo many lea- fhells, or dead flies for the Britifh Mufcum. I heard a pleafant indance of our great man's learning, given, not long ago, in a cofree*houfe by. s. i'mart Oxonian, who thought he had hit on fome* thing extremely clever, " At laft," fays he, " we " have got a man of learning and parts, who has " read the antients, and avails himfelf of his read- ing, at the head of our affairs. It would have been long ere any of our flatefmen of Arthur's College, who never read any books but Hoyle and ** Demoivre, had difcovered the true method of making war upon France : but Mr. P-7-t has learned ftom Thucydides, the prince of biflori*^ ans, ti it tt U « u f^ ■i i\ : V I «4 ] " ans, in what manner the frntll (late of Athens ** exerted its naval power, and by expeditions and *' defcents became the moft formidable republick ** of all Greece." " And it would have been long/' replied old flyboots, from a corner, " ere the able ** flatefmen you defpife would have contrived fuch ** a ridiculous and impradlicable lottery as that of " the year fifty-feven." The Oxonian grumbled Ibmething in contempt of the noble fcience of cal- culation, then flrutted to the other end of the room, and called for cofiee. What ground they have for it is more than I can tell ; but it is certain that many of the wits at our end of the town, plume themfelves not a little on the learning and tafte of the m r, as if there were an hundred poet laureats to be appointed in a year or two. They tell you that if you look back through the hiftory of the human mind (a book that I have fearched for in vain through the whole c'ty) you will find that great genius's always come in nocks to any country like the birds of padage ; and that if you have feen one, you may be fure that more will very foon appear. They quote certain pe- riods of time, which in a certain jargon of their own, they call by the name of Siecles ; and they flatter themfelves that fuch a period is now begun, which will prove a perfect golden age to poets, painters, architedls, ^nd fiddlers. If thefe are the genius's they are fo fond of, for my part, I Ihould be very glad to fee them all fairly on t'other fide of the channel, except one. I mean that excellent anift who built the Manfion-houfe with its Egyp« tian hall, and the nobje row of lamps all along the magnificent entrj'. That folid edifice I confefs is worthy of the chief magiftrate of fo great and opulent a city, for there is not a fingle chimney in the houfe but I'll be fworn, has more marble in , it ^■4^' that it than any five of iheir boafted tombs in Wcft- minfler abbey. And it would make me extremely happy to haTc The opportunity of drinking a glals with the worthy gentleman, who, I hear, comes to town every year and dines at a tavern hard by the Manfion-ljoufe, merely for the pleafure of p — (P—ng againit the wall of the hugell and moft ponderous houle in the world. But to return to my fubje«5):, and to tell truth, what alarms me moft, is that this m— : — r and (bme more of the fame ftamp are openly prote the help of all his levee-lights ; and, as ii4 his Qvvu charadler, he has at leaft given us (he cube it cube of the truth, I am willing to belic?e that with the fantie meafure he has taken to himfelfv he has alfo met It to the m r. Wy next reafon againft Mr.^ P-^t, is becaufe he has ' meanlj complied with the maxims, and fpUow* - cd the mcafures of the tories. " %. i VER (ince the revolution it has been the con- (lant topick of the tories, and of all the pa- riots, real and pretended, that the ocean is the Bri* ti£i element, that our natural ftrength lies there, Ind that if we exert it to the utmoft, this ifland will not only be fafe but profperous. But fuch has been the vigour and ftead'nefs of our m — rs, that; til! now, they never once complied with thefe ab- furd maxims of their enemies. This infatuated man is the firft who has ever fairly made the expe- riment ; and, as whatever he does, he does with all his might, a few flight edays have not fatisfied him, for he has carried on the naval war with fo much heac and violence, as to fet an example, and eflablilh a precedent that, I am much afraid, will never be fn-^otten; And henceforth it will be impoffible for the bed difpofed m--r to fend over an army of fifty thoufand only to the affiftance of our dear and faithful allies, while the French have a fingle fhip oh the fea, or a fifhing town on the coaft. Nay, from what J have obTerved of this m — r'$ conduct, I doubt very much whether or not he would havepecmittcd one battalion to join the ar- my on the Rhine, or granted one ihilling to the king of Pruflia, if his wifer predeccflbrs had nor, on purpofe, left our affairs in fuch a dangerous fitu- ation, as made it impoHible for him to avoid it. " For has be not, to pleafe thofe malignant tories and mock patriots, made the navy of England more terrible It. terrible than ever it has been (ince the days of <01if ver Cromwel the ufurper I Has he not employed a force on the ocean that awes and amazes ^he -whole world ? Has he not aderted our light to th|^ fovereignty of the Tea, and demondrated that Eu- rope united, is not an over~ match for us on that clement I In one word, has he not fhewn that tho' it may be proper for a horfe to kick with his heels, vet it is undoubtedly prudent in a bull to puih wii^ his horns, when he is attacked by his enemies ; ana thereby brought the old genteel method of kicking in Flanders into too much cor tempt amopgfl: us. For my part, iho' 1 hare the Frencn, yet I could almod wiih for fuch a froll in the channel as has fometimes been feen id the Baltick, that a hun- dred thoufand Normans might walk over to Kent on one of our ftar-light mornings, and convince the inflexible Mr. Secretary, that even v hiie we have a navy according to his own maritime heart, it is the eafiell thing in the world to invade us. And here I might apply all my former found reafooings againft harraUing the army, were notour feamen in general, both high and low, fuch a par- cel of brutes as to count hardfhips and dangers as nothing, when corn pared with the honour of the Briiilh flag. But though the tars are an uneleganc fct of mortals, who neither afk nor deferve any pi- ty, yet who can be fo hard of heart as not to regret our fine, tall, gallant fhips of war, which are eter- nally toft upon the boifterous element, and daily expofed to the fweeping hurricane or gnawing worm in the moft diftant parts of the world» to pleafe a navy-mad m — r and the tories. It is not long fince men of milder tempers, and of a more reafonable and moderate way of thinking, were at the head of our fleet j men who had the D fafecy / PS^^wpi? [ 28 ] ■ ' fafety of his m — ^y's ihips very much at heart, and prudently weighed the enemy's metal in Icales, ere they proceeded to adion. But I don't know how the former fyftem is worn quite out of falhion : and I believe there is now but a very few officers of the navy who would not fight, although they were inferior in weight of metal to the enemy by ifeveral pounds. But I think it a matter worthy of the confideraiion of parliament, whether or not the fame rules that take place in horfe-racing, ilioiald not be extended alfo to fea-fights ; and whether it Ihould not be declared, that if either party carries but an ounce weight more tha-n his antagonift, there is no match at all, or that the one which has over- ^veight lliall be the lawful prize of the other. But to return from this digreflion, the exerting our utraoft force by fea is not the only inftance wheriein Mr. S y P — t has IhamefuUy complied Svith the old maxims of the oppofition Tand which, by the by, is theftrongeft proof of his bafenefs or ;folly ; for as he was very dtep in the oppofition himfelf, he ought, the moment he accepted a place, to have renounced all his old principles and no- tions, and at^ed on the plans of his predeceflbrs in I' )ower) ; for he has likewife employed the High- and rebels in the American war. None of his meafures have given me greater difquiet than this has done, and I do not think there is any thing like it to be met with in all hidory.' The rebel Highlanders, according to a former plan, were to have wrought in manufactures, which they hate, and are altogether unfit for, which would haye been a punilhment fomewhat adcqtiare to their crimes ; and whereas one half of their country is almoil wholly impafiible, the obliging ' them r r *■> .f*l »s r 29 1 ihem to carry goods from one part of it to anotjbcr was treating them as they truly deferved. ,, i But the plan at prefent in execution, I proteft, is more like a reward than a punifhment. For al- though they are fent to America (where I would not chufe 10 go) yet, the making foldiers of them at all, is indulging the genius of their nation, and rendering them of real fcrvice to Bcitain, which ought, by no means, to have been done. Nay, it is giving them a fair opportunity (which they will certainly take) of regaining the favour of their fove- reign by their valour, and of winning back again, for their friends at home, that antient drefs, with- out which, there is no pofllbility of enduring the rigour of their climate. it will be faid, perhaps, that more than one half of the Highlanders are loyal, and were actually in arms on the (ide of their king and country ^n the time of the rebellion, and therefore deferve to be as much encouraged as any other of his majeflyV fubjeds. But this mu(l be falfe in fadl, otherwife it is impoflible that the law difarining the whole Highlanders without exception, could have been carried thro* by i^o well informed and equitable a M — n—- ft — ry as that which governed at the time of the rebellion. For my part, after what has happened with re- fpedl to ihe Highlanders, very few things could give me furprife. It is more than probable that if ge- neral Keith had furvived the war, it would have been forgot that he had rebelled againft his king, when he was fully feventeen years old. Nay, if the good nature and generofity of our new fyftem continue at the rate it has begun, I would not lay the odds, that the old Earl Marlhal, as they call him, Keith's brother, will tlot be recalled, and per- mitted T %■ .:i ;'.A _-%. E 30 3 nitted to die in peace in his own country. But snaVk it| good countrymen and friends, and lav it up in your memories, that O. M. haberdaiher, ventures to forctel, that if thefe fame Highlanders are not all fcafped by the Indians, or fold for flaves to the planters of the fugar iflands, they will fow the feeds of Presbyterianifm fo deep, and diffufo the fpirit of war fo wide in North America, that it is two to one if a fingle colony of them all remain under the Britiih government, (6 long as the ihort |)eriod between the prefent war, and the year two thoufand two hundred and fifty nine. My eighth, and laft reafon, for removing Mr. S y P — t from his M y*s prefence and councils for ever, is, becaufe he is an honed man. '^4.. I Am fenfible that many of my worthy readers will ftair at this extraordinary reafon, and yet, on mature refleiflion, they will find it as conclufive as any of ihe former j and here I will fairly confels that I heard it five or fix times mentioned, before I confidered it as any thing elfe than a piece of rail-* lery againft the enemies of ihe new m — r. But having been lately informed by a friend from the other end of the town, that this is the objcdion a» gainfl Mr. S y I — t that weighs moft in the breads of the far greater number of his wife and honourable oppofers ; I fat down with all the cool— nefs and impartiality of which I am mafter to con- fider .he force of it. I was foon convinced that there is truih and juftice in this obje«ftion : and I am well atfured I Ihall be able to prove it to the fadsfadion of all my readers. The firft thought that occurred to me in my en- quiring into the mischievous tendency of moral ho« nedy, was the rtaiion oi^profcinon of the perfon to . whom % one ( a ma gain! head Orii fervc mina long< his t on tl of pi whei M.'^ms] whom it is objefted. Much is to be learned front that, as you will foon perceive. Be pleafed to ob* ferve then, that though it be very criminal in a barber lo cut your throat, or in an apothecary to give you poifon ; yet for a highwayman to levy your money, or a (hopiifter to convey away your goods, or an attorney to perplex and prolong your luit, could not reafonably furpriCe you, becaule each of thefe anions is done in character, and is a part of the refpe(5tive calling or profeffion. Now it muft be remembered that rhe perfon in queflion is neither a mercer, a draper, nor a grocer, but th6 firft m — r of a great nation. And one Machiavel, a mofl excellent political writer, has edabli/hed this maxim, that it is impofTible to govern a great king- dom to purpofe, unlefs the perfon governing lays afide ail fort of regard to morals, efpecially to that plebeian virtue, commonly called honefty. But honcfty is the great fault which Mr. P — t's oppofers lay to his charge ; and which entirely di{^ quallHes him for ruling the (late. They allow that he means well, and is a man of fome parts, buc then, fay they, the rigour of his principles is in- tolerable, there have been periods, they add, when^ luch kind of men have been ufeful to a ilate. In one of the republicks of Greece, for indance, fuch a man as he would have been a noble bulwark »> gain ft the torrent of corruption, which drove Greece headlong into the fnares of Philip, the Macedonian.; Or in the city of Rome, a Mr. P — t might have pre- fcrved the freedom of the ftate, and averted the do- mination of a perpetual diflator for an age or two longer ; or even in the barbarous times of Charles I. his talents might have availed in bridling prerogative on the one hand, and in fetting bounds to the rage of privilege on the other. But in the prefent age, when men and manners are poUlhed to the laft degree ' « • T I, C 32 ] degree, when the elegant arts srd the fofter virtues have refined the human (bul } in thefe happy days of moderate vice and tradable virtue, when eva* (ion having come in place of tranlgrelTien, men are governed more by love than by fear j and when gratitude for benefits received, and efteem of the benefadors, .are more powerful principles than dread of the laws and regard to the conftitution ; ftich a charafter as that of Mr. P — t is out of its place, it comes not in with propriety ; it roars the plot of the play, and therefore ought to be fupprefl altogether. Such is the candid language of Mr. P — t's op- pofers; and the effe^s of raifinghim fo unfeafbn- ably to power, are already but too apparent. Not Inany months ago, patriotifm and pubiick virtue were quite exploded. Experience had taught the nation that thefe were only ideal qualities that had no exigence in nature. None but odd fellows ever fo much as named them, except in derifion : and all men of fen(e publickly owned that private into- red was their fole purfuit. But of late our coffee* houfe converfation is fet to a new tune ; and difm- tereftednefs, and the love of our country, is the burden of the fbng. Now this is a very great e- vil, for men of fuch notions will be very apt to thwart the meafures of the government; and it will be extremely troublefome and expenfive to the m — r, who Jhall then govern, to take them off. Let any man but ferioufly confider the prefent flate of this great nation', and he will foon come to think with me, that honefty is the moft unminifte- rial of all qualities. On this article, indances croud fo faft upon me, that I am puzzled to which I /hall give the preference. To be a (ucccfsful ininifter, a man mud have a multitude of friends to afTilt < ' him, t 33 1 him, oihcrwife the wheels of government cannot be kept in motion. And the only fure way of mar kirg friends, is to give to every man every thing he asks. But honelty makes a man diificulc and- nice in his choice, and leads him to conlider the fitnefs of perlbns for offices, which, if made arule, would prob.bly cm off ninety-nine of a hundred* Honefty would mnkea m — r endeavour to difcharge part of the national debt as foon as pofTible, left we. fhould come into the ftrange modern fituation of being a rich people and a poor ftate. But thea what would become of all the worthy money-bro» kers and ftock-jobbers, together with the whole children of Ifrael, who have ferved the pu- blick for nothing fo faithfully and fo long? Hone- fty might excite the m — r to fcore out all fine cures ' and penfions from the civil lift, and to invent me- v thods of raifmg the taxes at a cheaper rate. But where would we find fuch another body of firm and adive friends to the court through every re-. bellion, fuch brave champions for the adminiftra* tion through every change of min — ^y ? Honefty, it is poflible, might move the m — r to make the fta- tute book of the land be copied over in a more le< gible hand : perhaps he might abridge what is clear, unravel what is perplexed, and omit what is ufe- Icfs altogether. But then what would become of the venerable body of the law, from the filver- tongued counfellor, who rolls in a chariot of ftate, down to the burrough attorney, who, by indefeai- able right, fleeces the lieges around him, to make himfclf a garment, (I had almoft faid to build him- felf a palace) of their wool ? And, to mention no more, honefty might tempt a m — r to turn his eyes upon, and ftretch his reforming hands, even fo far, as our facred feminaries of learning. But then it is probable they would become academies for the liberal education of gentlemen, and no longer re- V ' . ' maiii "^' ^ .i mm wm i\ ' . . r 34 ] main cloillers for dircipuning monks and friary, vhich \¥as the original dedgn of iheir inftitution. And if honcfty in general be a vice in a m — r, I take that branch of it called didntereftednefs to be abfblute folly. There is an inftance of this kind that has been often boafled of, by Tome of our jg[reat man's half-witted friends. It leems that on the payment of one of the fublidies to a faith* ful ally, a very handfome fum fell due to Mr. P- 1, then pay r g 1, as a perquifite of his office. But how do you think this haughty man behaved when it was offered him \ He difdainfuHy refufed the royal gratuity, and told the aflonifhed Italian, ** that the k — g, his matter, paid his fervants too well, for them to accept of fees from foreign princes *" » This ftory has been fpread over Europe. And ^hat opinion do you think foremners (the Dutch for inftance) will entertain of (uch a ftatefman ? "Will not they, and all the worlds be under a ftrong temptation to cheat us to the utmoft of their power, while they have to do with fuch a fimpieton of a m r \ Nor is this the only inftance of his folly and-difintereftednefs; for much of the fame nature is the tax on places and pen lions, which he and his friends and favourites carried through laft year with fo much applaufe of the unthinking multi- tude. But thus 00 I, and all men of fenfe, reafon upon the fubjeft. *' That if the f— Is have fo lit- tle regard to their own intereft, and are fo uncapa- ble ormanaging their own affairs, it is truly ihame* ful to entrull them with the bufmefs oi the na* lion. »> Before J come to a conclufion it is neceflary for me, injuftice even to Mr. P— r, (with whom, as a chriflian, N'^ cliriftiaDi I wonld chufe to be in charity, tTlbd^ft _,. not as a m r) to make this puWick declaration, that, although Ihai^ ufcd his name all^iong' as the chief an4 head of his party, and akhough I Tmow that, generafty fpeaking, one man is the life and (bul of all co-pattneries; yet 1 am very far front afcribkig' alt the evils that I have enumerated to him alone. No, there are marty others, who^ tho* guilty in a lefs degree, becaufe they have had lefs^ raifchief in their power, yet as t. ey have difcover* ed the fame malice of intention as often as they could, are therefore to be confidered as his bre- thren in iniquity, and fharers with him in the fame condemnation. It is h'^h time for me, fellow-citizens and eo^n* trymen, to bid you farewell. I have now disbur* dened my confciencc, and if the nation is ruined, I take you to witnefs, that I have wafhed my hands of her blood. It is very true that my prcdecciP for in founding tl^e trumpet of alarm, the learned Dr. Br- n, is entirely confuted and difcredited by the importance of Britain in the prefent warj and foreigners, from hence, will learn to look on tranfadions, and not on books, for che charafters of nations ; they will learn to dilVmguilh between the genius of a miniftry, and the genius of a peo- ple ; perhaps they will be convinced that the ipiric of a great nation is not always wholly extinguifh- ed, when her governors happen to be bafe, weak, or pufillanimous. But though my lateft predecef- forh«s, in the end, been unfortunate enough, yet ,1 know you too well to fear that you will wait till events juftify or refute thofe plain reafons of mine: 1 mean fuch of them as are prediftive; for the greatell part of them arc already confirmed by what is part. In like manner, as yOu read my learn- ed friend's book with infatiable avidity -for many months, and believed every word it contained, I know you will alfo read and believe mine. And * m- / -:\ • I', -yi- ■ i ■„,. V /•■ ■•*•: ■*#■ •-> ■ xtiy boc^reHerwil] find this Ti|lde DiecefilclTi exce^ ]en|^operty, thatl hopehewill give me whatel^ }sp^i^ik for my next performance. ^; : j , .^ Biit yon moft fpeak and aft as well as belie^ie, p-» nicrwife your creduJit)^ is good for nothing. That iband of illuftrious patriots, whom I have fo often mentioned with honour, can furnilh yoi* with a a man (or with feveral men) who has been trained up in thofe principles of found policy, by which %hk iiland has been fo long happily governed.. A man who has ^iven notorious proof that he poflef- ies none of the unminiRerial qualities 1 haVe fo juftly afcribed to t^e prefect m — r, and to whof^ chara^fler and conduft not one of my reafbns will apply. Him you muft find, him you muft exalr^ fif^Jych as he, alone, can ^efcue the 'ftaie,; :and^ {^^he nation* ^ , '-^ J^Jt^ /;>- I . ^ I -know ibat Mr^Ji— t 4nd his -fi^ends (upporc ibekjbirifs with ajjyidpjbsEjphecy of one Humphry Oi^^e,. ef^ ,w^ iays^^m ascertain place of l\is bo<^iJ, " Let liUP^Ilfcip^ ^^^^ ^ir"^i:jfefted, ac« rixe, nian arifb, atr^tefift ^€trec|jVed, .£olk)wed, aiidal moft adored, as the g«arjd|an gcaius of tliofe ' ifcyjgdprns.'*. " Hitherto you have a^ed as it you had hecn in confpiracy wi^h that old doj^rd; but after, tfep-i^y^arnipg 1 have given you, I knbu^ yo^rwjll do ibno.mofc. To. the m— — r too, and hii daring band of aflociaies, I have dite^led a threaming, from better authority than OldcalUe's, in my titk p^e > , afld lefi- it ilipuld be thought that I bead t|lfi:factfe Goleman-flreet^^*;,^" «.,^ . . • , January, 17$% *4^.-t «"•» ' * ^R>^'4-'^' .;M ^ i-^ "■^^''.fm '■■" * . '^. -' I f; J-,, ■■ -J- That often K^ith a orained which 4.. A pofleG' ave fo whoH^ s will exalv 5/ and^ J i)>porc nphry of ]\is (d, ac« owed, rihofe >u had t after; v\\l do daring .from \ irniihf )f Lftr ae t^i ;dir of : thcFO Hi ■