California 
 -egional 
 acility
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES

 
 L ETTER 
 
 T O 
 
 William Pitt, Efq ; 
 
 CONCERNING 
 
 The Fifteen New REGIMENTS lately 
 Voted by PARLIAMENT: Wherein fome 
 of the general Arguments, together with his 
 in particular, for Oppofing the Motion to 
 Addrefs His MAJESTY, are fairly 
 anfwered, and the Cafe itfelf is fhortly and 
 plainly ftated. 
 
 Nil off urn reputans, fi quid fupere/et agendum. 
 
 LUCAN. 
 
 Fame is a Thing long earning, andfoon gone, 
 By many AB'ions gained, and loft by one. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for W. WEBB, near Sf. Faith. 
 
 1746. 
 [Price One Shilling.]
 
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 BOOKSELLER to the READER. 
 
 THis Pamphlet, as I have already ad- 
 vertis'd the Publick, was preparing 
 for the Prefs, at the Time the Rebels 
 marched into England ; upon which Event, 
 ^he Author thought proper to poftpone the 
 ^Publication of it. 
 
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 LETTER 
 
 T O 
 
 William Pitt, Efq ; 
 
 S I R, 
 
 H E Approaches of a con- 
 TRJ& cea i e( j n em are to be 
 
 guarded againft, but thofe 
 of a concealed Friend are to be 
 encouraged. This Truth is found- 
 ed on a Kind of paradoxkal Rea- 
 fon ; which is, that a Perlbn, fo 
 difguiied, will tell you Things moft 
 B un-
 
 ##difguifedly. It is one of the fertr 
 ' Inftances in which a Mask is both 
 ufeful and honeft. The Farty ad- 
 inonilhed feldom has his Mind duly 
 tempered for Reproof, when it comes 
 from any other Quarter; Being apt to 
 think his Enemy has not feen Caufe 
 for what he fays ; and to tell a con- 
 fronted Friend, that he ought to 
 have over-looked it. Netferthelefs, 
 I will make known as much of my 
 Condition, as may be confident with 
 the utter Ignorance I hope to keep 
 you in with regard to my Perfbn. I 
 can affirm, with the utmoft Truth, 
 that I am not entering into this Al- 
 tercation with you from a Love of 
 Difpute y having followed, in my 
 own Country, the Advke given to 
 Milton, when he was travelling into 
 a foreign one; " To think much, and 
 ** ipeak little." I have long/rz^d, and 
 now cou'd wiih to dye unknown j yet 
 with fuch a Confcioufnefs about me r 
 
 as
 
 C 3 3 
 
 as I flatter myfelf accompanies but 
 few Human Minds. I cannot charge 
 myfelf with having ever fuffered my 
 Love or Diflike of any Man, to 
 make either a Flatterer or a Slanderer 
 of me. I praiie warmly, but not la- 
 vifhly ; I cenfiire coolly, but not in- 
 fenfibly. And all Men would do well 
 to obferve this Rule j left their Ap- 
 plaufe fhould become invidious, or 
 their Reflections grow unjuft : In 
 which Cafes, we neither benefit the 
 Good, nor hurt the Evil-doer. To 
 give you fome little Eftimation of 
 my Talents, I will venture to pro- 
 nounce of rnyielf (as was laid not 
 long ago by one great Man of an- 
 other) that, though I am below a 
 Genius, I am above the Vulgar. I 
 am honoured with a Seat in Parlia- 
 ment as well as you : I am a Man of 
 Probity as well as you. And as my 
 Senatorial Capacity will help but 
 Ijttle to bring your Conjectures into
 
 any Compafs ; fo I think your Ima- 
 gination can receive no great Aid or 
 Guidance, from my acknowledging, 
 that I am one of the foremoft of your 
 Admirers ; becaufe they alfo are too 
 numerous for fo particular a Direc- 
 tion of it. I took early Notice of 
 you, as one, who, in Mr. Pope's 
 Phrafe, felt for Fame; which made 
 me, upon all Occafions, feel for you. 
 ,1 honoured you, in fhort, as a vir- 
 tuous Man, and reverenced you as 
 an able one. 
 
 To obviate any Imputation, or 
 Sufpicion of Vanity, in what I have 
 faid, I beg Leave to obferve, that 
 there is no Breach of Modefty in 
 chiming, what one's Pride is no 
 ways gratified in receiving ; and that 
 mine cannot be gratified in my pre- 
 fent Situation is plain ; becaufe, if 
 youfhou'd bedifpofed to grant, what- 
 ever I could ask,it would be given, 
 
 in
 
 ; m ... ; f 
 
 in effect, but to a Phantom. 1 
 thought this fliort Preface to my E- 
 piftle neceflary, in order to give it 
 fbme Title to your Perufal, though 
 it may have more to your Confide- 
 ration. And I will further court and 
 bribe your Attention, with a fromife 
 to be fhort, ferious, and fincere. 
 
 Having, I hope, convinced you 
 how difpaffionately I look on^o, it 
 behoves me to fatisfy you of the fame 
 unprejudiced Difpofition in me to- 
 wards the noble Lords, who are Par- 
 ties in the Caufe now under our Con- 
 fideration ; and I folemnly proteft to 
 you, that I love fbme, honour moft of 
 them, and have not the leaft Grudge 
 or Malevolence to any of them. Cer- 
 tain Perfbns, indeed, intimated, in 
 Abatement of the Merit of the ho- 
 .nourable Gentlemen's Zeal who raifed 
 thefe Regiments, that they were very 
 tempting Things, as lucrative Gifts : 
 
 But
 
 But as no Proof can be brought of 
 the Efficiency of that Temptation, 
 Charity bids us believe that there was 
 no fuch Influence. This, and every 
 thing elie that favoured of Reflec- 
 tion, fhou'd have been avoided. - 
 You iee, Sir, I am as ready to 
 acknowledge the Invalidity of a 
 Friend's Argument, as to fliew the 
 Infuffkiency of my Adversary's. But 
 if they err'd in one Way, give me 
 Leave to lay, Sir, you treipafled in 
 another : For to talk of thefe great 
 Names, as Things refpefiable, vvas 
 right ; but to talk of them, as you 
 did, in an Houfe of Commons, as 
 Things of Weight, was wrong. 
 
 With this Singlenefs of Heart, free 
 alike from Guile or Gall, I will enter 
 upon the Matter and fhall exa- 
 mine your Behaviour on the Occa- 
 fion, with all the Tendernefs due to 
 your Modefty, with all the Defe- 
 rence,
 
 5p C73 ;;> p 
 
 rence due to your Abilities. I per- 
 haps am of Opinion that you are not 
 changed ; others are not of that 
 Opinion. Your Conduct has been 
 loudly arraigned, and bitterly in- 
 veighed againft. 'Tis urged, that 
 though the Spirit of Party is fubfid- 
 ed among us, the Spirit of Patriotifm 
 fliould remain. That notwithftand- 
 ing our Confidence in the Minifters 
 is extremely well founded, we are 
 not to introduce a Kind of political 
 Popery, by fuppofing them to be 
 infallible, or that our Faith is to 
 be implicit. That a Parliamentary 
 Watch and Ward is to be kept up, 
 ne quid detriment* capiatRefpubliccty 
 and, as few Men are fo well qualified 
 as yourfelf for the Difcharge of this 
 important Duty, that you ought to 
 take Part of it upon you. Thefe, 
 and the like Obfervations, paft be- 
 tween me and another Friend of 
 yours, during the lefs interefting 
 
 Parts
 
 [8] " 
 
 Parts of the Debate. I fliall pro*, 
 ceed now more direftly to my Pur- 
 poie. 
 
 When the Eftimate of the Charge 
 of thefe Fifteen Regiments, to be 
 raided by the noble Lords whofe 
 Names accompanied it, was laid be- 
 fore the Committee of Supplies, in 
 order to have their Refblutions upon 
 it j I believe fbme few Gentlemen 
 were irreconcileably averie to the 
 whole Project. Poflibly there might 
 be as many more, who wifbed to fee 
 it as totally take Effect. But the 
 more Moderate, who, to my great 
 Aftonifhment,were alfbthe more nu- 
 merous, forefeeing that Inconvenience 
 would attend either Extreme, look'd 
 for Truth in the middleWay. They 
 thought it would be ill advifed en- 
 tirely to difappoint the Zeal of thefe 
 noble Peers, or to forego the Benefit 
 of it j and yet were not for purcha- 
 
 fing
 
 C 9 J 
 
 fing that Benefit too dearly, by in- 
 curring Dangers and Evils to which 
 it was not adequate. TheCommittee 
 feemed to be of Opinion, that the 
 Fervour of his Majefty's Gratitude 
 had trefpafled a little on his Reafon, 
 upon the fir ft Overture of the gene- 
 rous Propolals made him by thefe 
 worthy Champions for their Country, 
 and made him overlook the Incon- 
 veniences arifing from too implicit a 
 Compliance with them. They faw the 
 Difficulty in which he had involved 
 himielf and us, and could devife no 
 other Expedient to extricate both, 
 than by beieeching him, in an hum- 
 ble Addrefs, to moderate tnd qualify 
 the extraordinary Conceffions made 
 to thefe great and honourable Per ions, 
 by revoking the Article of Rank. 
 The Reafonablenefs of the Motion 
 was fcarce queftioned : The Impro- 
 priety of it was only fpoke to, on 
 account of the Royal Word, which 
 C we
 
 we were told in a very emphatic 
 Manner, was pledged, and was not to 
 be violated. This is a fliort State of 
 the Cafe in the Committee ; where, 
 from the particular Knowledge I had 
 of the Complexion of the Houfe that 
 Day, I am certain the Equity of the 
 Propofition had made its Way, had 
 not the Opponents of it taken Ad- 
 vantage of the Mifconduci of its 
 Advocates ; who appearing to have 
 no kind of Concert amongft them, 
 loft themfelves, and their Caufe, by 
 jttopofing and advancing Things, not 
 only without any Regard to Parlia- 
 mentary Order, but without Method 
 or Difcretion. You may remember, 
 Sir, that the Miniftry gave up a lefs 
 material Point, and fuch a one as 
 they might with ibme Colour have 
 infifted on ; which was, the Reduc- 
 tion of the Term agreed upon, from 
 fix Months to four. But, to fay 
 Truth, there was a Freedom of vot- 
 ing
 
 c ii 
 
 ing on this Occafion, which I had not 
 often obferved in Parliament ; it was 
 fo totally void of Refpe& either to 
 Perlbn or Party. And I confefs I was 
 .not only pleafed with it as a Thing 
 highly becoming the Dignity of an 
 Aflembly, of which I had the Honour 
 to be a Member, but as a Friend to 
 the Adminiftration ; who, I am per- 
 fwaded, will find in the End, that if 
 will be fo far from impeding them in 
 the Diicharge of public Bufinefs, that 
 it will greatly tend to facilitate it. 
 Should this Practice be properly en- 
 couraged, fo as to become as fafhion 
 able as it is reputable, they would 
 have no Enemies of whom they need 
 to be afraid, nor Friends of whom they 
 ought to be afhamed. Probably, it 
 was the extraordinary Schifm among 
 the Minifterial Clan on this great 
 Occafion, which made your Apoftacy 
 thought fo very unfeafonable, and fb 
 invidioufly commented upon. At a 
 C 2 Time,
 
 Time, when thofe who were moft 
 ftri&ly conne&ed with, and dependent 
 on the governing People were forced 
 to abandon them : In a Caufe which 
 had not only loofed the Bands of 
 Friendship and of Kindred, but even 
 the Ties of Intereft: At fuch a Time, 
 and in fuch a Caufe, I fay, for an old 
 Opponent to become an Advocate for 
 them, you will eafily believe was 
 Matter of infinite Speculation. For 
 my own Part, as I am not apt to give 
 into malicious Animadverfions on the 
 Behaviour of others j whenever I 
 have been prefent at any Mootings on 
 this Step of yours, I have only con- 
 feis'd, that I thought it extremely 
 difficult of Solution. But the Re- 
 collection of a Thing you faid in Be- 
 half of thefe Noblemen, may, I think, 
 a little explain it. The ftanding in 
 a Gap, at a critical Junflure, is un- 
 doubtedly a great Enhancement of 
 the Merit of fogood an Office. Now, 
 
 if
 
 C 13 
 
 if this was your Motive, it appears 
 at once that you was governed in your 
 Conduct by Scriptural Rule, and the 
 Fundamental of Chriftian Principles; 
 inafmuch as you can fay for yourfelf, 
 that you have added to your Faith in 
 them, Hope, and to your Hope, Cha- 
 rity. But I fliall leave the Com- 
 mittee, to take aView of what pafs'd 
 in theHoufe upon the Report; where 
 the Treatment, and the Fate, this 
 poor Queftion rnet with, in the fecond 
 Difquifition it underwent, furprized 
 me beyond Expreflion. 'Tis true, 
 I had been told the Day before, by 
 two Gentleman, differently interefted 
 in the Succefs of it, that I might de- 
 pend upon it, Rank (would carry it ; 
 anAflurance which I thought equally 
 indecent and imprudent. But cer- 
 tain Perfbns in this Country are 
 amazingly well verfed in Arith- 
 mancy ; which, being interpreted, is 
 
 the
 
 C'43 
 
 the Art of foretelling Events by 
 lumbers. 
 
 The Debate then being refumed, 
 what was objer.ed to as improper 
 and unfitting only in the Committee, 
 was by a notable Difcovery, found in 
 the Houfe to be impracticable. A 
 Gentleman of the Law, who is a 
 great Honour and Ornament to his 
 Profeffion, told us in the Language 
 of the Law, faflum valet, the Thing 
 was irrevocably done ; that Rank was 
 an eilential and neceflary Appendant 
 of the Commiflion ; that they were 
 indiflblubly blended and united ; and 
 our Proportion was treated as no lels 
 extravagant, than if we had attempt- 
 ed to feparate Fire and Heat, the Sun 
 
 and its Light. 1 have already 
 
 called this a notable Difcovery j as 
 indeed it mutt be, to bring the Con- 
 troveriy to ib iliort an Iflue, when 
 three hundred of the moft confider- 
 
 able
 
 C i5 
 
 able Men in this Country had been 
 deliberating upon the Subject-Matter 
 of it for feven Hours, and had over- 
 looked an Argument, in Appear ance, 
 {o obvious and con clu five. 
 
 sr.fb i| 
 
 The opening this new Battery 
 againft us, which had been masked 
 the Day before, was thought by 
 fbme a little unfair : But Precipi- 
 tancy, Overfight, or forced Compli- 
 ances in Bufinefs, will reduce Men 
 to Shifts, who, in other Circum- 
 ftances, wou'd defpife and abhor any 
 thing like Chicane or Subterfuge. 
 However we fhall find, Sir, upon ex- 
 amining, decifively as this Plea was 
 urged and uttered, that it deferved 
 but little Attention. Was any thing, 
 or could any thing be determinately 
 done in this Matter, without the Ad- 
 vice and Confent of Parliament ? If 
 not, his Majefty's Promife was GO 
 ways binding. The Aflent of Par- 
 liament
 
 [ 16] 
 
 liament being a Condition annexed 
 by Implication to his Covenant ; till 
 it was fo ratified, the Com millions 
 given to theie noble Colonels were 
 but ib much wafte Paper ; liable to 
 be cancelled ; and upon fuch anAp- 
 plication to the Crown as was pro- 
 poied, others of a different Tenor 
 might have been made out. This 
 being the Cafe, the Expediency of 
 our Interpolation between his Maje- 
 fty and the Contractors for this their 
 great Bounty to the Public, was al- 
 lowed on all Hands ; as we ieemed 
 to be the only Confeflbrs on Earth^ 
 impowered to give him the Abfblu- 
 tion that was requifite in fo difagree- 
 able a Dilemma. Should you, or 
 any other Perfbn fay, that thefe Lords 
 would not have accepted of their 
 Commiffions with fiich Limitation, 
 I am convinced they would not think 
 themfelves beholden to you for the 
 Aflertion. This, Sir, would be a 
 
 virtual
 
 *7 J 
 
 virtual Confefllon that there were 
 mixed Motives in the Undertaking, 
 as their Ill-willers have furmized ; 
 which would be a confiderable Draw- 
 back on the Merit of that heroic 
 Virtue and public Spirit, which 
 chiefly, if not fingly, induced both 
 King and Parliament to liften to 
 their Propofals. Had this Circum- 
 ftance been duly confide red, we were 
 not to be talked to, as fecretly ap- 
 proving, but as publicly confenting 
 only, upon prudential Motives, to 
 this Meafure j meaning nothing more, 
 than to keep Pace with his Majefty 
 in our joint Acknowledgments of the 
 Zeal and Patriotifin of his Nobles, 
 and to teftify the fame Sollicitude in 
 ourfelves, for the Safety and Secu- 
 rity of his Peribn and Government. 
 
 All I have hitherto {aid was with 
 
 a Defign to fhew, how there came 
 
 to be fuch a Difpofition among us, 
 
 D to
 
 to countenance a Scheme not alto- 
 gether reconcileable to our Reaibn or 
 Conference ; in order to reflect {bme 
 Reproach upon the Authors and 
 Abettors of it ; who, inftead of re- 
 quiting our Complaifance with a 
 Conceffion, to which we had a dou- 
 ble Claim, took Advantage of our 
 Candour, and made it acceflary to 
 
 our Defeat Let us purfue this 
 
 Point; a little farther, and fuppofe 
 the Decree of the honourable and 
 learned Gentleman I lately quoted, 
 to be as definitive as he feemed to 
 think it. I fay, in Anfwer to it, 
 that the Parliament fhould then have 
 been apprized direffily of the Stum- 
 bling-block ; who, finding them- 
 felves fb circumfcribed in their Power 
 of judging and deciding in this great 
 Affair, would have taken no Cog- 
 nizance of it at all, but have re- 
 turned the Propofition to the Mini- 
 ilers ; requiring them to new frame 
 
 and
 
 and modify it, 'ere they could con- 
 fider it as a proper Subject for their 
 Deliberation. Had this been done, 
 (which ought to have been done) we 
 had impoied on them the Task we 
 had unwarily taken upon ourfelves ; 
 and I doubt not but they would have 
 effected with the utmoft Eafe, the 
 Compromise we found attended with 
 the utmoft Difficulty. This appears 
 to me to be a very fair Decifion of 
 the Matter. But in order to bring 
 it nearer to an Iffue, let us, for a 
 while, look fingly and ftedfaftly to 
 the Point, abftrateJ from every ex- 
 ternal Circumftance and Concomitant 
 of it ; and fuppofe it to come thus 
 naked before the Houie of Commons 
 for their Sanction and Determina- 
 tion. The Minifter is ordered to ac- 
 quaint us, that his Majefty had re- 
 ceived very generous Propofals, (but 
 not from whom) for the railing of 
 fifteen Regiments gratis, for the. De- 
 D 2 fence
 
 [20] 
 
 fence of the Nation, during its pre- 
 ient calamitous Circumftances ; and 
 defires to know, whether we will ad- 
 vife him to accept them. I will ven- 
 ture to affirm, that the Queftion, 
 thus fhortly put, would have received 
 as fhort an Anfwer, and been deter- 
 mined in the Negative. This was 
 worth mentioning, becaufe I derive 
 a Proof from it, by Inference, that it 
 was wholly owing to the Refpecl: 
 and Deference paid to the great 
 Names upon our Table, that we 
 conferred at all upon the pernicious 
 Proje6h I beg Pardon for giving 
 it fo harfli an Epithet ; but to Men 
 of Forefight, I aflure you, Sir, the 
 Confequences of this Vote of Par- 
 liament are fearful Obje6i:s. As I 
 have made it my Bufinefs to inform 
 myfclf thoroughly of Gentlemen's 
 private Thoughts of this Thing, 
 (which are not always correfpondent 
 
 to
 
 [21] 
 
 to their AHons) 1 hope I am excu- 
 
 fable for talking io confidently of it. 
 cvijs . 
 
 All that now remains unperform- 
 ed of my Engagement is, to anfwer 
 your Obje&ions to the Addrels ; 
 which I Ihall do as briefly as may be, 
 the Merits of the Queftion being 
 fairly and fully fet forth, if I conceive 
 aright, in the ftating of it. And as 
 you and your honoured and learned 
 Friend feemed intirely to agree in 
 your Sentiments upon this Occafion, 
 I beg Leave to take all Advantage 
 of the ftri<3: Union betwixt you, by 
 confidering you in my Replications 
 as an Unity. You are not to expecl: 
 much Method, nor is it very material 
 to ourPurpofe; therefore Ifhall give 
 you your Anfwers to our Arguments, 
 and my Replies to your Anfwers, 
 in the Order they happen to occur 
 to me, upon a Recolle&ion of the 
 whole. But I muft premife in en- 
 tering
 
 [22 ], ^ 
 
 tering upon this Topick, that what- 
 ever I may fay to the Disadvantage 
 of the Regiments, it Ihou'd give no 
 Sort of Umbrage to the Commanders. 
 'Tis no uncommon Error, nor a very 
 reproachable one, to have misjudg'd 
 or overlooked the evil Confequences 
 of a good Intention. I am convinced 
 that iome of thefe Lords (very likely 
 all of them) engaged in this meri- 
 torious Work upon as laudable and 
 virtuous Motives, as ever a&uated 
 Man upon any Occafion. A glorious 
 Opportunity offered itfelf of joining 
 th Patriot to the Courtier, and they 
 mod worthily embraced it. Their 
 Public Spirit and AffefHon for their 
 Trince went Hand in Hand in the 
 Undertaking. And I wifh with all 
 my Heart, that our Minifters, in 
 whofe Power it is to do it, would 
 improve the p relent Diipofition 
 among us, towards multiplying the 
 Proofs and Inftances of the Compa- 
 
 tability
 
 tability of thofe Chara&ers. Never- 
 thelefs, I fear this fatal Meafure, in 
 the End, will come under the De- 
 fcription Adam gives of Eve, when 
 he calls her, a jpecious Mi/chief, an 
 accomptifhed Snare. If theie great 
 Men ihould find, that, in confequence 
 of their threatened Chaftifement of 
 the DifafFe&ion, which has appear'd 
 as yet * but in the extreme Parts of 
 the Kingdom, they have laid the 
 Foundation of fuch Uneafinefs and 
 Difcontent, as may bring the Difeafe 
 into the Bowels of it ; that inftead 
 of deftroying and extirpating the E- 
 nemies of our Peace and Happinefs, 
 they have increafed them: If this 
 fhould be our Cafe, their Repentance 
 end Acknowledgment of the Miftake 
 
 would come too late. I fhall 
 
 make no Apology for this fhort Di- 
 greffion, becaufe I have taken into if 
 the very Eflence of the Controverfy. 
 
 Rank,
 
 c H 3 
 
 Rank, as I have already obferved, 
 being the great Point in Difpute, 
 the Sticklers for the Addrefs very 
 juftly urged, that they thought the 
 allowing of it might breed ill Blood 
 in the Army: for though, in reafon- 
 ing upon our Apprehenfions of 
 Things, we can give no Demonftra- 
 tion, the Objet being eventual ; yet 
 where that Event, once befallen you, 
 may be paft Remedy, common Pru- 
 dence calls upon us to provide a- 
 gainft the Contingency. But how 
 was this anfvvered? Why, you told 
 us, that you was fbrry to hear fuch 
 Opinions and Do&rines broached in 
 Parliament, as that the Fear of giv- 
 ing any little Diflatisfa&ion with- 
 out Doors, was to check or con- 
 troul us in our Deliberations ! - 
 This, Sir, had been a very good An- 
 fwer, had it been any Anfwer at all; 
 but as no fuch Do6rrine was either 
 advanced, or even implied, it muft 
 
 be
 
 C 2$ J 
 
 be reje&ed as inefficient. We were 
 not fenfelefs or abjeft enough to 
 fuppofe, much lefs to aflert, that the 
 great Council of the Nation was to 
 be awed or influenced in its Refo- 
 lutions by the moft confiderable Bo- 
 dy of Men among us; which I hope 
 the Army will never be; though God 
 only knows. They remonftrated a- 
 gainft the Wrong going to be done 
 (as they thought) to many brave 
 Veteran Servants of the Public, upon 
 noble, generous Motives ; upon thofe 
 of Equity and Compaffion ; which 
 made them feel the Difcontent they 
 did not fear^ or if they feared, that 
 Apprehenfion had but the fecond 
 Place in their Minds. 'Twas fur- 
 ther faid, on your Part, that by fuch 
 Suggeftions we were encouraging the 
 old Officers to complain, and might 
 make thofe think themfelves ag- 
 grieved, who were not fb. As if 
 Human Paflions flept in the Breafts 
 E of
 
 df Men till they were awakened by 
 their Neighbours ; and that we did 
 not begin to feel, till By-Standers 
 told us we were aflaulted. Prepo- 
 fterous as this Reafbning is, I will 
 fuppofe it true, and give a further 
 Anfwer to it, viz. That if there were 
 fbme few Officers in the Army weak 
 enough to be fo influenced and prac- 
 tifed upon, Numbers would not be 
 found 5 and if Numbers fhould think 
 themfelves aggrieved, they that have 
 anfwered for the Acquiefcence and 
 Refignation of they^w, have faid juft 
 nothing at all. And I very well re- 
 member, that as on the one Hand we 
 were admonifhed for the Imprudence 
 of avowing our Fears, we were told, 
 on the other, that there was no room 
 for Fear- the Loyalty and Zeal of 
 the Gentlemen in the Army was 
 fuch, that they were above any little 
 Refentments of this Sort. Be it ib. 
 Is there then no locial Sympathy left 
 
 in
 
 [ 27 ] 
 
 in the World ? No Regard to be 
 had to the Sorrows and Sufferings of 
 our Fellow-Subje61s ? If there be, 
 thefe gallant Perfons are doubly en- 
 titled to our Confederation ; for to 
 be patient, long-fujfering, and of Ib 
 great Goodnefs, are more than human 
 Virtues, they are the Attributes of 
 the Deity. But notwithftanding 
 thefe Aflertions, I do averr, who 
 have but a fmall Acquaintance 
 among the Soldiery, that /know 
 fome, who are already repining and 
 murmuring at the Injuftice. Yet 
 the moft extraordinary Polition 
 of all in this Arbitration of yours 
 is ftill behind : Namely, that thefe 
 Gentlemen had no Right to com- 
 plain ; becaufe, Injuries of this Kind 
 are (b frequent in the Army, that we 
 have Inftances of them almoft every 
 Day. This, in ftiort, is to compare 
 the Guilt of a private Murder or 
 two with that of a Maflacre. 
 
 E a But
 
 1 28 ] 
 
 But can you really conceive, that 
 there is fuch Infenfibility about the 
 Heart of any Man as you would have 
 us fappofe ? You yourfelf was once 
 injured, pray how did you feel ? I 
 know, and have, perhaps, a livelier 
 Senfe of your Refentment, than you 
 could impart, with all your Rhe- 
 toric, to any other Creature upon 
 Earth. Should I have recourfe to 
 Hiftorical Teftimonies, I am certain 
 I could fhew, that lefs confiderable 
 Caufes have produced the Effech we 
 apprehend. In Sweden, for Inftance, 
 not many Years ago, an entire Army 
 was very near revolting, on account 
 of a little Unfavourinefs in -their 
 Bread, and with a Prince at the 
 Head of it as well beloved as our 
 Billy * 
 
 Great 
 
 * This is a familiar Appellation given by the 
 
 Guards to the Duke 5 and I'm of Opinion, that 
 O.;,. - y .;: *, . , .- .
 
 Great Variety of Matter might 
 be taken into this Dijpute ; but I 
 have endeavoured all along to keep 
 it in .fuch a State of Simplicity, as 
 always makes Truth more eafy of 
 Perception. The fupporting of a 
 wrong Thing by Example, and the 
 pleadingWant of Precedent, in order 
 to reject a right one, afford great 
 Scope for Raillery ; but as I am apt 
 to look upon fuch Occurrences, as the 
 peculiar Infelicities of this Country, 
 the Subject becomes again too ferious, 
 and I conform to it accordingly. I 
 might trouble you in another In- 
 ftance, with a Recapitulation of the 
 Arguments ufed by a fenfible and 
 worthy Friend of mine, by taking 
 
 Notice, 
 
 he will be as well pleafed with it, if rightly un- 
 derftood, as I am i who think it befpeaks more 
 of that Spirit and Affe&ion, which I hope he 
 will ever find in all his Followers, than if they 
 had attempted to deify him by any pompous 
 Titles or Expreffions.
 
 c 30 
 
 Notice, that as the Prerogative had 
 been in fome Sort waved, by giving a 
 Power to the noble Lords to appoint 
 their own Officers, and all Military 
 Law and Discipline fufpended, by 
 allowing them to covenant for local 
 Service only ; we had Reafbn to 
 hope, that they in their Turn, might 
 be induced, by fuch a Remonftrance 
 as was propofed, to make a Ceflion 
 of Part of their Right. This, I lay, 
 and much more, might have been 
 foifted in, but I chofe rather to keep 
 to my own Method of treating this 
 arduous Queftion. Yet fince I have 
 mentioned it again, pray give me 
 Leave to ask you, what Infinuation, 
 what Stigma it carried with it ? 
 Were theie honourable Gentlemen 
 ftigmatized by the Parliament's in- 
 terpofing, upon a Motive of Juflice, 
 between his Majefty and them? I 
 rather think the Perfon who can be- 
 lieve that our Requeft would not 
 
 have
 
 C 3'] 
 
 have been complied with, and readily 
 complied with, cafts the greateft Re- 
 flexion upon them. Having acci- 
 dentally reminded myfelf of that Ar- 
 ticle in their Agreement, by which 
 it is ftipulated, that thefe Regiments 
 are not to go Abroad ; I cannot help 
 obferving, that if they fhould be 
 eftablifhed (which the whole Nation 
 is hourly deprecating) it is a great 
 Aggravation of .the Injury already 
 done the old ones ; becaufe, if we 
 fhould have Occafion to fend Troops 
 into Flanders, or to reinforce thofe in 
 our Colonies, or to relieve the Gar- 
 rifbns of Gibraltar and Port-Ma- 
 \jorn, thefe are to go again upon the 
 moft hazardous Enterprizes, when it 
 is notorioufly the Duty of the younger 
 Corps. Add to this, that the fame 
 Jntereft and Influence, by which the 
 noble Lords have obtained thefe 
 Bounties and Indulgences for them- 
 felves, will be perpetually exerting 
 
 itfelf
 
 C 32 ] 
 
 itfelf in Favour of fuch Subalterns, 
 to the further Mortification and Dif- 
 honour of their Elders, whofe Heads 
 they will be put over ; not to mention 
 that their Commanders, being at once 
 their Patrons and their Chiefs, may 
 extend that Intereft and Influence in 
 the Country beyond its proper Bounds. 
 Moreover, repeated Wrongs of this 
 Sort, will make thefe noble Colonels 
 to be look'd upon with fuch invidi- 
 ous Eyes in the Army, that when 
 they come to be employed, thofe who 
 are to co-operate with them, will 
 be doing all they can to render their 
 beft Services ineffectual. There are 
 fuch recent, fuch fatal Inftances of 
 this deplorable Weaknefs in Men, 
 that I appeal to the Experience of 
 Boys, whether I am not defcribing 
 Nature .* Depraved indeed ! (as a 
 great modern Author obferves) but 
 Htman* 
 
 Fearing
 
 C33] 
 
 Fearing that you may be as tired 
 Us I am by the Length of this Ex* 
 poftulation, I will cheer you with 
 an Aflurance, that I am bringing it 
 to a Conclufion. Probably I ihou'd 
 leave off here, but that I pique my- 
 felf upon a punctilious Exa&nefs 
 in all my Dealings, and find that 
 my Title-Page has promiied, fome- 
 what more than I have performed : 
 For which Reafon, I muft beg Leave 
 to trouble you with one Interroga- 
 tory more* by asking what you 
 cou'd mean by attributing fuch abun* 
 dant Merit to thefe great Perfons, 
 for ftanding in the Gap> as you 
 called it ? Their Merit was but 
 upon an Equality with all the reft of 
 the People^ who teftified in their 
 leveral Ways, that they were ready 
 to facrifice all that was dear to them, 
 in the Defence of their Religion, 
 Liberties, and the prefent happy 
 Eftablifhment. But how, Sir, did 
 F they
 
 - I 34 3 
 
 they ftand in theGap? I fuppofe you 
 meant their Names (which, if equal to 
 any fifteen Battalions of the King's 
 Troops, as you affirmed, 1 will con- 
 fefs are much better Things than the 
 Regiments) for, at the Time we 
 were canvaffing this Matter, there 
 were fuch Gaps in the Regiments 
 themfelves, as the whole Force of 
 the Enemy might have paft thorough 
 without giving or receiving any An* 
 noyance. \Vere it not a little fo* 
 reign to my Argument, the fole Ten- 
 dency of which has been, to prove 
 why we ought to have been indulged 
 in ourAddrefs ; thisCircumftance had 
 naturally led me, toobferve upon the 
 Inexpediency and Fruitlefsnefs of 
 the whole Project : Since, for half 
 the Time at leaft of thewjuppofed 
 Duration, they could not be com- 
 pleat, or form'd enough to do ady 
 eflential Service and when they 
 
 were
 
 C 35 3 -V 
 
 were compleat and form'd enough, it 
 was to be hoped the Reafons for which 
 they were raifed, would .be no lon- 
 ger fubfifting. I have been told, 
 befides, that new Troops, under the 
 Direction of experienced Officers, 
 make but raw Work of it ; but 
 raw Troops, led by raw Officers, 
 I fear, would not make very raw 
 Work. 
 
 In fine, 1 wifh for the Sake of the 
 noble Lords, that our Motion had 
 been complied with ; which would 
 have ftopt at once the Mouths of 
 Envy and Detra&ion. As many of 
 them, then, as might be inclined 
 hereafter to refume the Military 
 Calling, would have brought Claims 
 to his Majefty, ftrongly enforced 
 by the Merit of their paft difin- 
 terefted Services. For I own, Sir, 
 that they may be the propereft Per* 
 F % fans.
 
 fens to give Regiments to, but they 
 are the worft Perfons to get Regi- 
 ments from. This Confederation, 
 chiefly, has made the Meaiure look'd 
 upon with fuch invidious B,yes 5 and 
 it is certain, that none cou'd be 
 more conducive to the enlarging, 
 and eftablifhing of a Standing Force 
 in this Country. I have fohigh an 
 Opinion of many of thefe honour- 
 able Gentlemen, as well as of fbme 
 of our Minifters, to be confident, 
 that the finding this Thing to be 
 Unpopular ) will be fufficient to make 
 them wifh it undone. 
 
 Thus, Sir, have I gone through 
 the very difinterefted and unprofi- 
 table Task I had fet myfelf j which 
 Confederations may help to evince 
 the Upright nefs of my Intention in 
 it. But a Writer who takes Care 
 to be fincere and inoffenfive in what
 
 C 37 3 
 
 he utters, has nothing to apprehend j 
 his Confcience abfolving him of every 
 Thing to \>sfufpe$d, and his De- 
 cency acquitting him of whatever 
 may be difrelffid by his Reader. 
 My Reafon for addreffing mylelf to 
 you upon this Occafion, was rather 
 to tell you what others faid, than 
 what I thought of you 5 and to re- 
 mind you, that thejfe/ conftans and 
 propofoi tenax were the greateft and 
 moft venerable Chara&eriftics be* 
 longing to Man. Not that / have, 
 or that Anybody elie can fairly o* 
 fer, the Shadow of an Objedion 
 to your embarking with this or that 
 Sett of Men , for Virtue knows no 
 Party : She is an Enemy to Parties, 
 becaufe Parties are Enemies to Iyer j 
 and if the Degeneracy of the Age 
 we live in fhou'd reduce her to the 
 Neceflity of forming one for herfelf, 
 I fear the Corps wou'd be, like 
 other independent Companies, equally 
 
 feeble, 
 
 306887
 
 C 38 ] 
 
 feeble, equally incomplete. I am 
 not confcious that I have in any 
 Inftance departed, either from the 
 difpaflionate Temper I fet out with, 
 or from the Character I aflumed of 
 being your Friend. It was the Part 
 of a Friend, to tell you that your 
 Reputation was declining, that your 
 Fame was languifhing, in order to 
 quicken you in your Endeavours to 
 recruit and cheriih them. If you 
 have been flirting only with Fame 
 and Virtue, in order to be thought 
 will with them, inftead of purfuing 
 them from a Conviction of their true 
 Value, and for the Sake of the Plea- 
 fures arifing from the Confcioufhefs 
 of really pojjej/ivg them ; you have 
 profaned the Shrine of one, and have 
 fhat the Ears of the other, to all 
 your future Solicitations. But 'tis 
 not fo : You mufl have been in 
 earned ; for to be fincere is the
 
 C 39 ] 
 
 diftinguifhing Quality of a great 
 Mind. Other Virtues are occafion- 
 ally exerted only, according as the 
 Occurrences of the Day call for the 
 Manifeftation of them ; but Sin- 
 cerity is a conftant, permanent one j 
 muft be the Partner of all others ; 
 and is indeed the Foundation of 
 Moral Excellence. In this Per- 
 fwafion and Confidence, I will di- 
 mifs you with a Compliment made 
 to me (very undefervedly) at the 
 Univerfity, by the Governor of the 
 College I was of, upon reading the 
 firft Exercife I ever put into his 
 Hands. 
 
 Perge tit Mccfifii, et decus Jis^ 
 mn JEdis noftrse tantum^ Jed totius 
 Academiae. Inge mo prteditus es om- 
 nibus rebus part, omnia expeffa- 
 bimus. 
 
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