THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 THE 
 
 FREE-HOLDER. 
 
 OR 
 
 POLITICAL ESSAYS. 
 
 By the Right Honourable 
 
 JOSEPH ADDISON, Efq; 
 
 L N D N: 
 
 Printed for J. and R. TON SON in the Strand. 
 MDCCLXI. ~
 
 T H E 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 N i. n# title and defign of 
 
 2. Of His MAJESTY'.* char after. 
 
 3, #&* memoirs of a Prefton 
 
 4. Reafom why the British Ladies 
 fiould fide with the Free-Holder. 
 
 5. Of the love which we owe to our 
 country. 
 
 6. The guilt of perjury. 
 j. Of party lies. 
 
 8. The female ajjoclation. 
 
 9, Anfwer of the Free-Holders of 
 Great- Britain to the Pretender's De- 
 claration. 
 
 A 2 i-o.Arbi- 
 
 '950108 *
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 N 
 
 28. Several ttfefulmaxinn to be learned 
 from the prefent rebellion. 
 
 29. 'The practice of morality necejjary- 
 to make a party flour ifli. 
 
 30. Of the vanity of the French nation. 
 
 31. dttfojer to a celebrated pamphlet ', 
 entitled, An argument to prove the 
 affections of the people of England 
 to be the beft fecurity of the Govern- 
 ment; humbly offered to the confi- 
 deration of the patrons of feverity, 
 and applied to the prefent juncture 
 of affairs. 
 
 32. Artifices of the malecontents to draw 
 the women into their party. 
 
 33. he particular concern of learned 
 focieties to cultivate the favour of 
 
 their Prince. 
 
 34. Abjurdity of admitting a fpirii of 
 party into public k diverfions, and par- 
 ticularly thofe of the play-houfe. 
 
 35. Of modern hiftorians. 
 
 36. Annals
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 *N 
 
 36. Annals of the Pretender V reign. 
 
 37. Illconfequences of the late cry of the 
 church's danger y with' regard to re~ 
 ligion. 
 
 38. Propofals for a truce between the 
 Ladies oj either party. 
 
 39. Character of the /ate Lord Somers, 
 publijhed on tfre day of his interment. 
 
 40. The ufual treatment of fuck men as 
 .make t he mf elves authors. 
 
 41. Advantages to the Spanifh trade 
 obtained by his prefent MAJESTY. 
 
 42. Advantages to our commerce in the 
 Netherlands obtained by his prefent 
 MAJESTY. 
 
 43. 'The inconf,ftence-ofa Popifh Prince 
 and Proteftant fubjeffs. 
 
 .44. Tory Fox-hunter s account of the 
 mafquerade on the birth of the Arch- 
 "Duke. 
 
 45. Tibe ufe and advantage of wit and 
 humour under proper regulations. 
 
 46. His
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 K- 
 
 .46. His MAJESTY'S birth-day. 
 
 47. Conver/jon of tie Tory Fox-hunter* 
 
 48. OJ Mint/ten of State, efpecially In 
 Great-Britain. 
 
 49. Thankfgiving day for fappr effing the 
 late rebellion. 
 
 50. The folly and mif chief of mobs and 
 riots. 
 
 5-1. Cautions to be obferved in the read- 
 ing of ancient Greek and Roman 
 hiftorians. 
 
 52. Offtatejealoiifc. 
 
 53. -Britons, free-thinkers in politicks'. 
 
 54. Preference of the Whig Scheme to 
 that of the Tories. 
 
 55. Conclufan. 
 
 THE
 
 THE 
 
 FREE-HOLDER. 
 
 Ni Friday, December 23, 1715. 
 
 Rara tcmporumfelicitai> ubi f entire qtue <u(Jh, 
 
 Jentiat dicere licet. Tacit. Hiftor. i . i . 
 
 Tis a peculiar happinefs of the times, when a man 
 
 may think as he pleafes, and fpeak as he thinks. 
 
 i HE Arguments of an Author lofe a 
 great deal of their weight, when 
 weareperfuaded that he only writes 
 for argument's fake, and has no 
 real concern inthecaufe which he 
 efpoufes. This is the cafe of one 
 who draws his pen in the defence of property 
 without having any ; except, perhaps, in the 
 copy of a libel, or a ballad. One is apt to 
 fufpeft, that the paffion for liberty, which ap- 
 pears in a Grub-ftreet Patriot, arifes only from 
 his apprehenfions of a goal ; and that, whatever 
 he may pretend, he does not write to fecure, but 
 to get fomething of his own, Should the Go- 
 B vernmcnt
 
 2 The FREE-HOLD E R. Ni 
 
 vernment be overturned, he has nothing to lofe 
 but an old ftandim. 
 
 I queftion not but the Reader will conceive 
 a refpedt for the Author of this Paper from the 
 title of itj fmce, he may be fure, I am fo con- 
 fiderable a man, that I cannot have lefs than 
 forty millings a Year. 
 
 I have rather chofen this title than any other, 
 becaufe it is what I moft glory in, and what 
 moft effectually calls to my mind the happinefs 
 of that Government under which I live. As a 
 Britijh Free-Holder, I fhould not fcruple taking 
 place of a French Marquis ; and when I fee one 
 of my Countrymen amufing himfelf in his little 
 cabbage-garden, I naturally look upon him as 
 a greater perfon than the owner of the richeft 
 vineyard in Champagne. 
 
 The houfe of Commons is the reprefenta- 
 tive of men in my condition. I confider my- 
 felf as one, who gives my confent to every law 
 which pafles : A Free-Holder in our Govern- 
 ment being of the nature of a citizen of Rome 
 in that famous Commonwealth ; who, by the 
 election of a Tribune, had a kind of remote 
 voice in every law that was enacted. So that 
 a Free-Holder is but one remove from a Le- 
 giflator, and for that reafon ought to ftand up in 
 the defence of thofe laws which are in fome 
 degree of his own making. For fuch is the na- 
 ture of our happy conftitution, that the bulk of 
 the people virtually give their approbation to 
 every thing they are bound to obey, and pre- 
 fcribe to themfelves thofe rules by which they 
 are to walk. 
 
 At the fame time that I declare I am a Free- 
 Holder, I do not exclude myfelf from any other 
 title. A Free-Holder may 'be either a Voter, 
 
 or
 
 N r The F R E E-H OLDER: 3 
 
 or a Knight of the {hire ; a Wit, or a Fox- 
 hunter ; a Scholar, or a Soldier ; an Alderman, 
 or a Courtier ; a Patriot, or a Stock-jobber. 
 But I choofe to be diftinguifhed by this Denc- 
 mination, as the Free- Holder is the bafis of all 
 other titles. Dignities may be grafted upon it; 
 but this is the fubftantial flock that conveys to 
 them their life, tafte, and beauty j and without 
 which they are no more than bio/Toms, that 
 would fall away with every (hake cf wind. 
 
 And here I cannot but take occafion to con- 
 gratulate my country upon the increafe of this 
 happy tribe of men, fince, by the wifdom of 
 the prefent Parliament, I find the race of Free- 
 Holders fpreading uro the remcteft corners of 
 fhe Ifland. I mean that a& which pafled in the 
 late feffion for the encouragement of loyalty in 
 Scotland : rJy which it is provided, ' that all and 
 every vaflal and vaflals in Scotland^ who (hall 
 continue peaceable, and in dutiful allegiance 
 to his Majefty, his Heirs and Succeflbrs, hold- 
 ing lands or tenements of any offender,' 
 guilty of high treafon," * who holds fuch 
 lands or tenements immediately of the crown, 
 mail be vefted and feized, and are hereby 
 enafted and ordained to hold the faid lands or 
 tenements of his Majefty, his Heirs and Suo 
 ceflbrs, in fee and heritage for ever, by fuch 
 manner of holding, as any fuch offender held 
 fuch lands or tenements of the Crown, &c. 
 By this means it will be in the power of a 
 Highlander to be at all times a good tenant, 
 without being a Rebel ; and to deferve the cha- 
 racter of a faithful fervant,without thinkinghim- 
 (elf obliged to follow his mafter to the gallows. 
 How can we fufticiently extol the goodnefs of 
 his prefent Majefty, who is not willing to have a 
 B 2 fingle
 
 4 The F R E E-H OLDER. N i 
 
 Cngle Have in his dominions ! Or enough rejoice 
 in the exercife of that loyalty, which, inftead of 
 betraying a man into the moft ignominious fer- 
 vitude, (as it does in fome of our neighbouring 
 Kingdoms) entitles him to the higheft privileges 
 of freedom and property ! It is now to be hoped, 
 that we mall have few Vaflals, but to the laws 
 of our country. 
 
 When thefe men have a tafte of property, 
 they will naturally love that conftitution from 
 \vhich they derive fo great a bleffing. There is 
 an unfpeakable plealure in calling any thing 
 one's own. A Free-Hold, though it be but in 
 ice and fnow, will make the owner pleafed in the 
 pofleffion, and ftout in the defence of it j and is 
 a very proper reward of our allegiance to our 
 prefent King, who, by an unparalled inftance 
 of goodnefs in a fovereign, and infatuation in 
 fubje&s, contends for the freedom of his people 
 againft themfelves ; and will not fuffer many of 
 them to fall into a ftate of flavery, which they 
 are bent upon with fo much eagernefs and ob- 
 ftinacy. 
 
 A Free-Holder of Great-Britain is bred with 
 an averfion to every thing that tends to bring 
 him under a fubje&ion to the arbitrary will of 
 another. Of this we find frequent inftances in 
 all ourhiftories j where the perfons, whofe cha- 
 racters are the moft amiable, and ftrike us with 
 the higheft veneration, are thofe who flood up 
 manfully againft the invafions of civil liberty, 
 and the complicated tyranny which popery im- 
 pofes upon our bodies, our fortunes, and our 
 minds. What a defpicable figure then muft the 
 prefent mock- patriots make in the eyes of po- 
 fterity, who venture to be hanged, drawn and 
 quartered, for the ruin of thofe civil rights which 
 
 their
 
 Ni 7$<? FR E E-Ho LE> E K. 5 
 
 their anceftors, rather than part with, chofe to 
 be cut to pieces rn the field of battle ? and what 
 an opinion will after-ages entertain of their re- 
 Jigion, who bid fair for a gibbet, by endea- 
 vouring to bring in a fuperftition, which their 
 fore-fathers perifhed in flames to keep out ? 
 
 But how inftru&ive foever the folly of thefe 
 men may prove to future times, it will be my* 
 bufinefs more immediately to confult the hap- 
 pinefs of the age in which I live. And fmc& 
 fo many profligate writers have endeavoured 
 to varnifh over a bad caufe, I fhall do all in my 
 power to recommend a good one, which in- 
 deed requires no more than barely to explain 
 what it is. While many of my gallant coun- 
 trymen are employed in purfuLng Rebels half 
 difcomfited through the confcioufnefs of their 
 guilt, I (hall labour to improve thofe victories to 
 the good of my fellow-fubjectb ; by carrying on 
 our fuccefles over the minds of men, and by re- 
 conciling them to the caufe of their King, their 
 Country, and their Religion. 
 
 To this end, I fhall in the courfe of this Pa- 
 per) to be publiflied every Monday and Friday) 
 endeavour to open the eyes of my countrymert 
 to their own intereft, to mew them the privileges 
 of an Englifo Free-Holder, which they enjoy in 
 common with myfelf, and to make them fenftble 
 how thefe blefUn^s arefecuretl to us by his Ma- 
 jefty's title, his adminiftration, and his perfonal 
 character. 
 
 I have only one requeft to make to my Rea- 
 ders, that they will perufe thefe Papers with the 
 fame candour and impartiality in which they are 
 written ; and fhall hope for no other prepoflefiion 
 in favour of them, than what one would think 
 ftiould foe natural to evexy man, a defire to be 
 B $ happy,
 
 6 The FREE-HOLDER. N2 
 
 happy, and a good-will towards thofe who are 
 the inftruments of making them fo. 
 
 N2 Monday, December 26. 
 
 Non de dimhio, fed de parente loquiniur, Intel 'igamus 
 ergo bona nojira, dignofque not illius ufu probemus : 
 atque identidem cogitemus, ft majus princtpibus pra- 
 Jle?nus obfequium, qui fervitute civiiim, quam qui 
 liber ic.te l&tantur. Pli n . 
 
 We are not fpeaking of a Mailer, but a parent: let 
 us therefore underrtand our own good, and ap- 
 prove ourfelves worthy of him j and let us con- 
 fider, which have the beft claim to our obedience, 
 thofe Princes who delight in the flavery, or thofe 
 who take pleafure in the liberty of their fubjedts. 
 
 HAVING in my firft Paper fet forth the 
 happinefs of my ftation as a Free-Holder 
 of Great-Britain^ and the nature of that pro- 
 perty which is fecured to me by the laws of my 
 country, 1 cannot forbear confiderlng, in the next 
 place, that perfon who is intruded with the 
 guarcUanfhip and execution of thofe laws. I 
 have lived in one reign, when the Prince, inftead 
 of invigorating the laws of our country, or 
 giving them their proper courfe, aflumed a 
 power of difpcnfvnoj with them : And in another, 
 when the fovereign was flattered by a fet of men 
 >OLo a perfuafion., that the regal authority was 
 unlimited and uncircumfcribed. In either of 
 thefe cafes, good laws are at beft but a dead 
 letter j and. by {hewing the people how happy 
 
 they
 
 N2 ^FREE-HOLDER. 7 
 
 they ought to be, only ferve to aggravate the 
 fenfe of their oppreffions. 
 
 We have the pleafure at this t'rme to fee a King 
 upon the throne, who hath too much goodneis 
 to wifli for any power, that does not enable him 
 to promote the welfare of his fubjects ; and too 
 much wifdom to look upon thofe as his friends, 
 who would make thek court to him by the pro- 
 feilion of an obedience, which they never prac- 
 tifed, and which has always proved fatal to thofe 
 Princes, who have put it to the trial. His Ma- 
 jefty gave a proof of his fovereign virtues before 
 he came to the exercrfe of them in this king- 
 dom. His inclination to juftice led him to rule 
 his German fubjedts m the fame manner that our 
 conftitution directs him to govern the Englijh. 
 He regarded thofe which are our civil liberties, 
 as the natural rights of mankind; and therefore 
 indulged them to a people, who pleaded no other 
 claim to them than from his known goodnefs 
 and humanity. This experience of a good 
 Prince, before we had the happinefs to enjoy 
 him, muft give great fatisfaction to every think- 
 ing man, who confiders how apt fovereignty is 
 to deprave human nature; and how many of our 
 own Princes made very ill figures upon the 
 throne, who, before they afcended it, were the 
 favourites of the people. 
 
 What gives us the greateft fecurity in the con- 
 duct of fb excellent a Prince, is that conftftency 
 of behaviour, whereby he inflexibly purfues thofe 
 meafures which appear the mofljuftand equita- 
 ble. As he hath the character of being the moft 
 prudent in laying proper fchemes ; he is no lefs 
 remarkable for being fteady in accomplifhing what 
 he has once concerted. Indeed, if we look into 
 the hiftory of bis prefent Mjyefty, and reflect 
 B 4 upon
 
 8 <fhe F R E E-H OLDER. N2 
 
 upon that wonderful feries of fuccefles which 
 have attended him, I think they cannot be af- 
 cribed to any thing fo much as to this uniformity 
 and firmnefs of mind, which has always difco- 
 vcred itfelf in his proceedings. It was by this 
 that he furmounted thofe many difficulties that 
 Jay in the way to his fucccfiion ; and by which, 
 we have reafon to hope, he will daily make all 
 oppofition fall before him. The fickle and un-, 
 fteady politicks of our late Britijh monarchs have 
 been the perpetual fource of thoie diflenfions and 
 animofities which have made the nation un- 
 happy : Whereas the conftant and unfhiiken 
 temper of his prefent Majefty muft have a na- 
 tural tendency to the peace of his government, 
 and the unanimity of his people. 
 
 While I am enumerating the publick virtues 
 of our Sovereign, which are fo conducive to the 
 advantage of thofe who are to obey him, I can- 
 not but take notice, that his Majefty was bred 
 up from his infancy with a love to this our na- 
 tion, under a Princefs, who was the moft ac- 
 complifhed woman of her age, and particularly 
 famous for her affection to the Englijh. Our 
 countrymen were dear to him, before there was 
 any profpecl of their being his fubje&s ; and 
 every one knows, that nothing recommended a 
 man fo much to the diftinguifhing civilities of 
 his court, as the being born in Great-Britain. 
 
 To the fame of his Majefty's civil virtues, 
 xve may add the reputation he has acquired by 
 his martial atchievements. It is obferved by 
 bir William Temple^ that the Englijh are particu- 
 larly fond of a King who is valiant: Upon which 
 account his Majefty has a title to all the 
 efteem that can be paid the moft warlike Prince ; 
 though at the fame time,, for the good of hvs 
 
 fubjeas,
 
 N a 2 %be F R E E-H OLDER. 9 
 
 fubje<Sls, he ftudies to decline all occafions of 
 military glory ; and choofes rather to be dif- 
 tinguiftied as the father, than as the captain of 
 his people. I am- glad his rebellious fubjefts are 
 too inconfiderable to put him upem exerting that 
 courage and eondtufty which, railed him fo great 
 a reputation in Hungary and the Mores r when he 
 fought agajnft the enemies of chnftianity ; ami 
 in Germany and Flanders, where he commanded 
 againft the great difturber of the peace of -- 
 rope. One would think there was reafon- for the 
 opinion of thofe, who make perfonal courage 
 to be an hereditary virtue, when we fee fi> many 
 inftances of if in the line of Brunfiuick. To ga 
 no farther back than the time of our prefent 
 King, where can we find, among the fovereign 
 houfes of Europe^ any other family, that has 
 furnifhed fo many perfons of diftinguifhed forti- 
 tude ? Three of his Majefty's brothers have 
 fallen glorioufly in the field, fighting againft the- 
 enemies of their native country : And the hra<- 
 very of his royal highnefs the Prince of Wales* 
 is ftill frefh in our memory, who fought, with. 
 the fpirit of his father, at the battle of Qude- 
 narde, when the Children o France y and the^ 
 Pretender, fled before him. 
 
 I might here take notice of his Majefty's more 
 private virtues, but have rather chofen to remind 
 my countrymen of the publick parts of his> 
 chara&er, which are fupported by fuch incorr- 
 tcftible fa&s as are univerfally Icnown and ac- 
 knowledged; 
 
 Having thus-far conficlered our happinefs in his 
 Majefty's civil and military character, I cannot 
 forbear pleafing myfelfvvith regarding him in the- 
 view of one, who has been always fortunate. 
 Gicero Escommends Pomtxy under this particular 
 .P 5 Head!
 
 ro The FREE-HOLDER. N2. 
 
 bead to the Romans^ with whom the character 
 of being fortunate was fo popular, that feveral 
 of their Emperors gave it a place among their 
 titles. Good fortune is often the reward of 
 virtue, and as often the effect of prudence. And 
 whether it proceeds from either of thefe, or from 
 both together, or whatever may be the caufe of 
 if, every one is naturally pleafed to fee his inte- 
 refts conducted by a perfon who is ufed to good 
 iuccefs. The eftablifhment of the electoral 
 dignity in his Majefty's family was a work re- 
 ferved for him finally to accomplim. A large ac- 
 ceflion of dominion fell to him, by his fucceed- 
 ing to the dukedom of Z*7/, whereby he became 
 one of the greateft Princes of Ge; many ; and one 
 of the moft powerful perfons, that ever flood 
 next heir to the throne of Great-Britain. The 
 dutchy of Bremen, and the bifhoprick of Ofr,a- 
 burg) have considerably ftrengthened his interefts 
 in the Empire, and given a great additional 1 
 weioht to the proteftant caufe. But the moft 
 remarkable interpofitions of Providence, in favour 
 of him, have appeared in removing thofe feem- 
 incly invincible obftacles to his fucceffion ; in, 
 taking away,, at fo critical a juncture, the per- 
 fon who might have proved a dangerous enemy ;. 
 in confounding the fecret and open attempts of 
 Jjis traitercus lubjects ; and in giving him the 
 delightful profpedt of tranimitting his power 
 trough a numerous and ftill increafing progeny. 
 Upon the whole, it is not to be doubted but 
 every wife and honeft fubjcdt will concur with 
 Providence in promoting the glory and hap- 
 pinefs of his- ppefent Majefty, who. is endowed 
 with all thofe royal virtues, that will naturally 
 fccure to us the national blefiings, which ought 
 to.be dear, and valuable to a free people. 
 
 Friday,
 
 N3 The FEE E-H OLDER. 1 1 
 
 N3, Friday, December 30. 
 
 Quikus otio niel ipagnifice, vel molliter vivere copia 
 erat, inctrta pro certis, bellum quatn pacem male- 
 bant. Salu'ft.. 
 
 Thofe r who had it in their power to live m fplendor 
 and at their eafe, preferred uncertainty to cer- 
 tainty, and war to peace. 
 
 EVERY one knows that it Is ufual for a 
 French Officer, who can write and read, to 
 fet down all the occurrences of a campaign, in 
 which he pretends to have been perfonaUy con- 
 cerned ; and to publifh them under the title of 
 .his memoirs, when moft of his fellow-fold iers 
 .are dead that might have contradicted any of his 
 Biatters of fairs. Many a gallant young fellow 
 has been killed in battle before he came to the 
 third page of his fecret hiftcry ; when feveral, 
 who have taken more care of their perfons, have 
 Jived to fill a whole volume with their military 
 performances, and to aftonifh the world with 
 &ch inftances of their bravery, as- had efcaped 
 the notice of every body elfe. Ome of our late 
 Prejlon heroes had, it feerns, refblved upon this 
 jnethod of doing himfelf juftiee : And r had he 
 not been nipped, in the bud, might have made a 
 very formidable figure in his own works, .among 
 pofterity. A friend of mine, who had the pil- 
 lage of his pockets, has made me a prefent of" 
 the following memoirs,, which he defires me to 
 accept as a part of the fpoils of the rebels. I 
 
 have.
 
 12 'The F R E E-H OLDER. N5 
 
 have omitted the introdu&ion, as more proper 
 for the infpection of a feeretary of fiate ; and 
 ihall only fet down fo much of the memoirs as 
 feem to be a foithful narrative of that wonderful 
 expedition, which drew upon it the eyes of all- 
 Europe. 
 
 " tJAVING tfius concerted meafures for a- 
 "** rifing, we had a general meeting over a 
 " bowl of punch. It was here propofed by one 
 ** of the wifeft among us, to draw up a ma- 
 " nifefto, fetting forth the grounds and motives 
 " of our taking arms : For, as he obferved,, 
 *' there had never yet been an infurre&ion itv 
 <l England, where the leaders had not thought 
 " themfelves obliged to give fome reafons for 
 ** it. To this end we laid our heads together, 
 * c to confider what grievances the nation had, 
 ** fuffered under the reign of King George. Af- 
 " ter having fpent fome hours upon this fub- 
 *' jecl, without being able to difcover any, we- 
 *' unanimoufly agreed to rebel firft, and to find* 
 ** out reafons for it afterwards. It was indeed 
 ** eafy to guefs at feveral grievances of a pri- 
 ** vate nature, which influenced particular per- 
 c * fons. One of us had fpent his fortune : 
 ** Another was a younger brother: a third had; 
 ** the incumbrance of a father upon his eftate. 
 " But that which principally difpofed us in fa- 
 *' vour of the Chevalier was, that molt of the 
 *' company had been obliged to take the ab- 
 c< juration oath againft their will-. Being at 
 ** length thoroughly inflamed' with^ zeal and 
 " punch, we rfolved to> take horfe the next 
 ** morning-; which we did accordingly, having 
 ** been joined by a confiderable reinforcement 
 " of Reman* Cathcliikt) whom we could rely 
 
 44 upon*.
 
 F R E E-Ho L D E R. 13 
 
 " upon', as knowing them to be the beft Tories 
 " in the nation, and avowed enemies to Pref- 
 " byterianifm. We were likewi-fe joined by a 
 " very ufeful affociate, who was a fidler by 
 " proteffion, and brought in- with him a body 
 " of lufty young fellows, whom he had tweed- 
 " led into the fervice.. About the third day of 
 '* our march I was made a Colonel ; though, I 
 " mull need fay, I gained my commiflion by 
 " my horfe's virtues, not my own j having leapt 
 " over a fix-bar gate at the head of the cavalry, 
 " My General, who is a difcerning man, here- 
 *' upon gave me a regiment, teKing me,'*''" He 
 " did notqueftion but I would do the like when 
 *' I came to- the- enemy's- paHfadoes-." " We 
 " purfued- our march with much intrepidity 
 " through two or three open towns, to the great 
 " terror of the market-people, and the mifcar- 
 " riage of half a dozen big-bellied women. 
 " Notwithftanding the magiftraey was general- 
 " ly againft us, we could di-fcaver- many friends 
 " among our fpeclators ; paf ticulatly in two< 
 " or three balconies, which- were filled with 
 " feveral taudry females, who are known in. 
 " that country by the ancient name of Har- 
 " lots. This fort of Ladies received us every 
 *' where with great demonftratione of joy, anci 
 " promifed 1 to ailifl us with' their prayers. Af- 
 " ter thefe fignal fuccefles in the north of 
 t England^ it was thought advifeabJe by our Gc- 
 " neral to proceed towards our Scotch confe- 
 " derates. During our firft day's march I 
 " amufed myfelf with confidering' what poft I 
 " mould accept of under James the third, when 
 " we had put him in pofiefllon of the Britijk 
 " dominions. Being a great lover of country 
 "-fports, i abfolutely determined not to.be a 
 
 " MintOer
 
 14 The FREE-HOLDER. N 8 3 
 
 *' Minifter of State, nor to be fobbed off with 
 " a garter - T untrl at length patting by a noble 
 " country feat which belongs to a Whig, I 
 ' refolved to beg it ; and plea-fed rnyfelf the 
 *' remainder, of the day with feveral alterations- 
 ** I intended to make in it. For though the 
 " fituation was very delightful, I neither liked 1 
 " the front of the houfe, nor the avenues that 
 " led to it. We were indeed fo confident of 
 " fuccefs, that I found moft of my fellow- 
 *' foldiers were taken up with imaginations of 
 *' the fame nature. There had like to have been 
 *' a duel between two of our fubalterns upon 
 *' a difpute which of them fhould be Governor 
 of Portfmouth. A Popifh prieft about the fame 
 4< time gave great offence to a Northumberland 
 ** Squire, whom he threatened to excommuni- 
 ** cate, if he did not give up to him the church- 
 * ( lands, which his family had ufurped ever 
 ** fince the reformation. In flbort, every man 
 44 had cut out a place for himfelf in his own; 
 .** thoughts ;, fo that I could reckon up in our 
 ** little army two or three Lord-Treafarers, half 
 ' a dozen Secretaries of State, and at leaft a 
 ' fcore of Lords Juftices in Eyre for each fide 
 * of Trent. We purfued our march through 
 *' feveral villages, which we drank dry, making 
 " proclamation at our entrance^ in the name of 
 ** James the third, againft all concealments of 
 ** ale or brandy. Being very much fatigued with- 
 ** the action of a whole week, ifc was agreed 
 ** to reft on Sunday ^ when we heard a moft ex- 
 ** cellent fermon. Our chaplain infilled prin- 
 ** cipally upon two heads. Under the firft he 
 ** proved to us, that the breach of publick 
 ** oaths is no perjury : And under the fecond y 
 u expounded to us the nature of non-refiftance, 
 
 * whick
 
 N 3 he F R E E-H OLDER. r$- 
 
 " which might be interpreted from the Hebrew*. 
 " to fignify either loyalty or rebellion, according 
 ** as the Sovereign bellowed his favours and pre- 
 " ferments. He concluded with exhorting us, in- 
 " a moft pathetick manner, to purge the land 
 < c by wholfom feverities^ and to propagate 
 " found principles by fire and fword. We fet 
 " forward the next day towards our friends at 
 cc Kelfi ; and* by the way had like to have loft our 
 " General, and fome of our moft active officers. 
 ** For a fox unluckily crofllng die road drew 
 <c off a confiderable detachment, who clapped' 
 " fpurs to their horfes, and purfued him with 
 " whoops and holloos until we had loft fight of 
 " them. A covey of partridges fpringing in our 
 " front put our infantry in diforder on the fame 
 " day. It was not long after this that we were 
 u joined by our friends from the other fide of the 
 w Frith. Upoathe junction of the two corps,. 
 " our fpies brought us word,, that they difcovered 
 * 4 a great cloud of duft at fome diftancej upon 
 " which, we fent out a party to reconnoitre. 
 " They returned to us with intelligence, that the 
 " duft was raifed by a great drove of black cat- 
 " tie. This news was not a little welcome to 
 " us, die army- of, both nations being very 
 *' hungry. We quickly formed 1 ourfelves, and- 
 ** received orders for the attack, with pofitive 
 " inftru6lions to give no quarter. Every thing 
 " was executed with fo much good order, that 
 * c we made a very plentiful fupper. We had, 
 " three days after, the fame fuecefs againft a; 
 '* flock of iheep, which we were forced to eat 
 " with great precipitation, having received ad- 
 " vice of General Carpenter's march as we were 
 " at dinner. Upon this alarm we made incre- 
 u dihle {ketches towards the fouth, with a fie-
 
 j6 The FR E E-HoLD E R. N*^ 
 
 ** fign to gain the faftnefles of Prcjlon. We did 
 " little remarkable in our way, except fetting fire 
 " to a few houies, and frighting an old woman 
 ^ into fits. We had now got a long day's march; 
 " of the enemy; and meeting with' a confidera- 
 " ble refreihment of Otfober, all the officers 
 " afiembled over it, among whom were feveral: 
 *' Popifh Lords and Gentlemen, who tofted many 
 " loyal healths and con'ufions,. and wept very 
 " plentifully for the danger of the church. We- 
 " fat until midnight, and at our parting refolved 
 c * to give the enemy battle; but the next morning 
 " changed our refolutions, and profecuted our 
 " march with indefatigable fpeed. We were no 
 " fooner arrived upon thefrontieraof Cumberland^ 
 *' but we faw a great body of militia drawn up 
 *' in array agalnft us. Orders were given to halt ;. 
 *' and a council of war was immediately called,, 
 *' wherein we agreed, with that great unanimity 
 " which was fo remarkable among us, on thefe- 
 ' occafions, to make a retreat. But before we 
 
 * could give the word^ the train-bands, taking 
 ' advantage of our delay, fled firft. We arrived: 
 1 at Prejlon without any memorable adventure; 
 
 * where, after having formed m-any barricades,, 
 *' and prepared for a vigorous refiftance, upon 
 " the approach of the King's troops under Ge- 
 *' neral /^7//f, w-ho-vva.s u(ed'to the outlandifh: 
 '* way of making war, we think it high time to- 
 " put in practice that paflive-obedience y in which 
 *' our party fo much glories r and which I would 
 " advife thertv to ftick to for the future." 
 
 Such was the end of this rebellion; which, 
 in all probability, will not only tend to the 
 fafety of our con{r.itution>. but the prefervation. 
 of the game. 
 
 Monday.,,
 
 The FREE -H OLDER. 17 
 
 N4 Monday, January 2, 1716, 
 
 AV fe mulftr extra mirtulum cogitationes, extraque lei" 
 lorum cafus putet, iffis incipientis matrixioxii aufyi- 
 ciis admonetur, <venire fe labor um periculorumcjue 
 Jociam, idem in pace, idem in prcelio paffuratn 
 aufuramque. Sic iii-vendum, Jic pereundum. 
 
 Tacit Demorib. Germ. 18. 
 
 Left the Woman fhould think herfelf exempt from 
 matters of courage, and the hazards of war, ihe ir 
 put in mind, by the very rnarriage-rites, that (he 
 is to (riare the fame toils and dangers, whether in 
 peace or war, and to live and die, with he* 
 hufband. 
 
 IT is with great fatisfa&ion T obferve, that the 
 Women of our ifland, who are the moft errir- 
 nent for virtue and good fenfe, are in the intereii 
 of the prefent government. As the fair Sex very 
 much recommend the caufe they are engage&iny 
 it would be no fmall misfortune to a Sovereign^ 
 though he had all the male part of the nation oa 
 his fide, if he did not find himfelf King of the 
 moft beautiful half of his fubje&s. Ladies are 
 always of great ufe to the party they efpoufe,,and 
 never fail; to- win over numbers to it. Lovers, ac- 
 cording to Sir William Petty' s computation, make 
 at leaft the third part of the fenfible men of the 
 Briti/h nation ; and it has been an uncontroverted- 
 maxim in all ages, that, though a hufband is 
 (cnnetLmes a ftubbonr fort of a creature, a lover 
 is always at the devotion of his miftrefs. By this 
 means it lies in the power of every fine Woman, 
 
 to
 
 iS The F R E E-H OLDER. N4 
 
 to fecure at leaft half a dozen able-bodied merr 
 to his Majefty's fcrvice. The female world are 
 likewife indifpenfably neceflary in the beft caufes 
 to manage the controversial part of them, in 
 which no man of tolerable breeding is ever able- 
 to refute them. Arguments out of a pretty 
 mouth are unanfwerable. 
 
 It is indeed remarkable that the inferior tribe 
 of common Women } who are a difhor.our to 
 their Sex, have, in moft reigns, been the pro- 
 fefled fticklers for fuch as have acled in oppofi- 
 tion to the true intereft of the nation. The moft 
 numerous converts in King James's reign were 
 particularly noted to be of this kind. I can 
 give no other reafon for fuch a behaviour, 
 unlefs it be, that it is not for the advantage of 
 thefe female adventurers the laws of the land 
 fliould take place, and that they know Bridewell 
 is a part of our conftitution. 
 
 There are many reafons why the women 
 of Great- Britain fhouid be on the fide of th 
 Free- Holder, ami enemies to the perfon who- 
 would bring in arbitrary government and po- 
 pery. As there are feveral of our Ladies who- 
 amufe themfelves in the reading of travels, 
 they cannot but take notice what uncomfor- 
 table lives thofe of their own Sex lead, where 
 paflive-obedience is profefled and pracYifed in 
 its utmoft perfection. In thofe countries the 
 men have no property but in their wives^ 
 who are the flaves to ftaves : Everjr married 
 Woman being fubje& to a domeftick tyrant, 
 that requires from her the fame vaflalage which 
 he pays to his Sultan. If the Ladies would 
 ferioufly confider the evil confequences of 
 arbitrary power, they would find, that it fpoib 
 the fhape of the foot in China, where the bar- 
 
 baroua
 
 N4 Tfo F R E E-H OLDER. i g 
 
 barous politicks of the men fo diminifh the bafis 
 of the female figure, as to unqualify a Woman 
 for an evening walk or a country dance. In 
 the Eqft- Indies a widow, who has any regard 
 to her character, throws herfelf into the Flames 
 of her hufband's funeral pile, to (hew, forfooth, 
 that (he is faithful and loyal to the memory of 
 her deceafed Lord. In Perfia the daughters c i 
 Eve, as they call them, are reckoned in the 
 inventory of their goods and chattels : And it 
 is a ufual thing when a man fells a bale of filk, 
 or a drove of camels, to tofs half a dozen 
 Women into the bargain. Through all the 
 dominions of the great Turk, a Woman thinks 
 herfelf happy if flie can but get the twelfth 
 (hare of a hufband, and is thought of no man- 
 ner of ufe in the creation, but to keep up a 
 proper number of flaves for the commander of 
 the faithful. I need not fet forth the ill ufage, 
 which the fair ones meet with in thofe defpo- 
 tick. governments that lie nearer us. Every one 
 hath heard of the feveral ways of locking up 
 W"omen in Spain and Italy; where, if there is any 
 power lodged in any of the Sex, it is not among 
 the young and the beautiful; whom Nature 
 feems to have formed for it, but among the o'cl 
 and withered matrons, known by the frightful 
 name of Gouvcrnantes and Duegnas. If any 
 fhould alledge the freedoms indulged to the 
 French Ladies,, he muft own that thefe are 
 owing to the natural gallantry of the people, 
 not to their form of government, which excludes 
 by its very conftitution every female from power, 
 as naturally unfit to hold the fceptve of that 
 kingdom. 
 
 Wom^n ought in reafon to be no lefs averfe 
 to popery than to arbitrary power. Some merry 
 
 Authors-
 
 20 The F R E E-H OLDER. N4 
 
 Authors have pretended to demonftrate, that the 
 Roman Catholick religion could never fpread in 
 a nation, where Women would have more mo- 
 defty than to expofe their innocent liberties to 
 a Confefibr. Others of the fame turn have 
 allured us, that the fine Britijh complexion, 
 which is fo peculiar to our Ladies, would fufrer 
 very much from a fifh-diet: And that a whole 
 Lent would give fuch a fallownefs to the cele- 
 brated Beauties of this ifland, as would fcarce 
 make them diftinguifhable from thofe of France. 
 1 (hall only leave to the ferious confideration of 
 my Country-Women the danger any of them 
 might have been in, had popery been our national 
 religion, of being forced by their relations to a 
 irate of perpetual virginity. The moft blooming 
 toft in the ifland might have been a Nun; 
 and many a Lady, who is now a mother of 
 fine children, condemned to a condition of 
 iife, difagreeable to herfelf, and unprofitable to 
 the world. To this I might add the melan- 
 choly objects they would be daily entertained 
 with, of feveral Tightly men delivered over to 
 an inviolable celibacy. I^et a young Lady ima- 
 gine to herfelf the brifk embroidered Orficer,who 
 now makes love to her with fo agreeable art 
 air, converted into a Monk; or the Beau, who 
 now addrefles himfelf to her in a full-bottomed 
 wig, diftinguilhed by a little bald pate covered 
 with a black leather fcull-cap. I forbear to 
 mention many other objections, which the La- 
 dies, who are no Grangers to the doctrines of 
 popery, will eafily recoiled : Though I do not 
 in the leafl doubt, but thofe I have already 
 fuggefted will be fufficient to perfuade my fair 
 readers to be zealous in the Proteftant caufe. 
 
 The
 
 N'4 
 
 PR EE-HOLD E R. 21 
 
 The freedom and happinefs of our Britijh 
 Ladies is fo fingular, that it is a common fay- 
 ing in foreign countries, ' If a bridge were built 
 ' crofs the feas, all the Women in Europe would 
 ' flock into England.' It has been obferved, that 
 the laws relating to them are fo favourable, 
 that one would think they themfelves had given 
 votes in enadling them. All the honours and 
 indulgencies of fociety are due to them by our 
 cuftoms ; and, by our conftitution, they have 
 all the privileges of Englijb-born fubjedls, with- 
 out the burdens. I need not acquaint my fair 
 fellow Free-Holders, that every man, who is 
 anxious for our facred and civil rights, is a 
 champion in their caufe ; fince we enjoy in 
 common a religion agreeable to that reasonable 
 nature, of which we equally partake ; and fince, 
 in point of property, our law makes no diftinc- 
 tion of Sexes. 
 
 We may therefore juftly expert from them 
 that they will act in concert with us for the pre- 
 fervation of our laws and religion, which cart- 
 not fubfift, but under the government of his 
 prefent Majefty ; and would neceflarily be fub- 
 verted, under that of a perfon bred up in the 
 mofl violent principles of popery and arbitrary 
 power. Thus may the fair Sex contribute to 
 fix the peace of a brave and generous people, 
 who for many ages have difdained to bear any 
 tyranny but theirs; and be as famous in hif- 
 tory, as thofe illuftrious matrons, who, in the 
 infancy of Rome, reconciled the Romans and 
 the SabineS) and united the two contending par- 
 ties under their new King. 
 
 Friday,
 
 22 Tloe FR E E-HoL DER. N5 
 tabs 
 
 N5 Friday, January 6. 
 
 Omnium fodctatum nulla ejl gravior, nulla carior t 
 quam ea quee cum republica eft unicuique noftrum: 
 eari funt parentes, tart liberi, propinqui, familiar es ; 
 Sid onmes omnium caritatet patria una complcxaeft: 
 Pro qua quis bonus dubitet mortem oppetert, fi ti Jit 
 Qrofuturus? ClC. 
 
 The itrongeft connexion is that, which every man 
 has with his country; which unites all the endear- 
 ing relations of parents, children, kindred, and 
 acquaintance ; and for whofe fervice what good 
 man would not even dare to die? 
 
 THERE is no greater fign of a general decay 
 of Virtue in a nation, than a want of zeal 
 in its inhabitants for the good of their country. 
 This generous and publick-fpirited paffion has 
 been obferved of late years to languiih and grow 
 cold in this our ifland; where a party of men 
 have made it their bufinefs to reprefent it as chi- 
 merical and remantick, to deftroy in the minds 
 of the people the fenfe of national glory, and 
 to turn into ridicule our natural and ancient 
 allies, who are united to us by the common in- 
 terefts both of religion and policy. It may not 
 therefore be unfeafonable to recommend to this 
 piefent generation the practice of that virtue, 
 for which their anceftors were particularly fa- 
 mous, and which is called * The Love of one's 
 'Country.' This Love to our Country, as a 
 moral virtue, is a fixed difpofition of mind to 
 
 promote
 
 N'5 ^FREE-HOLDER. 23 
 
 promote the fafety, welfare, and reputation of 
 the community in which we are born, and of the 
 conftitution under which we are protected. Our 
 obligation to this great duty may appear to us 
 from feveral confiderations. 
 
 In the firft place we may obferve, that we are 
 directed to it by one of thofe fecret fuggeftions 
 of Nature, which go under the name of Inftinct, 
 and which are never given in vain. As felf-love 
 is an inftinft planted in us for the good and 
 fafety of each partiqular perfon, the Love of our 
 Country is imprefled on our minds for the hap- 
 pinefs and preservation of the community. This 
 inftinct is fo remarkable, that we find examples 
 of it in thofe who are born in the moft uncom- 
 fortable climates, or the worft of governments. 
 We read of an inhabitant of Nsva Zembla, who, 
 after having lived fome time in Denmark, where 
 he was clothed and treated with the utmoft in- 
 dulgence, took the firft opportunity of making 
 his efcape, though with the hazard of his life, 
 into his native regions of cold, poverty, and 
 nakednefs. We have an inftance of the fame 
 nature among the very Hottentots. One of thefe 
 favages was brought into England, taught our 
 language, and in a great meafure polifliedout of 
 his natural barbarity; But upon being carried 
 back to the Cape of GostPHope, where it was 
 thought he might have been of advantage to our 
 Englijb traders, he mixed in a kind of tranfport 
 with his countrymen, brutalized with them in 
 their habit and manners, and would never again 
 return to his foreign Acquaintance. I need not 
 mention the common opinion of the Negroes in 
 our plantations, who have no other notion of a 
 future ftate of happinefs, than that, after death, 
 they (hall be conveyed back to their native coun- 
 try.
 
 24 73k FREE-HOLD ER. N 
 
 try. The Swifs are fo remarkable for this paffion, 
 that it often turns to a difeafe among them ; for 
 which there is a particular name in the German 
 language, and which the French call ' The dif- 
 ' temper of the country :' For nothing is more 
 ufual than for feveral of their common foldiers, 
 who are lifted into a foreign fervice, to have fuch 
 violent hankerings after their home, as to pine 
 away even to death, unlefs they have a permif- 
 iion to return; which, on fuch an occafion, is 
 generally granted them. I (hall only add under 
 this head, that fmce the Love of one's Country 
 is natural to every man, any particular na- 
 tion, who by falfe politicks fhall endeavour to 
 ftifle or reftrain it, will not be upon a level with 
 others. 
 
 As this Love of our Country is natural to every 
 man, fo it is likewife very reafonable ; and that 
 in the firft place, becaufe it inclines us to be be- 
 neficial to thofe who are and ought to be dearer 
 to us than any others. It takes in our families, 
 relations, friends and acquaintance, and, in fhort, 
 all whofe welfare and fecurity we are obliged to 
 confult, more than that of thole who are ftrangers 
 to us. For this reafon it is the moft fublimeand 
 extenfive of all focial virtues : Efpecially, if we 
 confider that it does not only promote the well- 
 being of thefe who are our contemporaries, but 
 likewife of their children and their pofterity. 
 Hence it is that all cafuifts are unanimous in de- 
 termining, that when the good of the country 
 interferes even with the life of the moft beloved 
 relation, deareft friend, or greateft benefactor, it 
 is to be preferred without exception. 
 
 Farther, though there is a benevolence due to 
 all mankind, none can queftion but a fuperior 
 degree of it is to be paid to a father, a wife, or 
 
 a child.
 
 N5 The FR E E-HoL DE R. 25, 
 
 a child. In the fame manner, though our love 
 fhould reach to the whole fpecies, a greater 
 proportion of it fhould exert itfelf towards that 
 community in which Providence has placed us. 
 This is our proper fphere of action, the province 
 allotted to us for the exercife of all our civil 1 
 virtues, and in which alone we have opportuni- 
 ties of exprefling our good-will to mankind. I 
 could not but be plealed, in the accounts of the 
 late Perfian embafly into France, with a parti- 
 cular ceremony of the Ambaflador j who 4 every 
 morning, before he went abroad, religioufly 
 faluted a turf of earth dug out of his own native 
 foil, to remind him, that in all the tranfadtions 
 of the day he was to think of his Country, and 
 purfue its advantages. If, in the feveral dif- 
 tricts and divifions of the world, men would thus 
 ftudy the welfare of thofe refpeclive communi- 
 ties, to which their power of doing good is 
 limited, the whole race of reafonable creatures 
 would be happy, as far as the benefits of fociety 
 can make them fo. At leaft, we find fo many 
 bleflings naturally flowing from this noble prin- 
 ciple, that, in proportion as it prevails, every 
 nation becomes a profperous and flourifhing 
 people. 
 
 It may be yet a further recommendation of 
 this particular virtue, if we confider that no 
 nation was ever famous for its morals, which 
 was not at the fame time remarkable for its 
 publick fpirit: Patriots naturally rife out of a, 
 Spartan or Roman virtue: And there is no re- 
 mark more common among the ancient Hifto- 
 rians, than that when the ftate was corrupted 
 with avarice and luxury, it was in danger of 
 being betrayed, or fold. 
 
 C To
 
 26 *Tbe F R E E-H o L D E R. N5 
 
 To the foregoing reafons for the Love which 
 every good man owes to his Country, we may 
 add, that the actions, which are moft celebrated 
 in hiftory, and which are read with the greateft 
 admiration, arefuch as proceed from this principle. 
 The eftablifhing of good laws, the detecting of 
 confpiracies, the crufhing of feditions and re- 
 bellions, the falling in battle, or the devoting 
 of a man's felf to certain death for the fafety of 
 fellow-citizens, are actions that always warm 
 the reader, and endear to him perfons of the 
 remoteft ages, and the moft diftant countries. 
 
 And as actions, that proceed from the Love 
 of one's Country, are more illuftrious than any 
 other in the records of time; fo we find that 
 thofe perfons, who have been eminent in other 
 virtues, have been particularly diftinguifhed by 
 this. It would be endlefs to produce examples 
 of this kind out of Greek and Roman Authors. 
 To confine myfelf therefore in fo wide and beaten 
 a field, I lhall choofe fome inftances from Holy 
 Writ, which abounds in accounts of this na- 
 ture, as much as any other hiftory whatfoever. 
 And this I do the more willingly, becaufe in fome 
 books lately written, I find it objected againft 
 revealed religion, that it does not infpire the 
 Love of one's Country. Here I muft premife, 
 that as the Sacred Author of our religion chiefly 
 inculcated to the Jews thofe parts of their duty 
 wherein they were moft defective, fo there was 
 DO need of infifting upon this : The Jews being 
 remarkable for an Attachment to their own 
 Country, even to the exclufjon of all common 
 humanity to ftrangers. We fee, in the beha- 
 viour of this Divine Perfon, the practice of this 
 virtue in conjunction with all others. He de- 
 ferred working a miracle in the behalf of a Syro-
 
 N5 We FR EE-HOLDER. 27 
 
 Ph&nician woman, until he had declared his 
 fuperior good-will to his own nation ; and way 
 prevailed upon to heal the daughter of a Roman 
 centurion, by hearing from the Jews, that he 
 was one who loved their nation, and had built' 
 them a fynagogue. But, to look out for no other 
 inftance, what was ever more moving, than his 
 lamentation over Jerufalem, at his fir ft approach 
 to it, notwithstanding he had foretold the cruel 
 and unjuft treatment he was to meet with in that 
 city ! For he forefaw the deftrudtion which in. 
 a few years was to fall upon that People ; a de- 
 ftruction not to be paralleled in any nation, from 
 the beginning of the world to this day; and irt 
 the view of it melted into tears. His followers 
 have in many places exprefled the like fentiments 
 of affecYion for their Countrymen, among which 
 none is more extraordinary than that of the great 
 convert, who wifhed he himfelf might be made 
 a curfe, provided it might turn to the happinefs 
 of his nation ; or as he words it, 4 of his brethren, 
 c and kinfmen who are Ifraelites.' This In- 
 ftance naturally brings to mind the fame heroick 
 temper of Soul in the great Jewijh lawgiver, 
 who would have devoted himfelf in the fame 
 manner, rather than fee his people perifli. It 
 would indeed be difficult to find out any man of 
 extraordinary piety in the facred writings, in 
 whom this virtue in not highly confpicuous. The 
 reader however will excufe me, if I take notice 
 of one paflage, becaufe it is a very fine one, 
 ar;d wants only a place in fome polite Author of 
 Greece or Rome, to have been admired and cele- 
 brated. The King of Syria, lying fick upon 
 his bed, fent Hazael one of his great officers 
 to the Prophet Eli/ha, to enquire of him whether 
 he -fhould recover. The Prophet looked fo 
 C 2 atten-
 
 28 The FREE-HOLDER. N5 
 
 attentively on this mefTenger, that it put him 
 into fome confufion; or to quote this beautiful 
 Circumftance, and the whole narrative, in the 
 pathetic language of the Scripture, ' Elijha fet- 
 tled his countenance ftedfaftly upon him, until 
 he was afhamed : And Hazael faid, why 
 weepeth my Lord ? And he faid, becaufe I 
 know the evil that thou wilt do unto the chil- 
 dren of Ifrael: Their ftrong holds wilt thou 
 fet on fire, and their men wilt thou flay with 
 the fword, and wilt dam their children, and 
 rip up their women with child. And Ha- 
 zael faid, but what, is thy fervant a dog, that 
 he fhould do this great thing ? And Elijha 
 anfwered, the Lord hath (hewed me, that thou 
 {halt be King over Syria' 
 1 might enforce thete reafons for the Love of 
 our Country, by confiderations adapted to my 
 readers, as they are Englijhmen^ and as by that 
 means they enjoy a purer religion, and a more 
 excellent form of government, than any other 
 nation under Heaven. But being perfuaded that 
 every one muft look upon himfelf as indifpen- 
 fably obliged to the practice of a duty, which is 
 recommended to him by fo many arguments 
 and examples, I mail only defire the honeft well- 
 meaning reader when he turns his thoughts 
 towards the publick, rather to confider what op- 
 portunities he has of doing good to his native 
 Country, than to throw away his time in de- 
 ciding the rights of Princes, or the like fpecu- 
 lations, which are fo far beyond his reach. Let 
 us leave thefe great points to the wii'dom of our 
 legiflature, and to the determination of thofe, 
 who are the proper judges of our conftitution. 
 We mail otherwife be liable to the juft reproach 
 which is caft upon fuch Chriftians, as wafte their 
 
 lives
 
 N5 Ybe FREE-HOLD ER. 29 
 
 lives in the fubtle and intricate difputes of 
 religion, when they fhould be pra&ifmg the 
 do&rine which it teaches. If there be any right 
 upon earth, any relying on the judgment of our 
 moft eminent Lawyers and Divines, or indeed 
 any certainty in human reafon, our prefent 
 Sovereign has an undoubted title to our duty 
 and obedience. But fuppofing for argument's 
 fake, that this right were doubtful, and that an 
 Englljhman could be divided in his opinion, as 
 to the perfon to whom he fhould pay his alle- 
 giance: In this cafe, there is no queftion, but 
 the Love of his Country ought to caft the ba- 
 lance, and to determine him on that fide, which 
 is moft conducive to the welfare of his commu- 
 nity. To bring this to our prefent cafe. A man 
 muft be deftitute of common fenfe, who is ca- 
 pable of imagining that the Proteftant religion 
 could flourifo under the government of a bi- 
 gotted Roman-catholick, or that our civil rights 
 could be protected by one who has been trained 
 up in the politicks of the moft arbitrary prince 
 in Europe^ and who could not acknowledge his 
 gratitude to his benefactor, by any remarkable 
 inftance, which would not be detrimental to the 
 British nation. And are thefe fuch defirable blef- 
 fings, that an honeft man would endeavour to 
 arrive at them, through the confufions of a civil 
 war, and the blood of many thoufands of his 
 fellow-fubjec"fo ? On the contrary, the argu- 
 ments for our fteady, loyal, and affectionate 
 adherence to King GEORGE, are fo evident 
 from this fingle topic, that if every Briton, in- 
 ftead of afpiring after private wealth or power, 
 would fmcerely defire to make his country happy, 
 his prefent Majefty would not have a fingle 
 malecootent in his whole dominions. 
 
 C 3 Monday,
 
 30 7&? F R E E-HOLDE R. N6 
 N6 Monday, January 9. 
 
 Fraus enim aftringit, nor. dij/bl-vit Perjurlum. Cic. 
 Kraudj initead of lefiening, enhances Perjury. 
 
 AT a time when fo many of the King's fub- 
 jecfb prefent thcmfelvcs before their refpcc- 
 tue Aiagiitrates to take the Oaths required by 
 iaw, it may not be improper to awaken in the 
 minds of my readers a due fenfe of the engage- 
 ments under which they lay themfelves. It is a 
 melancholy confideration, that there Should be 
 feveral among us fo hardened and deluded, as to 
 think an Oath a proper fubjecl: for a jeit; and 
 io make this, which is one of the moft folemn 
 i.cts of religion, an occafion of mirth. Yet 
 jfuch is the depravation of our manners at pre- 
 Jent, that nothing is more frequent than to hear 
 profligate men ridiculing, to the beft of their 
 abilities, thefe facred pledges of their duty and 
 allegiance; and endeavouring to be witty upon 
 thenifelv.es, for daring to prevaricate with God 
 and man. A poor conceit of their own, or a 
 quotation out of Hudibras, {hall make them 
 treat with levity an obligation wherein their 
 fafety and welfare are concerned both as to this 
 world and the next. Rallery of this nature rs 
 enough to make the hearer tremble. As thefe 
 mifcreants feem to glory in the profeffion of their 
 impiety, there is no man, who has any regard 
 to his duty, or even to his reputation, that can 
 appear in their defence. But if there are others 
 
 of
 
 N6 The FR E E-Ho L D E R. 31 
 
 oT a more ferious turn, who join with us deli- 
 berately in thefe religious profeflions of loyalty 
 to our Sovereign, with any private falvos or eva- 
 fions, they would do well to confider thofe max- 
 ims, in which all cafutfts are agreed, who have 
 gained any efteem for their learning, judgment, 
 or morality.'Thefehave unanimoufly determined 
 that an Oath is always to be taken in the fenfe 
 of that authority which impofes it : And that thofe 
 whofe hearts do not concur with their lips in 
 the form of thefe publick proteftationsj or who 
 have any mental referves, or who take an Oath 
 againft their confciences, upon any motive what- 
 foever j or with a defign to break it, or repent of 
 it ; are guilty of Perjury. Any of thefe or the like 
 circumftances, inftead of alleviating the crime, 
 make it more hainous, as they are premeditated 
 frauds (which it is the chief defign of an Oath to 
 prevent) and the moft flagrant inftances of infm- 
 cerity to men, and irreverence to their Maker. 
 For this reafon, the Perjury of a man, who takes 
 an Oath, with an intention to keep it, and is af- 
 terwards feduced to the violation of it, (though a 
 crime not to be thought of, without the greateft 
 horror) is yet, in fome refpecfo, not quite fo black, 
 as the Perjury abovementioned. It is indeed a very 
 unhappy token of the great corruption of our 
 manners, that there mould be any fo inconfiderate 
 among us, as to facrifice the {landing and eflential 
 duties of morality to the views of politicks ; and 
 that, as, in my laft Paper, it was not unfeaforr* 
 able to prove the love of our country to be a 
 virtue, fo in this there mould be any occafion 
 to {hew that Perjury is a Sin. But it is our mif- 
 fortune to live in an age when fuch wild and 
 unnatural doctrines have prevailed among fom 
 of our fellow-iubjedts, that if one looks into their 
 C 4 fchemts
 
 32 The F R E E-H OLDER. N6 
 
 fchemes of government, they feem, according 
 as they are in the humour, to believe that a 
 Sovereign is not to be retrained by his Corona- 
 tion-Oath, or his people by their Oaths of alle- 
 giance: Or to reprefent them in a plainer light 
 in fome reigns they are both for a power and an 
 obedience that is unlimited, and in others are 
 for retrenching within the narrowed: bounds, 
 both the authority of the Prince and the allegi- 
 ance of the Subject. 
 
 Now the guilt of Perjury is fo felf-evident, 
 that it was always reckoned amongfl the greateft 
 crimes, by thoie who were only governed by 
 the light of Rcafon : The inviolable obferving 
 of an Oath, like the other practical duties or" 
 chriflianity, is a part of natural religion. As 
 .reafon is common to all mankind, the dictates 
 of it are the fame through the v/hole fpecies : 
 And fince every man's own heart will tell him 
 that there can be no greater affront to the Deity, 
 .whom he worfliips, than to appeal to him with 
 an intention to deceive ; nor a greater injuftice 
 to men, than to betray them by falfe afTurances ; 
 it is no wonder that Pagans and Chriftians, In- 
 fidels and Believers, fhould concur in a point 
 wherein the honour of the Supreme Being, and 
 the welfare of focicty are fo highly concerned. 
 For this reafon, Pythagoras, to his firft precept of 
 honouring the immortal gods, immediately fub- 
 joins that of paying veneration to an Oaih. We 
 may fee the reverence which the Heathens fhewed 
 to thefe facred and folemn engagements, from 
 the inconveniences which they often fuffered, ra- 
 ther than break through them. We have frequent 
 inftances of this kind in the Rstnan common- 
 wealth; which, as it has been obierved by feve- 
 ial eminent Pagan writers, very much excelled 
 
 all
 
 N 6 The F R E E-H OLDER. 33 
 
 all other Pagan governments in the pra&ice of 
 virtue. How far they exceeded, in this particu- 
 lar, thofe great corrupters of Chriftianity, and 
 indeed of Natural Religion, the Jefuits, may 
 appear from their abhorrence of everything that 
 looked like a fraudulent or mental evauon. Of 
 this I (hall only produce the following inftance. 
 Several Romans, who had been taken prifbners 
 by Hannibal, were releafed, upon obliging them- 
 felves by an Oath to return again to his camp. 
 Among thefe there was one, who, thinking to 
 elude the Oath, went the fame day back to the 
 camp, on pretence of having forgot fomething. 
 But this prevarication was fo {hocking to the 
 Roman Senate, that they ordered him to be ap- 
 prehended, and delivered up to Hannibal. 
 
 We may farther fee the juft fenfe the Heathens 
 had of the crime of Perjury, from the penalties 
 which they inflicted on the perfons guilty of it. 
 Perjury among the Scythians was a capital crime ; 
 and among the Egyptians alfo was punifhed with 
 death, as Diodorus Siculus relates, who obferves 
 that an offender of this kind is guilty of thofe 
 two crimes (wherein the malignity of Perjury 
 truly confifts) a failing in his refpedt to the Di- 
 vinity, and in his faith towards men. It is 
 unneceflary to multiply inftances of this nature, 
 which may be found in almoft every Author who 
 has written on this fubje&. 
 
 If men, who had no other guide but their 
 reafon, confidered an Oath to be of fuch a tre- 
 mendous nature, and the violation of it to be ib 
 great a crime ; it ought to make a much deeper 
 impreflion upon minds- enlightened by revealed 
 religion, as they have more exalted notions of the 
 Divinity. A fuppofed heathen deity might be fo- 
 poor in his attributes, fo ftinted in his knowledge, 
 C 5 goed-
 
 34 Ihe FREE-HOLDER. N6 
 
 goodnefs, or power, that a Pagan might hope to 
 conceal his Perjury from his notice, or not to 
 provoke him, fhould he be difcovered, or fhould 
 he provoke him, not to be punifhed by him. Nay, 
 he might have produced examples of falfhood 
 and Perjury in the Gods themfelves, to whom he 
 appealed. But as revealed religion has given us 
 i more juft and clear idea of the Divine Nature, 
 he, whom we appeal to, is truth itfelf, the 
 great fearcher of hearts, who will not let fraud 
 and falfhood go unpunifhed, or ' hold him guilt- 
 * lefsthat taketh his name in vain.' And as with 
 regard to the Deity, f likewife with regard to- 
 man, the obligation of an Oath is ftronger upon 
 Chriftians than upon any ojher part of mankind j 
 and that becaufe charity, truth, mutual confi- 
 dence, and all other focial duties are carryed 
 to greater heights, and enforced with ftionger 
 motives by the principles of our religion. 
 
 Perjury, with relation to the Oaths which 
 are at prefent required of us, has in it all the 
 aggravating circumftances, which can attend that 
 crime. We take them before the Magiftrates of 
 publick juflice; are reminded by the ceremony, 
 that it is a part of that obedience which we 
 learn from the gqfpel; exprefly difavow all 
 evafions and mental refervations whatfoever j 
 appeal to. Almighty God for the integrity of our 
 hearts, and only defire him to be our helper, 
 as we fulfil tbe Oath we there take in his pre- 
 fcnce. I mention thefeclrcumliances, to which 
 feveral other might be added, becaufe it is a re- 
 ceived doctrine among thofe, who have treated 
 of tlie nature of an Oath, that the greater the 
 IplemnLties are which attend it, the more they 
 a^ravate the violation of it. And here what 
 the fuccels that a man can hope for, who 
 
 turns
 
 K6 The FRE E-H OLDER. 35 
 
 turns a rebel, after having difclaimed the divine 
 affiftance, but upon condition of being a faith, 
 ful and loyal fubje& ? he firft of all defires that 
 God may help him, as he (hall keep his Oath, 
 and afterwards hopes to profper in an enterprife, 
 which is the direct breach of it. 
 
 Since therefore Perjury, by the common fenfe 
 of mankind, the reafon of the thing, and frora 
 the whole tenor of Chriftianity, is a crime of fo> 
 flagitious a nature, we cannot be too careful it* 
 avoiding every approach towards it. 
 
 The virtue of the ancient Athenians is very 
 remarkable in the cafe of Euripides. This great 
 tragick poet, though famous for the morality of 
 his plays, had introduced a perfon, who, being; 
 reminded of an Oath he had taken, replyed ' 1 
 * fwore with my mouth, but not with my heart/' 
 The impiety of this fentiment fet the audience 
 in an uproar; made Socrates (though an intimate 
 friend of the poet) go out of the theatre with in- 
 dignation; and gave fo great offence, that he' 
 was publickly accufed, and brought upon his 
 trial, as one who had fusrgefted an evafjon oT 
 what they thought the molt holy and indiflbluble- 
 bond of human fociety. So jealous were thefe- 
 virtuous heathens of any the fmalleffc hint that 
 might open a way to Perjury. 
 
 And here it highly imports us to confider, that 
 we do not only break our Oath of allegiance by 
 actual rebellion^ but by all thofe other methods' 
 which have a natural and manifefl tendency tov 
 it. The guilt may lie upon a man, where the ; 
 penalty cannot take hold of him. Thofe who 
 Ipeak irreverently of the perfon to whom they 
 have fworn allegiance; who endeavour to alie-' 
 nate from him the hearts of his fubjedte; or to 
 infgire the people with difaffedion to his go-
 
 36 The FREE-HOLDER. N6 
 
 vernment, cannot be thought to be true to the 
 Oath they have taken. And as for thofe, who by 
 concerted falfhoods and defamations endeavour 
 to blemifh his character, or weaken his autho- 
 rity, they incur the complicated guilt both of 
 Slander and Perjury. The moral crime is com- 
 pleated in fuch offenders, and there are only 
 accidental circumftances wanting, to work it up 
 for the cognizance of the law. 
 
 Nor is it fufficient for a man, who has given 
 thefe folemn affurances to his Prince, to forbear 
 the doing him any evil, unlefs at the fame time 
 he do him all the good he can in his proper 
 itation of life. 
 
 Loyalty is of an active nature, and ought to 
 
 difcover itfelf in all the inftanc.es of zeal and 
 
 affection to our Sovereign : And if we carefully 
 
 examine the duty of that allegiance which we 
 
 pledge to his Majefty, by the Oaths that are 
 
 tendered to us, we fhall find that * We do not 
 
 only renounce, refufe, and abjure any allegiance 
 
 or obedience to the Pretender, but fwear to 
 
 defend King George to the utmoft of our power, 
 
 againft all traiterous confpiracies and attempts 
 
 whatfoever, 'and to difclofe and make known 
 
 to his Majefty all treafons and traiterous con- 
 
 fpiracies,whichwefhallknowtobeagainfthim.' 
 
 To conclude; as among thofe who have bound 
 
 themfelves by thefe facred obligations, the adual 
 
 traitor or rebel is guilty of Perjury in the eye of 
 
 the law; the fecret promoter or well-wifherof the 
 
 caufe is fo before the tribunal of confcience. 
 
 And though I Ihould be unwilling to pronounce 
 
 the man who is indolent, or indifferent in the 
 
 caufe of his Prince, to be abfolutely perjured ; I 
 
 may venture to affirm, that he falls very fliort of 
 
 that allegiance to which he is obliged by. Oath. 
 
 Upon,
 
 N7 9*& FREE-HOLDER. 37 
 
 Upon the whole we may be aflured, that in a 
 nation which is tied down by fuch religious and 
 'iblemn engagements, the peoples loyalty will 
 keep pace with their morality ; and that in pro- 
 portion as they are fmcere Chriftians, they will 
 be faithful Subjeds. 
 
 N / Friday, January 13. 
 
 Veritas pluribus modis infratfa : Primum infdtia rei- 
 publics ; ut aliena ; max libidine ajfentandi, aut 
 rurfus odlb adwrfus dominantes. Obtrefiatio & 
 //i/or fronts auribus accipiuntur : quippe adulationi 
 fcedum crimen fer<vitut:s, malignitati falfa fpecies 
 libertatis inejl* Tacit. Hiflor. i. i. 
 
 Truth is infringed feveral ways ; either through 
 ignorance of publick affairs, the luft of flattery, 
 or hatred of the Government. We liften with 
 pleafure to envy and detraction, becaufe flattery 
 is the vice of flaves, but malignity carries with it 
 the falfe appearance of liberty. 
 
 THERE is no greater fign of a bad caufe, 
 than when the patrons of it are reduced to 
 the neceflity of making ufe of the moft wicked ar- 
 tifices to fupport it. Of this kind are the falfhoods 
 and calumnies, which are invented and fpread 
 abroad by the enemies to our King and Country. 
 This fpirit of malice and {lander does not dif- 
 cover itfelf in any inftances fo ridiculous, 35 in 
 thofe, by which feditious Men endeavour to de- 
 preciate hisMajefty'sperfon and family; without 
 confidering that his court at Hanover was always- 
 allowed
 
 38 I9rF**i&li*t*ftjfL N / 
 
 allowed to be one of the pojiteft in Europe, and 
 that before he became our King, he was reckoned 
 amongft the greateft Princes of Chrijkndom. 
 
 But the moft glorious of his Majefty's prede- 
 eefibrs was treated after the fame manner. Upon 
 that Prince's firft arrival, the inconfiderable party, 
 who then laboured to make him odious to the 
 people, gave out, that he brought with him 
 twenty thoufand Laplander^ clothed in the (kins 
 of bears, all of their own killing ; and that they 
 mutinied becaufe they had not been regaled with 
 a bloody battle within two days after their land- 
 ing. He was no fooner on the Throne, than 
 thofe, who had contributed to place him there, 
 finding that he had made fome changes at court 
 which were not to their humour, endeavoured 
 to render him unpopular by jnifreprefentation 
 of his perfon, his character, and his a&iorrj. 
 They found that his Nofe had a refemblante 
 to that of Oliver Cromwell, and clapt him on a 
 huge pair of muftachoes to frighten his people 
 with : his mercy was fear ; his juftice was 
 cruelty j his temperance, oeconomy, prudent 
 behaviour, and application to bufmefs, were 
 Dutch virtues ; and iiich as we had not been ufed 
 to in our Englijb Kings. He did not fight a. 
 battle, in which the Tories did not flay double 
 the number or what he had loft in the field, nor 
 ever raifed a liege or gained a vuStory, which 
 did not coft more than it was worth. Jn fhort, he 
 was contriving the ruin of his Kingdom ; and 
 in order to it advanced Dr.7/V/<;//0 to the higheit 
 ftation of the Church,, my Lord Sommers of the 
 Law, Mr. Montague of the Treafury, and the 
 Admiral at la Hague of- the Fleet. Such were 
 the calumnies of the party in thofe times, which 
 we fee fo faithfully copied eut by men of the 
 
 feme
 
 N / ^ F R . E -H OLDER. 39 
 
 fame principles under the Reign of his prefent 
 Majefty. 
 
 Asthefchemes of thefe Gentlemen are the mofir 
 abfurd and contradictory to common fenfe, the 
 means by which they are promoted muft be of 
 the fame nature. Nothing but weaknefs and 
 folly can difpofe Englishmen and Protcftants to the 
 interefts of a Popijh Pretender: And the fame 
 abilities of Mind will naturally qualify his ad- 
 herents to fwallow the moft palpable and noto- 
 rious falfhoods. Their felf-interefted and de 
 figning leaders cannot defire a more du<3ile and 
 eafy people to work upon. How long was it be- 
 fore many of this fimple deluded tribe were 
 brought to beh'eve, that the Highlanders were a 
 generation of men that could be conquered ! The 
 rabble of the party were initructed to look upon 
 them as fo many Giants and Saracens j and were 
 very much furprifed to find that every one of 
 them had not with his broad fword mowed down 
 at leaft a fquadron of the King's forces. There 
 were not only publick rejoicings in the camp at 
 Pertby but likevvife many private congratulations 
 nearer us, among thefe well-wifhers to theic 
 Country, upon the victories of their friends a& 
 Prejlon ; which continued till the Rebels made 
 their folenan Cavalcade from Highgate. Nay, 
 there were then fome of thefe wife partizans,. 
 who concluded, the government had hired two 
 or three hundred hale Men, who looked like fox-t 
 hunters,, to be bound and pinioned, if not to be- 
 f xecuied, as reprefentatives of the pretended cap- 
 tives. Their victories in Scotland have been in- 
 numerable j and no longer ago than laft week,, 
 they gained a very remarkable one, in which the 
 Highlanders cut off all the Dutch forces to a man ; 
 aad afterwards difguifing themfelve.s in their 
 
 habits*
 
 40 Tfo? FR E E-HOLDE R. N / 
 
 habits, came up as friends to the King's troops, 
 and put them all to the fword. This fto-ry had 
 a great run for a day or two ; and I believe one 
 might ftill find out a whifper among their fecret 
 Intelligence, that the Duke of Mar is actually 
 upon the road to London^ if not within two days 
 march of the town. I need not take notice that 
 their fucceffes in the battle of Dunblain are mag- 
 nified among fome of them to this day; though 
 a Tory may very well fay with King Pyrrhus, 
 * that fuch another victory would undo them. 
 
 But the moft fruitful fource of falfhood and 
 calumny, is that which, one would think, mould 
 be the leaft apt to produce them ; I mean a pre- 
 tended concern for the fafety of our eftablifhed 
 religion. Were thefe people as anxious for the 
 doctrines which are eflential to the Church of 
 England., as they are for the nominal diflinction 
 of adhering to its interefts, they would know, 
 that the fmcere obfervation of publick Oaths, 
 allegiance to their King, fubmiffion to the Bi- 
 fhops. zeal againft Popery, and abhorrence of 
 Rebellion, are the great points that adorn the 
 character of the Church of England^ and in 
 which the Authors of the Reformed religion in 
 this nation have always gloried. We juftly re- 
 proach the Jefiiits, who have adapted all Chrif- 
 tianity to temporal and political views, for 
 maintaining a pofition fo repugnant to the laws 
 of Nature, Morality and Religion, that evil 
 may be committed for the fake of good, which 
 may arife from it. But we cannot fuppofe even 
 this principle, (as bad a one as it is) mould in- 
 fiuence thofe perfons, who, by fo many abfurd 
 and monftrous falfhoods, endeavour to delude 
 nnen into a belief of the danger of the Church. 
 If there be any relying on the fokmn declarations 
 
 of
 
 N / The F R E E-H.o L D E R: 41 
 
 of a Prince, famed for keeping-his word, con- 
 ftant in the publick exercifes of our religion, and 
 determined in the maintenance of our laws, we 
 have all the aflurances that can be given to us, 
 for the fecurity of the eftablifhed Church under 
 his Government. When a leading man therefore 
 begins to grow apprehenfive for the Church, you 
 may be fure that he is either in danger of lofmg 
 a place, or in defpair of getting one. It is pleafant 
 on thefe occafions, to fee a notorious profligate 
 feized with a concern for his religion, and con- 
 verting his fpleen into zeal. Thefe narrow and 
 felfifh views have fo great an influence in this 
 cry, that, among thofe who call themfelves the 
 landed intereft, there are feveral of my fellow - 
 Free-Holders, who always fancy the Church in 
 danger upon the rifing of bank-ftock. But the 
 ftanding abfurdities, without the belief of which 
 no man is reckoned a ftanch Churchman, are, 
 that there is a Calve's-head Club j for which 
 (by the way) fome pious Tory has made fuitable 
 hymns and Devotions : That there is a confede- 
 racy among the greateft part of the Prelates to de- 
 ftroy Epifcopacy ; and that all, who talk againft 
 Popery, are Prefbyterians in their Hearts. The 
 emiiTaries of the party are fo diligent in fpreading 
 ridiculous fictions of this kind, that at prefent, 
 if we may credit common report, there are feve- 
 ral remote parts of the Nation in which it is 
 firmly believed, that all the Churches in London 
 are mut up ; and that if any Clergyman walks 
 the ftreet in his habit, it is ten to one but he is 
 knocked down by fome fturdy fchifmatick. 
 
 We may obferve upon this occafion, that there 
 are many particular falfhoods fuited to the parti- 
 cular climates and latitudes in which they are 
 publifhed, according as the fituation of the place 
 
 makes
 
 42 Tie F R E E-H OLDER. N7 
 
 makes them lefs liable to difcovery : There is 
 many a lye, that will not thrive within a hun- 
 dred miles of London : Nay, we often find a lye 
 born in SoutJnvark, that dies the fame day on this 
 fide the water: and feveral produced in the 
 loyal ward of Port-foken of fo feeble a make, as 
 not to bear carriage to the Royal Exchange. 
 However as the nlints of calumny are perpetu- 
 ally at work, there are a great number of curious 
 inventions iflued out from time to time, which 
 grew current among the party, and circulate 
 through the whole kingdom. 
 
 As the defign of this Paper is not to exafperate, 
 tut to undeceive my countrymen, let me defire 
 them to confider the many inconveniencies they 
 -bring upon themfelves by thefe mutual inter- 
 courfes of credulity and falfhood. I fhall only 
 remind the credulous oftheftrongdelufion they 
 iiave by this means been led into the greateft part 
 of their lives. Their hopes have been kept up 
 i>y a fucceffion of lies for near thirty Years. 
 How many perfons have ftarved in expectation 
 of thofe profitable employments which were pro- 
 jnrfed them by the authors of thefe forgeries ! 
 How many of them have died with great regret, 
 when they thought they were within a month of 
 enjoying the ineftimable bieflings of a popifh and 
 arbitrary reis;n ! 
 
 1 would therefore advife this blinded fet of 
 men, not to give credit to thofe perfons, by 
 whom they have been fo often fooled andimpofed 
 upon; but on the contrary to think it an affront 
 to their parts, when they hear from any of them 
 iuch accounts, as they would not dare to tell 
 them, but upon the prefumption that they are 
 idiots. Or if their zeal for the caufe (hall difpofe 
 them to be credulous in any points that are fa- 
 vourable
 
 N8 7&> FR E E-H OLDER. 43 
 
 vourable to it, I would beg of them not to ven- 
 ture wagers upon the truth of them : And in 
 this preient conjuncture, by no'means to fell out 
 of the flocks upon any news they (hall hear 
 from their good friends at Perth. As thefe party 
 fictions are the proper fubje&s of mirth and 
 laughter, their deluded believers are only to be 
 treated with pity or contempt. But as for thofe 
 incendiaries of figure and diftinction, who are 
 the inventors and publifhers of fuch grofs falf- 
 hoods and calumnies, they cannot be regarded 
 by others, but with the utmoft deteftation and 
 abhorrence; nor, one would think, by thcmfelves, 
 without the greatett remorfe and .compunction 
 of heart ; when they confider, that in order to 
 give a fpirit to a defperate caufe, they have, by 
 their falfe and treacherous Infmuations and re- 
 ports betrayed fo many of their friends into their 
 own deftruction. 
 
 N8 Monday, January 16. 
 
 Ad-veniet qui njejlra dies muliebribus armit 
 
 Verba rsdarguerit. Virg. ^En. 1 1. ver, 687. 
 
 Here ceafe thy vaunts, and own my victory ; 
 A woman-warrior was too ftrong for thee. 
 
 D R Y D E N. 
 
 I Have heard thatfeveral Ladies of distinction, 
 upon the reading of my fourth Paper, are 
 ftudying methods how to make themfelves ufefui 
 to the public. One has a defign of keeping an 
 open tea-table, where every man fliail be wel- 
 come
 
 44 Tfo F R E E ~ H OLDER. N8 
 
 come that is a friend to King George. Another 
 is for fetting up an afiemblffor Barter, where 
 none fhall be admitted to punt, that have not 
 taken the Oaths. A third is upon an invention 
 of a drefs which will put every Tory Lady out 
 of countenance : I am not informed of the par- 
 ticulars, but am told in genera!, .that fhe has 
 contrived to {hew her principles by the fetting of 
 her commode; fo that it will be impoffibie for any 
 woman, that is difaffe<Sted, to be in the fafhion. 
 Some of them are of opinion that the fan may 
 be made ufe of, with good fuccefs againft Po- 
 pery, by exhibiting the corruptions ofthe Church 
 of Rome in various figures ; and that their ab- 
 horrence of the fuperftitious ufe of beads may 
 be very aptly expreflcd in the make of a pearl 
 necklace. As for the civil part of our confii- 
 tution, it is unanimoufly agreed among the 
 Jeaders of the Sex, that there is no glory in 
 making a man their {lave, who has not naturally 
 a paffion for liberty ; and to difallowof all pro- 
 feilions of paflive obedience, but from a Lover 
 to his Miftrefs. 
 
 It happens very luckily for the intereft ofthe 
 Whigs, that their very enemies acknowledge the 
 fineft women of Great-Britain to be of that 
 party. The Tories are forced to borrow their 
 toils from their antagonirb ; and can fcarce 
 find beauties enow of their own fide, to fup- 
 ply a fingle round of Ofiober. One may, in- 
 deed, fometimes difcover, among the malignants 
 of the Sex, a face that feems to have been 
 .naturally defigned for a Whig Lady : Hut then 
 it is fo of.en fluflied with rage, or foured with 
 difappointments, that one cannot but be trou- 
 bled to fee it thrown away upon the Owner. 
 Would the pretty malecontent be peifuaded to 
 
 love
 
 N8 The FREE-HOLDER. 45 
 
 love her King and Country, it would diffufe a 
 chearfulnefs through all her features, and give 
 her quite another air. I would therefore advife 
 thefe my gentle Readers, as they confult the 
 good of their faces, to forbear frowning upon 
 Loyalifts, and pouting at the Government. In 
 the mean time, what may we not hope from a 
 caufe, which is recommended by the allurement 
 of beauty, and the force of truth ! It is therefore 
 to be hoped that every fine woman will make 
 this laudable ufe of her charms ; and that fhe 
 may not want to be frequently reminded of this 
 great duty, I will only defire her to think of her 
 country every time fhe looks in her glafs. 
 
 But becaufe it is impoflible to prefcribe fuch 
 rules, as ihall be fuitable to the fex in general, 
 I mail confider them under their feveral divifions 
 of Maids, Wives, and Widows. 
 
 As for Virgins, who are unexperienced in the 
 wiles of men, they would do well to confider 
 how little they are to rely on the faith of Lovers, 
 who in lefs than a year have broken their alle- 
 giance to their lawful Sovereign ; and what 
 credit is to be given to the vows and proteftations 
 of fuch who fliew themfelves fo little afraid of 
 Perjury. Befides, what would an innocent 
 young Lady think, mould ihe marry a man 
 without examining his principles, and afterwards 
 find herfelf got with child by a Rebel ? 
 
 In the next place, every wife ought to anfwer 
 for her man. If the hufband be engaged in a 
 feditious Club, or drinks myfterious healths, or 
 be frugal of his candles on a rejoicing night, let 
 her look to him, and keep him out of harms way ; 
 or the world will be apt to fay, me has a mind 
 to be a Widow before her time. She ought in 
 fuch cafes to exert the authority of the curtain- 
 lecture j
 
 46 < fbe F R E E-H OLDER. N C 8 
 
 lecture ; and if fhe finds him of a rebellious 
 difpofition, to tame him, as they do birds of 
 prey, by dinning him in the ears all night long. 
 
 Widows may be fuppofed Women of too good 
 fenfe not to difcountenance all practices, that 
 have a tendency to the deftru6tion of mankind. 
 Befides they have a greater intereft in property 
 than either Maids or Wives, and do not hold 
 their jointures by the precarious tenure of por- 
 tions and Pin-money : fo that it is as unnatu- 
 ral for a Dowager, as a Free- Holder, to be an 
 enemy to our conftitution. 
 
 As nothing is more inftruclive than examples, 
 I would recommend to the perufalof our Britijh 
 Virgins the flory of Ghlia a Roman fpinfter, 
 whofe behaviour is reprefented, by all their hifto- 
 rians, as one of the chief motives that difcou- 
 raged theTarquins from profecuting their attempt 
 to regain the throne, from whence they had 
 been expelled. Let the married woman reflect 
 upon the glory acquired by the wife of Ccric- 
 lanus, who, when her hufband, after long exile, 
 was returning into his country with fire and 
 fword, diverted him from fo cruel and unnatural 
 an enterprife. And let thofe who have out-lived 
 their hufbands never forget their country-woman 
 widow Boadicia^ who headed her troops in 
 perfon aeainft the invafion of a Roman army, 
 and encouraged them with this memorable fay- 
 ing, * I, who am a woman, am refolved upon. 
 * victory or death : but as for you who are men, 
 ' you may, if you pleafe, choofe life and flavery.' 
 
 But I do not propofe to our Briiifn Ladies, that 
 they fhould turn dmazetis in the iervice of their 
 Sovereign, nor fo much as let their nails grow 
 for the defence of their country. The men will 
 take the work of the field oft" their hands, and 
 
 (hew
 
 N8 The FREE-HOLDER. 47 
 
 ftiew the world that Englljk valour cannot be 
 matched, when it is animated by Englijlj beauty. 
 I do not however disapprove the project which 
 is now on foot for a FEMALE ASSOCIATION ; 
 and, fmce I hear the fair confederates cannot 
 agree among themfelves upon a form, {hall 
 prefume to lay before them the following rough 
 draught, to be corrected or improved, as they 
 in their wifdom (hall think fit. 
 
 '1*7' E the Conforts, Relics, and Spinfters of 
 ' ' * the ifle of Great- Britain, whofe names 
 
 * are under written, being moft paflxonately of- 
 
 * fended at the falfliood and perfidioufnefs of 
 
 * certain faithlefs men, and at the lukewarmth 
 
 * and indifference of others, have entered into a 
 ' voluntary aflbciation for the good and fafety 
 4 of our conftitution. And we do hereby en-. 
 ' gage ourfelves to raife and arm our vaflals for 
 
 * the fervice of his Majefty King George, and 
 ' him to defend with our tongues and hearts, 
 ' our eyes, eye-lames, favourites, lips, dimples, 
 4 and every other feature, whether natural or 
 
 * acquired. We promife publickly and openly 
 1 to avow the loyalty of our principles in every 
 
 * word we mail utter, and every patch we 
 ' mail flick on. We do farther promife, to 
 
 * annoy the enemy with all the flames, darts 
 ' and arrows with which nature has armed us ; 
 ' never to correfpond with them by figh, ogle, 
 ' or billet-doux ; not to have any intercourfe 
 4 with them either in fnufFor tea ; nor to ac- 
 
 * cept the civility of any man's hand, who is 
 ' not ready to ufe it in the defence of his country. 
 
 * We are determined in fo good a caufe to en- 
 
 * dure the greateft hardfhips and feverities, if 
 
 * there fhouid be occafion i and even to wear 
 
 * the
 
 48 The FR E E-HOLDE R. N9 
 
 < the manufacture of our country, rather than 
 appear the friends of a foreign intereft in the 
 c richeft French brocade. And forgetting all 
 * private feuds, jealoufies and animofities, we 
 c do unanimoufly oblige ourfelves, by this our 
 ' aflbciation, to {land and fall by one another, 
 as loyal and faithful fitters, and fellow- 
 < fubje<Srs. 
 
 N. B. This aflbciation will be lodged at Mr. 
 Matteiix's, where attendance will be given to the 
 fubfcribers, who are to be ranged in their refpec- 
 tive columns, as Maids, Wives, and Widows. 
 
 N 9 Friday, January 20. 
 
 
 
 Confelia qui dant pra*va cautis bcminilus, 
 El ferdunt operam, & deridenter turpiter. 
 
 Phsdr. Fab. 25. 1. i. 
 
 They, who give bad advice to the prudent, not only 
 lofe their labour, but expofe themfelves to contempt. 
 
 T Hough I have already feen, in The Town 
 TaTk, a letter from a celebrated Englifa- 
 man to the Pretender, which is indeed an excel- 
 lent anfwer to his declaration, the title of this 
 Paper obliges me topublifh the following piece, 
 which conliders it in different lights. 
 
 The Declaration of the Free-Holders of Great- 
 Britain, in anfwer to that of the Pretender. 
 
 VX7E, by the mercy of God, ^ree- Holders of 
 *^ Grtat- Britain, to the Popifh Pretender, 
 
 who fliles himfelf King of Scotland and England, 
 
 and
 
 N9 The FR EE-H o LD ER: 49 
 
 and Defender of our faith, DEFIANCE. Having 
 feen a libel, which you have lately publifhed 
 againft the King and people of thefe realms 
 under the title of a DECLARATION, we, ' in 
 iuftice to the fentiments of our own hearts, 
 have thought fit to return you the following 
 anfwer ; wherein we (hall endeavour to reduce 
 to method the feveral particulars, which you 
 have contrived to throw together with much ma- 
 lice, and no lefs confufion. 
 
 We believe you fmcere in the firft part of your 
 Declaration, where you own it would be a great 
 fatisfa&ion to you to be placed upon the throne 
 by our endeavours : But you difcourage us from 
 making ufe of them, by declaring it to be your 
 right ' both by the Laws of God and man.' As 
 for the Laws of God, we mould think ourfelves 
 great tranfgreflbrs of them, fhould we for your 
 fake rebel againft a Prince, who, under God, 
 is the moft ^powerful Defender of that religion 
 which we think the moft pleafing to him : And 
 as for the Laws of Man, we conceive thole to 
 be of that kind, which have been enacted from 
 time to time for near thirty years paft, againft 
 you and your pretenfions, by the Legiflature of 
 this kingdom. 
 
 You afterwards proceed to invectives againft 
 the royal family : Which we do afiure you is a 
 very unpopular toplck, except to your few de- 
 luded friends among the rabble. 
 
 You call them Aliens to our Country, not con- 
 fidering that King George has lived above a year 
 longer in England than ever you did. You fay 
 they are diftant in blood, whereas no body ever 
 doubted that King George is great grandfon to 
 King James the firft, though many believe that 
 you are not fon to King "James the fecond. 
 D Befides,
 
 FREE-HOLDER. N9 
 
 Befides, all the world acknowledges he is the 
 neareft to our crown of the Proteftant blood, of 
 which you cannot have one drop in your veins, 
 unlefs you derive it from fuch parents as you 
 don't care for owning. 
 
 Your next argument againft the royal fa- 
 mily, is, that they are Strangers to our Lan- 
 guage : But they muft be Strangers to the Erttljb 
 court who have told you fo. However you muft 
 know, that we plain Men fhould prefer a King 
 who was a Stranger to our language, before one 
 who is a Stranger to our Laws and Religion : 
 for we could never endure French fentiments, 
 though delivered in our native dialed ; and 
 Ihould abhor an arbitrary Prince, though he 
 tyrannized over us in thefineft Englijb that ever 
 was fpoken. For thefe reafons, Sir, we cannot 
 bear the thought of hearing a man, that has been 
 bred up in the politicks of Lewis the fourteenth, 
 talk intelligibly from the Eritijh throne ; efpe- 
 cially when we confider, however he may boaft 
 of his fpeaking Englifn^ he fays his prayers in an 
 unknown tongue. 
 
 We come now to the grievances for which 
 in your opinion, we ought to take up aims 
 againft our prefent Sovereign. The greateft you 
 feem to infift upon, and which is moft in the 
 mouths of your party, is the union of the two 
 Kingdoms ; for which his Majefty ought moft 
 certainly to be depofed, becaufe it was made un- 
 der the reign of her, whom you call your Dear 
 Sifter of glorious memory. Other grievances 
 which you hint at under his Majefty 's admi- 
 iiiirration, are, the murder of King Charles the 
 firft, who was beheaded before King George 
 was born j and the fufferings of King Charles the 
 fecond, which perhaps his prefent Majefty can- 
 not
 
 N 9 The F R E E-H OLDER. 51 
 
 not wholly clear himfelf of, becaufe he came 
 into the world a day before his reftoration. 
 
 As on the other fide you arraign his prefent 
 Majefty by this moft extraordinary retrofpecl, 
 on the other hand you condemn his govern- 
 ment by what we may call the fpirit of fecond , 
 fight. You are not content to draw into his 
 reign thofe mifchiefs that were .done a hundred 
 year ago, unlefs you anticipate thofe that may 
 happen a hundred years hence. So that the 
 keeneft of your arrows either fall fhort of him, 
 or fly over his Head. We take it for a certain^ 
 fign that you are at a lofs for prefent grievances, 
 when you are thus forced to have recourfe to 
 your future Profpecls, and future Miferies. Now, 
 Sir, you muft know that we Free-Holders 
 have a natural averfion to hanging, and don't 
 know how to anfwer it to our wives and fa- 
 milies, if we mould venture our necks upon 
 the truth of your prophefies. In our ordinary 
 way of judging, we guefs at the King's fu- 
 ture conduct by what we have feen already ; 
 -and therefore beg you will excufe us if for the 
 prefent we defer entering into a rebellion, to 
 which you fo gracioufly invite us. When we 
 have as bad a profpeft of our King George's 
 rei^n, as we mould have of yours, then will be 
 your time to date another declaration from 
 your court at Commercy : which, if we may be 
 allowed to propriety in our turn, cannot poflibly 
 happen before the hundred and fiftieth year of 
 your reign. 
 
 Having confidered the paft and future grie- 
 vznces mentioned in your Declaration, we come 
 now to the prefent j all of which are founded 
 upon this fuppofition, that whatever is done by 
 his Majefty or his Minifters to keep you out of 
 D 2 the
 
 52 T/J<? F R E E-H OLDER. N9 
 
 the Britijb throne, is a grievance. Thefe, Sir, 
 may be grievances to you, but they are none to 
 us. On the contrary, xvc look upon them as 
 the greateft inftances of his Majefty's care and 
 fendernefs for his people. To take them in 
 order : The firft relates to the Miniftry ; xvho 
 are chofen, as you obferve very rightly, out of 
 the worft, and not the beft of your fubje&s. 
 Now, Sir, can you in conference think us to 
 be fuch fools as to rebel againft the King, for 
 having employed thofe who are his moft emi- 
 nent friends, and were the greateft fufferers in 
 his caufc before h.2 came to the crown ; and 
 for having removed a General who is now ac- 
 tually in arms againft him, and two Secreta- 
 ries of ftate, both of whom have lifted them- 
 felves in your fervice ; or becaufe he chofe to 
 fubftitute in their places fuch men who had 
 diftinguifhed themfelves by their zeal againft 
 you, in the moft famous battles, negotiations, 
 and debates ? 
 
 The fecond grievance you mention, is, that 
 the glory of the late Queen has fuffered, who, 
 you infmuate, ' had fecuredtoyou the enjoyment 
 ' of that inheritance, out of which you had been 
 ' fo long kept.' This may indeed be areafonwhy 
 her memory ihould be precious with you : But 
 you may be fure we fhall think never the better 
 of her, for her having your good word. For 
 the fame reafon it makes us ftare, when we 
 hear it objected to his prefent Majefty, ' That 
 ' he is not kind to her faithful fervants ;' fince, if 
 we canbelieve what youyourfelf fay, it is impoffi- 
 ble they fhould be * his faithful fervants.' And 
 by the way, many of your private friends here 
 wifli you would forbear blabbing at this rate : 
 For, to tell you a fecret, we are very apt to 
 
 fufpea
 
 N9 The F R E E-H OLDER. 53 
 
 fufpecl: that any EngHj'hman^ .who deterves your 
 praife, deferves to be hanged. 
 
 The next grievance, which you have a 
 mighty mind to redrefs among ws, is the Parlia- 
 ment of Great- Britain, againlt whom you bring 
 a ftale accufation which has been ufed by every 
 minority in the memory of man ; namely, thai: 
 it was procured by unwarrantable influences and 
 corruptions. We cannot indeed blame you for 
 being angry at thoie, who have fet i'uch a round 
 price upon your Head. .Your accufation of our 
 high court of Parliament puts us in mind of a 
 flory, often told among us Free-Holders, con- 
 cerning a rattie-brain'd young fellow, who, being 
 indicted for two cr three pranks upon .the high- 
 way, told the judge he would fwear the peace 
 againft him, for putting him in fear of his life. 
 
 The next grievance is fuch a one, that we 
 are amazed how it could come into your head. 
 Your words are as follow. * Whilit the prin- 
 ' cipal powers enaged in the late wars do enjoy 
 
 * the bleflings of peace, and are attentive to dif- 
 ' charge their debts and cafe their people, Great- 
 ' Britain in the midfl of peace feels all the load 
 
 * of war. New Debts are contracted, new 
 ' Armies are raifed at home, Dutch forces are 
 
 * brought into thefe kingdoms.' What in the 
 name of wonder do you mean ? Are you in 
 earned, or do you defign to banter us ? Whom 
 is the nation obliged to for all this load of war 
 that it feels ? Had you been wife enough to have 
 flept at Barleduc in a whole (kin, we ihould not 
 have contracted new debts, raifed new armies, 
 or brought over Dutch forces to make an ex- 
 ample of you. 
 
 The moft pleafant grievance is ftill behind, and 
 
 indeed a moft proper one to clofe up this article. 
 
 D 3 King
 
 54 T&.FREE-H OLDER. N c p 
 
 * King George has taken pofTeffion of the dutchy 
 
 * of Bremen, whereby a door is opened to Jet in 
 ' an inundation of foreigners from abroad, and 
 
 * to reduce thefe nations to the ftate of a province 
 
 * to one of the moft inconfiderable provinces of 
 ' the Empire.' And do you then really believe 
 the mob-ilory, that King George defigns to make 
 a bride of boats from Hanover to flapping? 
 
 bridge 
 
 We would have you know that fome of us read 
 Saber's Chronicle, and do not find that Iftltiam 
 the Conqueror ever thought of making England 
 2. province to his native dutchy of Ncrmandy^ 
 notwithstanding it lay fo much more convenient 
 for that purpofe : Nor that King James the firft 
 had ever any thoughts of reducing this nation to 
 the ftate of a province to his ancient Kingdom 
 of Sect/and, though it lies upon the fame conti- 
 nent. But pray how comes it to pafs that the 
 electorate of Hanover is become all of a fudden 
 one of the moft inconfiderable provinces of the 
 Empire ? If you undervalue it upon the account 
 of its religion,you have fome reafon for what you 
 
 . fay ; though you (hould not think we are fuch 
 Grangers to maps, and live fo much out of the 
 world, as to be ignorant that it is for power and 
 extent the fecond proteftant ftate in Germany ; 
 and whether you know it or no, the proteftant 
 religion in the Empire is looked upon as a fuf- 
 ficient balance againft Popery. Befides, you 
 ihould have confidcred that, in your declaration 
 upon the King's coming to the throne of Great- 
 Ei ///, you endeavour to terrify us from receiving 
 him, by reprefenting him * as a powerful foreign 
 
 .' Prince fupported by a numerous army of his own 
 * fubje&s.'Bethatasitwill; we are no more afraid 
 of being a province to /&n0tvr,than the Hanvuc- 
 riam are apprehenfivc of being a province to Bre- 
 men . We
 
 F R E E-H OLD ETC. 55 
 
 We have now taken notice of thofe great 
 evils, which you are come to refcue us from : 
 But as they are fuch as we have neither felt or 
 feen, we defire you will put yourfelf to no far- 
 ther trouble for our fakes. 
 
 You afterward begin a kind of Te Deum, be- 
 fore the time,in that remarkable fentence, ' We" 
 
 * adore the wiidonr of the divine Providence, 
 
 * which has opened a way to our reiteration, 
 
 * by the fuccefs of thofe very rneafur.es that were 
 
 * laid to difappoint us for ever.' We are at a lofs 
 to know what you mean by this devout jargon : 
 But by what goes before and follows, we fuppofe 
 it to be this: That the coming of King George 
 to the crown has made many maJecoatents, and 
 by that means opened a way to your reftoration ; 
 whereas, you fhould confuler, that if he had not 
 come to the crown, the way had been open of ic- 
 felf. In the fame pious paragraph, ' You moft 
 
 * eafticftly conjure us to purfue thofe methods for 
 ' your reiteration, which the finger of God feems 
 
 * to point out to us.' Now the only methods 
 which we can make ufe of for that end, are civil 
 war, rapine, bloodfhed, treafon, and perjury ; 
 methods which we ptotefrants do humbly cdn- 
 ceive can never be pointed out to us by the 
 finder of God. 
 
 The -reft of your Declaration contains the 
 encouragements you give us to rebel. Firir, 
 
 Sin promife to fhare with us all Dangers and 
 ifficulties which we {hall meet with in this 
 worthy enterprife. You are very much in the 
 right on it : You have nothing to lofe, and hope 
 to get a Crown. We do not hope for any new 
 Free- Holds, and only defire to keep what we 
 have. As therefore you are in the right to un- 
 dergo dangers and difficulties to make yourfelf 
 D 4 par
 
 56 The F R E E-H OLDER. N 9 
 
 our mafter, we (hall think ourfelves as much in 
 the rio-ht to undergo dangers and difficulties to 
 hinder you from being fo. 
 
 Secondly, you premife to * refer your and our 
 ' intereft to a ScatJj Parliament,' which you are 
 refolved to call immediately. We fuppofe you 
 mean if the froft holds. But, Sir, we are cer- 
 tainly informed there is a Parliament now fitting 
 at Weflminjler^ that are bufy at prefent in taking 
 care both of the Scctcb and EngHfl) intereft, and 
 have actually done every thing which you would 
 le; be done by our reprefentatives in the high- 
 lands. 
 
 Thirdly, you promife * that ifwe will rebel for 
 
 you againft our prefent Sovereign, you will remit 
 
 and difcharge all crimes of high-treafon, mif- 
 
 prifion, and all other crimes and offences what- 
 
 foever, done or committed againft you or your 
 
 father.' But will you anfwer in this cafe that 
 
 King George will forgive us ? Otherwife we be- 
 
 {lech you to confider what poor comfort it would 
 
 be for a Britifb Free- Holder to be conveyed up 
 
 Jrlclbourny with your pardon in his pocket. And 
 
 here we cannot but remark, that the conditions 
 
 of your general pardon are fo ftinted, as to fhcw 
 
 that you are very cautious left your good- nature 
 
 fhould carry you too far. You exclude from the 
 
 benefit of it all thofe who do not, ' from the 
 
 * time of your landing lay hold on mercy, and 
 
 * return to their duty and allegiance.' By this 
 means all neuters and lookers on are to be exe- 
 cuted of courfe : And by the ftudied ambiguity 
 in which you couch the terms of your gracious 
 pardon, you ftill leave room to gratify yourfelf 
 in all the pleafures of tyranny and revenge. 
 
 Upon the whole, we have fo bad an opinion 
 of rebellion, as well as of your motives to it, 
 
 and
 
 NJO The FREE-HOLDER. 57 
 
 and rewards for it, that you may reft fatisfied, 
 there are few Free-Holders on this fide the Forth 
 who will engage in it : And we verily believe 
 that you will fuddenly take a refoiution in your 
 cabinet of Highlanders to fc?mper off with your 
 new Crown, which we are told the ladies of 
 thofe parts have fo generoufly clubbed for. And 
 you may aflure yourfelf, that it is the only one 
 you are like to get by this notable Expedition. 
 And fo we bid you heartily farewel. 
 
 Dated Jan. 19, in the 
 fecond year of our 
 Publick Happinefs. 
 
 Nio Monday, January 23. 
 
 Potter <vifa eft fericulofa lilertai quieto fer^itio . 
 
 Saluft. Fragm. 1. I, 
 
 Liberty with danger is preferable to fervitudc 
 with fecurity. 
 
 ONE may venture to affirm, that all honeft 
 and difmterefted Britons of what party fo- 
 ever, if they underftood one another, are of the 
 fame Opinion in points of government t And 
 that the grofs of the people, who are impofed 
 upon by terms which they do not comprehend, 
 are Whigs in their Hearts. They are made to 
 believe, that paffive obedience and non refiftance, 
 unlimited power and indefeafible right, have 
 fomething of a venerable and religious meaning 
 in them ;' whereas in reality they only imply that 
 a King of Great-Britain has a right tb be a 
 D 5 tyrant r
 
 58 The F R E E-H OLDER. N 10 
 
 tyrant, and that his fubje&s are obliged in con- 
 fcience to be flaves. Were the cafe truly and 
 fairly laid before them, they would know, that, 
 when they make a profeffion of fuch principles, 
 they renounce their legal claim to liberty and 
 property* and unwarily fubmir to what they re- 
 ally abhor. 
 
 It is our happinefs under the prefent reign, 
 fo hear our King from the throne exhorting us 
 to be ' zealous afTertors of the liberties of our 
 * country j' which exclude all pretenfions to an 
 arbitrary, tyrannick,ordefpotick power. Thole, 
 who have the misfortune to live under fuch a 
 power, have no other law but the will of their 
 prince, and confequently no privileges, but what 
 are precarious. For though in fome arbitrary 
 governments there may be a body of laws ob- 
 ferved in the ordinary forms of juftice, they 
 are not fufficient to fecure any rights to the 
 people ; becaufe they may be dilpenfed with, or 
 laid afide, at the pleafure of the fovereign. 
 
 And here it very much imports us to confider, 
 that arbitrary power naturally tends to make a 
 man a bad Sovereign, who might pofilbly have 
 been a good one, had he been inverted with an 
 authority limited and circumfcribed by laws. 
 None can doubt of this tendency in arbitrary 
 power, who confider, that it fills the mind of 
 man with great and unreafonable conceits of 
 himfelfj raifes him into a. belief, that he is of 
 a fuperior fpecies to his fubjets ; extinguishes 
 in him the principle of fear, which is one of the 
 greateft motives to all duties; and. creates an 
 ambition of magnifying himfclf, by the exer* 
 tion of fuch a power in all its inftances. So great 
 is the danger, that, when a Sovereign can do 
 what he will, he will do what he can. 
 
 One
 
 Nio ^FREE-HOLDER. 59 
 
 One of the moft arbitrary Princes in our age 
 was J\4uley IJ))mael y Emperor of Morocco^ who 
 after a long reign died about a twelvemonth 
 as;o. This Prince was a man of much wit and 
 natural fenfe, of an a&ive temper, undaunted 
 courage, and great application. He was a de- 
 icendent of Mahomet j and fo exemplary for his 
 adherence to the law of his prophet, that he 
 abftained all his life from the tafte of wine j 
 began the annual feaft, or Lent, of Ramadan, 
 two months before his fubje&s ; was frequent 
 in his prayers ; and that he might not want op- 
 portunities of kneeling, had fixed in all the fpa- 
 cious courts of his palace large confecrated 
 ftones pointing towards the eaft, for any occa- 
 fional exercife of his devotion. What might not 
 have been hoped from a Prince of theie endow- 
 ments, had they not all been rendered ufelefs and 
 ineffectual to the good of his people by the no- 
 tion of that power which they afcribed to him ! 
 This will appear, ifweconfider how he exercifed 
 it towards his fubjects in thofe three great points* 
 which are the chief ends of government, the- 
 preiervation of their lives, the lecurity of their 
 fortunes, and the determination of juftice be- 
 tween man and man. 
 
 Foreign envoys, who have given an account 
 of their audiences, defcribe this holy man 
 mounted on horfeback in an open court, with 
 feveral of his Akyadc^ or governors of pro- 
 vinces, about him, {landing barefoot, trembling, 
 bowing to the earth, and, at every word he 
 fpoke, breaking out into paflionate exclama- 
 tions of praife, as, * great is the wifdom of our 
 
 * Lord the King ; our Lord the King fpeaks a$- 
 
 * an Angel from Heaven.' Happy was the man 
 among them, who was fo much a favourite as to. 
 
 be
 
 60 <Tbe FJREE-H OLDER. Nio 
 
 be fer.t on an errand, to the moft remote ftreet 
 in his capital ; which he performed with the 
 greateft alacrity, ran through every puddle that 
 lay in his way, and took care to return out of 
 breath and covered with dirt, that he might 
 {hew himfelf a diligent and faithful minifter. 
 Hisjvlajefty at the fame time, to exhibit the 
 -greatnefs of his power, and {hew his horfe- 
 manftiip, feldom difmified the foreigner from 
 his prefence, until he had entertained him with 
 the (laughter of two or three of his liege fub- 
 jecls, whom he very dexteroufly put to death 
 with the tilt of his lance. St. Olon, the 
 French envoy, tells us, that when he had his 
 laft audience of him, he received him in robes 
 juft ftained with an execution ; and that he was 
 blooded up to his elbows by a couple of Moors, 
 whom he had been butchering with his own im- 
 perial hands. By the calculation of that au- 
 thor, and many others, who have fince given 
 an account of his exploits, we may reckon 
 that by his own arm he killed above forty 
 thoufand of his people. To render himfelf 
 the more awful, he chofe to wear a garb of a 
 particular colour when he was bent upon exe- 
 cuti_pn ; fo that, when he appeared in Yellow, 
 bis great men hid themfelves in corners, and 
 durft not pay their court to him, till he had fa- 
 tiated his thirft of blood by the death of feme 
 of his loyal commoners, or of fuch unwary 
 officers of ftate as chanced to come in his 
 way. Upon this account we are toid, that 
 the firft news enquired after every morning at 
 Mequinez? was, whether the Emperor were 
 Birring, and in a good or bad humour ? As this 
 Prince was a great admirer of architecture, 
 and employed many thoufands in works of 
 
 that
 
 Nio T^he FR E E-HoL DER. 61 
 
 that kind, if he did not aprove the plan or the 
 performance, it was ufual for him to (hew the 
 delicacy of his tafte by demolifhipg the build- 
 ing, and putting to death afl that had a hand in 
 it. I have heard but of one inftance of his mercy; 
 which was fhewn to the mafter of an Englijb' 
 vefiel. This our countryman prefented him 
 with a curious hatchet, which he received very 
 gracioufly; and afking him whether it had a 
 good edge, tried it upon the donor, who, flipping 
 afide from the blow, efcaped with the lofs only 
 of his right ear ; for old Muley, upon fecond 
 thoughts, confidering that it was not one of his 
 own fubjects, flopped his hand, and would not 
 fend him to Paradife. I cannot quit this Article 
 of his tendernefs for the lives of his people, 
 without mentioning one of his Queens whom he 
 was remarkably fond of; as alfo a favourite 
 Prime Minifter, who was very dear to him. The 
 firft died by a kick of her Lord the King, when 
 /lie was big with child, for having gathered a 
 flower as {he was walking with him in his plea- 
 fure garden. The other was baftinadoed to 
 death by his Majefly; who, repenting of the 
 drubs he had given him when it was too late, to 
 manifeft his efleem for the memory of fo worthy 
 a man, executed the furgeon that could not cure 
 hisn. 
 
 This abfolute Monarch was as notable a guar- 
 dian of the fortunes, as of the lives of his fub- 
 je&s. When any man among his people grew 
 rich, in order to keep him from being dangerous 
 to the ftate, he ufed to fend for all his goods and 
 chattels. His Governors of towns and pro- 
 vinces, who formed themfelves upon the example 
 of their Grand Monarque, practifed rapine, vio- 
 lence, extortion, and all the arts of defpoticlc 
 
 Government
 
 62 The F R E E-H OLDER. N l o 
 
 Government in their refpccYive diftricts, that 
 they might be the better enabled to make him 
 their yearly prefents. For the greatcft of his Vice- 
 roys could only propofe to himfelf a comfortable 
 fubflftence out of the plunder of his province, 
 and was in certain danger of being recalled or 
 hanged, if he did not remit the bulk of it to his 
 dread Sovereign. That he might make a right 
 ufe of thele prodigious treafures, which flowed 
 in to him from all the parts of his wide empire, 
 he took care to bury them under ground, by the 
 hands of his moft trufty flaves, and then cut their 
 throats, as the moft effectual method to keep 
 them from making difcoveries. Thefe were his 
 ways and means for raifing money, by which 
 he weakened the hands of the factious, and in 
 any cafe of emergency could employ the whole 
 wealth of his empire, which he had thus amaffed 
 together in his fubterraneous exchequer. 
 
 As there is no filch thing as property under an 
 arbitrary Government, you may Jcara what was 
 Muley Ijhmael's notion of it from the following 
 {lory. Being upon the road, amidft his life- 
 guards, a little before the time of the Ram- 
 Feail, he met one of his dlcaydes at the head of 
 his fervants, who were driving a great flock of 
 fheep to market. The Emperor afked whofe 
 they were : The Alcalde anfwered with profound 
 fubmiflion, * They are mine, O JJJnnael^ fon of 
 
 * Elchertf, of the line of Hafj'an." Thine ! thou 
 
 * fon of a cuckold,' faid this SERVANT OF THE 
 L.ORD, * I thought I had been the only proprie- 
 
 * tor in this country;' upon which he run him 
 through the body with his lance, and very 
 pioufly dittributed the fheep among his guards 
 ior the celebration of the fcaft. 
 
 His
 
 N* i o T.be FREE-HOLDER. 63 
 
 His determinations of juftice between man 
 and man were indeed very fummary and deci- 
 iive, and generally put an end to the vexations 
 of a law-fuit, by the ruin both of plaintiff and 
 defendentr Travellers have recorded fome 
 famples of this kind, which may give us an 
 idea of the bleflings of his adminiftration. One 
 of his dlcaydes complaining to him of a wife, 
 whom he had received from his Majefty's hands, 
 and therefore could not divorce her, that fhe 
 ufed to pull him by the beard : the Emperor, to 
 redrefs this grievance, ordered his beard to be 
 plucked up by the roots, that he might not be 
 liable to any more fuch affronts. A country 
 farmer having accufed fome of his negro guards 
 for robbing him of a drove of oxen, the Em- 
 peror readily fhot the offenders : But afterwards 
 demanding reparation of the accufer, for the 
 lofs of fo many brave fellows, and finding him' 
 infolvent, compounded the matter with him by 
 taking away his life. There are many other in-' 
 fiances of the fame kind. I muft obferve how- 
 ever under this head, that the only good thing he 
 is. celebrated for, during his whole reign, was the 
 clearing of the roads and highways of robber?, 
 with which they ufed to be very much infefted. 
 But his method was to flay man, woman, and 
 child, who lived within a certain diftance from 
 the place, where the robbery was committed. 
 This extraordinary piece of juftice could not but 
 have its effects, by making every road in his em- 
 pire uniafe for the profefllon of a free-booter. 
 
 I muft not omit this Emperor's reply to Sir 
 Cloudejly Shovel^ who had taken feveral of his 
 fubjects by way of reprifal for the Englijh cap- 
 tives that were detained in his dominions. Upon 
 the admiral's offering to exchange them on very 
 
 advan^
 
 64 The FRE E-HOLDER. Nio 
 
 advatageous terms, this good Emperor fent him 
 word, thefubje&s he had taken were poor men, 
 not worth the ranfoming ; and that he might 
 throw them over board, or deftroy them other- 
 vile, as he pleafed. 
 
 Such was the Government of Muley IJhmael, 
 4 The fervantof God, the Emperor of the faith- 
 
 * fu], who was courageous in the way of the 
 
 * Lord, the noble, the good.' 
 
 To conclude this account, which is extracted 
 from the beft authorities : I fhall only obferve 
 that he was a great admirer of his late moft 
 Chriftian Majefty. In a letter to him, he com- 
 pliments him with the title of * Sovereign ar- 
 4 biter of the actions and wills of his people.' 
 And in a book pubkfhed by a French man, who 
 was fent to him as an Ambaffador, is the follow- 
 ing pafTage, ' He is abfolute in his ftates, and 
 
 * often compares himfelf to the Emperor of 
 
 * France^ who he fays is the only perfon that 
 
 * knows how to reign like himfelf. and to make 
 
 * his will the law.' 
 
 This was that Ernperor of France, to whom the 
 perfon, who has a great mind to be King of thefe 
 realms, owed his education, and from whom he 
 learned his notions of Government. What fliould 
 hinder one, whofe mind is fo well feafoned with 
 fuch prepofieffions, from attempting to copy after 
 his patron, in the exercife of fuch a power; 
 especially confidering that the party who efpoufe 
 his intereft, never fail to compliment a Prince, 
 that distributes all his places among them, with 
 unlimited power on his part, and unconditional 
 obedience on that of his fubjects. 
 
 Friday,
 
 Nn The FR E E-HoL DER. 65 
 Nu Friday, January 27. 
 
 S I T QJJ I MAL Y P E N S Z. 
 
 Evil to him that evil thinks. 
 
 BY our lateft advices, both from town and 
 country, it appears, that the Ladies ofGreat- 
 Britain, who are c able to bear arms,' that is, to 
 fmile or frown to any purpofe, have already 
 begun to commit hofiilities upon the men of 
 each opposite party. To this end we are affured, 
 that many of them on both fides exercife before 
 their glaftes every morning; that they have 
 already cafhiered feveral of their followers as 
 mutineers, who have contradicted them in fome 
 political converfations ; and that the WhigLadies 
 in particular defign very foon to have a general 
 review of their forces at a play befpoken by one 
 of their leaders. This fet of Ladies, indeed, 
 as they daily do duty at court, are much more 
 expert in the ufe of tbeir Airs and graces than 
 their female antagonift?, who are moft of them 
 bred in the country : So that the fifterhood of 
 loyaiifts, in refpecl of the fair malecontents, 
 a>e like an army of regular forces, compared 
 with a raw undifciplined militia. 
 
 It is to this misfortune in their education that 
 we may afcribe the rude and opprobrious lan- 
 guage with which the difaffe&ed part of the Sex 
 treat the prefent Royal Family. A little lively 
 ruilick, who hath been trained up in ignorance 
 
 and
 
 66 *Fbe F R E E-H OLDER. N i \ 
 
 and prejudice, will pratt'e treafon a whole win- 
 ter's evening, and firing together a parcel of 
 filly {editions ftorie?, thi^t are equally void of 
 decency and truth. Nay, you fometimes meet 
 with a Zealous matron, who fets up for die 
 pattern of a parilh, uttering fuch invectives as 
 are highly misbecoming her, both as a woman 
 and a fubjetf. In anfvver therefore to fuch dif- 
 loyal termagants, I fhall repeat to them a fpeech 
 of the honeft and blunt Duke du Sully to an 
 afiembly of Popijh Ladies, who were railing very 
 bitterly againft Henry the Fourth, at his accef- 
 fion to the French throne; ' Ladies, faid he, you 
 ' have a very good King, if you know when you 
 
 * are well. However fet your hearts at reft, for 
 
 * he is not a man to be fcolded or fcratched out 
 
 * of his kingdom.' 
 
 But as I never care to fpeak of the Fair Sex, 
 unlefs I have an occsfion to praife them, I 
 fhall take my leave of thefe ungentle damfels ; 
 and only beg of them, not to make themfelves 
 lefs amiable than Nature defined them, by 
 being rebels to the beft of their abilities, and 
 endeavouring to bring their country into blood- 
 fhed and confufion. Let me therefore recom- 
 mend to them the example of thofe beautiful 
 afTociates, whom 1 mentioned in my eiuhth 
 Paper, as I have received the particulars of their 
 behaviour from the perfou with whom I lodged 
 their afiociation. 
 
 This aflociation bcins: written at length in a 
 large roll of the finefr. vellum, with three 
 diftiudt columns for the maids, wives, and 
 widows, was opened for the fubfcribers near a 
 fortnight ago. Never was a fubfcription for 
 a Raffling or an Opera more crowded. There is 
 fcarce a celebrated beauty about town that you 
 
 mav
 
 N 1 1 'The F R E E-H OLDER. 67 
 
 may not find in one of the three lifts ; info- 
 much, that if a man, who did not know the 
 defign, mould read only the names of the fub- 
 fcribers, he would fancy every column to be a 
 catalogue of tofts. Mr. Motteux has been 
 heard to fay more than once, that if he had the 
 portraits of all the aflbciates, they would make 
 a finer auction of pictures, than he or any body 
 elfe had ever exhibited. 
 
 Several of thefe Ladies indeed criticifed upon 
 the form of the aflbciation. One of them, af- 
 ter the perufal of it, wondered that, among the 
 features to be ufed in defence of their country, 
 there was no mention made of Teeth ; upon 
 which fhe fmiled very charmingly, and dilco- 
 vered as fine a let as ever eye beheld. Another, 
 who was a tall lovely prude, holding up her 
 head in a moft majeftick manner, faid, witli 
 fome difdain, fhe thought a good Neck might 
 have done his Majefty as much fervice as fmiles 
 or dimples. A third looked upon the aflbcia- 
 tion as defective, becaufe fo neceflary a word as 
 Hands was omitted ; and by her manner of taking 
 up the pen, it was eafy to guefs the reaion of 
 her objection. 
 
 Mofl of the perfons, who aXTociated,have done 
 much more than by the letter of the affbciafcion 
 .they were obliged to ; having not only let their 
 names to it, but fubfcribed their feveral aids 
 and lubfidies for the carrying on fo good a caufe. 
 In the virgin, column is one who fubfcribes 
 fifteen lovers, all of them good men and true. 
 . There is another who fubfcribes five admirers, 
 with one tall. hand(om black man fit to be a 
 colonel. Jn fliort, there is fcarce one in this lift 
 who does not engage herfelf to fupply a quota of 
 br.flc young fellows, many of them already 
 
 equipt
 
 68 'The FR EE-Ho L D E R, NII 
 
 equipt with hats and feathers. Among the reft, 
 was a pretty fprightly coquette, with fparkling 
 eyes, \vhoiubfcribed two quivers of arrows. 
 
 In the column bf wives, the firft who took 
 pen in hand writ her own name and one vaf- 
 ial, meaning her hufband. Another fubfcribes 
 her huiband and three fons. Another her huf- 
 band and fix coach-horfes. Moft in this cata- 
 logue paired themfelves with their refpe&ive 
 mates, anfwering for them as men of honert 
 principles, and fit for the fervice. 
 
 N. B. There were two in this column that 
 wore aflbciation ribbons: The firft of them 
 iubfcribed her hufband, and her hufband's friend ; 
 the fecond a hufband and rive lovers; but upon 
 enquiring into their characters, they are both of 
 them found to be Tories, who hung out falfe 
 colours to be fpies upon the AfTociation, or to 
 infinuate to the world by their fubfcriptions,'as 
 if a Lady of Whig principles could love any 
 man befides her hufband. 
 
 The widows column is headed by a fine 
 woman who calls herfelf Boadicea^ and fubfcribes 
 fix hundred tenants. It was indeed cbferved 
 that the ftrength of the Aflbciation lay moft in 
 this column ; every widow, in proportion to 
 her jointure, having a great number of admi- 
 rers, and moft of them diftinguifhed as able men. 
 Thoi'e, who have examined this lift, compute 
 that there may be three regiments raifed out of 
 ir, in which there fhall not be one man under 
 fix foot high. 
 
 J muft not conclude this account, without 
 taking notice of the ASSOCIATION-RIBBON', 
 by which thefe beautiful confederates have agreed 
 to djftinguiih themfelves. It is indeed Ib pretty 
 an ornament, that I wond.er any Engliih 
 
 woman
 
 N a n The FR EE-H.OL DER. 69 
 
 woman will be without it. A Lady of the AS- 
 SOCIATION, who bears this badge of allegiance 
 upon her breaft, naturally produces a defire in 
 every male-beholder of gaining a place in a heart 
 which carries on it fuch a vifible mark of its 
 fidelity. When the beauties of our ifland are 
 thus induftrious to fhew thefe principles, as well 
 as their charms, they raifethe fentiments of their 
 countrymen, and infpire them at the fame time 
 both with loyalty and love. What numbers 
 of profelytes may we not expect, when the moft 
 amiable of the Britons thus exhibit to their ad- 
 mirers the only terms upon which they are to 
 hope for any correfpondcnce or alliance with 
 them ! It is well known that the greateft blow 
 the French nation ever received, was the drop- 
 ing of a fine Lady's garter, in the reign of King 
 Edward t\\z third. The moft remarkable battles, 
 which have been fince gained over that nation, 
 were fought under the aufpices of a blue RIBBON. 
 As our Britijh Ladies have ftill the fame faces, 
 and our men the fame hearts, why may we not 
 hope for the fame glorious achievements from 
 the influence of this beautiful breaft- knot? 
 
 Monday,
 
 70 The F R E E-H OLDER. N 1 2 
 N 12 Monday, January 30. 
 
 Quapropter, de fumma falute ve/ira, P. C. de <veflrh 
 conjugibui ac liber is, de arts ac /bcis, de fanis ac 
 templis, de totius urbis telii ac fedibus y de imperto, 
 de Itbertate, de falute Patrice, deque uni'verfd re- 
 publica decernite diligenter, ut inftituijlis, ac for- 
 titer. Cic. 
 
 Wherefore, fathers confcript, go on, as you have be- 
 j*un, with diligence and refolution, to provide for 
 the publick Safety, and that of your wives and 
 children: for your temples and altars, the city and 
 its buildings, the Empire, the liberty and welfare 
 of your country, and for the good of the whole 
 commonwealth. 
 
 THIS day having been fet apart by publick 
 authority to raife in us an abhorrence of 
 the GREAT REBELLION, which involved the 
 nation in fo many calamities and ended in the 
 murder of their Sovereign, it may not be un- 
 fealbnable to fhew the guilt of Rebellion in 
 general, and of that Rebellion in particular which 
 is ftirred up againft his prefent Majefty. 
 
 That Rebellion is one of the moft hainous 
 crimes which it is in the power of man to 
 commit, may appear from feveral confiderations. 
 I'irft, as it deftroys the end of all government, 
 and the benefits of civil fociety. Government 
 was inftituted for maintaining the peace, fafety, 
 and happinefs of a people. Thefe great ends 
 are brought about by a general conformity and 
 
 fub-
 
 N c i2 The FRE E-Ho LDER. 71 
 
 fubmiffion to that frame of laws which is 
 eftablimed in every community, for the pro- 
 tection of the innocent, and the punifhment of 
 the guilty. As on the one fide men are fecured 
 in the quiet pofleffion of their lives, properties, 
 and every thing they have a right to : So on the 
 other fide, thofe, who offer them any injury in 
 thefe particulars, are fubjet to penalties propor- 
 tioned to their refpeclive offences. Government 
 therefore mitigates the inequality of power among 
 particular perfons, and makes an innocent man, 
 though of the loweft rank, a match for the 
 mightieft of his fellow-fubjects ; fince he has 
 the force of the whole community on his fide, 
 which is able to control the infolence or in- 
 juftice of any private oppreffor. Now Rebellion 
 difappoints all thefe ends and benefits of govern- 
 ment, by raifing a power in oppofition to that 
 authority, which has been eftablimed among a 
 people for their mutual welfare and defence. 
 So that rebellion is as great an evil to fociety 
 as government itfelf is a blefling. 
 
 In the .next place, rebellion is a violation of 
 all thofe engagements, which every govern- 
 ments exacls from fuch perfons as live under it; 
 and confequently, the moft bafe and pernicious 
 inftance of treachery and perfidioufneis. The 
 guilt of Rebellion increaft-s in proportion as thefe 
 engagements are more folemn and obligatory. 
 Thus, if a man makes his way to rebellion 
 through perjury, he gives additional horrors to that 
 crime, which is in itfelf of the blackeft nature. 
 
 \Ve may likewife confider Rebellion as a greater 
 complication of wickednefs than any other crime 
 we can commit. It is big with rapine, facrilege, 
 and murder. It is dreadful in its mildeft effects, 
 as it impoverimes the publick j ruins particular 
 
 families j
 
 72 The F R E E-H OLDER. N I 2 
 
 families ; begets and perpetuates hatreds among 
 fellow fubjeds, friends and relations ; makes 
 a country the feat of war and defolation, and 
 xpofes it to the attempts of its foreign enemies. 
 In fhort, as it is impoffible for it to take effect, 
 or to make the fmalleft progrefs, but through a 
 continued courfe of violence and bloodshed ; a 
 robber or a murderer looks like an innocent 
 inan, when we compare him with a Rebel. 
 
 I {halt only add ; that as in the fubordina- 
 tions of a government the King is offended by 
 any infults or oppositions to an inferior magif- 
 trate, fo the fovereign Ruler of the univerfe 
 is affronted by a breach of allegiance to thofe 
 whom he has fet over us; providence having 
 delegated to the fupreme magiftrate in every 
 country the fame power for the good of men, 
 which that fupreme magiftrate transfers to thofe 
 feveral officers and fubftitutes who a& under 
 him, for the preferving of order and juiHce. 
 
 Now if we take a view of the prefent Rebel- 
 lion which is formed againft his Majefty, we 
 fhall find in it all the guilt that is naturally in- 
 herent in this crime, without any fingle circum- 
 ftance to alleviate it. Infurredtions among a 
 people to refcue.themfelves from the moft vio- 
 lent and illegal opprefiions ; to throw off" a ty- 
 ranny that makes property precarious, and life 
 painful ; to preferve their laws and their reli- 
 gion to themfelves and their pofterity ; are ex- 
 cufed from the necefltty of fuch an undertaking, 
 when no other means are left for the fecurity 
 of every thing that is dear and valuable to 
 reafonable creatures. By the frame of our 
 conflitution, the duties of protection and alle- 
 giance are reciprocal ; and as the fafety of a 
 community is the ultimate end and defign of
 
 Ni2 The FR E E-HoL DE R. 73 
 
 government, when this, inftead of being pre- 
 ferved, is manifestly deftroyed, civil focieties are 
 excufable before God and man, if they endea- 
 vour to recover themfelves out of fo miferable 
 a condition. For, in fuch a cafe, government 
 becomes an evil inftead of a blelfing, and is 
 not at all preferable to a ftate of anarchy and 
 mutual independence. P'or thefe reafons, we have 
 fcarce ever yet heard of an infurrection that was 
 not either coloured with grievances of the higheft 
 kind, or countenanced by one or more branches 
 of the legiflature. But the prefent Rebellion 
 is formed againft a King, whofe right has been 
 eftablifhed by frequent Parliaments of all parties, 
 and recognized by the moftfolemn oaths; who 
 has not been charged with one illegal proceeding; 
 who a6ts in perfect concert with the Lords and 
 Commons of the realm ; who is famed for his 
 equity and goodnefs, and has already very much 
 advanced the reputation and intereft of our 
 country. The guilt therefore of this Rebellion 
 has in it all the molt aggravating circumftanccs; 
 which will ftill appear more plainly, if we con- 
 fider in the firft place the real motives to it. 
 
 The Rebellion which was one of the mod 
 flagitious in itfelf, and defcribed with the moft 
 horror by hiftorians, is that of Catiline^ and 
 his affociates. Their motives to it are difplayed 
 at large by the Roman writers, in order to in- 
 fpire the reader with the urmoft deteftation of it. 
 Catiline, the chief of the Rebellion, had been 
 difappointed in his competition for one of the firft 
 offices in the government, and had involved 
 himfelf in fuch private debts and difficulties, 
 as nothing could extricate him out of, but the 
 ruin of an adminiftration that would not in- 
 truit him with pofts of honour or profit. His 
 E r-in-
 
 74 The FREE -HOLDER. Ni2 
 
 principal accomplices were men of the fame 
 character, and animated by the fame incentives. 
 They complained that power was lodged in the 
 hands of the worft, to the oppreflion of the 
 beflj and that places were conferred on unwor- 
 thy men, to the exclufion of themlelves and 
 their friends. Many of them were afraid of 
 publick juftice for pall crimes, and fome of them 
 flood actually condemned as traitors to their 
 country. Thefe were joined by men of de- 
 fperate fortunes, who hoped to find their account 
 in the confufions of their country, were ap- 
 plauded by the meaneft of the rabble, who al- 
 ways delighted in change, and privately abetted 
 by perfons of a confiderable figure, who aimed 
 at thofe honours and preferments which were in 
 the pofiefiion of their rivals. Thefe are the 
 motives with which Catiline's Rebel lion is branded 
 in hiflory, and which are exprefly mentioned 
 by SaluJL I fhall leave it to every unprejudiced 
 reader to compare them with the motives which 
 have kindled the prefent Rebellion in his Ma- 
 jelly's Dominions. 
 
 As this Rebellion is of the moft criminal na- 
 ture from its motives, fo it is likewife, if we 
 confider its confequences. Should it fucceed, 
 (a. fuppofition which, God be thanked, is very 
 extravagant) what muft be the natural effects of 
 it upon our Religion ! what could we expect from 
 an army, bleft by the Pope, headed by a zealous 
 Roman-catholick, encouraged by the moil bigot- 
 ted Princes of the church of Ro?ne^ fupported by 
 contributions not only from thefe feveral poten- 
 tates, but from the wealthieft of their convents, 
 and officered by Irijh papifts and outlaws ! can 
 we imagine that the Roman-catholicks of our 
 own nation would fo heartily embark in an en- 
 
 terprife,
 
 Ni2 The FRE E-Ho LDER. 75 
 
 terprife, to the vifiblc hazard of their lives and 
 fortunes, did they only hope to enjoy their reli- 
 gion under thofe laws which are now in force ? 
 Infhort, the danger to the Proteftant caufe is 
 fo manifeft, that it would be an affront to the" 
 underftanding of the reader to endeavour farther 
 to prove it. 
 
 Arbitrary -power is fo interwoven with popery, 
 and fo neceffary to introduce it, fo agreeable to 
 the education of the Pretender, fo conformable 
 to the principles of his adherents, and fo natu- 
 ral to the infolence of conquerors, that, fhould. 
 our invader gain the Sovereign power by vio- 
 lence, there is no doubt but he would preferv 
 it by tyranny. I fhall leave to the reader's own 
 confideration the change of property in general, 
 and the utter extinction of it in our national 
 funds, the inundation of Nobles without eftates, 
 Prelates without biftiopricks, officers civil and 
 military without places ; and in fhort, the feveral 
 occaiions of rapine and revenge, which would 
 necefTarily enfue upon fuch a fatal revolution. 
 But by the blefling of Providence, and the wif- 
 - dom of hisMajefty's adminiftration, this melan- 
 choly profpet is as diftant as it is dreadful. 
 
 Thefe are the confequences which would ne- 
 cefiarily attend the fuccefs of the prefent Rebel- 
 lion. But we will now fuppofe that the event 
 of it fhould for fome time remain doubtful. In 
 this cafe we are to expect all the mileries of a 
 civil war : Nay, the armies of the greateft 
 foreign Princes would be fubfifted, and all the 
 battles of Europe fought in England. The Rebels 
 have already {hewn us, that they want no in- 
 clination to promote their caufe by fire and 
 fword, where they have an opportunity ofprac- 
 tifing their barbarities. Should fuch a fierce and 
 E 2 rapacious
 
 76 The FREE-HOLDER. Ni2 
 
 rapacious hoft of men, as that which is now in 
 the highlands, fall down into our country that 
 is fo well peopled, adorned and cultivated, how 
 would their march be diftinguifhed by ravage 
 and devaftation ! might not we fay of them in 
 the fub-lime and beautiful words of the Prophet, 
 defcribing the progrefs of an enraged army from 
 the north; f Before them is as the garden of 
 ' Eden^ and behind them as the defolate wilder- 
 * nefs ; yea, and nothing fhall efcape them.' 
 
 What then can we thinkofa party, who would 
 plunge their native country into fuch evils as 
 thefe ; when the only avowed motive for their 
 proceedings is a point of theory, that has been 
 already determined by thofe who are proper 
 judges, and in whofe determinations we have fo 
 many years acquiefced ? If the calamities of the 
 nation in general, can make no impreffion on 
 them, let them at leaft, in pity to themfelves, 
 their friends and dependents, forbear all open 
 and fecret methods of encouraging a rebellion, 
 fo deftruftive, and fo unprovoked. All human 
 probabilities are againftthem; and they cannot 
 expect fuccefs, but from a miraculous interpo- 
 fition of the Almighty. And this we may with 
 all chriftian humility hope, will not turn againft 
 us, who obferve thofe oaths which we have 
 made in his prefence; who are zealous for the 
 fafety of that religion, which we think moft 
 acceptable in his fight; and who endeavour to 
 preferve that conftitution which is moft con- 
 ducive to the happinefs of our country. 
 
 Friday,
 
 NJ3 7& FR EE-HOLD E R. 77 
 NI3 Friday, February 3. 
 
 Ignavuritfucos pecus a prtsfepilus arcent. 
 
 Virg. Georg 4. ver. 168. 
 
 -They drive 
 
 The lazy drones from the laborious hive. 
 
 D R Y D E N. 
 
 THE mod common, and indeed the moft 
 natural divifion of all offences, is into thoie 
 of Omiflion, and thofe of Commiffion. We may 
 make the fame divifion of that particular fet of 
 crimes which regard human fociety. The 
 greateft crime which can be committed againft it 
 is Rebellion, as was (hewn in my luft Paper. The 
 greateft crime of Omiifion is an indifference in 
 the particular members of a fociety, when a 
 Rebellion is actually begun among them. In fuch 
 a juncture, though a man may be innocent of the 
 great breach which is made upon Government, 
 he is highly culpable, if he does not ufe all the 
 means that are fuitable to his ftation for reducing 
 the community into its former ftate of peace and 
 good order. 
 
 Our obligation to be active on fuch an occa- 
 fion appears from the very nature of civil go- 
 vernment; which is. an institution, whereby we 
 are all confederated together for our mutual de- 
 fence and fecurity. Men, who profefs a ftate 
 of neutrality in "times of publick danger, defert 
 the common intercft of their fellow- fubjedts, 
 and act with independence to that conftitution 
 E 3 into
 
 78 The F R E E-H OLDER. N 1 3 
 
 into which they are incorporated. The fafety 
 of the whole requires our joint endeavours. 
 When this is at ftake, the indifferent are not 
 properly a part of the community ; or rather are 
 like dead limbs, which are an incumbrance to 
 the body, inftead of being of ufe to it. Befides 
 that the protection, which all receive from the 
 fameGovernment, juftlycalls upon the gratitude 
 of all to fhengthen it, as well as upon their 
 lelf-intereft to preferve it. 
 
 But farther ; if men, who in their hearts are 
 friends to a Government, forbear giving it their 
 utmoft ailiftance againft its enemies, they put 
 it in the power of a few defperate men to ruin 
 the welfare of thofe who are much fuperior to- 
 them in ftrength, number, and intereft. It was 
 a remarkable law of Solon, the great legiflator 
 of the Jffhaiiam, that any perfon, who in the 
 civil tumults and commotions of the repub- 
 lick remained neuter, or an indifferent fpe&ator 
 of the contending parties, fhould, after the re- 
 eftablimment of the publick peace, forfeit all his. 
 pofleffions, and be condemn'd to perpetual ba- 
 nimment. This law made it necefiary for every, 
 v citizen to take his party, becaufe it was highly, 
 probable the majority would be fo wife as to 
 cfpoufe that caufe which was moft agreeable to 
 the publick weal, and by that means hinder a 
 fedition from making a fuccefsful progrefs. At 
 leaft, as every prudent and honeft man, who 
 might otherwife favour any indolence in his own 
 temper, was hereby engaged to be active, fuch 
 a one would be fure to join himfelf to that 
 fide which had the good of their country moft 
 at heart. For this reafon their famous lawgiver 
 condemned the perfons who fat idle in diviiions 
 fo dangerous to the Government, as aliens to 
 
 the
 
 Ni3 7& FREE-HOLDE R. 79 
 
 the community, and therefore to be cut off 
 from it as unprofitable members. 
 
 Farther ; indifference cannot but be criminal, 
 when it is converfant about objects which are fo 
 far from being of an indifferent nature, that they 
 are of the highefl importance to ourfelves and 
 our country. If it be indifferent to us whether 
 we are free fubjedts or flaves ; whether our 
 Prince be of our own Religion, or of one that 
 obliges him to extirpate it ; we are in the right to 
 give ourfelves no trouble in the prefent jundhire. 
 A man governs himfelf by the dictates of virtue 
 and good fenfe, who acls without zeal or pajljou 
 in Points that are of no confequence. But when 
 the whole community is fhaken, and the fafety 
 of the publick endanger'd, the appearance of a 
 philofophical or an affected indolence muft arife 
 cither from ftupidity or perfidioufnefs. 
 
 When, in the divifion of parties among us, 
 men only ftrove for the firft place in the Prince's 
 favour ; when all were attached to the fame form 
 of Government, and contended only for the 
 higheft offices in it; a prudent and an honeft 
 man might look upon the ftruggle with indiffe- 
 rence, and be in no great pain for the fuccefs of 
 either fide. But at prefent the conteft is not in 
 reality between Whigs and Tories, but between 
 Loyalifts and Rebels. Our country is not now 
 divided into parties, who propofe the fame 
 end by different means ; but into fuch as would 
 preferve, and fuch as would deftroy it. Whatever 
 denominations we might range ourfelves under 
 in former times, men who have any natural 
 love to their country, or fenfe of their duty, 
 ihould exert their united ftrength in a caufe that 
 is common to all Parties, as they are Proteftants 
 and Britons. In fuch a cafe, an avowed indiffe- 
 E 4 rence;
 
 80 TZe F R E E -H o L D E R. N j 3 
 
 rence is treachery to our fellow-fubjech ; and 
 a lukewarm allegiance may prove as pernicious 
 in its confequences as treafon. 
 
 I need not repeat here what I have proved at 
 large in a former Paper, that we are obliged to an 
 active obedience by the folemn oaths we have 
 taken to his Majefty; and that the neutral kind 
 of indifference, which is the fubjecl: of this Paper, 
 falls fhort of that obligation they lie under, who 
 have taken fuch oaths ; as v/i'J eafily appear to 
 any one who confiders the form of thofe facred 
 and religious engagements. 
 
 How then can any man anfwer it to himfelf, 
 if, for the fake of managing his intereil or cha- 
 racter among a party, or out of any perfona! pique 
 to thofe who are the moft confpicuous for their 
 ze;)l in his Majefty's fervice, or from any other 
 private and felf-interefted motive, he (lands as a 
 looker-on when the Government is attacked by 
 an open rebellion; efpecialiy when thofe engaged 
 in It cannot have the leaft profpect of fuccefs, 
 but by the afliftance of the ancient and hereditary 
 enemies to the Britijh nation ? It is ftrange that 
 thefe lukewarm friends to the Government, 
 whofe zeal for their Sovereign rifes and falls 
 \vith their credit at court, do not confider, be- 
 fore it be too late, that as they (Irengthen the 
 Rebels by their prefent indifference, they at the 
 fame time eftablifh the intereft of thofe who are 
 their rivals and competitors for publick ports of 
 honour. When there is an end put to this re- 
 bellion, thefe Gentlemen cannot pretend to have 
 had any merit in fo good a work: And they 
 may well believe the nation will never care to 
 fee thofe "men in the higheft offices of truft, who, * 
 when they are out of them, will not ftir a finger 
 in its defence. 
 
 Monday
 
 Ni4 The FREE-HOLDER. 8r 
 i^^^^x^^^j^^^^^^^i^^^i^^^^^^^ 
 
 J^^^S^J^^J^^^^^^^^^^^SWSWS^i^tvWS 
 
 N 14 Monday, February 6. 
 
 Periculofum eft credere, & non credere: 
 Utnujjue exemplum bre<viter exponam rei, 
 Hippolitus obiit, quia nc'vercee creditum ejl : 
 Cajjandrte quid nan creditum, ruit Ilium. 
 >'go exploranda eji writ as multum prius, 
 Qudm jlulta frave judicet jententia. 
 
 Phsdr, Fab. 10. 1. j. 
 
 *To believe is dangerous; and not to believe, \ 
 dangerous: I will give an inftance of both; Hip" 
 politus loll his life by giving credit to his ftep- 
 mother; and if Cajfandra had been believed, Troy 
 had not periflied: Therefore fearch ailigently for 
 the truth, left your judgment be miflsd to pro- 
 nounce fooliihly. 
 
 HAving in the fcventh Paper conildered many 
 of thole falfhoods by which the caufe of 
 our male contents is fupported: I fha]l here 
 fpeak. of that extravagant credulity, which dif- 
 pofes each particular member of their party to be- 
 heve them. This ftrange alacrity in believing: 
 abfurdity and inconiiftence may be called the 
 Political Faith of a Tory. 
 
 A perfo-n who is thoroughly endowed with this 
 political faith, like a man in a dream, is enter- 
 tained from one end of his life to the other withj 
 objects that have no reality or exigence. He is 
 daily nourifhed and kept in humour by fiction- 
 and delufion ; and may be compared to the old 
 obftinate Knight \frRabelais, that every morning 
 fv/allawed a chimera for his breakfaft, 
 
 This
 
 #2 The FREE-HOLDER. Ni4 
 
 This Political Faith of a malecontent is alto- 
 gether founded on hope. He does not give credit 
 to any thing becaufe it is probable, but becaufe it is 
 pleafing. His wifhes ferve him inftead of reafons, 
 to confirm the truth of what he hears. There is 
 JYO report fo incredible or contradictory in itfelf 
 which he doth notchearfully believe, if ittendsto- 
 the advancement of the caufe. In fhort, a male- 
 content who is a good believer has generally reafon 
 to repeat the celebrated rant of an ancient father, 
 Credo qma impojfibile eft : Which is as much as to 
 fay, * It muft be true, becaufe it is impoffible.' 
 
 It has been very well obferved, that the moil 
 credulous man in the world is the Atheift, who 
 believes the univerfe to be the production of 
 chance. In the fame manner a Tory, who is the 
 greateft believer in what is improbable, is the 
 greateft infidel in what is certain. Let a friend to 
 the Government relate to him a matter of facl, 
 he turns away his ear from him, and gives him 
 the lye in every look. But if one of his own 
 ilamp ihould tell him that the King of Sweden 
 would be fuddenly at Perth^ and that his army is 
 now actually marching thither upon the ice; he- 
 liugs himfelf at the good news, and gets drunk; 
 upon it before he goes to bed. This fort of people 
 puts one in mind of feveral towns of Europe that 
 are inacceflible on the one fide, while they lieoper* 
 and unguarded on the other. The minds of our 
 jnalecontents are indeed fo depraved with thofe 
 falfhoods which they are perpetually imbibing, 
 fhat they have a natural relifh for error, and have 
 <^ujte loft the tafte of truth in political matters. 
 J {hall therefore dtfmifs this head with a faying of 
 King Charles the Second. This Monarch, when 
 he was at Wmdfor^ ufed to amufe himfelf with, 
 the corwerfation cf the famous Vojjiu^ who was 
 
 full
 
 Ni4 The pREE-HotDER. 83 
 
 full of ftories relating to the antiquity, learning-,, 
 and manners of the Cbinefe j and at the fame 
 time a Free-thinker in points of Religion. The 
 King upon hearing him repeat fome incredible 
 accounts of thefe eaftern people, turning to 
 thofe who were about him, ' This learned di- 
 * vine,' faid he, * is a very ftrange man : He 
 ' believes every thing but the bible.* 
 
 Having thus far confidered the political faith- 
 ef the party as it regards matters of fac"t, let us 
 in the next place take a view of it with refpe<5t 
 to thofe dodtrines which it embraces, and which: 
 are the fundamental points whereby they are 
 diflinguifhed from thofe, whom they ufed to re- 
 prefent as enemies to the conftitution in Churcb 
 and State. How far their great articles of poli- 
 tical faith, with refpet to our ecclefiaftical an<t 
 civil government, are confiftent with them- 
 felves and agreeable to reafon and truth, may- 
 be feen in the following paradoxes, which are the 
 cflentials of a Tory's creed, with relation to po- 
 litical matters. Under the Name of Tories, I 
 do not here comprehend multitudes of well 
 defigning men, who were formerly included un- 
 der that denomination, but are now in the inte- 
 reft of his Majefty and the prefent government. 
 Thefe have already feen the evil tendency o" 
 fuch principles, which are the Credenda of ther 
 party, as It is oppofite to that of the Whigs. 
 
 Article T. 
 
 That the church of England will be always in- 
 danger, till it has a Popifti King for its Defender* 
 
 That for the fafety of the church, no fubjeft' 
 {hould be tolerated in any religion different 
 the eftablifhed 3, but that the Head of our 
 
 tiiuxcb
 
 84 27tf F R E E-H OLDER. N I 4 
 
 church may be of that religion which is moil 
 repugnant to it. 
 
 III. 
 
 That the Proteftant intereft in this nation, 
 and in all Europe^ could not but flourish under 
 the protection of one, who thinks himfelf ob- 
 liged, on pain of damnation, to do all that lies 
 in his power for the extirpation of it. 
 IV. 
 
 That we may fafely rely upon the promifes 
 of one, whofe religion allows him to make 
 them, and at the fame time obliges him to break 
 them. 
 
 V. 
 
 That a good man mould have a greater ab- 
 horrenceofpre{byterianifm,whichisperverfenefs, 
 than of popery, which is but idolatry. 
 
 That a perfon, who hopes to be King of Eng- 
 land by the afliftance of France, would naturally 
 adhere to the Britijh intereft, which is always 
 oppofite to that of the French: 
 VII. 
 
 That a man has no opportunities of learning 
 Low to govern the people of England in any fo- 
 icign country, fo well as in France. 
 VIII. 
 
 That ten millions of people fhould rather 
 choofe to fall inta flavery, than not acknowledge 
 their Prince to be inverted with an hereditary and 
 indefeafible right of ppreffion. 
 
 That we are obliged inconfcienceto become 
 fubje&s of a JDuke of Savoy ^ or of a French King,, 
 j^ther than enjoy for our Sovereign a Prince,, 
 who is the firll of the royal blood in the pro- 
 uftant lime.. 
 
 X. That
 
 N 14 The F R E E-H OLDER. 85 
 
 X. 
 
 That Non-refiftance is the duty of every 
 chriftian, while he is in a good place. 
 XL 
 
 That we ought to profefs the doctrine of paf- 
 five obedience till fuch a time as nature rebel* 
 againfl principle, that is, till we are put to the 
 neceflity of pradifing it. 
 
 xii. 
 
 That the Papifts have taken up arms to defend 
 the church of England with the utmoft hazard 
 of their lives and fortunes. 
 
 XIII. > 
 
 That there is an unwarrantable faction irt 
 this ifland, confifting of King, Lords,, and 
 Commons. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 That the Legislature, when there is a majority 
 of Whigs in it, has not power to make laws. 
 XV. 
 
 That an ac~r, of parliament to impower the 
 King to fecure fufpe<5ted perfons in times of 
 rebellion, is the means to eftablifh the Sovereign' 
 on the throne, and confequemly a great in- 
 fringement of the liberties of the fubjeih 
 
 
 Friday^
 
 86 The FREE-HOLDER. NJ5 
 NI5 Friday, February 10. 
 
 Auxilium, qucmamjic ccgitis ifjt t 
 Dixii, ab bojlepelam : ffu.lt us anxrtite veftros^ 
 Si quit vrutm adijl : Et Go^gotut extulit era. 
 
 Ovid. Met. 1. 5. ver. 178* 
 
 Since thus unequally you fight ; 'tis time, 
 He cry'd, to punifh your prefumptuous crime, 
 Beware, my friends; his friends were foon prepar'd> 
 Their fight averting ; high the head he rear'd, 
 And Go>gon on his foes Severely flar'd. 
 
 M A K W A R 1 N G. 
 
 IT Is with great pleafure that I fee a race of 
 Female-patriots fpringing up in this ifland. 
 The faireft among the daughters of Great-Britain. 
 no longer confine their cares to a domeftick 
 life, but are grown anxious for the welfare of 
 their country, and ihew themfelves good ftatef- 
 women as well as good houfewives. 
 
 Our fhe-confederates Iceep pace with us in 
 quafhing that rebellion which had begun to fpread 
 itfelf among part of the Fair-Sex. If the men who 
 are true to their King and country have taken 
 Pi efton and Perth, the Ladies have polMed them- 
 felves of the opera and the play-houfe with as 
 little opposition or bloodfhed. The non- refuting 
 women, like their brothersin tbeJtJjgMaaJj, thinlc 
 no poft tenable againft an army that makes la 
 fine an appearance ; and dare not look them in 
 the face> when they are drawn up in battle- aray. 
 
 Aft
 
 Ni5 The FREE-HOLDER. 87 
 
 As an Inftance of the chearfulnefs in our fair 
 feliow-fubje&s, to oppofe the defigns- of the 
 Pretender, I did butfuggeft in one. of my former 
 Papers, That the Fan might be made ufe of 
 
 * with good fuccefs againft popery, by exhibiting 
 ' the corruptions of the church of Rcme in va- 
 
 * rious figures;' when immediately they took the 
 hint, and have fince had frequent confutations 
 upon feveral way sand methods c to make the fan 
 ' ufeful.' They have unanimoufly agreed upon 
 the following refolutions, which are indeed very 
 fuitable to Ladies who are at the fame time the 
 moft beautiful and the moft loyal of their Sex. 
 To hide their faces behind the fan, when they 
 obferve a Tory gazing upon them. Never to 
 peep through it, but in order to pick out men, 
 whofe principles make them worth the conqueft. 
 To return no other anfwer to a Tory's addrefles, 
 than by counting the Sticks of it all the while he 
 is talking to them. To avoid dropping it in the 
 neighbourhood of a malecontent, that he may 
 not have an opportunity of taking it up. Ta 
 fliew their difbelief of any Jacobite ftory by a- 
 flirt of it. To fall a fanning themfelves, when, 
 a Tory comes into one of their Affemblies, as 
 being difordered at the fight of him. 
 
 Thefe are the ufes by whkh every fan may 
 rn the hands of a fine woman become fervice- 
 able ta the publick, But they have at prefent 
 under confideration certain fans of a Proteftant 
 make, that they may have a more extenfive in- 
 fluence and raife an Abhorrence of Popery in % 
 whole crowd of beholders : For they intend to 
 kt the world fee what party they are of, by 
 figures and defigns upon thefe fans ; as the 
 Knights-Errant ufed to diftinguifh themfelves by 
 devices on their Shields* 
 
 Thae
 
 88 T6e FREE-HOLDER. Ni5 
 
 There are feveral fketches of pictures which 
 have been already prefented to the Ladies for their 
 approbation, and out of which feveral have made 
 their choice. A pretty young Lady will very foon 
 appear with a fan, which has on it a nunnery of 
 lively black-eyed veftals, who are endeavouring 
 to creep out at the grates. Another has a fan 
 mounted with a fine paper, on which is reprefented 
 a groupe of people upon their knees very de- 
 voutly worfhipping an old ten-penny nail. A 
 certain Lady of great learning has chofen for her 
 device the council of Trent ; and another, who 
 has a good fatirical turn, has filled her fan with 
 the figure of a huge taudry woman, representing 
 the whore of Babylon ; which fhe is refolved to 
 fpread full in the face of any fifter-difputant, 
 whofe arguments have a tendency to popery. 
 The following defigns are already executed on 
 feveral mountings. The ceremony of the holy 
 pontifFopening the mouth of a cardinal in a full 
 confiftory. An old gentleman with a triple 
 crown upon his head, and big with child, being 
 the portrait of Pope Jean. Bifhop Banner pur- 
 chafing great quantities of faggots and brufti- 
 wood for the converlion of hereticks. A figure 
 reaching at a fcepter with one hand, and holding 
 a chaplet of beads in the other : With a diftant 
 view of Smithfield. 
 
 When our Ladies make their Zeal thus vifible 
 upon their /ans, and, every time they open them!, 
 difplay an error of the church of Rome, it cannot 
 but have a good effect, by fhevving the enemies 
 of our preient eftablilhment the folly of what 
 they are contending for. At leaft, every one muft 
 allow that fans are much more innocent engines 
 for propagating the proteitant religion, than 
 racks, wheels, gibbets,, and the like machines, 
 
 which
 
 Ni5 Th* FREE-HOLDER: 89 
 
 which are made ufe of for the advancement of 
 the Roman Cathoiick. Befides, as every Lady 
 will of courfe ftudy her fan, fhe will be a per- 
 fect midrefs of the controverfy at leafl in one 
 point of popery, and as her curiofity will put 
 her upon the pcrufal of every other fan that is 
 fafhionable, I doubt not but in a very little time 
 there will fcarce be a woman of Quality in 
 Great- Britain, who would not be an over-match 
 for an Irijb pried. 
 
 The beautiful part of this ifland, whom I am 
 proud to number amoogft the mod candid of my 
 readers, will likewife do wel! to reflect, that our 
 difpute at prefent concerns our civil as well as 
 religious rights. I (hall therefore only offer it to 
 their thoughts, as a point that highly deferves 
 their confideration, whether the fan may not 
 alfobe made ufa of with regard to our political 
 conftitutlon. As a Free-Holder, I would not 
 have them confine their cares for us as we are 
 Protedants, but at the fame time have an eye to 
 our happinefs as we are Britons, In this cafe they 
 would give a new turn to the minds of their 
 countrymen, if they would exhibit on their 
 fans the feveral grievances of a tyrannical go- 
 vernment. Why might not an audience of 
 Muley -IJbmael, or a. Turk dropping his handker- 
 chief in his feraglio, be proper iubje&s to exprefs 
 their abhorrence both of defpotic power, and 
 of male tyranny ? Or if they have a fancy for 
 burlefque, what would they think of a French 
 cobbler cutting fhoes for feveral of his fellow- 
 fubje&s out of an old apple-tree ? On the con- 
 trary, a fine woman, who would maintain the 
 dignity of her fex, might bear a ftring of galley- 
 flaves, dragging their chains the whole breadth 
 of her fan, and at the fame time to celebrate her 
 
 owiv
 
 90 he F R E E-H OLDER. N 1 5 
 
 own triumphs, might order every flave to be 
 drawn with the face of one of her admirers. 
 
 I only propofe thefe as hints to my gentle 
 readers, which they may alter or improve as 
 they {hall think fit : But cannot conclude with- 
 out congratulating our country upon this i^ifpofi- 
 tion among the moft amiable of its inhabitants, 
 to confider in their ornaments the Advantage of 
 the pub'iclc as well as of their Perfons. It was 
 with the fame fpirit, though not with the fame 
 politenefs, that the ancient Br;tijh women had 
 the figures of monfters painted on their naked 
 bodies, in order, as our hiftorians tell us, romake 
 themfelvcs beautiful in the eyes of Uieir country- 
 men, and terrible to their enemies. If this pro- 
 ject goes on, we may boaft, that our fifter Whigs 
 have the fineft fans, as well as the moft beautiful 
 faces, of any Ladies in the world. At leaft, we 
 may venture to foretel, that the figures in their 
 fans will leflen the Tory intereft, much more 
 than thole in the Oxford almanacks will ad- 
 vance it. 
 
 Monday,
 
 j 6 The F R E E-H OLDER. 91 
 
 Ni6 Monday, February 13. 
 
 Itcoue quod plerumque in atrcci neg'tio _fofet, fenaluj 
 Jsc'evit, darent operam confutes ne quid rtfyublica 
 detriment! caperet. Ea potfjlas per fenatum more 
 roma.no tr.agijlratui maxuma perfjiititur, e\ercititm 
 parare, helium gerere, coercere omnibus modii focloi 
 atque ci-ves, domi militieeque imperium atque judi- 
 cium fumtnum habere. fitter, fine populi jujfit nulli 
 ear urn rerum ccnjuiijtn eft. 
 
 Saluft. Bell. Caril. 29. 
 
 The fenate therefore made a decree as ufual, when 
 they have matters before them of fo horrid a na- 
 ture, that the Confuls fhould take care the com- 
 monwealth did not fuffer any prejudice. By virtue 
 of this very great power which the fenate allows 
 to the magistrate, according to the ancient cuftoms 
 of Rome, he may raife an army, wage war, make 
 ufe of all kinds 'of methods to retrain the ailbciates 
 and citizens of Rome, and exercife the fjpreme 
 authority both at home and abroad in matters civil 
 and military; whereas otherwife the Conful is not 
 invefted with any of thefe powers without the ex- 
 prefs command of the people. 
 
 IT being the defign of thefe Papers to recon- 
 cile men to their own happinefs by removing 
 thofe wrong notions and prejudices which hinder 
 them from feeing the advantage of themfelves 
 and their pofterity in the prefent Eftablifhment* 
 I .cannot bu.Ma.ke notice of every thing that, by 
 
 the
 
 92 < fbe F R E E-H OLDER. N I 6 
 
 the artifice of our enemies is made a matter of 
 compJaint. 
 
 Of this nature is the fufpenfion of the Ha- 
 beas Corpus aft, by which his Majefty has been 
 enabled, in thefe times of danger, to feize and 
 detain the perfons of fuch, who he had reafon 
 to believe were confpiring againft his perfon and 
 government. The expediency and reafonable- 
 nefs of fu.;h a temporary fufpenfion in the prefent 
 juncture, may appear to every confiderate man, 
 who will turn his thoughts impartially on this 
 fubjecl. 
 
 1 have chofen in points of this nature to draw 
 mv arguments from the firft principles of Go-- 
 vcrnment, which as they are of no party, but 
 alTented to by every reasonable man, carry the 
 greater weight with them, and are accommo- 
 dated to the notions of all my readers. Every 
 one knows, who has confidered the nature of 
 Government, that there muft be in each par- 
 ticular form of it an abfolute and unlimited 
 power ; and that this power is lodged in the 
 hands of thofe, who have the making of its 
 Jaws, whether by the nature of the confti- 
 tution it be in one or more perfons, in a fingle 
 order of men, or in a mixt body of different 
 ranks and degrees. It is an abfurdity to ima- 
 gine that thofe, who have the authority of 
 making laws, cannot fufpend any particular 
 law, when they think it expedient for the pub- 
 . lick. Without fuch a power all government 
 would be defe&ive, and not armed w.ith a 
 fufficient force for its own fecurity. As. fclf- 
 prefervation by all honeft methods is the firft 
 duty of every community, as well as of 
 every private perfon, fo the publickfafcty is the 
 general view of all laws. When therefore 
 
 any
 
 N 1 6 'The F R E E-H OLDER. 93 
 
 any law does not conduce to' this great end, 
 but on the contrary, in fome extraordinary and 
 unnatural junctures, the very obfervation of 
 it would endanger the community, that law 
 ought to be laid afieep for fuch a time, by the 
 proper authority. Thus the very intention of 
 our Habeas Corpus act, namely, the preferva- 
 tion of the liberties of the fubjeft, abfolutely 
 requires that act to be now fufpended, fmce 
 the confinement of dangerous and fufpected per- 
 fons, who might ftrengthen this rebellion, and 
 fpread a civil war through all parts of this 
 Kingdom, fecures to us our civil rights, and 
 every thing that can be valuable to a free 
 people. 
 
 As every Government muft in its nature be 
 armed with fuch an authority, we may obferve 
 that thofe Governments which have been the 
 moft famous for publiclc fpirir, and the moft 
 jealous of their liberty, have never failed to 
 exert it upon proper occafions. There cannot 
 be a greater inftance of this, than in the old 
 commonwealth of Rome^ who flattered them- 
 felves with an opinion, that their Government 
 had in it a due temper of the regal, noble, 
 and popular power, reprefented by the Confuls 
 the Senators, and the Tribunes. The regal 
 part was however in feveral points notorioufly 
 defective, and particularly becaufe the Confuls 
 had not a negative in the patting of a law, 
 as the other two branches* had. Nevertheless 
 in this Government when the republic!; was 
 threatned with any great and imminent dan- 
 ger, they thought it for the common fafety to 
 appoint a temporary Dictator, invefted-'with the 
 whole power of the three branches ; who, 
 when the danger was over, retired again into 
 
 the
 
 94 *fke F R E E r H o L D E K. N 1 6 
 
 the community, and left the Government in its 
 natural fituation. But what is more to our 
 cafe, the confular power itfelf, though infinitely 
 {hort of the regal power in Great-Britain, was 
 intruded with the whole authority which the 
 legiflature has put into the Hands of his Ma- 
 jeily. We have an eminent inftance of this in 
 the motto of my Paper, which I {hall tranflate 
 for the benefit of the Englijh Reader, after 
 having advertifed him, that the power, there given 
 to the Ccnful, was in the time of a confpiracy. 
 The fenate therefore made a decree as ufual, 
 when they have matters before them of fo 
 horrid a nature, that the Confuls fhould take 
 care the commonwealth did not fuffer any 
 prejudice. By virtue of this very great power 
 which the fenate allows to the magiftrate, 
 according to the ancient cuftoms of Rome, he 
 may raife an army, wage war, make ufe of all 
 kinds of methods to reftrain the aflbciates and 
 citizens of Rome, and exercife the fupreme 
 authority both at home and abroad in matters 
 civil and military ; whereas otherwife the Con- 
 ful is not inverted with any of thefe powers 
 without the exprefs command of the people. 
 There now only remains to {hew, that his 
 Majefty is legally pofieft of this power ; and 
 that the neceffity of the prefent affairs requires 
 he mould be fo. He is intrufted with it by 
 the legiflature of the nation ; and in the very 
 notion of a legiflature is implied a power 
 to change, repeal, and fufpend what laws 
 are in being, as well as to make what new 
 laws they fnall think fit for the good of the 
 people. This is fo uncontroverted a maxim, 
 that I believe never any body attempted to re- 
 fute it. Our legiflature have however had that 
 
 juft
 
 Ni6 ^^FREE-HOLDER. 95 
 
 juft regard for their fellow-fubjecls, as not 
 to entertain a thought of abrogating this law, 
 but only to hinder it from operating at a time 
 when it would endanger the conftitution. The 
 King is impowered to a& but for a few months 
 by virtue of this fufpenfion ; and by that means 
 differs from a King of France, or any other ty- 
 rannical Prince, who in times of peace and 
 tranquillity, and upon what occafion he pleafes, 
 fends any of his fubjets out of the know- 
 ledge of their friends into fuch caftles, dun- 
 geons, or imprifonments as he thinks fit. Nor 
 did the legiflature do any thing in this that 
 was unprecedented. The Habeas Corpus acl: 
 was made but about five and thirty years ago, 
 and fince that time has been fufpended four 
 times before his prefent Majefty's accefllon to 
 the throne : Twice under the reign of King 
 William and Queen Mary ; once under .the 
 reign of King William ; and once under the 
 reign of Queen Anne. 
 
 The neceffity of this law at this time arofe 
 from the profpecl: of an invafion, which has fince 
 broke out into an a6r.ua! rebellion ; and from 
 informations of fecret and dangerous practices 
 among men of confiderable figure, who could 
 not have been prevented from doing mifchief 
 to their country but by fuch a fufpenfion of 
 this al of parliament. 
 
 I cannot however but obferve, that notwith- 
 ftancling the lawfulnefs and neceffity of fuch 
 a fufpenfion, had no: the rebellion broke out 
 after the pafiing of this act of parliament, I do 
 not know how thofe, who had been the moft 
 inftrumental in procuring it, could have efcaped 
 that popular odium, which their malicious and 
 artful enemies have now in vain endeavoured
 
 96 3 be F R E E-H OLDER. N 1 6 
 
 to flir up againfl them. Had it been poflible for 
 the vigilance and endeavours of a miniftry to 
 have hindered even the attempt of an invafion, 
 their very endeavours might have proved pre- 
 judicial to them. Their prudent and refolute 
 precautions would have turned to their difadvan- 
 tage, had they not been juftified by thofe events, 
 which they did all that was in their power to 
 obviate. This naturally brings to mind the 
 reflexion of Tully in the like circumftances, 
 
 * that amidfl the divifions of Rome a man was 
 ' in an unhappy condition who had a {hare in the 
 ' adminiftration, nay, even in the prefervation 
 
 * of the commonwealth.' O conditionem miferam 
 non modo adminijlrandts^ verum etiam confervanda 
 reipublicte ! 
 
 Befides, every unprejudiced man will confi- 
 der how mildly and equitably this power has 
 been ufed. The perfons confined have been 
 treated with all poflible humanity, and abridg- 
 ed of nothing but the liberty of hurting their 
 country, and very probably of ruining both 
 themfelves and their families. And as to the 
 numbers of thofe who are under this fliort re- 
 ftraint, it is very oblervable, that people do not 
 feem fo much furprifed at the confinement of 
 fome, as at the liberty of many others. But we 
 may from hence conclude, that every Englijhman 
 muft obferve with great plcafure, that his Ma- 
 jeiry does not in this great point regulate himfelf 
 by any private jealoufies or fufpicions, but by 
 thofe evidences and informations which he has 
 received. 
 
 We have already found the good confequences 
 of this fufpenfion, in that it has hindered the re- 
 bellion from gathering the ftrength it would other- 
 Wife have gained \ not to mention thofe numbers 
 
 it
 
 Ni7 7&? FREE-HOLDER. 97 
 
 it has kept from engaging in fo defperate an en- 
 terprife, with the many lives it has preferved, 
 and the defolations it has prevented. 
 
 For thefe and many other reafons the repre- 
 fentatives of Great-Britain in parliament could 
 never have anfwered it to the people they repre- 
 fent, who have found fuch great benefits from 
 the fufpenfion of the Habeus Corpus aft, and 
 without it muft have felt fuch fatal confe- 
 quences, had they not in a cafe of fuch great 
 neceffity made ufe of this cuftomary, legal, 
 and reafonable method for fecuring his Majefty 
 on the throne, and their country from mifery 
 or ruin. 
 
 Ni7 Friday, February 17. 
 
 Hie niger ejl : btinc tu, romane, caveto* 
 
 Hor. Sat. 4. 1. i. ver. 85. 
 
 This man's a knave; befure, beware of him. 
 
 CREECH. 
 
 WE are told, that in Turkey, when any man 
 is the author of notorious falmoods, it is 
 ufual to blacken the whole front of his houfe. 
 Nay we have fometimes heard that an ambaf- 
 fador, whofe bufmefs it is, if I may quote his 
 character in Sir Henry Wbaton's words, ' To lye 
 ' for the good of his country,' has fometimes had 
 this mark fet upon his houfe ; when he has 
 been detected in any piece of feigned intelli- 
 gence, that has prejudiced the government:, 
 F and
 
 98 27tf FR E E-HOLDE R. Ni7 
 
 and mifled the minds of the people. One could 
 almoft wiih that the habitations of fuch of our 
 own countrymen, as deal in forgeries detri- 
 mental to the publick, were diftinguifhed in the 
 fame manner ; that their fellow-fubjecls might 
 be cautioned not to be too eafy in giving credit 
 to them. Were fuch a method put in practice, 
 this metropolis would be ftrangely checquer'd ; 
 fome entire Parifbes would be in mourning, 
 and feveral ftreets darkened from one end to the 
 
 But I have given my thoughts in two pre- 
 ceding Papers, both on the inventors and the 
 believers of thefe publick falfhoods and ca- 
 Jumnies, and mail here fpeak of that contempt 
 with which they are an r ! ought to be received 
 by thofe in high ftations, at whom they are le- 
 velled. Any perfon indeed, who is zealous for 
 promoting the intereft of his country, muft 
 conquer all that tendernefs and delicacy which 
 may make him afraid of being fpoken ill of j or 
 his endeavours will often produce no lefs un- 
 cafmefs to himfelf, than benefit to the publick. 
 Among a people who indulge themfelves in the 
 utmoft freedoms of thought and fpeech, a 
 man mufl either be infignificant, or able to bear 
 an undeferved reproach. A true patriot may 
 comfort himfelf under the attacks of falfhood 
 and obloquy, from feveral motives and re- 
 flexions. 
 
 In the firft place he (hould confider, that the 
 chief of his antagonifts are generally acted by a 
 fpirit of envy ; which would not rife againft 
 him, if it were not provoked by his defert. A 
 flatefman, who is pofleft of real merit, mould 
 look upon his political cenfilrers with the fame 
 neglect, that a good writer regards his criticks ; 
 
 who
 
 Ni7 7*^ FREE-HOLDER. 99 
 
 who are generally a race o ( f men that are not 
 able to difcover the beauties of a work they exa- 
 mine, and deny that approbation to others, which 
 they never met with themfelves. Patriots there- 
 fore fhould rather rejoice in the fuccefs of their 
 honeft defigns, than be mortified by thofe who 
 mifreprefent them. 
 
 They fhouid likewife confider that not only 
 envy, but vanity has a fhare in the detraction 
 of their adverfaries. Such afperfions therefore 
 do them honour, at the fame time that they 
 are intended to leflen their reputation. They 
 mould reflect, that thofe who endeavour to ftir 
 up the multitude againft them, do it to be thought 
 confiderable ; and not a little applaud themfelves 
 in a talent that can raife clamours out of no- 
 thing, and throw a ferment among the people, 
 by murmurs or complaints, which they know 
 in their own hearts are altogether groundlefs. 
 There is a pleafant inftance of this nature re- 
 corded at length in the firft book of the annals 
 of Tacitus. When a great part of the Roman, 
 legions were in a difpofition to mutiny, an im- 
 pudent varlet, who was a private centinel, be- 
 ing mounted upon the moulders of his fellow- 
 foldiers, and refolved to try the power of his 
 eloquence, addrefled himfelf to the army in all 
 the poflures of an Orator, after the following 
 manner : ' You have given liberty to thefe mi- 
 * ferable men ;' faid he, (pointing to fome cri- 
 minals whom they had refcucd) ' but which 
 of you can reftore life to my brother ? Who 
 can give me back my brother ? he was mur- 
 dered no longer ago than laft night, by the 
 hands of thofe ruffians, who are entertained 
 by the General to butcher the poor foldiery.' 
 Tell me, BlafusJ (for that was the name of 
 F 2 the
 
 JOO T^ PR EE-Ho LD E R. NJ7 
 
 the General, who was then fitting on the tribu- 
 nal) ' tell me, where haft thou caft his dead 
 body ? an enemy does not grudge the rites of 
 burial. When I have tired my felf with kitting 
 his cold corps, and weeping over it, order me 
 to be {lain upon it. All I afk of my fellow- 
 foldiers, fince we both die in their caufe, is that 
 they would lay me in the fame grave with my 
 brother.' The whole army was in an uproar 
 at this moving fpeech, and refoked to do the 
 fpeaker juftice, when upon enquiry, they found 
 that he never had a brother in his life, and that 
 he had ftirred up the fedition only to fhew his 
 parts. 
 
 Publick minifters would likewife do well to 
 confider, that the principal authors of fuch re- 
 proaches, as are caft upon them, are thofe who 
 have a mind to get their places : And as for a 
 cenfure arifing from this motive, it is in their 
 power to efcape it when they pleafe, and turn it 
 upon their competitors. Malecon tents of an in- 
 ferior charadler are acled by the fame principle ; 
 for fo long as there are employments of all 
 fixes, there will be murmurers of all degrees. 
 I have heard of a country- 1 gentleman, who 
 made a very long and melancholy complaint to 
 the late Duke of Buckingham, when he was in 
 great power at court, of feveral publick grie- 
 vances. The Duke, after having given him a 
 very patient hearing, c My dear friend,' faid he, 
 
 * this is but too true j but 1 have thought of an 
 
 * expedient which will fet all things right, and 
 ' that very foon.' His country friend afked him, 
 what it was ? ' You muft know,' fays the 
 Duke, ' there is a place of five hundred pounds a 
 
 * year fallen this very morning, which I intend 
 to put you in poffeffion of.' The gentleman 
 
 thanked
 
 Ni7 3T& FREE-HOLDER. 101 
 
 thanked his grace, went away fatisfied, and 
 thought the nation the happieft under heaven, 
 during that whole miniftry. 
 
 But farther, every man in a publick ftation 
 ought to confider, that, when there are two dif- 
 ferent parties in a nation, they will fee things 
 in different lights. An action, however con- 
 ducive to the good of our country, will be re- 
 prefented by the artful., and appear to the ignorant 
 as prejudicial to it. Since I have here, according 
 to the ufual liberty of efTay- writers, rambled 
 into feveral ftories, I mall fetch one to my pre- 
 fent purpofe out of the Perfian hiftory. We 
 there read of a virtuous young Emperor, who 
 was very much afflicted to find his actions mif- 
 conftrued and defamed by a party among his fub- 
 jects that favoured another interefr. As he was 
 one day fitting among the minifters of his D'tvnr^ 
 and amufing^himfelf, after the Eajkrn manner, 
 with the folution of difficult problems and 
 aenigmas, he propofcd to them, in his turn, 
 the following one; ' What is the tree that bears 
 4 three hundred and fixty-five leaves, which are 
 4 all black on the one fide, and white on the 
 4 other?' His grand vifier immediately replied, 
 it was the Year which confifted of three hundred 
 and fixty-five days and nights : ' But, Sir,' fays 
 he, ' permit me at the fame time to take notice, 
 4 that thefe leaves reprefent your actions, which 
 
 * carry different faces to your friends and ene- 
 4 mies, and will always appear black to thofe 
 
 * who are refolved only-to look upon the wrong 
 4 fide of them.' 
 
 A virtuous man therefore, who lays out his 
 
 endeavours for the good of his country, fhould 
 
 never be troubled at the reports which are made 
 
 of him, fo long as he is confcious of his own 
 
 F 3 integrity.
 
 102 Tfo FREE-HoL.DE R, N I 8 
 
 integrity. He fhould rather be pleafed to find 
 people defcanting upon his actions, becaufe, 
 when they are thoroughly canvafTed and exami- 
 ned, they are fure in the end to turn to his honour 
 and advantage. The reafonable and unpreju- 
 diced part of mankind will be of his fide, and 
 rejoice to fee their common intereft lodged in 
 fuch honeft hands. A flri<5r. examination of a 
 great man's character is like the trial of a fufpel- 
 ed chaftity, which was made among the Jews by 
 the waters of jealoufy. Mofes affures us, that the 
 criminal burft upon the drinking of them ; but if 
 fhe was accufed wrongfully, the Rabbins tell us, 
 they heightened her charms, and made her 
 much more amiable than before: So that they de- 
 flroyed the guilty, but beautified the innocent. 
 
 oooooooooooooooo 
 
 Ni8 Monday, February 20. 
 
 Itnpem me copia fecit. Ovid. Met. 1. 3. vcr, 466. 
 Too much plenty makes me die for want. 
 
 A D D i s o N. 
 
 EV ERY Englishman will be a good fubjeft 
 to King George^ in proportion as he is a good 
 Englijhman^ and a lover of the conftitution of 
 his country. In order to awaken in my rea- 
 ders the love of this their Conftitution, it may 
 be neceflary to fet forth its fuperior excellency 
 to that form of government, which many 
 wicked and ignorant men have of late years 
 endeavoured to introduce among us. I fhall not 
 therefore think it improper to take notice from 
 time to time of any particular adl of power, 
 
 exerted
 
 Nl8 The FRE E-HOLDE R. 163 
 
 exerted by thofe among whom the Pretender 
 to his Majefty's crown has been educated ; 
 which would prove fatal to this nation, fliould 
 it be conquered and governed by a perfon, who 
 in all probability, would put in practice the po- 
 liticks in which he has been fo long inftructed. 
 
 There has been nothing more obfervable in, 
 the reign of his prefent Gallick Majefty, than 
 the method he has taken for fupplying his ex- 
 chequer with a neceffary fum of money. The 
 ways and means for raifmg it has been an 
 edict, or a command in writing figned by him- 
 felf, to increafe the value of Louis d'Ors from 
 fourteen to fixteen Livre s, by virtue of a new 
 ftamp, which will be ftruck upon them. As 
 this method will bring all the gold of the King- 
 dom into his hands, it is provided by the fame 
 edict, that they fhall be paid out again to the 
 people at twenty Livres each ; fo that four 
 Livres in the fcore by this means accrue to his 
 Majefty out of all the money in the Kingdom of 
 France. 
 
 This method of raifing money is confident 
 with that form of government, and with the 
 repeated practice of their late grand Monarque; 
 fo that I (hall not here confider the many evil 
 cnnfequences which it muft have upon their 
 trade, their exchange and publick credit. I 
 fhall only take notice of the whimfical cir- 
 cumftances a people muft lie under, who can 
 be thus made poor or rich by an edict, which 
 can throw an alloy into a Louis d'Or, and de- 
 bafe it into half its former value, or, if his 
 Majefty pleafes, raife the price of it, not by the 
 acceflion of metal, but of a mark. By the 
 prefent edict many a man in France, will fwell 
 into a plumb, who fell feveral thoufand pounds 
 F 4 ihort
 
 1 04 The F R E E -H o L D E R. N 1 8 
 
 fhort of it the day before its publication. This 
 conveys a kind of fairy treafureinto their chefts, 
 even while they are under lock and key ; and is 
 a fecret of multiplication without addition. It is 
 natural enough however for the vanity of the 
 French nation to grow infolent upon this imagi^- 
 nary wealth, r.ot confidering that their neigh- 
 bours think them no more rich by virtue of an 
 *; lict to make fourteen twenty, than they would 
 think them more formidable mould there be 
 another edict to mak,e every man in the King- 
 dom feven foot high. 
 
 It was ufual for his late moft chriftian Ma- 
 jefty to fink the value of their Louis d'Ors about 
 the time he was to receive the taxes of his 
 good people, and toraife them when he had got 
 them fafe into his coffers. And there is no 
 queftion but the prefent government in that 
 Kingdom will fo far obferve this kind of con- 
 duct, as to reduce the twenty Livres to their old 
 number of fourteen, when they have paid them 
 out of their hands j which will immediately fink 
 the prefent tympany of wealth, and re-eftablifh 
 the natural poverty of the Galllck Nation. 
 
 One cannot but pity the melancholy condition 
 of a mifer in this country, who is perpetually 
 telling his Livres, without being able to know 
 how rich he is. He is as ridiculoufly puzzled 
 and perplexed as a man that counts the ftones 
 on Salijbury plain, which can never be fettled 
 to any certain number, but are more or fewer 
 every time he reckons them. 
 
 1 have heard of .a young French lady, a fub- 
 jefl of Louis the Fourteenth, who was contracted 
 to a Marquis upon the foot of a five thoufand 
 pound fortune, which fhe had by her in fpecie; 
 but one of thefe unlucky edicts coming out a 
 
 week
 
 Ni8 The FREE-HOLDER. 105 
 
 week before the intended marriage, fhe loft a 
 thoufand pound, and her bridegroom into the 
 bargain. 
 
 The uncertainty of riches is a fubjecT: much 
 difcourfed of in all countries, but may be infilled 
 on more emphatically in France than any other. 
 A man is here under fuch a kind of fituation,. 
 as one who is managed by a juggler. He fancies 
 he has fo many pieces of money in his hand j 
 but let him grafp them never fo carefully, upon 
 a word or two of the artift they increafe or 
 dwindle to what number the doctor is pleafed 
 to name. 
 
 This method of lowering or advancing mo- 
 ney, we, who have the happinefs to be in ano- 
 ther form of government, mould look upon as 
 an unwarrantable kind of clipping and coin- 
 ing. However, as it is an expedient that is 
 often practifed, and may be juftified in that 
 conftitution which has been fo thoroughly ftudied 
 by the Pretender to his Majefty's Crown, i do 
 not fee what mould have hindered him from 
 making ufe of fo expeditious a method for raifing 
 a fupply, if he had fucceeded in his late attempt 
 to dethrone his Majefty, and fubvert our confti- 
 tution. 1 mail leave it to the confederation of, - 
 the Reader, if in fuch a cafe the following edict, 
 or fomething very like it, might not have been 
 expected. 
 
 c VffHereas thefe our Kingdoms have long 
 5 groaned under an expenfive and con- 
 
 * fuming land-war, which has very much ex- 
 ' haufted the treafure of the nation, we be- 
 4 ing willing to increafe the wealth of our peo- 
 ' pie, and not thinking it advifeable for this 
 1 purpofe to make ufe of the tedious methods 
 F 5 of
 
 io6 The FREE-HOLDER. Ni8 
 
 " of merchandife and commerce, which have 
 " been always promoted by a faction among 
 " the worft of our fubjecls, and were fo wifely 
 " difcountenanced by the beft of them in the 
 " late reign, do hereby enact by our fole will 
 " and pleafure, that every fhilling in Great- 
 *' Britain fhall pafs in all payments for the fum 
 " of fourteen pence, till the ,firft of September 
 " next, and that every other piece of money 
 " fhall rife and pafs in current payment in the 
 *' fame proportion. The advantage, which will 
 " accrue to thefe nations by this our royal do- 
 *' native, will vifibly appear to all men of found 
 " principles, who are fo juftly famous for their 
 ** antipathy to ftrangers, and would not fee 
 " the landed intereft of their country wea- 
 " kened by the importations of foreign gold 
 *' and filver : But fmce by reafen of the great 
 " debts which we have contracted abroad dur- 
 ** ing our fifteen years reign, as well as of our 
 *' prefent exigencies, it will be neceflary to nil 
 " our exchequer by the moft prudent and ex- 
 " peditious methods, we do alfo hereby order 
 *' every one of our fubjedls to bring in thefe 
 " his fourteen- penny pieces, and all the other 
 *' current cafh of this Kingdom, by what new 
 " titles foever dignified or diftinguifhed, to the 
 " mafter of our mint, who, after having fet a 
 4< mark upon them, fhall deliver out to them, 
 ** on or after the firft of September aforefaid, 
 " their refpecYive Aims, taking only four-pence 
 <f for ourfelf for fuch his mark on every four- 
 *' teen- penny piece, which from thenceforth 
 44 fhall pafs in payment for eighteen-pence, and 
 " fo in proportion for the reft. By this method, 
 " the money of this nation will be more by 
 * one third than it is at prefent ; and we fhal} 
 
 * f content
 
 Ni9 7&? FR EE-HOL DE R. 107 
 
 " content ourfelf with not quite one fifth part 
 " of the current cafh of our loving fubjects ; 
 " which will but barely fuffice to clear the in- 
 " tereft of all thofe fums in which we ftand in- 
 " debted to our moft dear brother and ancient 
 <c ally. We are glad of this opportunity of 
 <c fhewing fuch an inftance of our goodnefs to 
 " our fubjects, by this our royal edi<5t, which 
 ' mall be read in every parifh church of Great- 
 <c Britain, immediately after the celebration of 
 " high mafs. FOR SUCH is OUR PLEASURE." 
 
 NJ9 Friday, February 24. 
 
 Pulcbrum eft bene facere reipublicts ; etiam bene dicere 
 haudabfurdum eft. Saluft. Bell. Catil. 3. 
 
 To ferve the public, is highly honourable ; and no 
 drfcredit to any man, to fpeak well of it. 
 
 IT has been ufual thefe many years for Writers, 
 who have approved the fcheme of Govern- 
 ment which has taken place, to explain to the 
 people the reafonablenefs of thofe principles 
 which have prevailed, and to juftify the conduct 
 of thofe who act in conformity to fuch principles. 
 It therefore happens well for the party which is 
 undermoft, when a work of this nature falls in- 
 to the hands of thofe who content themfelves to 
 attack, their principles, without expofmg their 
 perfons, or fmgling out any particular objects 
 for fatire and ridicule. This manner of pro- 
 ceeding is no incpnfiderable piece of merit in 
 
 Writers,
 
 jo8 Tie FREE-HOLDER. Ni9 
 
 Writers, who are often influenced by a de- 
 fire of fame, than a regard to the publick 
 good} and who, by this means, Jofe many fair 
 opportunities of fhewing their own wit, or of 
 gratifying the ill-nature of their Readers. 
 
 When a man thinks a party engaged in fuch 
 rneafures as tend to the ruin of his country, 
 it is certainly a very laudable and virtuous 
 action in him to make war after this manner 
 upon the whole body. But as feveral cafuifts 
 are of opinion, that in a battle you mould dif- 
 charge upon the grofs of the enemy, without 
 levelling your piece at any particular perfon ; 
 fo in this kind of combat alfo, I cannot think 
 it fair to aim at any one man, and make his 
 character the mark of your hoftilities. There 
 is now to be feen in the caftle of Milan a can- 
 non-bullet, infcribed, ' this to the marfhal de 
 * CrequiS which was the very ball that {hot him. 
 An author, who points his fatire at a great man, 
 is to be looked upon in the fame view with the 
 engineer, who fignalized himfelf by this unge- 
 nerous practice. 
 
 But as the Spirit of the Whigs and Tories 
 fhews itfelf, upon every occafion, to be very 
 widely different from one another j fo is it par- 
 ticularly vifible in the writings of this kind, 
 which have been publifhed by each party. The 
 latter may indeed aflign one reafon to juftify 
 themfelves in this practice ; that, having no- 
 thing of any manner of weight to offer againft 
 the principles of their antagonists, if they fpeak 
 at all, it muft be againft their perfons. When 
 they cannot refute an adverfary, the fhorteft 
 way is to libel him; and to endeavour at the 
 making his perfon odious, when they cannot 
 reprefent his notions as abfurd. 
 
 The
 
 Ni9 ^ FREE-HOLDER. 109 
 
 The Examiner was a Paper in the laft reign, 
 which was the favourite-work of the party. It 
 was ufhered into the world by a letter from a 
 Secretary of State, letting forth the great genius 
 of the Author, the ufefulnefs of his defign, and 
 the mighty confequences that were to be expected 
 from it. It is faid to have been written by thofe 
 among them whom they looked upon as their 
 moft celebrated Wits and Politicians, and was 
 difperfed into all quarters of the nation with 
 great induftry and expence. Who would not have 
 expected, that at leaft the rules of decency and 
 candour would be obferved in fuch a performance? 
 But inftead of this, you faw all the great men, 
 who had done eminent fervices to their country 
 but a few years before, draughted out one by 
 one, and baited in their turns. No fan&ity of 
 character, or privilege of Sex, exempted perfons 
 from this barbarous ufage. Several of our Prelates 
 were the {landing marks of publick rallery, and 
 many Ladies of the firft Quality branded by name 
 for matters of fa&, which, as they were falfe, 
 were not heeded, and if they had been true were 
 innocent. The dead themfelves were not fpared. 
 And here I cannot forbear taking noticeof a kind 
 of wit, which has lately grown into fafhion 
 among the verfifiers, epigrammatifts, and other 
 Authors, who think it fufficient to diftinguifh 
 themfelves by their zeal for what they call the 
 high-church, while they fport with the moft tre- 
 mendous parts of revealed religion. Every one 
 has feen epigrams upon the deceafed fathers of 
 our church, where the whole thought has turned 
 upon hell-fire. Patriots, who ought to be re- 
 membered with honour by their pofterity, have 
 been introduced as fpeakers in a ftate of tor- 
 ments. There is fomething dreadful even in re- 
 peating
 
 110 The FREE-HOL DE R. N'lp 
 
 peating thefe execrable pieces of wit, which no 
 man who really believes in another life can 
 perufe without fear and trembling. It is afto- 
 nifhing to fee readers, who call themfelves Chrif- 
 tians, applauding fuch diabolical mirth, and 
 feeming to rejoice in the doom which is pro- 
 nounced againft their enemies by fuch aban- 
 doned fcribblers. A Wit of this kind may with 
 great truth be compared to the fool in the Pro- 
 verbs, * who plays with arrows, firebrands and 
 ' death, and fays, am I not in fport ?' 
 
 I muft, injuftice to the more fober and con- 
 ftderate of that party, confefs, that many of them 
 were highly fcandalized at that perfonal flander 
 and reflexion which was flung out fo freely by 
 the libellers of the laft reign, as well as by thofe 
 profane liberties which have been fince continued. 
 And as for thofe who are either the authors or 
 admirers of fuch compofitions, I would have 
 them confider with themfelves,whether the name 
 of a good churchman can atone for the want of 
 that charity which is the moft eflential part of 
 chriftianity. They would likewife do well to re- 
 flect, how, by thefe methods, the poifon has run 
 freely into the minds of the weak and ignorant; 
 heightned their rage againft many of their fel- 
 low-fubjecls ; and almoft divefted them of the 
 common fentiments of humanity. 
 
 In the former part of this Paper, I have hinted 
 that the defign of it is to oppofe the principles of 
 thofe who are enemies to the prefent govern- 
 ment, and the main body of that party who 
 efpoufe thofe principles. But even in fuch general 
 attacks there are certain meafures to be kept,, 
 which may have a tendency rather to gain, than 
 to irritate thofe who differ with you in their fen- 
 timents. The Examiner would not allow fuch, as 
 
 were
 
 N 1 9 The F R E E-H OLDER. 1 1 1 
 
 were of a contrary opinion to him, to be either 
 Chriftians or fellow-fubjefts. With him they 
 were all atheifts, deifts, or apoftates, and a fe- 
 parate commonwealth among themfelves, that 
 ought either to be extirpated, or, when he was in 
 a better humour, only to be banifhed out of their 
 native country. They were often put in mind 
 of fome approaching execution, and therefore all 
 of them advifed to prepare themfelves for it, as 
 men who had then nothing to take care of, but 
 how to die decently. In fhoi t, the Examiner 
 feemed to make no diftin&ion between conqueft 
 and deftru<Slion. 
 
 The conduct of this work has hitherto been 
 regulated by different views, and (hall continue 
 to be fo, un'lefs the party it has to deal with draw 
 upon themfelves another kind of treatment. For 
 if they (hall perfift in pointing their batteries 
 againft particular perfons, there are no laws of 
 war that forbid the making of reprifals. In the 
 mean time, this undertaking fhall be managed 
 with that generous fpirit which was fo remarka- 
 ble among the Romans, who did not fubdue a 
 country in order to put the inhabitants to fire 
 and fword, but to incorporate them into their 
 own community, and make them happy in the 
 fame government with themfelves. 
 
 Monday 3
 
 ii2 The FREE-HOLD E R, N2o 
 N20 Monday, February 27. 
 
 Pri'vatus illis cinfiis erat irewts, 
 
 Commune magnum Hor. Od. 15, 1. 2. ver. 13; 
 
 To th' pubHck rich, in private poor, 
 Th' Exchequer held their greateft ftore. 
 
 C H E T w o o r>. 
 
 IT is very unlucky for thofe who make it 
 their bufmefs to raife popular murmurs and 
 difcontents againft his Majefty's government, 
 that they find fo very few, and fo very improper 
 occafions for them. To {hew how hard they 
 are fet in this particular, there are feveral, who, 
 for want of other materials, are forced to re- 
 prefent the bill which has parted this fefiion, for 
 laying an additional Tax of two (hillings in 
 the pound upon land, as a kind of grievance 
 upon the fubje&. If this be a matter of com- 
 plaint, it ought in juftice to fall upon thofe who 
 have made it necefiary. Had there been no Re- 
 bellion, there would have been no increafe of 
 the Land-Tax ; fo that in proportion as a man 
 declares his averfion to the one, he ought to 
 teftify his abhorrence of the other. But it is 
 very remarkable that thofe, who would perfuade 
 the people that they are aggrieved by this addi- 
 tional burden, are the very perfons who endea- 
 vour, in their ordinary converfation, to extenuate 
 the hainoufnefs of the rebellion, and who ex- 
 prefs the greateft tendernefs for the perfons of 
 the rebels. They {hew a particular indulgence 
 
 for
 
 N20 The F n E E-H OLDER: 113 
 
 for that unnatural infurre&ion which has drawn 
 this load upon us, and are angry at the means 
 which were necefiary for fuppreffing it. There 
 needs no clearer proof of the fpirit and intention 
 with which they acl: : I (hall therefore advife 
 my Fellow-Free-Holders to confider the cha- 
 racter of any perfon who would poflefs them 
 with the notion of a hardmip that is put upon 
 the country by this Tax. If he be one of known 
 affection to the prefent eftablimment, they may 
 imagine there is fome reafon for complaint. But 
 if on the contrary he be one, who has {hewn 
 himfelf indifferent as to the fuccefs of the pre- 
 fent rebellion, or is fufpected as a private abettor 
 of it, they may take it for granted, his complaint 
 againft the Land-Tax is either the rage of a 
 difappointed man, or the artifice of one who 
 would alienate their affections from the prefent 
 Government. 
 
 The expence, which will arife to the nation 
 from this rebellion, is already computed at near 
 a million. And it is a melancholy confideration 
 for the Free- Holders of Great-Britain , that the 
 treafon of their fellow-fubjects fhould bring 
 upon them as great a charge as the war with 
 France. At the fame time every reafonable man 
 among them will pay a Tax with at leaft as 
 great chearfulnefs for ftifling a civil war in its 
 birth, as for carrying on a war in a foreign 
 country. Had not our firft fupplies been efFec- 
 tual for the crufhing of our domellick enemies, 
 we mould immediately have beheld the whole 
 Kingdom a fcene of flaughter and delation : 
 Whereas, if we had failed in our fir ft T-"-mpts 
 upon a diftant nation, we might have repaired 
 the lofles of our campaign by the advantages- 
 of another, and, after feveral victories gained 
 
 over
 
 H4 Tbe FREE-HOL DEK. Nzo | 
 
 ever us, might ftill have kept the enemy from j 
 our gates. 
 
 As it was thus abfolutely neceflary to raife a 
 fum that might enable the Government to put 
 a fpeedy ftop to the rebellion, fo could there be 
 no method thought of for raifing fuch a fum 
 more proper, than this of laying an additional 
 Tax of two Ihillings in the pound upon land. 
 
 In the firft place: This Tax has already been 
 fo often tried, that we know the exa6l produce 
 of it, which in any new project is always very 
 doubtful and uncertain. As we are thus acquainted 
 with the produce of this Tax, we find it is ade- 
 quate to the fervices for which it is defigned, 
 and that the additional Tax is proportioned to 
 the fupernumerary expence, which falls upon the 
 kingdom this year by the unnatural rebellion, 
 as it has been above ftated. 
 
 In the next place : No other Tax could have, 
 been thought of, upon which fo much money 
 would have been immediately advanced as was 
 neceflary in fo critical a juncture for pufhing 
 our fuccefles againft the rebels, and preventing 
 the attempts of their friends and confederates 
 both at home and abroad. No body cares to 
 make loans upon a new and untried project ; 
 whereas, men never fail to bring in their money 
 upon a Land-Tax, when the premium or in- 
 tereft allowed them is fuited to the hazard they 
 run by fuch loans to the government. And here 
 one cannot but bewail the misfortune of our 
 country, when we confider, that the houfe of 
 commons had laft year reduced this intereft to 
 four per Cent, by which means there was a 
 confiderable faring to the nation; but that this 
 year they have bten forced to give fix per Cent. 
 as well knowing the fatal confequences that 
 
 might
 
 N26 The FREE-HOLD E R. 115 
 
 might have enfued, had there not been an in- 
 tereft allowed, which would certainly encourage 
 the lender to venture, in fuch a time of danger, 
 what was indifpenfably neceflary for the exi- 
 gencies f the publick. 
 
 Befides; this is a method for railing a fum 
 of money, that, with the ordinary taxes, will 
 in all probability defray the whole expence of 
 the year: So that there is no burden laid upon 
 our pofterity, who have been fufficiently loaded 
 by other means of raifing money; jior any 
 deficiency to be hereafter made up by ourfelves ; 
 which has been our cafe in fo many other 
 fubfidies. 
 
 To this we may add ; that we have no ex- 
 ample of any other Tax, which in its natur 
 would fo particularly affect the enemies to his 
 Majefty's Government. Multitudes of Papifts 
 and Nonjurors will be obliged to furnifh a double 
 proportion out of their revenues towards the 
 clearing of that expence, which by their open 
 and fecret practices they have bee'n inftrumental 
 in bringing upon their fellow-fubjer,s. 
 
 I mall only mention one confideration more ; 
 that no other Tax is fo likely to ceafe as this 
 is, when there is no farther occafion for it. 
 this Tax is eftablifhed by a Houfe of Commons, 
 which, by virtue of an at of Parliament pafled 
 a few y.ears ago, muft confift for the moft part 
 of landed men ; fo that a great (hare of the 
 weight of it muft neceflarily fall upon the mem- 
 bers of their own body. As this is an inftance 
 of their publick fpirit, fo we may be fure they 
 would not have exerted it, had there not been 
 an abfolute neceflity : Nor can we doubt, that 
 for the fame reafons, when this neceflity ceafes, 
 they will take the iirft opportunity of eafing 
 
 them-
 
 Ii6 The FR E E-H OLD E R. N2o 
 
 themfelves in this particular,* as well as thofc 
 whom they reprefent. It is a celebrated notion 
 of a patriot, who fignally diftinguifhed himfelf 
 for the- liberties of his country, that a Houfe 
 of Commons fhould never grant fuch fubfidies 
 as are eafy to be raifed, and give no pain to the 
 people, left the nation mould acquiefce unc'er 
 a burden they did not feel, and fee it perpetuated 
 without repining. Whether this notion might 
 not be too refined, I fhall not determine} but 
 by what has been already faid, I thir.k we may 
 prcmife ourfelves, that this additional Tax of 
 two fhillings in the pound will not be conti- 
 nued another year, becaufe we may hope the 
 rebellion will be entirely ended in this. 
 
 And here, I believe it muft be obvious to 
 every one's reflexion, that the rebellion might 
 not have concluded fo foon, had not this me- 
 thod been made ufe of for that end. A foreign 
 potentate trembles at the thought ofentring in- 
 to a war with fo wealthy an enemy as the Brilijh 
 nation, when he finds the whole landed intereft 
 of the kingdom engaged to oppofe him with their 
 united force; and at all times ready to employ 
 againft him fuch a part of their revenues, as 
 fhall be fufficient to baffle his defigns upon their 
 country: Efpecially, when none can imagine, 
 that he expects any encouragement from thofe, 
 whofe fortunes are either lodged in the funds, 
 or employed in trade. 
 
 The wifdom therefore of the prefent Houfe 
 of Commons has by this Tax not only enabled 
 the King to fubdue thofe of his own fubjeds 
 who have been actually in arms againft him, but 
 to divert any of his neighbours from the hopes 
 of lending them a competent afliftance. 
 
 Friday,
 
 N 2 1 The F R E E-H OLDER. 117 
 
 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 
 N2i Friday, March 2. 
 
 Qualis in Eitrates rt'pzs, aut per juga Cyntbi, 
 Exercet Diana cboros\ quam mille fecutte 
 Hinc atque hinc glomsrantur arcades : illapbaret 
 Pert burner 0) gradienfque deas fupereminet omnfs. 
 
 Virg. JEn. i . ver. 502* 
 
 Such on Eurofas* banks, or Cyntbus 1 height, 
 Diana feems; and fo fhe charms the fight, 
 When in the dance the graceful goddefs leads 
 The choir of nymphs, and overtops their heads : 
 Known by her quiver, and her lofty mien, 
 She walks majeftick, and {he looks their Queen. 
 
 D R Y D E N. 
 
 'ram 
 
 IT is not eafy for any one, who faw the mag- 
 nificence of yefterday in the Court of Great- 
 Britain^ to turn his thoughts for fome time after 
 on any other fubjec"l. It was a folemnity every 
 way fuited to the birth-day of a Princefs, who 
 is the delight of our nation, and the glory of 
 her Sex. Homer tells us, that when the daughter 
 of Jupiter prefented herfelf among a crowd of 
 goddefles, fhe was diflinguifhed from the reft by 
 her graceful ftature, and known by her fuperior 
 beauty, notwithftanding they were all beautiful. 
 Such was the appearance of the Princefs of Wales 
 among our BritiJJ) Ladies; or (to ufe a more 
 folemn phraife) of ' the King's daughter among 
 * her honourable women.' Her Royal Highnefs 
 in the midft of fuch a circle raifes in the beholder 
 the idea of a fine pi&ure, where (notwithftand- 
 ing
 
 u8 T&? FREE-HOLDER. N2i 
 
 ing the diverfity of pleafing objects that fill up 
 the canvas) the principal figure immediately 
 takes the eye, and fixes the attention. 
 
 When this excellent Princefs was yet in her 
 father's court, {he was fo celebrated for the 
 Beauty of her perfon, and the accomplifhments 
 of her mind, that there was no Prince in the 
 empire, who had room for fuch an alliance, 
 that was not ambitious of gaining her into his 
 family, either as a daughter, or as a confort. 
 He, who is now the chief of the crowned heads 
 in Europe, and was then King of Spain, and heir 
 to all the dominions of the houfe of Auftria, 
 fought her in marriage. Could her mind have 
 been captivated with the glories of this world, 
 fhe had them all laid before her ; but fhe gene- 
 roufly declined them, becaufe me faw the ac- 
 ceptance of them was inconfiftent with -vhat 
 {he efteems more than all the glcries of this 
 world, the enjoyment of her religion. Provi- 
 dence however kept in ftore a reward for fuch 
 an exalted virtue; and, by the fecret methods 
 of its wifdom, opened a way for her to become 
 the greateft of her Sex, among thofe who pro- 
 fefs that faith to which fhe adhered with fo 
 much chriftian magnanimity. 
 
 This her illuftrious condudt might, in the eye 
 of the world, have loft its merit, had fo accom- 
 plifhed a Prince as his Royal Highnefs declared 
 his paflion for the fame alliance at that time : 
 It would then have been no wonder that all other 
 propofals had been rejected. But it was the fame 
 of this heroick conftancy that determined his 
 Royal Highnefs to defire in marriage a Princefs 
 whofe perfonal charms, which had before been 
 fo univerfally admired, were now become the 
 leaft part of her character. We of the Britijb 
 
 nation
 
 N2i The FR E E-HOLDE R. 119 
 
 nation have reafon to rejoice that fuch a pro- 
 pofal was made and accepted ; and that her 
 Royal Highnefs, with regard to thefe two fuc- 
 ceffive treaties of marriage, mewed as much 
 prudence in her compliance with the one, as 
 piety in her refufal of the other. 
 
 The Princefs was no fooner arrived at Hano- 
 ver, than (he improved the luftre of that court, 
 which was before reckoned among the politeft 
 in Europe ; and increafed the fatisfa&ion of that 
 people, who were before looked upon as the 
 happieft in the empire. She immediately became 
 the darling of the Princefs Sophia^ who was ac- 
 knowledged in all the courts of Europe the moft 
 accomplimed woman of the age in which (he 
 lived, and who was not a little pleafed with the 
 converfation of one in whom fhe faw fo lively 
 an image of her own youth. 
 
 But I {hall infift no longer on that repu- 
 tation which her Royal Highnefs has acquired 
 in other countries. We daily difcover thofe 
 admirable qualities for which fhe is fo juftly 
 famed, and rejoice to fee them exerted in our 
 own country, where we ourfelves are made 
 happy by their influence. We are the more 
 pleafed to behold the throne of thefe king- 
 doms furrounded by a numerous and beautiful 
 progeny, when we confider the virtues of thofe 
 from whom they defcend. Not only the fea- 
 tures, but the mind of the parent is often 
 copied out in the offspring. But the Princefs, 
 we are fpeaking of, takes the fureft method of 
 making her royal iflue like herfelf, by inftilling 
 early into their minds all the principles of re- 
 ligion, virtue, and honour, and feafoning their 
 tender years with all that knowledge which 
 they are capable of receiving. What may we 
 
 not
 
 I2o ^FREE-HOLDER. N2i 
 
 not hope from fuch an uncommon care in the 
 education of the children of Great- Britain, who 
 are directed by fuch precepts, and will be formed 
 by fuch an example! 
 
 The conjugal virtues are fo remarkable in 
 her Royal Highnefs, as to deferve thofe juft and 
 generous returns of love and tendernefs, for 
 which the Prince her hufband is fo univerfally 
 celebrated. 
 
 But there is no part of her Royal Highnefs 's 
 character, which we obferve with greater plea- 
 fure, than that behaviour by which fhe has fo 
 much endeared herfelf to his Majefty ; though 
 indeed we have no reafon to be furprifed at this 
 mutual intercourfe of duty and affection, when 
 we confider fo wife and virtuous a Princefs pof- 
 feffing, in the fame facred perfon, the kindeit 
 of fathers, and the beft of Kings. And here it 
 is natural for us to congratulate our own good 
 fortune, who fee our Sovereign bleft with a 
 numerous iflue, among whom are heirs male 
 in two direct defcents, which has not happen- 
 ed in the re'gn of any Englijb King fmce the 
 time of his Majefty's great anceftor Edward 
 the Third, and is a felicity not enjoyed by the 
 fubjects of any other of the Kings of Europe 
 who are his contemporaries. We are like men 
 entertained with the view of a fpaciotis land- 
 fkip, where the eye pafles over one pleafing 
 profpect into another, until the fight is loft by 
 degrees in a fucceflion of delightful objects, an-i 
 leaves us in the perfuaiion that there remain ftill 
 more behind. 
 
 But if we regard her Royal Highnefs in that 
 light which diffufes the greateft glory round a 
 human character, we mall find the Chriftian no 
 lefs coufpicuous than the Princefs. She is as 
 
 eminent
 
 N2I T/V FR E E-Ho L DE R. 121 
 
 nent for a fincere piety in the practice of reli- 
 gion, as for an inviolable adherence to its princi- 
 ples. She is conftant in her attendance on the 
 daily offices of our church, and, by her ferious 
 and devout comportment on thefe folemn occa- 
 fions, gives an example, that is very often too 
 much wanted in courts. 
 
 Her religion is equally free from the weaknefs 
 of fuperftition, and the fournefs of enthufiafm. 
 It is not of that uncomfortable melancholy na- 
 ture, which difappoints its own end, by appear- 
 ing unamiable to thofe whom it would gain to 
 its interefts. It difcovers itfelf in the genuine 
 effects of chriftianity, in affability, compaffion, 
 benevolence, evennefs of mind, and all the 
 offices of an active and univerfal charity. 
 
 As a chearful temper is the neceflary refult of 
 thefe virtues, fo it mines out in all the parts of 
 her converfation, and dtffipates thofe appreheri- 
 fions which naturally hang on the timorous or 
 the modeft, when they aie admitted to the ho- 
 nour of her prefence. There is none that does 
 not liften with pleafure to a perfon in fo high a 
 ftation, who comlefcends to make herfelf thus 
 agreeable, by mirth without levity, and wit 
 without ill-nature. 
 
 Her Royal Highnefs is, indeed, pofleft of all 
 thofe talents, which make converfation either 
 delightful or improving. As me has a fine tafte 
 of the elegant arts, and is fkilled in feveral 
 modern languages, her difcourfe is not confined 
 to the ordinary fubjects or forms of converfa- 
 tion, but can adapt itfelf with an uncommon 
 grace to every occafion, and entertain the po- 
 liteft perfons of different nations. I need not 
 mention, what is obferved by every one, that 
 agreeable turn which appears in her femiments 
 G upon
 
 122 *Tbe FREE-HOLDER. N22 
 
 upon the moft ordinary affairs of life, and which 
 is fo fuitable to the delicacy of her fex, the po- 
 Jltenefs of her education, and the fplendor of 
 her quality. 
 
 It would be vain to think of drawing into the 
 compafs of this Paper the many eminent virtues 
 which adorn the character of this great Prin- 
 cefs : But as it is one chief end of this under-' 
 taking to make the people fenfibleof the bleifings 
 \vhich they enjoy under his Majefty's reign, I 
 could no.t but lay hold on this opportunity to 
 fpeak of that which ought in juftice to be 
 reckoned among the greateft of them. 
 
 N22 Monday, March 5. 
 
 Studiis rxdis, fertnone bartarus, impetu Jirenuus, tnanu 
 prompt us, cogitaticne celer. Veil. Paterc. 
 
 Unpolitely educated, exprefiing himfelf in vulgar 
 language, boifterous, eager at a fray, and over- 
 hafty in taking up an opinion. 
 
 FOR the honour of his Majefty, and the 
 fafety of his Government, we cannot but 
 obferve,thatthofe, whohaveappeared the greateft 
 enemies to both, are of that rank of men, who 
 are commonly diftinguiflied by the title of Fox- 
 hunters. As feveral of thefe have had no part 
 of their education in cities, camps, or courts, 
 it is doubtful whether they are of greater orna- 
 ment or ufe to the nation in which they live. 
 It would be an everlafting reproach to politicks, 
 fliould fuch men be able.to overturn an eftablifh- 
 
 ment
 
 N22 T/6<? PR E E-HOLDER. 
 
 ment which has been formed by the vvifeft laws, 
 and is fupported by the ableft heads. The wrong 
 notions and prejudices which cleave to many of 
 thefe country-gentlemen, who have always lived 
 out of the way of being better informed, are not 
 eafy to be conceived by a perfon who has never 
 converfed with him. 
 
 That I may give my readers an image of thefe 
 rural flatefmen, I {hall, without farther pre- 
 face, fet down an account of a difcourfe I 
 chanced to have with oneof them fomc time ago. 
 I was travelling towards oneof the remoteft parts 
 of England^ when about three o'clock in the 
 afternoon, feeing a country gentleman trotting 
 before me with a fpaniel by his horfe's fide, I 
 made up to him. Our converfation opened, as 
 ufual, upon the weather; in which we were very 
 unanimous, having both agreed that it was too 
 dry for the feafon of the Year- My fellow- 
 traveller, upon this, obierved to me, there had 
 been no good weather firfce the Revolution. I 
 was a little {larded at fo extraordinary a remark, 
 but would not interrupt him till he proceeded to 
 tell me of the fine weather they ufed to have in 
 King Charles the Second's reign. I only anfwer- 
 cd, that I did not fee how the badnefs of the 
 weather could be the King's fault; and, with- 
 out waiting for his reply, afked him, whofe houfe 
 it was we favv upon a rifing ground at a little 
 diftance from us. He told me it belonged to an 
 old fanatical cur, Mr. Such-a-one, ' You muft 
 e have heard of him,' fays he, * he is one of the 
 * rump.' I knew the gentleman's character upon 
 hearing his name, but aflured him, that to my 
 knowledge he was a good churchman : ay ! fays 
 he with a kind of furprife, ' we are told in the 
 4 country, that he fpoke twice in the Queen's 
 G 2 * time
 
 124 ke FREE -HOLDER. N 2 2 
 
 ' time againft taking off the duties upon French 
 ' claret.' This naturally led us into the proceed- 
 ings of late Parliaments, upon which occafion he 
 f.ffirmed roundly, that there had not been one 
 good law patted fince King TVtUiam's acceflion to 
 the Throne, except the aft for preferving the 
 Game. I had a mind to fee him out, and there- 
 fore did not care for contradicting him. ' Is it not 
 hard,' fays he, * that honeft gentlemen fhould 
 be taken into cuftody of meflengers to 
 prevent them from a6ting according to their 
 confciences ? But,' fays he, * what can we ex- 
 pect when a parcel of factious fons of whores' 
 He was going on in great paflion, but chanced to 
 rnifs his dog, who was amufing himfelf about a 
 "bufh that grew at fome diftance behind us. We 
 ftood ftill until he hadwhiftled him up; when he 
 /ell into a long panegyrick upon his fpaniel, who 
 feemed indeed excellent in his kind : But I found 
 the moft remarkable adventure of his life was, 
 that he had once like to have worried a diflent- 
 ing-teacher. The mailer could hardly fit on his 
 horfe for laughing all the while he was giving me 
 the particulars of this ftory, which 1 found had 
 mightily endeared his dog to him, and, as he him- 
 felf told me, had made him a great favourite 
 a.nong all the honeft gentlemen of the country. 
 "We were at length diverted from this piece of 
 mirth by a poft-boy, who winding his horn at us, 
 my companion gave him two or three curfes, 
 and left the way clear for him. ' I fancy,' faid I, 
 that port biings news from Scotland. I fhall 
 long to fee the next Gazette. Sir,' fays he, 
 I make it a rule never to believe any of 
 your printed news. We never fee, Sir, how 
 things go, except now and then in Dyer's 
 letter, and I read that more for the flile than 
 
 the
 
 N22 The FR E E-HOLDE R, 125 
 
 the news. The man has a clever pen it muft 
 be owned. But is it not ftrange that we mould 
 be making war upon Church of England 
 men, with Dutch and Sivifs foldiers, men of an- 
 timonarchical principles? Thefe foreigners will 
 never be loved in England, Sir ; they have not 
 that wit and good breeding that we have.' I 
 muft confefs, I did not expect to hear my new 
 acquaintance value himfelf upon thefe qualifica- 
 tions ; but finding him fuch a critick upon fo- 
 reigners, I afked him, if he had ever travelled ? 
 He told me, he did not know what travelling 
 was good for, but to teach a man to ride the 
 great horfe, to jabber French, and to talk againil 
 pailive obedience : To which he added, that he 
 fcarce ever knew a Traveller in his life who had 
 not forfook his principles, and loft his hunting- 
 feat. ' For my part/ fays he, * I and my fa- 
 
 * ther before me have always been for pailive- 
 ' obedience, and (hall be always for oppofing a 
 ' Prince who makes ufe of minifrers that are of 
 c another opinion. But where do you intend to 
 ' inn to night ? (for we were now come in fight 
 ' of the next town) I can help you to a very 
 c good landlord, if you will go along with me. 
 
 * He is aluftyjolly fellow, that lives well, at leail 
 ' three yards in the girth, and the beft Church 
 c of England man upon the road.' I had the 
 curiofity to fee this high church inn-keeper, as 
 well as to enjoy more of the converfation of 
 my fellow-traveller, and therefore readily con- 
 fented to fet our horfes together for that night. 
 As we rode fide by fide through the town, I 
 was let into the characters of all the principal 
 inhabitants whom we met in our way. One 
 was a dog, another a whelp, another a cur, and 
 another the fon of a bitch, under which feveral 
 
 G 3 dene-
 
 126 The FR E E-HoL DE R. N22 
 
 denominations were comprehended al! that voted 
 on the Whig fide"in the laft election of bur- 
 geffe?. As for thofe of his own party, he dif- 
 tinguifhed them by a nod of his head, and 
 afking them, how they did by their Chriftian 
 rames. Upon our arrival at the inn, my com- 
 panion fetched out the jolly landlord, who knew 
 him by his whiftle. Many endearments and 
 private whifpers pafled between them ; though it 
 was eafy to fee, by the landlord's fcratching his 
 head, that things did not go to their wifh.es. 
 The landlord had fwelled his body to a prodi- 
 gious fize, and worked up his complexion to a 
 Sanding crimfon by his zeal for the profperity 
 of the Church, which he exprefled every hour of 
 the day, as his cuflomers dropped in, by repeated 
 bumpers. He had not time to go to church 
 himfelf, but, as my friend told me in my ear, 
 had headed a mob at the pulling down of two or 
 three meeting houfes. While fupper was pre- 
 paring, he enlarged upon the happinefs of the 
 neighbouring (hire ; ' for,' fays he, ' there is 
 4 fcarce a Prefbyterian in the whole county, ex- 
 ' cept the Bifhop/ In fhort, I found by his dif- 
 courfe thathe had learned agreat deal of politicks, 
 but not one word of religion, from the Parfon 
 of his parifh ; and indeed, that he had fcarce 
 any other notion of religion, but that it confifled 
 in hating Prefbyterians. I had a remarkable 
 inftance of his notions in this particular. Upon 
 feeing a poor decrepit old woman pafs under the 
 window where he fat, he defired me to take 
 notice of her; and afterwards informed me, that 
 fhe was generally reputed a witch by the coun- 
 try people, but that, for his part, he was apt 
 to believe, file was a Prefbyterian. 
 
 Supper
 
 N22 Ibe FREE-HOLDER. 
 
 Supper was no fooner ferved in, than he took 
 occaiion, from a (boulder of mutton that lay 
 before us, to cry up the plenty'of England^ which 
 would be the happiert country in the world, pro- 
 vided we would live within ourfelves Upon 
 which, he expatiated upon the inconvenienciesof 
 trade, that carried from us the commodities of 
 our country, and made a parcel of upftarts, as 
 rich as men of themoft ancient families of Eng- 
 land. He then declared frankly, that he had al- 
 ways been againft all treaties and alliances with 
 foreigners. * Our wooden walls,' fays he, ' are 
 1 our fecurity, and we may bid defiance to the 
 ' whole world, efpccially,if they mould attack us 
 ' when the militia is out.' I ventured to reply, 
 that I had as great an opinion of the Englifl) fleet 
 as he had ; but I could not fee how they could 
 be paid, and manned, and fitted out, unlefs we 
 encouraged trade and navigation. He replied, 
 with fome vehemence, that he would undertake 
 to prove trade would be the ruin of the Englijh 
 nation. I would fain have put him upon it, but 
 he contented himfelf with affirming it more 
 eagerly, to which he added two or three curies 
 upon the London Merchants, not forgetting the 
 Directors of the Bank. After fupper, he afked 
 me, if I was an admirer of punch; and imme- 
 diately called for a fneaker. I took this occaiion 
 to infmuate the advantages of trade, by obferving 
 to him, that water was the only native of England 
 that could be made ufe of on this occafion : But 
 that the lemons, the brandy, the fugar, and the 
 nutmeg, were all foreigners. This put him into 
 fome confufion ; but the landlord, who over- 
 heard me, brought him off, by affirming, that 
 for co'nftant ufe there was no liquor like a cup 
 of Englijh water, provided it had malt enough in 
 G 4 it.
 
 128 7&? FREE-HOLDER. N23 
 
 it. My fquire laughed heartily at the conceit, 
 and made the landlord fit down with us. We 
 fat pretty late over our punch ; and amidft a 
 great deal of improving dilcourfe, drank the 
 healths of feveral perfons in the country, whom 
 I' had never heard of, that, they both aflured me, 
 were the ableft ftatefmen in the nation : And 
 of fome Londoners, whom they extolled to the 
 fides, for their wit, and who, I knew, pafled 
 in town for filly fellows. It being now mid- 
 night, and my friend perceiving by his alma- 
 nack, that the moon was up, he called for his 
 horfes, and took a fudden refolution to go to his 
 houfe, which was at three miles diftance from 
 the town, after having bethought himfelf, that 
 he never flept well out of his own bed. He fhook 
 me very heartily by the hand at parting, and 
 difcovered a great air of fatisfaction in his 
 looks, that he had met with an opportunity of 
 Shewing his parts, and left me a much wifer 
 man than he found me. 
 
 N23 Friday, March 9. 
 
 .lllii Ira mcdum fupra eft, et fa>pe venenum 
 
 Morfibus infpirant Virg. Georg. 4. ver. 236. 
 
 The wrathful race, 
 
 When once provok'd, affault the aggreflbr's face ; 
 There fix their firings. D R Y D E N. 
 
 IN the wars of Europe which were waged 
 among our forefathers, it was ufual for the 
 enemy, when there was a King in the field, 
 to demand by a trumpet in what part of the 
 
 camp
 
 N23 ffie FREE-HOLDER. 129 
 
 camp he refided, that they might avoid firing 
 upon the royal pavilJion. Our party-conteirs in 
 England were heretofore managed with the fame 
 kind of decency and good-breeding. The per- 
 fon of the Prince was always looked upon as 
 facred j and whatever fevere ufage his friends 
 or miniflers met with, none prefumed to direct 
 their hostilities at their Sovereign. The enemies 
 of our prefent fettlement are of fuch a coarfe 
 kind of make, and fo equally void of loyalty 
 and good-manners, that they are grown fcurri- 
 lous upon the Royal family, and treat the mofl 
 exalted characters with the mofl opprobrious 
 language. 
 
 This petulance in converfation is particularly 
 obferved to prevail among fome of that fex 
 where it appears the mofl unbecoming and the 
 mofl unnatural. Many of thefe act with the 
 greater licentioufnefs, becaufe they know they 
 can a6l with the greater impunity. T his confe- 
 deration, indeed, engages the mofl generous and 
 well bred, even of ourShe-malecontenfs, tomake 
 no ill ufe of the indulgence of our lawgivers j. 
 and to difcover in their debates at leafl, the deli- 
 cacy of the woman, if not the duty of the fubjel. 
 But it is generally remarked, that every one of 
 them, who is a fhrew in tbmeftick life, is nov/ 
 become a fcold" in politicks. And as for thofe 
 of the party, who are of a fuperior rank and un- 
 blemifhed virtue, it mufl be a melancholy reflex- 
 ion for them to confider, that. all the common- 
 women of the town are of their fide;, for which. 
 reafon they ought to preferve a more than ordi- 
 nary modefty in their fatirical excurfions, that 
 their characters may not be liable to fufpicion. 
 
 If there is not fome method found out for al- 
 laying thefe heats and" animofities among the fair 
 G 5 fex.
 
 130 The FREE-HO L D E R. -N 23" 
 
 fex, one does not know to what outrages they 
 may proceed. I remember a hero in Scarren, 
 who finding himfelf oppofed by PI mixed multi- 
 tude of both fexes with a great deal of virulent 
 language, after having brought them to a fub- 
 miflion, gave order (to keep them from doing far- 
 ther mifchief) that the men fhould be difarmcd 
 of their clubs, and that the women fhould have 
 their nails pared. We are not yet reduced to the 
 neceflity of applying fuch violent remedies ; but 
 as we daily receive accounts of Ladies battling it 
 en both fides, and that thofe who appear againft 
 the conftitiition make war upon their antago- 
 niflsjby many unfair practices and unwarrantable 
 methods, I think it is very convenient there 
 fhould be a cartel fettled between them. If they 
 have not yet agreed upon any thing of this nature 
 among themfelves, I would propofe to them the 
 following plan, in which I have fketched out fe- 
 veral rules fuited to the politeft fexin one of the 
 moft civilised nations. 
 
 *TpH AT in every political rencounter between 
 * woman and woman, no weapon fhall be 
 made ufe of but the tongue. 
 
 That in the courfe of the engagement, if 
 either of the combatants, finding herfelf hard 
 preft by her adverfary, fhall proceed to perfonal 
 reflexions or difcovery of fecrets, they fhall be 
 parted by the flanders-by. 
 
 That when both fides are drawn up in a full 
 aflfembly, it fhall not be lawful for above five of 
 them to talk at the fame time. 
 
 That if any fhall detract from a Lady's cha- 
 racter, (unlefs fhebeabfent) the faid detraclrefs 
 fhall be forthwith ordered to the loweft place of 
 the room. 
 
 That
 
 N23 "The FREE-HO L D E R . 131 
 
 That none prefume to fpeak difrefpectfully of 
 his Majefty, or any of the Royal family, on pain 
 of three hours filence. 
 
 That none be permitted to talk fpitefully of 
 the Court, unlefs they can produce vouchers that 
 they have been there. 
 
 That the making ufe of news wh'ich goes 
 about in whifper, unlefs the author be produced, 
 or the farwell attefted, (hall be deemed fighting 
 with white powder, and contrary to the laws 
 of war. 
 
 That any one, who produces libels or lam- 
 poons, fhall be regarded in the fame manner as 
 one who fhoots with poifoned bullets. 
 
 That when a Lady is thoroughly convinced of 
 the falfhood of any Itory fhe has related, fhe 
 fhall give her parole not to tell it for a certain 
 truth that winter. 
 
 That when any matter of doubt arifes which 
 cannot otherwife be decided, appeal fhall be 
 made to a Toft, if there be any fuch in the 
 company. 
 
 That no coquette, notwithstanding fhe can do 
 it with a good air, fhall be allowed to figh for 
 the danger of the church, or to fhiver at the 
 apprehenfions of fanaticifm. 
 
 That when a woman has talked an hour and 
 an half, it fhall be lawful to call her down to 
 order. 
 
 As this civil difcord among the fifterhood of 
 Great -Britain is likely to engage them in a long 
 and lingring war, confifting altogether of drawn 
 battles, it is the more neceflai y that there fhould 
 be a cartel fettled among them. Befides, as our 
 Englijh ladies are at preient the grcr.ucfl Statef- 
 women in Europe, they will be in clanger of 
 making themfelves the moft unamiable part of 
 
 their
 
 132 T/&? FRE E-HOLDER. N23 
 
 their fex, if they continue to give a loofe to in- 
 temperate language, and to a low ktnd of ribal- 
 dry, which is not ufed among the women of 
 falhion in any other country. 
 
 Difcretion and good nature have been always 
 looked upon as the diftinguifhing ornaments of 
 female converfation. The woman, ' whofe price 
 
 * is above rubies,' has no particular, in the cha- 
 racter given of her by the wife man, more en- 
 dearing, than that ' (he openeth her mouth with 
 
 * wifdom, and in her tongue is the law of kind- 
 
 * nefs.' Befides, every fierce fhe-zealot fhould 
 confider, that however any other of the fex may 
 feem to applaud her as a partjfan, there is none 
 of them who would not be afraid of aflbciating 
 himfelf with her in any of the more private re- 
 lations of life. 
 
 I fhall only add, that there is no talent fo per- 
 nicious as eloquence, to thofe who have it not un- 
 der command : For which reafon, women, who- 
 are fo liberally gifted by nature in this particular 
 ought to ftudy, with thegreateft application, the 
 rules of female oratory, delivered in that excel- 
 lent treatife, intitled, ' The government of the 
 ' tongue.' Had that author forefeen the political 
 ferment which is now raifed among the Sex, he 
 would probably have made his book larger by 
 fome chapters than it is at prefent : but what is 
 wanting in that work, may, I hope, in fome 
 meafure, be fupplied by the above- written carteL 
 
 Monday,
 
 N24 77^ F R E E-H OLDER. 133. 
 
 tt&^^tt^&'S^^^&S^.^ffi&Sffi.^ 
 
 ^^^^^sK^is!^isS^^i8%'3k^ 
 
 N24 Monday, March 12. 
 
 Bellum importunum, ci=ves y cum gents deorum 
 Inviflif/jus wiris geritis. Virg. JEn. 1 1 . ver. 305, 
 
 O citizens, ye wage unequal war 
 
 With men, not only heav'n's peculiar care, 
 
 But heav'n's own race, unconquer'd in the fields. 
 
 D R Y D E N. 
 
 APhyfician makes ufe of various methods for 
 the recovery of fick perfons; and though 
 fome of them are painful, and all of them dif- 
 agreeable, his patients are never angry at him, 
 becaufe they know he has nothing in view be- 
 fides the reftoring of them to a good ftate of 
 health. I am forced to treat the difaffe&ed part 
 of his Majefty's fubjecls in the fame manner, 
 and may therefore reafonably expect the fame 
 returns of good-will. I propofe nothing to my- 
 felf but their happinefs as the end of all my 
 endeavours ; and am forced to adapt different 
 remedies to thofe different conftitutions, which 
 are to be found in fuch a diftempered multitude. 
 Some of them can fee the unreafonable, and fome 
 of them the ridiculous fide of wrong principles, 
 and, according to the different frame of their 
 minds, rejecl: an opinion as it carrks in it either 
 the appearance of wickednefs, or of danger, or 
 of folly. 
 
 1 have endeavoured to expofe in thefe feveral 
 lights the notions and practices of thofe who 
 are the enemies to our prefent eftablifhment. 
 
 But
 
 334 T&e FREE-HOLDER. N24 
 But there is a fet of arguments, which I have 
 not yet touched upon, and which often fucceed, 
 when all others fail. There are many who will 
 not quit a project, though they find it pernicious, 
 or abfurd: But will readily defift from it, when 
 they are convinced it is impracticable. An 
 attempt to fubvert the prefent government is, 
 God be thanked, of this nature. I fhall there- 
 fore apply the confiderations of this Paper rather 
 to the difcretion than the virtue of our Male- 
 contents, who fhould act in the prefent juncture 
 of affairs like experienced gamefters, that throw 
 up their cards when they know the game is in 
 the enemy's hand, without giving themfelves 
 any unnecefiary vexation in playing it out. 
 
 In the reign of our two laft Britifo Sove- 
 reigns, thofe who did not favour their intereft 
 might be ungenerous enough to act upon the 
 profpect of a change, confidering the precari- 
 ous condition of their health, and their want 
 of ifTue to fucceed them. But at prefent we 
 enjoy a King of a long-lived family, who is in 
 the vigour of his age, and bleft with a nume- 
 rous progeny. .To this we may add his remark- 
 able fteadinefs in adhering to thofe fchemes 
 which he has formed upon the matured deli- 
 beration, and that fubmiffiye deference of his 
 Royal Highnefs both from duty and inclina- 
 tion to all the meafures of his Royal Father. 
 Nor muft we omit that perfonal valour fo pe- 
 culiar to his Majefty and his illuftrious houfe, 
 which would be fufficient to vanquifh, as we find 
 it actually deters, both his foreign and domeftick 
 enemies. 
 
 This great Prince is ftipported by the whole 
 proteftant intereft of Europe, and ftrengthened 
 with a long range of alliances that reach from
 
 N 24 *fbe F R E E-H OLDER. 135 
 
 one end of the continent to the other. He has 
 a great and powerful King for his fon-in-law ; 
 and can himfelf command when he pleafes the 
 whole ftrength of an electorate in the empire. 
 Such a combination of Sovereigns puts one in 
 mind of the apparition of Gods which difcou- 
 raged JEneas from oppofmg the will of Heaven. 
 When his eyes were cleared of that mortal cloud 
 which hung upon them, he faw the feveral celef- 
 tial deites acting in a confederacy againft him, 
 arid immediately gave up a caufe which was 
 excluded from all poflihility of fuccefs. 
 
 But it is the greateft happinefs, as well as 
 the greateft pleafure, of our Sovereign, that his 
 chief ftrength lies in his own kingdoms. Both 
 the branches of our legislature efpoufe his caule 
 and intereft with a becoming duty and zeal. 
 Themoft confiderable and wealthy of his fubjects 
 are convinced, that the profperity of our Sove- 
 reign and his people are infeparable : And we are 
 very well fatisfied, that his Majefty, if the ne- 
 cefnty of affairs fliould require it, might find 
 arnongft the moft dutiful of his fubjects, men 
 celebrated for their military characters, above any 
 of the age in which they live. There is no quef- 
 tion but his Majefty will be as generally valued 
 and beloved in his Britifo as he is in h'is German 
 dominions, when he fhall have time to make his 
 Royal Virtues equally known among us. In the 
 mean while we have the fatisfaction to find that 
 his enemies have been only able to make ill im- 
 preflions upon the low and ignorant rabble of the 
 nation; and to put the dregs of the people in a 
 ferment. 
 
 We have already feen how poor and contempti- 
 ble a force has been raifed by thofe who have 
 dared to appear openly againft his Majefty, and 
 
 how
 
 136 
 
 The FREE-HOLDER. 
 
 how they were headed and encouraged by men 
 whofe fenfe of their guilt made them defperate 
 in forming fo rafh an enterprife, and difpirited 
 in the execution of it. But we have not yet feen 
 that ftrength which would be exerted in the de- 
 fence of his Majefty, the proteftant religion, 
 and the Briti/h liberties, were the danger great 
 enough to require it. Should the King be reduced 
 to the neceffity of fetting up the royal ftandard, 
 how many thoufands would range themfelves 
 under it! what a concourfe would there be of 
 nobles and patriots! we fhculd fee men of ano- 
 ther fpirit than what has appeared among the 
 enemies to our country, and iuch as would out- 
 fhine the rebellious part of their fellow-fubje&s, 
 as much in their galantry as in their caufe. 
 
 I mail not fo much fufpe& the underftandings 
 of our adverfaries, as to think it nece/Tary toei;- 
 force thefe confiderations, by putting them in 
 mind of that fidelity and allegiance which is fo 
 vifible in his Majefty's fleet and army, or of 
 many other particulars, which, in all human 
 probability, will perpetuate our prefent form of 
 Government, and which may be fuggelled to 
 them by their own private thoughts. 
 
 The party, indeed, that is oppofite to our pre- 
 fent happy fettlement, feem to be driven out of 
 the hopes of all human methods for carrying on 
 their caufe, and are therefore reduced to the poor 
 comfort of prodigies and old womens fables. 
 They begin to fee armies in the clouds, when 
 all upon the earth have forfaken them. Nay, I 
 have been lately fhewn a written prophefy that is 
 handed among them with great fecrecy, by which 
 it appears their chief reliance at prefent is upon 
 a Cheshire miller that was born with two thumbs 
 upon one hand.
 
 N 24 The FREE-HOLD E R. 137 
 
 I have addreffed this whole Paper to the de- 
 fpair of our Malecontents, not with a defign to 
 aggravate the pain of it, but to ufe it as a means 
 of making them happy. Let them ferioufly 
 confider the vexation and difquietude of mind 
 that they are treafuring up for themfelves, by 
 flruggling with a power which will be always too 
 hard for them; and by converting his Majefty's 
 reign into their own misfortune, which every 
 impartial man muft look upon as the greateft 
 blefling to his country. Let them extinguifh 
 thofe pafilons, which can only imbitter their 
 lives to them, and deprive them of their fhare 
 in the happinefs of the community. They may 
 conclude, that his Majefty, in fpite of any 
 oppofition they can form againft him, will main- 
 tain hisjuft authority over them; and whatever 
 uneafinefs they may give themfelves, they can 
 create none in him, excepting only becaufe they 
 prevent him from exerting equally his natural 
 goodnefs and benevolence to every fubjeft ia his 
 dominions. 
 
 Friday,
 
 138 The FREE-HOLDER 
 N25 Friday, March 16. 
 
 Q; id eft fapicntia f Semper idem welle ettOut idttn nolle, 
 
 Seneca. 
 What is \vifdom ? To be always of the fame mind. 
 
 IF we may believe the obfervation which is 
 made of us by foreigners, there is no nation 
 in Europe fo much given to change as the Englifl). 
 There are fome who afcribe this to the fickle- 
 nefs of our climate ; and others to the freedom 
 of our government. From one or both of thefe 
 caufes their writers derive that variety of hu- 
 mours which appears among the people in gene- 
 ral, and that inconfiflency of character which 
 is to be found in almoft every particular perfon. 
 But as a man fhould always be upon his guard 
 againft the vices to which he is mo ft expofed, fo 
 we fhould take a more than ordinary care not to 
 lie at the mercy of the weather in our moral 
 conduit, nor to make a capricious ufe of that 
 liberty which we enjoy by the happinefs of our 
 civil constitution. 
 
 This inftability of temper ought in a particu- 
 lar manner to be checked, when it (hews itfelfin 
 political affairs, and difpofes men to wander from 
 one fcheme of government to another : Since 
 fuch a ficklenefs of behaviour in publick mea- 
 fures cannot but be attended with very fatal ef- 
 fects to our country. 
 
 In the firft place: It hinders any great un- 
 dertaking, which requires length of time for
 
 N25 The FREE-HOLDER. 139 
 
 its accomplifhment, from being brought to its 
 due perfection. There is, not any inftancc in 
 hiftory which better confirms this obfervatioj?, 
 than that which is ftill frefh in every one's 
 memory. We engaged in the late war with 
 a defign to reduce an exorbitant growth of 
 power in the moft dangerous enemy to Great- 
 Britain. We gained a long and wonderful feries 
 of victories, and had fcarce any thing left to do, 
 but to reap the fruits of them : When on a 
 fudden our patience failed us ; we grew tired of 
 our undertaking; and received terms from thofe 
 who were upon the point of giving us whatever 
 we could have demanded of them. 
 
 This mutability of mind in the Englifi makes 
 the ancient friends of our nation very backward 
 to engage with us, in fuch alliances as are necef- 
 fary for our mutual defence and fecurity. It is 
 a common notion among foreigners, that the 
 Englijh are good confederates in an enterprife 
 which may be difpatched within a fhort com-, 
 pafsof time ; but that they are not to be depended 
 upon in a work which cannot be finifhed without 
 cqnftancy and perfeverance. Our late meafures 
 have fo blemifhed the national credit in this, 
 particular, that thofe Potentates, who are en- 
 tered into treaties with his prefent Majefty, 
 have been folely encouraged to it by their con- 
 fidence in his perfonal firmnefs and integrity. 
 
 I need not, after this, fuggeft to my reader 
 the ignominy and reproach that falls upon a 
 nation, which diftinguifhes itfelf among its 
 neighbours by fuch a wavering and unfettled 
 conduct. 
 
 This our incon/iftency, in the purfuit of 
 fchemes which have been thoroughly digefted, has 
 as bad an influence on our domeftick as on our 
 
 foreign
 
 140 The F R E E-H OLDER. N25 
 
 foreign affairs. We are told, that the famous 
 Prince of Conde ufed to afk the Englijb Ambaf- 
 fador upon the arrival of a mail, ' Who was 
 ' Secretary of State in England by that poft ?' as 
 a piece of rallery upon the fkklenefs of our poli- 
 ticks. But what has rendered this a misfortune 
 to our country, is, that publick Minifters have 
 no fooner made themfelves mafters of their 
 bufmefs than they have been difmifTed from their 
 employments ; and that this difgrace has be- 
 fallen very many of them, not becaufe they have 
 deferved it, but becaufe the people love to fee 
 new faces in high pofts of honour. 
 
 It is a double misfortune to a nation, which 
 is thus given to change, when they have a So- 
 vereign at the head of them, that is prone ro 
 fall in with all the turns and veerings of the 
 people. Salu/i, the graveft of all the Reman 
 hiftorians, who had formed his notions of regal 
 authority from the manner in which he faw it 
 exerted among the barbarous nations, makes the 
 following remark : Plerumque Regime Voluntate^ 
 uti vehewentes^ Jic mobiles , fepe ipfte Jivi advorfee. 
 " The wills of Kings, as they are. generally 
 " vehement, are likewife very fickle,andatdiffe- 
 " rent times oppofite to themfelves." Were there 
 any colour for this general obfervation, ho\v 
 much does it redound to the honour of fuch 
 Princes who are exceptions to it ! 
 
 The natural confequence of an unfready Go- 
 vernment is the perpetuating of ftrife and fac- 
 tion among a divided people. Whereas a King 
 \vho perfiftsin thofe fchemes which he has laid, 
 and has no other view in them but the good of 
 his fubje&s, extinguifhes all hopes of advance- 
 ment in thofe who would grow great by an 
 oppofition to his meafures, and infenfibly 
 
 unite?
 
 "N25 *be FREE-HOLDER. 141 
 
 unites the contending parties in their common 
 intereft. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth, who makes the greateft 
 figure among our Englljh Sovereigns, was moft 
 eminently remarkable for that fteadinefs and 
 uniformity which ran through all her actions, 
 during that long and glorious reign. She kept 
 up to her chofen motto in every part of her 
 life; and never loft fight of thofe great ends, 
 which (he propofed to herfelf on her acceflion 
 to the throne, the happinefs of her people, and 
 the ftrengthening of the Proteftant intereft. She 
 often interpofed her royal authority to break 
 the cabals which were forming againft her firft 
 Minifters, who grew old and died in thofe fta- 
 tions which they filled with fo great abilities. 
 By this means fhe baffled the many attempts of 
 her foreign and domeftick enemies, and entirely 
 broke the whole force and fpirit of that party 
 among herfubjects, which was popifhly affected, 
 and which was not a tittle formidable in the 
 beginning of her reign. 
 
 The frequent changes and alterations in pub- 
 lick proceedings, the multiplicity of fchemes in- 
 troduced one upon another, with the variety of 
 fhort-lived Javourites, that prevailed in their 
 feveral turns under the Government of her 
 fucceflbrs, have by degrees broken us into thofe 
 unhappy diftin&ions and parties, which have 
 given fo much uneafmefs to oar Kings, and fo 
 often endangered the fafety of their people. 
 
 I queftion not but every impartial reader hath 
 been beforehand with me, in confidering, on this 
 occafion, the happinefs of our country under 
 the Government of his prefent Majefty ; who is 
 fo defervedly famous for an inflexible adherence 
 to thofe counfels which have a vifiblc tendency 
 
 to
 
 142 ^FREE-HOLDER. N25 
 
 to the publick good, and to thofe perfons who 
 heartily concur with him in promoting thefe his 
 generous defigns. 
 
 A Prince of this character will be dreaded by 
 his enemies, and ferved with courage and zeal 
 by his friends ; and will either inftrucl: uS by his 
 example, to fix the unfteadinefs of our politicks, 
 or by his conduct hinder it from doing us any 
 prejudice. 
 
 Upon the whole, as there is no temper of 
 mind more unmanly in a private perfon, nor 
 more pernicious to the publick in a member of 
 a community, than that changeabienefs with 
 which we are too juftly branded by all our 
 neighbours, it is to be hoped, that the found 
 part of the nation will give no farther occa- 
 fion for this reproach, but continue fteady to that 
 happy eftablimment, which has now taken place 
 among us. And as obftinacy in prejudices, which 
 are detrimental to our country, ought not to be 
 miftaken for that virtuous refolution and firm- 
 nefs of mind which is neceflary to our piefer- 
 vation, it is to be wiflied, that the enemies to our 
 conftitution would fo far indulge themfelves in 
 this national humour, as to come into one 
 change more, by falling in with that plan of 
 Government, which at prefent they think fit to 
 oppofe. At leaft, we may expecl: they will be fo 
 wife as to mew a legal obedience to the beft of 
 Kings, who profefs the duty of paffive obedience 
 to the worft. 
 
 Monday,
 
 N26 Tike F R E E-H OLDER. 143 
 
 ^^^^i^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^S ^?^;35isl;S5 
 
 N26 Monday, March 19. 
 
 Bella <viri pacemque gerant, queis bella gerenda. 
 
 Virg. JEn. 7, ver. 444. 
 
 Permit to men the thought of peace and war. 
 
 D R Y D E N. 
 
 WHEN the Athenians had long contended 
 againft the power of Philip^ he demanded 
 of them to give up their orators, as well know- 
 ing their oppofition would be foon at an qnd, if 
 it were not irritated from time to time by thefe 
 tongue-warriors. I have endeavoured for the 
 fame reai'on to gain our female adverfaries, 
 and by that means to difarm the party of its 
 principal ftrength. Let them give us up their 
 women, and, we know by experience how in- 
 confiderable a refiftance we are to expect from 
 their men. 
 
 This (harp political humour has but lately 
 prevailed in fo great a meafure as it now does 
 among the beautiful part of our fpecies. They 
 ufed to employ themfelves wholly in the fcenes 
 of a dome ftick life, and provided a woman 
 could keep her houfe in order, fhe never trou- 
 bled herfelf about regulating the common- 
 wealth. The eye of the miftrefs was wont to 
 make her pewter fhine, and to infpecl: every 
 part of her houfhold furniture, as much as her 
 looking-glafs. But at prefent our difcontented 
 matrons are fo converfant in matters of State, 
 that they wholly neglecl: their private affairs : for
 
 144 Tfo FREE-HOLDER. N26 
 
 we may always obferve, that a goflip in politicks 
 i; a flattern in her family. 
 
 It is indeed a melancholy thing to fee the 
 diforders of a houfhould that is under the con- 
 duel: of an angry Statefwoman, who lays out 
 all her thoughts upon the publick, and is only 
 attentive to find out mifcarriages in the mi- 
 ni ftry. Several women of this turn are fo 
 earneft in contending for hereditary right, that 
 they wholly neglect the education of their own 
 fons and heirs j and are fo taken up with their 
 zeal for the church, that they cannot find 
 time to teach their children their catechifm. 
 A Lady who thus intrudes into the province of 
 the men, was fo aftonifhing a character among 
 the old Romans., that when Atruefia prefented her- 
 felf to fpeak before the Senate, they looked upon 
 it as a prodigy, and fent meilengers to inquire of 
 the Oracle, what it might portend to the Com- 
 monwealth. 
 
 It would be manifeftly to the difadvanta^e of 
 the Britijh caufe, mould our pretty loyal ifts 
 profefs an indifference in ftate-affairs, while their 
 d;faffecl:ed fitters are tnus induftrious to the pre- 
 judice of their country ; and accordingly we 
 have the fatisfa&ion to find our fhe-aflbciates 
 are not idle upon this occafion. It is owing to 
 the s;ood principles of thefe his Majefty's fair 
 and faithful fubjedts, that our countrywomen 
 appear no lefs amiable in the eyes of the male- 
 world, than they have done in former ages. 
 For where a great number of flowers grow, 
 the ground at a diftance ieems entirely covered 
 with them, and we muft walk into it, before 
 we can diftinguifh the feveral weeds that fpring 
 up in fuch a beautiful mafs of colours. Our 
 great concern is, to find that deformity can 
 
 anfe
 
 Na6 The FREE-HOLDER. 
 
 arife among fo many charms, and that the moft 
 lovely parts of the creation can make them- 
 lelves the moft difagreeable. But it is an ob- 
 fervation of the Philofophers, that the beft things 
 maybe corrupted into theworft; and the an- 
 cients did not fcruple to affirm, that the Furies 
 and the Graces were of the fame Sex. 
 
 As I (hould do the nation and themfelves 
 good fervice, if I could draw the Ladies, who 
 Hill hold out againft his Majefty, into the in- 
 tereft of our prefent eftablifhment, I (hall pro- 
 ' pofe to their ferious confideration the feveral 
 inconveniencies which thofe among them under- 
 go, who have not yet furrendered to the govern- 
 ment. 
 
 They fhould firft reflect on the great fufferings 
 and perfecutions to which they expofe them- 
 felves by the obftinacy of their behaviour. They 
 lofe their elections in every club where they 
 are fet up for Tofts. They are obliged by their 
 principles to ftick a patch on the moft unbe- 
 coming fide of their foreheads. They forego 
 the advantage of birth-day fuits. They are 
 infulted by the loyalty of claps and hifles every 
 time they appear at a play. They receive no 
 benefit from the army, and are never the 
 better for all the young fellows that wear hats 
 and feathers. They are forced to live in the 
 country and feed their chickens ; at the fame 
 time that they might ftiew themfelves at Court, 
 and appear in brocade, if they behaved them- 
 felves well. In fhort, what muft go to the heart 
 of every fine woman, they throw themfelves 
 quite out of the fafhion. 
 
 The above-mentioned motive muft have an 
 
 influence upon the gay part of the Sex ; and as 
 
 for thofe who are adted by more fublime and 
 
 H moral
 
 146 Tbe FREE-HOLDER. N26 
 
 moral principles, they fhould confkler, that they 
 cannot fignalize themfelves as malecontents, 
 without breaking through all the amiable in- 
 ftincls and fofter virtues, which are peculiarly 
 ornamental to womankind. Their timorous, 
 gentle, modeft behaviour; their affability, meek- 
 nefs, good-breeding, and many other beautiful 
 difpofitions of mind, muft be facrificed to a blind 
 and furious zeal for they do not know what. A 
 man is ftartled when he fees a pretty bofom 
 having with fuch party-rage, as is difagreeable, 
 even in that Sex which is of a more coarfe and 
 rugged make. And yet fuch is our misfortune, 
 that we fometimes fee a pair of ftays ready to 
 burft with fedition ; and hear the moft mafculine 
 paflions expreft in the fweeteft voices. I have 
 lately been told of a country - gentlewoman 
 pretty much famed for this virility of behaviour 
 in party- difputes, who, upon venting her no- 
 tions very freely in a ftrange place, was carried 
 before an honeft Juftice of peace. This pru- 
 dent Magiftrate obferving her to be a large 
 black woman, and finding by her difcourfe that 
 Jhe was no better than a rebel in her riding- 
 hood, began to fufpecl: her for my Lord Nithf- 
 4ale\ until a ftranger came to her refcue, who 
 afTured him, with tears in his eyes, that he 
 was her hufband. 
 
 In the next place, our Britijb Ladies may con- 
 fider, that, by interefting themfelves fozealoufly 
 in the affairs of the publick, they are engaged, 
 without any neceflity, in the crimes which are 
 often committed even by the beft of parties, and 
 which they are naturally exempted from by the 
 privilege of their Sex. The worft character a 
 female could formerly arrive at, was of being 
 an ill woman ; but by their prefent conduct, 
 
 foe
 
 N26 T/6* FREE-HOLDER. 147 
 
 fhe may likewife deferve the character of an 
 ill fubject. They come in for their fhare of 
 political guilt, and have found a way to make 
 themfelves much greater criminals, than their 
 mothers before them. 
 
 I have great hopes that thefe motives, when 
 they are aflifted by their own reflexions, will 
 incline the fair ones of the adverfe party to 
 come over to the national intereft, in which 
 their own is fo highly concerned ; eipecially, if 
 they confider, that by thefe fuperfluous employ- 
 ments, which they take upon them as partifans, 
 they do not only dip themfelves in an unnecef- 
 fary guilt, but are obnoxious to a grief and 
 anguifh of mind, which doth not properly fall 
 within their lot. And here I would advife 
 every one of thefe exafperated Ladies, who in- 
 dulges that opprobrious eloquence which is fo 
 much in faihion, to reflect on fop's fable of 
 the viper. * This little animal,' fays the old 
 moralift, chancing to meet with a file, began 
 
 * to lick it with her tongue until the blood came; 
 
 * which gave her a very filly fatisfaction, as im- 
 ' agining the blood came from the file, notwith- 
 
 * ftanding all the fmart was in her own tongue.' 
 
 w 
 
 H 2 Friday,
 
 148 The FREE-HOLDER. N2/ 
 N27 Friday, March 23. 
 
 i - Dii *vifa fecundent. 
 
 Luc. lib. i. ver. 630. 
 Profper the vifion, heav'n ! 
 
 IT is an old obfervation, that a time of peace 
 is always a time of Prodigies; for as our 
 news-writers muft adorn their papers with that 
 which thecriticks call The marvellous, they are 
 forced, in a dead calm of affairs, to ranfaclc 
 every element for proper amufements, and 
 either to aftonifh their readers from time to time 
 with a ftrange and wonderful fight, or be con- 
 tent to lofe their cuftom. The fea is generally 
 filled with monfters when there are no fleets 
 upon it. Mount /Etna immediately began to rage 
 upon the extinction of the rebellion : And wo 
 to the people of Catanea^ if the peace continues ; 
 for they are fure to be fhaken every week with 
 earthquakes, until they are relieved by the fiege 
 of fome other great town in Europe. The air 
 has likewife contributed its quota of Prodigies. 
 We had a blazing ftar by the laft mail from 
 Genoa ; and in the prefent dearth of battles have 
 been very opportunely entertained, by perfons 
 of undoubted credit, with a civil war in the 
 clouds, where our fharp-fighted malecontents 
 difcovered many objects invifible to an eye that 
 is dimmed by \Vhig-principles. 
 
 I queftion not but this paper will fall in with 
 the prefent humour, fince it contains a very 
 
 remark-
 
 N27 The FRE E-HOLDE R. 149 
 
 remarkable vifion of a Highland Seer, who is 
 famous among the mountains, and known by the 
 name of Second- Sighted Sawney. Had he been 
 able to write, we might probably have Teen this 
 viiion fooner in print ; for it happened to him 
 very early in the late hard winter; and is tranf- 
 mitied to me by a ftudent of Glafgoiv^ who took, 
 the whole relation from him, and flack clofe 
 to the fa&s, though he has delivered them in 
 his own ftile. 
 
 was defcended of an ancient family, 
 very much renowned for their (kill in pro- 
 gnofticks. Moft of his anceftors were fecond- 
 fighted, and his mother but narrowly efcaped 
 being burnt for a witch. As he was going out 
 one morning very early to ileal a fheep, he was 
 feized on the fudden with a fit of fecond- fight. 
 The face of the whole country about hirn was 
 changed in the twinkling of an eye, and pre- 
 fented him with a wide profpecl of new fccncs 
 and objects, which he had never feen until that 
 day. 
 
 He difcovered at a great diftance from him a 
 large fabrick, which cait fuch a glittering light 
 about it, that it looked like a huge rock of 
 diamond. Upon the top of it was planted a 
 flandard, flreaming in a itrong northern wind, 
 and embroidered with a mixture of thirties and 
 flower-de-luces. As he was amufing himfelf 
 with this ftrange fight, he heard a bagpipe at 
 fome diftance behind him, and, turning about, 
 faw a General, who feemed very much animated 
 with the found of it, marching towards him at 
 the head of a numerous army. He learnt, upon 
 enquiry, that they were making a proceflion ta 
 the ftrudture which ftood before him,, and whicti 
 H 3 he
 
 150 Tie FREE-HOLDER. N2/ 
 
 he found was the Temple of Rebellion. He 
 immediately ftruck in with them ; but defcribed 
 this march to the temple with fo much horror, 
 that he ftiivered every joint all the while he 
 fpoke of it. They were forced to clamber over 
 Ib many rocks, and to tread upon the brink of 
 fo many precipices, that they were very often in 
 tlanger of their lives. Sawney declared, that, for 
 his own part, he walked in fear of his neck 
 every ftep he took. Opon their coming within a 
 few furlongs of the temple, they patted through 
 a very thick grove, confecrated to a deity, who 
 was known by the name of Treafon. They here 
 difperfed themfelyes into abundance of labyrinths 
 and covered walks which led to the temple. 
 The path was fo very flippery, the fhade fo 
 exceeding gloomy, and the whole wood fo full 
 of echoes, that they were forced to march with 
 the greateft warinefs, circumfpection and filence. 
 They at length arrived at a great gate, which was 
 the principal avenue to that magnificent fabrick. 
 Sawney ftood fome time at the entrance to obferve 
 thefplendor of the building, and was not a little 
 entertained with a prodigious number of flatues, 
 which were planted up and down in a fpacious 
 court that lay before it; but upon examining 
 it more nicely, he found the whole fabrick, 
 which made fuch a glittering appearance, and 
 feemed impregnable, was compofed of ice, and 
 that the feveral ftafues, which feemed at a dif- 
 tance to be made of the whiteft marble, were 
 nothing elfe but fo many figures in fnow. The 
 front of the temple was very curioufly adorned 
 with ftars and garters, ducal coronets, generals 
 ftaffs, and many other emblems of honour 
 wrought in the moft beautiful froft-work. After 
 having ftood at gaze fome time before this great 
 
 gate,
 
 N27 T& FREE -HOLDER. 151 
 
 gate, he difcovered on it an infcription, figni- 
 fying it to be the Gate of Perjury. There was 
 erected near it a great Coioflus in fnow that 
 had two faces, and was drefTed like a Jefuit, 
 with one x>f its hands upon a book, and the 
 other grafping a dagger. Upon entering into 
 the court, he took a particular furvey of feveral 
 of the figures. There was Sedition with a 
 truinpet in her hand, and Rapine in the garb of 
 a Highlander: Ambition, Envy, Difgrace, 
 Poverty, and Difappointment, were all of 
 them reprefented under their proper emblems. 
 Among other ftatues, he obferved that of 
 Rumour whifpering an Idiot in the ear, who 
 was the reprefentative of Credulity; and Fafhion, 
 embracing with her hundred arms an old- 
 fafliioned figure in a fteeple-crowned hat, that 
 was defigned to exprefs a cunning old gipfy 
 called Pafiive-Obedience. Zeal too had a place 
 among the reft, with a bandage over her eyes, 
 though one would not have expected to have 
 feen her reprefented in fnow. But the moft 
 remarkable object in this court-yard was a 
 huge tree that grew up before the porch of the 
 Temple, and was of the fame kind with that, 
 which Virgil tells us flourifhed at the entrance 
 of the infernal regions. For it bore nothing; but 
 dreams, which hung in clufters under every 
 leaf of it. The travellers refreftied themfelves 
 in the {hade of this tree before they entered the 
 Temple of Rebellion, and, after their frights 
 and fatigues, received great comfort in the fruit 
 which fell from it. At length the gates of the 
 Temple flew open, and the crowd rufhed into it. 
 In the centre of it was a grim idol, with a 
 fword in the right hand, and a firebrand in 
 the left. The fore-part of the pedeftal was 
 H 4. curioufly
 
 i;2 T/6? FR E E-HoL DE R. N27 
 
 curioufly embofled with a triumph, while the 
 back-part, that lay more out of fight, was fillet 
 with gibbets and axes. This dreadful idol is 
 worfhipped, like feveral of old, with human fa- 
 crilices, and his votaries were confulting among 
 themfelves, how to gratify him with hecatombs ; 
 when on a fudden they were furprifed with the 
 alarm of a great light which appeared in the 
 fouthern part of the heavens, and made its 
 progrefs directly towards them. This light ap- 
 peared as a great mafs of flame, or rather glory, 
 like that of the fun in its ftrength. There were 
 three figures in the midtr. of it, who were 
 known, by their feveral hieroglyphicks, to be 
 Religion, Loyalty, and Valour. The laft had a 
 graceful air, a blooming countenance, and a 
 Ibr upon its breaft, which fliot forth feveral 
 pointed beams of a peculiar luftre. The glory 
 which encompafled them covered the place, and 
 darted its rays with fo much ftrength, that the 
 whole fabrick and all its ornaments began to 
 melt. The feveral emblems of honour, which 
 were wrought on the front in the brittle mate- 
 rials above-mentioned, trickled away under the 
 ilrft impreffions of the heat. In (hort, the 
 thaw was fo violent, that the Temple and Sta- 
 tues ran off in a fudden torrent, and the whole 
 winter-piece was diflblved. The covered walks 
 were laid open by the li^ht which fhone through 
 every part of them, and the dream-tree withered 
 like the famous gourd, that was fmitten by the 
 noon- day fun. As for the votaries, they left 
 the place with the greateft precipitation, and 
 diiperfed themfelves by flight into a thoufand 
 different paths among the mountains. 
 
 Monday,
 
 N28 7& FREE-HOLDER. 
 N28 Monday, March 26. 
 
 Incendia lumen 
 Prabebant ; aliquijqug ma o fuit ttfus in illo. 
 
 Ovid. Met. lib. 2. ver. 331* 
 
 The burning ruins, with a fainter ray, 
 Supply the fun, and counterfeit a cay. 
 
 A D D i s o N 
 
 SI R Francis Eacon^ in the dedication before 
 his hiftory of Henry the Seventh, obferves, 
 that peaceable times, are the beft to live in, though 
 not fo proper to furnifti materials for a writer: 
 As hilly countries afford the moft entertaining 
 profpects, though a man would choofe to travel 
 through a plain one. To this we may add, that 
 the times, which are full of diforders and tu- 
 mults, are likewifc the fulleft of inftruclions 
 Hiftory indeed furnifhes us with very di(linl ac- 
 counts of factions, confpiracies, civil wars and 
 rebellions, with the fatal confequences that at- 
 tend them: But they do not make fuch deep and 
 lafting impreflions on our minds," as events of 
 the fame nature, to which we have ourfelves been 
 witneiTes, and in which we or our friends and 
 acquaintance have been fufferers. As adverfity 
 makes a man wife in his private affairs, civil 
 calamities give him prudence and circumfpecYion 
 in his publick conduL 
 
 The miferies of the civil war tinder the reign 
 
 of King; Charles the Firft, and the confequences 
 
 which enfued upon them, did, Xor many years, 
 
 H 5 deter
 
 154 tt 2 FREE-HO L DE R. N C 28 
 
 deter the inhabitants of our ifland from the 
 thoughts of engaging anew in fuch defperate 
 undertakings; and convinced them by fatal ex- 
 perience, that nothing could be fo pernicious to 
 the Englijh^ and fo oppofite to the genius of the 
 people, as the fubverfion of monarchy. In th 
 like manner we may hope that the great expences 
 brought upon the nation by the prefent Rebellion; 
 the furTerings of innocent people, who have lived 
 in that place, which was the fcene of it ; with 
 that dreadful profpet of ruin and confufron 
 which muft have followed its fuccefs ; will fecure 
 Us from the like attempts for the future, and fix 
 his Majefty upon the throne of Great-Britain ; 
 efpecially, when thofe who are prompted to fuch 
 wicked practices reflect upon the punifliments to 
 which the criminals have expofed themfelves, 
 and the miferies in which they have involved 
 their relations, friends, and families. 
 
 It will be likewtfe worth their while to confi- 
 der, how fuch tumults and riots, as have been 
 encouraged by many, who, we may hope, did 
 not propofe to themfelves fuch fatal confequences, 
 lead to a civil war : and how naturally that fedi- 
 tious kind of converfation, which many feem to 
 think connftent with their religion and morality, 
 ends in an open Rebellion. I queftion not but the 
 more virtuous and confiderate part of our male- 
 contents are now ftung with, a very juft remorfe 
 for this their mariner of proceeding;, which has fo 
 vifibly tended to the deftru&ion of their friends, 
 and the fufferings of their country. This may, 
 at the fame time, prove an inftruHve leflbn to 
 the boldeft and braveft among the difafYe&ed, 
 not to build ariy hopes upon the talkative zealots 
 of their party; who have (hewn by their whole 
 behaviour,, that their hearts are equally filled with. 
 
 treafon
 
 N 28 The F R E E-H OLD E R. 155, 
 
 treafon and cowardife. An army of trumpe- 
 ters would give as great a ftrength to acaufe, as 
 this confederacy of tongue- warriors ; who, like 
 thofe military muficians, content themfelves with- 
 animating their friends to battle, and run out of 
 the engagement upon the firft onfet. 
 
 But one of the moft ufeful maxims we can* 
 learn from the prefent Rebellion, is, that nothing.- 
 can be more contemptible and infignificant, than., 
 the fcum of a people, when they are inftigated 
 againft a King, who is fupported by the two- 
 branches of the Legiflature. A man may pull 
 down a meeting-houfe, but will never be able to 
 overturn a government, which has a courageous* 
 and wife Prince at the head of it,, and one who* 
 is zealoufly affifted by the great council of the 
 nation, that beft know the value of him. The 
 authority of theJLords and Commons of Great- 
 Britain^ in conjunction with that of their Sov&^ 
 reign, is not to be controlled by a tumultuary 
 rabble. It is big with fleets- and armies, can* 
 fortify itielf with what laws it (hall judge proper 
 for its own defence,, can command the wealth? 
 of the Kingdom for the fecurity of the people,, 
 and engage the whole Proteftant intereft ofJLu- 
 rope in fo good and juft a caufe. A diforderly 
 multitude,, contending, with the body of the Le-- 
 giflature, is like a man in a fit under the con-* 
 duc~t of one in the fulnefs of his health and; 
 flrength. Such a one is fure to be over-ruled ink 
 a little time, though he deals about his blows,, 
 and exerts himfelf in the moft furious convulfiona* 
 while the diftemper is upon him. 
 
 We may farther learn from the oourfe of the 
 grefent Rebellion, who among the foreign ftates 
 in our neighbourhood are the true and natural 
 friends, of Great-Britain, if we obferve. which;
 
 156 ttt FREE-HOLDER. N28 
 
 of them gave us their afliftance in reducing our 
 country to a ftate of peace and tranquillity, 
 and which of them tiled their endeavours to 
 heighten our confufions, and plunge us into all 
 the evils of a civil war. I mall only take notice 
 under this head, that in former ages it Wc.s the 
 conftant policy of France to raife and cherifli in- 
 teftine feuds and difcords in the ifle of Great' 
 Britain^ that we might either fall a prey into 
 their hands, or that they might profecute their 
 defigns upon the continent with lefs interrup- 
 tion. Innumerable inftances of this nature occur 
 in hiftory. The moft remarkable one was that irt 
 the reign of King Charles the Firft. Though, 
 that Prince was married to a daughter of France*, 
 and was perlbnally beloved and efteemed in the 
 French court, it is well known that they abetted 
 both parties in the civil war, and always fur- 
 nilhed fuppiies to the weaker fide, left there 
 fhould be an end put to thofe fatal divifions. 
 
 We might alfo obferve, that this Rebellion 
 has been a means of difcovering to his Majefty, 
 how much he may depend upon the profefiions- 
 and principles of the feveral parties among his 
 own luhje&s ; who are thofe perfons that have 
 eipoufed his interefts with zeal or indifference; 
 and who among them are influenced to their 
 allegiance by places, duty, or affection. But as 
 thefe, and feveral other confiderations, are 
 obvious to the thoughts of every reader, I fhall 
 conclude, with obierving how naturally many 
 of thofe, who diftinguifh themfelves by the name 
 of the High-Church, unite themfelves to the 
 caufe of Popery ; fmce it is manifeft, that all 
 the Proteftants concerned in the Rebellion were 
 fuch as gloried in this diftindion,
 
 N28 The FR EE-HOLDER. 157 
 
 It would be very tmjuft, to charge all who have 
 ranged themfelves under this new denomination, 
 as IF they had done it with a defign to favour the 
 interefts of popery. But it is certain that many 
 of them, who at their firft fetting out were molt 
 averfe to the dodtrines of the church of Rome, 
 have by the cunning of our adversaries been in- 
 fpired with fuch an unreafonable averfion to their 
 proteftant brethren, and taught to think fo fa- 
 vourably of the Roman-CathctiiA principles, (not 
 to mention the endeavours that have been uied 
 to reconcile the do<Strines of the two churches* 
 which are in themfelves as oppofite as light and 
 darknefs) that they have been drawn over infen- 
 fibly into its interefts. It is no wonder therefore, 
 that fo many of thefe deluded zealots have been 
 engaged in a caufe which they at firft abhorred, 
 and have wifhed or afted for the fuccefs of an 
 enterprife, that might have ended in the extir- 
 pation of the Proteitant religion, in this King- 
 dom, and in all Europe, In (hort, they are like 
 the Syrians, who were firft fmitten with blind- 
 nefs, and unknowingly led out of their way in* 
 to the capital of their enemy's country j info- 
 much, that the text tells us, ' when they opened 
 ' their eyes, they found themfelves in. the midft 
 * of SamartaJ 
 
 
 Friday,
 
 258 Tbe FREE-HOLD E R. 
 
 JT^tf? v*#5^^^ t^BR^^^f^^?^ f^^ 
 
 (yjd^^'SWi sss^^-^-^o^s^^s 
 N29 Friday, March 30, 1716. 
 
 P?J /f mincrem quod gerts, imperas. 
 Hinc omne princtpium, hue reftr exitum. 
 Di multa neglect-i dedcrunt 
 Hejperite mala luHuojcs. 
 
 Hor. Od. 6. 1. 3. vcr. 5. 
 
 Propitious heaven, that rais'd your fathers high, 
 
 For humble, grateful, piety, 
 
 (As it rewarded their refped) 
 
 H ath (liarply puniih'd your neglel : 
 
 All empires on the gods depend ; 
 Begun by their command, at their commancf they entf. 
 
 ROSCOMMO N. 
 
 THIS being the dayjn which the thoughts 
 of our countrymen are, or ought to be,, 
 employed on ferious fubje&s, I fliall take the 
 opportunity of that difpoiition of mind in my 
 Readers,, to recommend to them the prajftice 
 of thofe religious and moral virtues, without 
 which all policy is vain, and the beft caufe de 
 prived of its greatefl ornament and fupport. 
 
 Common fenfe, as well as the experience of all' 
 as;es, teaches us, that no Government can flourifh 
 which doth not encourage and propagate religion 
 and morality among all its particular members.. 
 It was an obfervation of the ancient Romans^ 
 that their Empire had not more increafed by the 
 ftrength of their arms, than by the fanciity of 
 their manners : And Cicero^ who feems to have 
 been better, verfed than any of them, both in the 
 
 theory
 
 N29 The FREE-HOLDER. 
 
 theory and the pra&ice of politicks, makes it a 
 doubt whether it were poflible for a community 
 to exift that had not a prevailing mixture of 
 piety in its conftitution. Juftice, temperance, 
 humility, and aim-oft every other moral virtue, 
 do not only derive the bleflings of Providence 
 upon thofe who exercife them, but are the na- 
 tural means for acquiring the publick profperity* 
 Befides ; religious motives and inftin&s are fo 
 bufy in the heart of every reafonable creature, 
 that a man who would hope to govern a fociety, 
 without any regard, to thefe principles, is as mucht 
 to be contemned for his folly, as to be detefted 
 for his impiety. 
 
 To this we may add, that the world is never 
 funk into fuch a ftate of degeneracy, but they 
 pay a natural veneration to men of virtue ; and 
 rejoice to fee themfelves conducted by tbofe,who 
 at under the awe of a fupreme Being, and who 
 think themfelves accountableforall their proceed- 
 ings to the great judge and fuperintendent of hu- 
 man affairs. 
 
 Thofe ofpur fellow-fu-bjects, who are fenfible 
 of the happinefs they enjoy in his Majefty's ac- 
 eeffion to the throne, are obliged, by all the du- 
 ties of gratitude, to adore that Providence which; 
 has fo fignally interpofed in our behalf, by clear- 
 ing a way to the proteftant fucceflion through; 
 fuch difficulties as feemed infuperable ; by de- 
 tedting the confpiracies which have been formed 
 againft it; and, by many- wonderful events, 
 weakening the hands and baffling the attempts 
 of all his Majefty's enemies, both foreign and 
 domeftick. 
 
 The party ,.who diftinguifh. themfelves by their 
 zeal for the prefent eftablimment, fhould be care- 
 ful,, in a particular manner, to difcover in their 
 
 whole:
 
 160 The FREE-HOLDER. N29 
 
 whole conduct fuch a reverence for religion, as 
 may fhewhowgroundhefc that reproach is, which 
 is caft upon them by their enemies., of being averfe 
 to our national worfhip. While others engrofs 
 to thenifelves the name of the Church, and, in 
 a manner, excommunicate the heft part oftheur 
 fellow-fuhjtdts; let us fhew ourfeives the ge- 
 nuine fons of it, by pra&ifingthe doctrines which 
 it teaches. The advantage will be vifibly on our 
 fide, if we ftick to its eflentrals; while they tri- 
 umph in that empty denomination which they 
 beftow upon themfelves. Too many of them are 
 already dipt in the guilt of perjury and fedition; 
 and as we remain unblemifhed in thefe particulars, 
 let us endeavour to excel them in all the other 
 parts of religion, and we (hall quickly find, that 
 a regular morality is, in its own nature, more 
 popular as well as more meritorious, than an in- 
 temperate zeal. 
 
 We have likewife, in the prefent times of 
 confufion and diforden, an opportunity of fhew- 
 ing our abhorrence of feveral principles which 
 have been afcribed to us by the malice of our 
 enemies. A difaffeclion to Kings and k : ngly 
 Government, with a pronenefs to rebellion, have 
 been often very unjuftly chaiged on that party 
 which goes by the name of Whigs. Ourfteady 
 and continued adherence to his Majefiy, and the 
 prefent happy fettlement, will the moft effectu- 
 ally confute this calumn) . Our adverfaries, who 
 know very well "how odious commonwealth- 
 principles are to the Englifo nation, have in- 
 verted the very fenfe of \\ords and things, ra- 
 ther than not continue to brand us with this 
 imaginary guiir: For with fome of thefe men, 
 at pref'tnt, Loyalty to our King is republicanifm,. 
 aad Rebellion paflive obedience, 
 
 It
 
 N29 T/je FREE-HOLD E R. 
 
 It has been an old obje&ion to the principles 
 of the Whigs, that feveral of their leaders, who 
 have been zealous for redreffing the grievances 
 of government, have not behaved themfelves 
 better than the Tories in domeftick fcenes of 
 life : But at the fame time have been publick. 
 patriots and private oppreflbrs. This objection, 
 were it true, has no weight in it, flnce the rrnfbe- 
 haviour of particular perfons c'oes not at ail aftedt 
 their caufe, and fmce a man may at laudably in 
 fomerefpects who does not fo in others. However, 
 it were to be wiflied, that men would not give 
 occafion even to fuch invectives; but at the fame 
 time they confult the happinefs of the whole, 
 that they would promote it to their utmoft in all 
 their private deal ings among thofe who lie more 
 immediately within their influence. In the mean 
 while I muft obferve, that this reproach, which 
 may be often ir.et with both in print and con- 
 Verfation, tends in reality to the honour of the 
 Whigs, as it fuppofes that a greater regard to 
 juuSce and humanity is to be expected from 
 them than from thofe of the oppofite party : 
 And it is certain we cannot better recommend 
 our principles, than by fuch actions as are their 
 natural and genuine fruits, 
 
 Were we thus careful to guard ourfelves in a 
 particular manner againft thefe groundiefs impu- 
 tations of our enemies; and to rife above them 
 as much in our morality as in our politicks, our 
 caufe would be always as fiourifhing as it is juft. 
 It is certain, that our notions have a more natural 
 tendency to fuch a pradtice, as we efpoufe the 
 proteftantintereft in oppofition to that of popery, 
 which is fofar from ad vanning morality by its doc- 
 trines, that it has weakened, or entirely fub verted,, 
 many of the duties even of natuial religion. 
 
 IfhaU
 
 162 T)k FRE E-HOLD E R. N29 
 
 I {hall conclude, with recommending one vir- 
 tue more to the friends of the prefent eftablifh- 
 enent, wherein the Whigs have been remarkably 
 deficient; which is a genera] unanimity and 
 concurrence in the purfuit of fuch meafures as 
 are necefTary for the well-being of their country. 
 As it is a laudable freedom of thought which un- 
 ihackles their minds frorrvthe poor and narrow 
 prejudices of education, and opens their eyes to 
 a more extenfive view of the publick good; the 
 fame freedom of thought difpofes feveral of them 
 to the embracing of particular fchemes and 
 maxims, and to a certain fmgularity of opinion 
 which proves highly prejudicial to their caufe ; 
 efpecially when they are encouraged in' them by a 
 vain breath of popularity, or by the artificial 
 praifes which are beftowed on them by the op- 
 pofite party. This temper of mind, though the 
 efFecl: of a noble principle, very often betrays 
 their friends, and brings into power the moft 
 pernicious and implacable of their enemies. In 
 cafes of this nature, it is the duty of an honeft 
 and prudent man, to facrifice a doubtful opi- 
 nion to the concurring judgment of thofe whom 
 he believes to be well intentioned to their coun- 
 try, and who have better opportunities of looking: 
 into aii its moft complicated interefts. An bo- 
 ned party of men, aftitig with unanimity, are 
 f infinitely greater confequence than the fame 
 party aiming at the fame end by different views : 
 As a large diamond is of a thoufand times 
 greater value while it remains entire, than when 
 it is cut into a multitude of fmaller ftones, not- 
 withflanding they may, each of them, be very 
 curioufly fet, and are all of the fame water. 
 
 Monday*
 
 FREE-HOLDER. 163 
 
 N30 Monday, April 2 
 
 /, 'verb's <virtuiem illude fuperbis, 
 
 Virg. /En. 9. ver. 634. 
 
 Go now, vain boafter, and true valour fcorn. 
 
 D R Y D E N. 
 
 AS I was fome years ago engaged in conver- 
 fation with a fafhionable French abbe upon 
 a fubjecl: which the people of that Kingdom love 
 to flart in difcourfe, the comparative greatnefs 
 of the two nations ; he asked me, ' How manjr 
 ' fouls I thought there might be in London ?' I 
 replied, being willing to do my country all the 
 honour I fairly could, that there were feveral who 
 computed them at near a million : but not finding 
 that furprife I expecled in his countenance, I 
 returned the queflion upon him, how many he 
 thought there might be in Parti? To whiffh he 
 anfwered with a certain grimace of coldnefs and 
 indifference, ' About ten or twelve millions/ 
 
 It would, indeed, be incredible to a man who 
 has never been in France^ fhould one relate the 
 extravagant notion they entertain of themfelves, 
 and the mean opinion they have of their neigh- 
 bours. There are certainly (notwithftanding the 
 vifible decay of learning and tafte which has- 
 appeared among them of late years) many parti- 
 cular perfons in that country, who are eminent in 
 the higheft degree for their good-fenfe, as well as 
 for their knowledge in ail the arts and fciences. 
 
 But
 
 164 e fbe F R E E-H OLDER. N3o 
 
 But I believe every one, who is acquainted with 
 them, will allow, that the people in general f;.ll 
 far fhort of thofe, who border upon them, in 
 ftrength and folidity of underflandmg. One 
 would therefore no more wonder to fee the moft 
 fhallow nation of Ewope the moft vain, than 
 to find the moil empty fellows in every diftin<t 
 nation more conceited and cenforious than the 
 reft of their countrymen. Prejudice and felf- 
 fufficieney naturally proceed from inexperience 
 of the world, and ignorance of mankind. As 
 it requires but very fmall abilities to difcover the 
 imperfections of another, we find that none are 
 more apt to turn their neighbours into ridicule, 
 than thofe who are the moft ridiculous in their 
 own private conduct. 
 
 Thofe among the F^ench^ who have feen no- 
 thing but th> ir own country, can fcarce bring 
 themfelves to believe, that a nation, which lies 
 never fo little north of them, is iiot full of Goths 
 and Vandals. Nay, thofe among them who travel 
 into fon-ign parts are fo prejudiced in favour of 
 thci own imaginary politeneis, that they are apt 
 to lock upon every thing as bai barons in propor- 
 tion as it deviates from what they find at home. 
 No lefs a man than an ambaflador ot France^ 
 being in converfation with our Kin of glori- 
 ous memory, and willing to encourage his Ma- 
 Jefty, told him, that he talked like a Frenchman. 
 The King fmiled at the encomium which was 
 given him, and only replied, * Sir, I am fure you 
 * do.' An eminent writer of the Jaftage was fo 
 offended at this kii d of infolence, which mewed 
 itfclf very plentifully in one of their travellers 
 who gave an account of England^ that he vin- 
 dicated the honour of his country in a book 
 full of jufl fatire and ingenuity. I need not ac- 
 quaint
 
 N3Q ^FREE-HOLDER. 165 
 
 quaint my Reader, that I mean Bifliop Sprat's 
 anfwer to Sorbiere. 
 
 Since I am upon this head, I cannot forbear 
 mentioning fome profound remarks that I have 
 been lately (hewn in a French book, the author 
 of which lived, it feems, fometime in England, 
 The Englijh, fays this curious Traveller, * very 
 ' much delight in Pudding, This is the favou- 
 
 * rite difli not only of the clergy, but of the 
 
 * people in general. Provided there be a Pudding 
 ' upon the table, no matter whar are the other 
 ' dimes ; they are fure to make a feaft. They 
 ' think themfelves fo happy when they have 3 
 ' Pudding before them, that if any would tell a 
 
 * friend he is arrived in a lucky juncture, the 
 ' ordinary falutation is, Sir, 1 am glad to fee you, 
 
 * you are come in Pudding-time.' 
 
 One cannot have the heart to be angry at 
 this judicious obferver, notwithftanding he has 
 treated us like a race of Hottentots^ becaufe 
 he only taxes us with our inordinate love of 
 pudding, which it muft be confefied, is not fo 
 elegant a dim as frog and fallet. Every one, 
 w]io has been at Paris, knows that Un gro$ 
 Milord Angloh is a frequent jeft upon the French 
 ftage j as if corpulence was a proper fubje& for 
 fa tire, or a man of honour could help his being 
 fat, who eats fuitable to his quality. 
 
 It would be endlefs to recount the invectives 
 which are to be met with among the French hif- 
 torians, and even in Mezeray himfelf, againft 
 the manners of our countrymen. Their au- 
 thors in other kinds of writing are likewife 
 very liberal in characters of the fame nature. 
 I cannot forbear mentioning the learned Mon- 
 fieur Patln in particular; who tells us in fo many 
 words, ' That the Englifo are a people, whom 
 
 . he
 
 166 ^FREE-HOLDER. N3o 
 
 * he naturally abhors :' And in another place, 
 < That he looks upon the Englifo among the fe- 
 ' veral nations of men, as he does upon wolves 
 among the feveral fpecies of beafts.' A Britijh 
 Writer would be veryjuftly charged with want 
 of politenefs, who, in return to this civility, 
 fhould look upon the French as that part of 
 mankind which anfwers to a fpecies in the brute 
 creation, whom we call m'Engli/b by the name 
 of monkies. 
 
 If the French load us with thefe indignities, 
 we may obferve, for our comfort, that they 
 give the reft of their borderers no better quar- 
 ter. If we are a dull, heavy, phlegmatick people, 
 we are it feems no worfe than our neighbours*. 
 As an inftance, 1 (hall fet down at large a re- 
 markable pafTage in a famous book intitled Cke- 
 vraana^ written many years ago by the celebrated 
 Monfieur Chevreau ; after having advertifed my 
 Reader that the Duchefs of Hanover, and the 
 Princefs Elizabeth of Bohemia^ who are mention- 
 ed in it, were the late excellent Princefs Sophia 
 and her Sifter. 
 
 Tilenus pour un Allemand parle & ecrit bien 
 Francois, dit Scaliger : Gretzer a bien de 1'efprit 
 pour un Allemand, dit le Cardinal du Perron : 
 Et le P. Boubcurs met en quejlion, Si un Alle- 
 mand peut etre bel efprit ? On ne doit juger ni bien 
 m mal d"une nation par un particulier^ ni a"un par- 
 ticulier par fa nation. II y a des Allemands cemme 
 des Franfois, qui riant point d'efprit; des Allemand s, 
 qui onfceu plus d'Hebreu, plus de Grec, que Scali- 
 ger ff le Cardinal du Perron : J'honcre fort Is 
 JP. Boubours, qui a du merite ; mats j'ofe dire, que 
 la France n'a point de plus bel efprit que Madame 
 Ja Duchefle deHanovre d'aujourd'hui, ni de per- 
 fonne plus de folidfment favorite en pbilofopbie que 
 
 /' etstt
 
 N30 The F R E E-Ho LD E R. i6y- 
 
 Petoit Madame laPrincefle Elizabeth de Boheme, 
 fa foeur : Etje ne croispas que I' on refufe le memetitre 
 a beaucoup d' Academidens d" Allemagne dont les cu- 
 vrages meriteroient bien d' etre traduits. II y a d* 
 autres Princeffes en Allemagne, qui ont infiniment de 
 r efprit. Les Francois difent c'eft un Allemand, 
 pour exprimer un homme pefant, brutal : & les Al~ 
 lemands, csmme les Italiens, c'eft un Francois, 
 pour dire un fou ff un etourdi. C'ejl aller trap 
 loin : comme le Prince de Sale dit de Ruyter, II eft 
 honnete homme, c'eft bien dommage qu'il foit 
 Chretien. Chevraana, Tom. I. 
 
 " Tilenus, fays Scaliger, fpeaks and writes well 
 { for a German. Gretzer has a great deal of 
 6 wit for a German, fays Cardinal Perron. And 
 
 * father Bouhours makes it a queftion, whether 
 
 * a German can be a wit ? One ought not to 
 ' judge well or ill of a nation from a particular 
 ' perfon, nor of a particular perfon from his 
 6 nation. There are Germans, as there are 
 
 * French, who have no wit ; and Germans who 
 4 are better (killed in Greek and Hebrew than 
 
 *' either Scaliger or the Cardinal du Perron. I 
 C{ have a great honour for father Bouhours, who 
 " is a man of merjt; but will be bold to fay, 
 ' that there is not in all France a perfon .of more 
 ' wit than the prefent Duchefs of Hanover; 
 ' nor more thoroughly knowing in philofophy, 
 ' than was the late Princefs Elizabeth of Boht- 
 ' mia her fifter ; and I believe none can refufe 
 ' the fame title to many academicians in Ger- 
 ' many, whofe works very well deferve to be 
 ' tranflated into our tongue. There are other 
 
 * PrincefTes in Germany, who have alfo an in- 
 ' finite deal of wit. The French fay of a man, 
 
 * that he is a German, when they would fignify 
 1 that he is dull and heavy j and the Germans,
 
 i68 72tf FREE-HOLDER. N3o 
 
 " as well as the Italians^ when they would call 
 " a man a hair-brained coxcomb, fay he is a 
 " Frenchman. This is going too far, and is like 
 " the Governor of Bailee's faying of De Ruyter 
 " the Dutch Admiral," * He is an honeft man, 
 * it is great pity he is a Chriftian.' 
 
 Having already run my Paper out to its ufual 
 length, 1 have not room for many reflexions on 
 that which is the fubje& of it. The laft cited 
 Author has been beforehand with me in its pro- 
 per moral. I (hall only add to it, that there 
 has been an unaccountable difpofition among the 
 Englijhof late years, to fetch the fafhion from the 
 French^ not only in their drefs and behaviour, 
 but even in their judgments and opinions of 
 mankind. It will however be reafonable for us, 
 if we concur with them in their contempt of 
 other neighbouring nations, that we mould 
 iikewife regard ourfelves under the fame view 
 in which they are wont to place us. The 
 reprefentations they make of us, are as of a 
 nation the leaft favoured by them ; and, as 
 thefe are agreeable to the natural averfion they 
 have for us, are more difadvantageous than the 
 pictures they have draws of apy other people 
 in Europe. 
 
 Friday,
 
 N3i ffl>e FREE-HOLD ER. 169 
 N3i Friday, April 6. 
 
 Omnes homines, P. C. qui de rebus dubiis confultant^ 
 ab odio t amidtia, ira, atque mifericordia vacuos ejfe 
 decet. Saluft. Bell. Catil. 51. 
 
 In confidering matters of doubt and uncertainty, we 
 fhould lay afide prejudice, partiality, anger, and 
 pity. 
 
 I HAVE purpofely avoided, during the whole 
 courfe of this Paper, to fpeak any thing con- 
 cerning the treatment which is due to fuch per- 
 fons as have been concerned in the late rebel- 
 lion, becaufe I would not feemto irritate juftice 
 againft thofe who are under the profecution of 
 the law, nor incenfe any of my Readers againft 
 unhappy though guilty men. ttut when we find 
 the proceedings of our Government in this par- 
 ticular traduced and mifreprefented, it is the duty 
 of every good fubjec~l to let them in their proper 
 light. 
 
 I am the more prompted to this undertaking 
 
 by a pamphlet intitled, ' An argument to prove 
 
 the affections of the people of England to be 
 
 the beft fecurity of the Ciovernment ; humbly 
 
 offered to the confideration of the patrons of 
 
 feverity, and applied to the prefent juncture of 
 
 affairs.' Had the whole fcope of the Author 
 
 been anfwerable to his title, he would have only 
 
 undertaken to prove what every man in his wits 
 
 is already convinced of. But the drift of the 
 
 pamphlet is to ftir up our compaflion towards the 
 
 I Rebels,
 
 170 The FREE -HOLDER. N3 i 
 
 Rebels, and our indignation againft the Govern- 
 ment. The Author, who knew that fuch a de- 
 fign as this could not be carried on without a 
 great deal of artifice and fophiftry, has puzzled 
 and perplexed his caufe, by throwing his thoughts 
 together in fuch a ftudied confufion, that upon 
 this account, if upon any, his pamphlet is, as the 
 party have represented it, unanfwerahle. 
 
 The famous Monfieur Bayle compares the an- 
 fwerirg of an immethodical Author to the hunt- 
 ing of a duck : When you have him full in your 
 fight, and fancy yourfelf within reach of him, he 
 gives you the flip, and becomes invifible. His 
 argument is loft in fuch a variety of matter, that 
 you muft catch it where you can, as it rifes and 
 difappears in the feveral parts of his difcourfe. 
 
 The Writer of this pamphlet could, doubtlefs, 
 have ranged his thoughts in much better order, 
 if he had pleafed ; but he knew very well, that 
 error is not to be advanced by perfpicuity. In 
 order therefore to anfwer this pamphlet, 1 muft 
 reduce the fubftance of it under proper heads ; 
 and difembroil the thoughts of the Author, 
 fince he did not think fit to do it himfelf. 
 
 In the ilrft place I (hall obferve, that the terms 
 which the Author makes tife of are loofe, gene- 
 ral, and undefined, as will be (hewn in the fequel 
 of this Paper; and what lefs becomes a fair rea- 
 foner, he puts wrong and invidious names on 
 every thing to colour a falfe way of arguing. 
 He allows that ' The Rebels indifputably merit 
 * to be feverely chaftifed; that they deferveit ac- 
 fc cording to law; and that, if they are punifhed, 
 ' they have none to thank but themfelves.' (p. 7.) 
 How can a man after fuch a conceflion make 
 ufe fometimes of the word Cruelty^ but gene- 
 rally of Revenge y when he pleads againft the 
 
 exercife
 
 N3i *The FREE-HOLDER. 171 
 
 exercife of what, according to his own notion, 
 is at the moft but rigid juftice ! or why are fuch 
 executions, which, according to his own opinion, 
 are legal, fb often to be called Violences and 
 Slaughters ? Not to mention the appellations 
 gfven to thofe who do not agree with him in his 
 opinion for clemency, as the Bloodthirfty, the 
 Political Butchers, State Chirurgeons and the like. 
 But I mall now fpeak of that point, which is 
 the great and reigning fallacy of the pamphlet, 
 and runs more or lefs through every paragraph. 
 His whole argument turns upon this fingle con- 
 fideration j Whether the King mould exert 
 mercy or juftice towards thofe who have openly 
 appeared in the prefent Rebellion ? by mercy he 
 means a general pardon, by juftice a general pu- 
 niihment : So that he fuppoles no other method 
 practicable in this juncture, than either the for- 
 giving all, or the executing all. Thus he puts 
 the queftion, * Whether it be the intereft of the 
 
 * Prince to deftroy the Rebels by fire, fword, or 
 ' gibbet ?' (p. 4.) And fpeaking of the zealots 
 for the Government, he tells us, ' They think 
 
 * no remedy lo good, as to make clear work j 
 
 * and that they declare for the utter extirpation 
 ' of all who are its enemies in the moft minute 
 e circumftance : As if amputation were the fole 
 
 * remedy thefe political butchers could find out for 
 
 * the diftempsrs of a ftate ; or that they thought 
 
 * the only way to make the top flourim were to lop 
 ' off the under branches.' (p. 5.) Hethen fpeaks 
 of the Coffee-houfe Politicians, and the Cafuifts 
 in red-coats ; ' Who, he tells us, are for the 
 4 utmoft rigour, that their laws of war or laws 
 
 * of convenience can infpire them with, (p. 5.) 
 Again, it is reprefented, fays he, ' That the 
 ' Rebels deferve the higheft punifhment the laws 
 
 I 2 can
 
 i;2, T/A.' FREE-HOL DER. N3I 
 4 can infiict,' (p. 7.) And afterwards tells us, 
 
 * The queftion is, whether the Government fhall 
 fc fliew mercy, or take a reverend Divine's advice, 
 < to flay man and woman, infant and fuckling ?' 
 (p. 8.) Thus again he tells us, ' The friends to 
 ' i'cvere counfels alledge, that the Government 
 k ought not to be moved by companion; and that 
 
 * the law mould have its courfe.' (p. 9.) And 
 in another place puts thefe words in their mouths, 
 ' He may ftill retain their affection, and yet let 
 ' the laws have their courfe in punifhing the 
 ' guilty.' (p. 18.) He goes upon the fame fup- 
 pofition in the following paffages ; * It is im- 
 
 * practicable in fo general a corruption, to de- 
 
 * ftroy all who are infected ; and unlefs you de- 
 ' ftroy all you do nothing to thepurpofe, (p. 10.) 
 ' Shall our rightful King fhew himfelf lefs the 
 ' true father of his people, and afford his pardon 
 ' to none of thofe people, who (like King Lear 
 ' to his daughters) had fo great a confidence in 
 ' his virtue as to give htm all ?' (p. 25.) I fhall 
 only add, that the concluding paragraph, which 
 is worked up with fo much artificial horror, goes 
 upon a fuppofition anfwerable to the whole 
 tenor of the pamphlet ; and implies, that the 
 Impeached Lords were to be executed without 
 exception or difcrimination. 
 
 Thus we fee what is the Author's idea of that 
 juftice againft which all his arguments are le- 
 velled. If, in the next place, we confider the na- 
 ture of that clemency which he recommends, we 
 find it to be no lefs univerfal and unreftrained. 
 
 He declares for a genera] act of indemnity, 
 (p. 20.) and tell us, ' It is thefenfe of every dif- 
 ' paffionate man of the Kingdom, that the Rebels 
 4 may and ought to be pardoned, (p. 19.) One 
 
 * popular act, fays he, would even yet retrieve 
 
 all.
 
 N 3 1 The F R E E-H OLDER. 1 73 
 
 * all. (p. 21.) He delares himfelf not over-fond 
 
 * of the doctrines of making examples of traitors 
 4 (ibid.} And that the way to prevent things from 
 
 * being brought to an extremity, is to deal 
 
 * mildly with thofe unfortunate gentlemen en- 
 
 * gaged in the rebellion.' 
 
 1 he reader may now fee in how fallacious a 
 manner this writer has ftated the controverly : 
 He fuppofes there are but two methods of treat- 
 ing the Rebels : That is by cutting off every 
 one of them to a man, or pardoning every one 
 of them without diftin&ion. Now if there be 
 a third method between thcfe two extremes, 
 which is on all accounts more eligible than 
 either of them 5 it is certain, that the whole courfc 
 of his argumentation comes to nothing. Every 
 man of the plaineft underfhmding will eafily 
 conclude, that in the cafe before us, as in moft 
 others, we ought to avoid both extremes : That 
 to deftroy every Rebel would be an exceflive fe- 
 verity, and to forgive every one of them an un- 
 reafonable weaknefs. The proper method of 
 proceeding is that which the Author has pur- 
 pofely omitted: namely, to temper juftice with 
 mercy ; and, according to the different circum- 
 frances that aggravate or alleviate the guilt of the 
 offenders, to reftrain the force of the laws, or to 
 let them take their proper courfe. Punifhments 
 are neceflary to fhew there is juftice in a Govern- 
 ment, and pardons to (hew there is mercy; and 
 both together convince the people, that our con- 
 ftitution, under a good adminiftration, does not 
 only make a difference between the guilty and 
 the innocent, but even, among the guilty, be- 
 tween fuch as are more or lefs criminal. 
 
 This middle method, which has been always 
 
 practifed by wife and good governors, has 
 
 I 3 hitherto
 
 1 74 The F R E E-H OLDER. N 3 i 
 
 hitherto been made ufe of by our Sovereign. If, 
 indeed a ftranger, and one who is altogether 
 unacquainted with his Majefty's conduct, fhould 
 read this pamphlet, he would conclude, that 
 cverv perfon engaged in the rebellion was to die 
 by the Sword, the Halter, or the Ax ; nay, that 
 their friends and abettors were involved in the 
 lame fate. Would it be poflible for him to 
 imagine, that of the feveral thoufands openly 
 taken in arms, and liable to death by the laws 
 of their country, not above forty have yet 
 fuffered ? How would he be furprifed to hear, 
 that, notwithstanding his Majefty's troops have 
 been victorious in every engagement, more of 
 his friends have loft their lives in this rebel- 
 lion, than of his traiterous fubjedls ; though we 
 add to thofe who have died by the hand of 
 juftice thofe of them who fell in battle ? And 
 yet we find a more popular compaflion endea- 
 voured to be raifed for the deaths of the guilty, 
 who have brought fuch calamities on their 
 country, than for the innocent who periflied 
 in the defence of it. 
 
 This middle methoJ of proceeding, which 
 has been purfued by his Majefty, and is wil- 
 fully overlooked by the Author, beft anfwers 
 the ends of Government ; which is to maintain 
 the fafety of the publick by rewards and pu- 
 nifhmcnts. ft is alfo incumbent on a Governor, 
 according to the received dictates of Religion ; 
 which in ft r lifts us, * That he beareth not the 
 
 * fword in vain ; but ought to be a terror to evil- 
 
 * doers, and a praife to them that do well.' It 
 is likewife, in a particular manner, the duty of 
 a Britijb King, who obliges himfclf by his coro- 
 nation-oath to execute Juftice in Mercy, that 
 is, to mix them in his adminifr.rar.ion, and not 
 
 to
 
 N3i The FRE E-HOLDE R. 375 
 
 to exercife either of them to the total exclufion 
 of the other. 
 
 But if we confider the arguments which this 
 Author gives for clemency, from the good ef- 
 fects it would produce, we (hall find, that they 
 hold true only when applied to fuch a mercy 
 as ferves rather to mitigate than exclude juftice. 
 7"he excellence of that unlimited clemency, 
 which the Author contends for, is recommended 
 by the following arguments. 
 
 Fir ft) That it endears a Prince to his people. 
 This he defcants on in feveral parts of his book. 
 4 Clemency will endear his perfon to the nation ; 
 
 * and then they wil! neither have the power nor 
 will todifturb him, (p. 8.J Was there ever' a 
 
 * cruel Prince, that was not hated by his fub- 
 ' jecls ? (p, 42.) A merciful good-natured dif- 
 
 * pofition is of all others the moft amiable 
 
 * quality, and in Princes always attended with 
 ' a popular love. (p. 18.)' 
 
 -It is certain, that fuch a popular Jove will 
 always rife towards a good Prince, who exercifes 
 fuch a mercy as I have before defcribed, which 
 is confident with the fafety of the conffitution, 
 and the good of his kingdom. But if it be thrown 
 away at random, it lofes its virtue, leflens the 
 efteem and authority of a Prince, .and cannot 
 long recommend him, even to the weakeft of his 
 fubjects, who will find all the effects of cruelty 
 in fuch an ill grounded companion. It was a. 
 famous faying of William Rufits, and is quoted to 
 his honour by hiftorians : ' Whofoever fpares 
 
 * perjured men, robbers, plunderers and traitors, 
 
 * deprives all cpod men of their peace and quiet- 
 4 nefs, and lays a foundation of innumerable 
 ' mii'chiefs to the virtuous and innocent.' 
 
 I 4 Another
 
 176 TZv FR E E-Ho L DE R. N3i 
 
 Another argument for unlimited clemency is, 
 that it fhews a courageous temper : ' Clemency 
 is likewife an argument of fearlefhefs; whereas 
 cruelty not only betrays a weak, abject, de- 
 praved fpirit ; but alfo is for the mod part a 
 
 certain fign of cowardife, (p. jg.) He had 
 
 a truly great foul, and fuch will always difdain 
 the coward's virtue, which is fear ; and the 
 confequence of it, which is revenge,' (p. 27.) 
 This panegyrick on clemency, when it is go- 
 verned by reafon, is likewife very right ; but it 
 may fo happen, that the putting of laws in exe- 
 cution againft traitors to their country may be the 
 argument of fearleVnefs, when our Governors are 
 told that they dare not do it ; and fuch methods 
 may be made ufe of to extort pardons, as would 
 make it look like cowardife to grant them. In 
 this Jaft cafe the Author fhould have remembred 
 his own words, that * then only mercy is-meri- 
 ' torious when it is voluntary, and not extorted 
 ' by the neceffity of affairs,' (p. 13.) Befides, the 
 Author fhould have confidered that another ar- 
 gument which he makes ufe of for his clemency, 
 are the refentments that may arife from the exe- 
 cution of a Rebel : An argument adapted to a 
 cowardly, not a fearlefs temper. This he infers 
 from the difpofition of ' The friends, well- 
 wifhers, or aficciates of the fufferers, (p. 4.) 
 refentment will inflame fome j in others com- 
 paflion will, by degrees, rife into refentment. 
 This will naturally beget a difpofition to over- 
 turn what theydiflike, and then there will want 
 only a fair opportunity,' (p. 11.) This argu- 
 ment like mod of the others, pleads .equally for 
 malefactors of all kinds, whom the Government 
 can never bring to juftice, without difobliging 
 their friends, well-wifhers, or afibciates. Out, I 
 
 believe
 
 N3i Tbe FREE-Ho LDER. 177 
 
 believe if the Author would converfe with any 
 friend, well-wifher, or aflbciate of thefe fuffe- 
 rers, he would find them rather deterred from 
 their practices by their fufferin^s, than difpofed 
 to rife in a new Rebellion to revenge them. A 
 Government muft be in a very weak and me- 
 lancholy condition, that is not armed with a 
 fufficient power for its own defence againft 
 the refentment of its enemies, and is afraid 
 of being overturned, if it does juftice on thofe 
 who attempt it. But I am afraid the main reafon 
 why thefe friends, well- wifhers and afibciates, are 
 againft punifhing any of theRebels, is that which 
 muft be an argument with every wife Governor 
 for doing juftice upon fome of them ; namely,, 
 that it is a likely means to come at the bottom 
 of this confpiracy, and to detect thofe who have 
 been the private abettors of it, and who are ftill 
 at work in the fame defign, if we give credit to. 
 the fuggeftions of our malecontents themfelves, 
 who labour to make us believe, that there is ftill 
 rife in this wicked project. 
 
 I am wonderfully furprifed to fee another ar- 
 gument made ufeof for a general pardon, which 
 might have been urged more properly for a gene- 
 ral execution. The words are thefe ; ' The ge- 
 
 * nerality will never be brought to believe, but 
 
 * that thofe who naffer only for treafon have very 
 
 * hard mcafure, nor can you with all your fe- 
 ' verity undeceive them of their error.' if the 
 generality of the Englijh have fuch a favourable 
 opinion of treafon, nothing can cure them of an 
 error fo fatal to their country as the punifliment 
 of thofe who are guilty of it. It is evident, that 
 a general impunity would confirm them in fuch< 
 an opinion : For the vulgar will never be brought 
 to believe, that there is a crime where they fee 
 
 I 5 no
 
 178 TZv FRE E-HOLDE R. N3i 
 
 no penalty. As it is certain no error can be 
 more destructive to the very being of govern- 
 ment than this, a proper remedy ought to be 
 applied to it : And I would afk this Author, 
 whether, upon this occafion, * the doctrine of 
 
 * making examples of traitors' be not very fea- 
 fonable ; though he declares himfelf ' not over- 
 ' ibnd of it.' The way to awaken mens minds to 
 the fenfe of this guilt, is to let them fee by the 
 fufferings of fome who have incurred it, how 
 hainous a crime it is in the eye of the law- 
 
 The foregoing anfwer may be applied like- 
 wife to another argument of the fame nature. 
 ' If the faction be as numerous as is pretended j 
 
 * if the fpirit has fpread itfelf over the whole 
 
 * Kingdom ; if it has mixed with the mafs of the 
 ' people ; then certainly all bloody meafures 
 ' will but whet men the more for revenge.' If 
 juftice inflicted on a few of the moft flagrant 
 criminals, with mercy extended to the multi- 
 tude, may be called bloody meafures, they are 
 without doubt abfolutely necellary, in cafe the. 
 ipirit of faction be thus fpread among the mafs of 
 the people; who will readily conclude, that if 
 open Rebellion 2oes unpunimed, every degree of 
 faction which leads to it muft be altogether in- 
 nocent. 
 
 I am come now to another argument for par- 
 doning all the Rebels, which is, that it would 
 infpire tbem~all with gratitude, and reduce them 
 to their allegiance. l It is tiuly heroick to over- 
 come the hearts of one's enemies ; and when it 
 is compafltd, the undertaking is truly politick, 
 (p. 8.) He has now a fair oppcriunity of 
 conquering more enemies by cue act of cle- 
 mency, than the moft fu.ccefsful General will be 
 able to do in many campaigns, (p. 9.) Are there 
 
 1 rnt
 
 N c 3i Tfc FREE-HOLDER. 179 
 
 not infinite numbers who would become 'mod 
 dutiful upon any fair invitation, upon the leaft 
 appearance of grace ? (p. 13.) Which of the 
 Rebels could be ungrateful enough to refill: or 
 abufe goodnefs exemplified in practice, as well 
 as extolled in theory ?' (p. 20.) Has not his 
 Majefty then fhewn the leaf! appearance of gra ce 
 in that genero us foigivenefs which he has already 
 extended to fuch great numbers of his rebellious 
 fubjecls, who mutl have died by the laws of their 
 country, had not his mercy interpofed in their 
 behali ? But if the Author means, (as he doth 
 through this whole pamphlet by the like expref- 
 fions) an univerfal forgivenefs, no unprejudiced 
 man can be of his opinion, that it would have had 
 this good eft'edr. We may fee how little the con- 
 verfion of Rebels is to be depended on, when 
 we obferve,that feveral of theLeaders in this Re- 
 bellion were men who had been pardoned fbt: 
 practices of the fame nature : And that moil of- 
 thofe, who have fuffered, have avowed their 
 peifcverance in their rebellious principles, when, 
 they fpoke their minds at the place of execu- 
 tion, notwithftancfing their profeffions to the 
 contrary, while they folicited forgivenefs. Be- 
 ildes, were pardon extended indifferently to all, 
 which of them would think himfelf under any 
 particular obligation I Whereas, by that prudent 
 discrimination which his Majefty has made be- 
 tween the offenders of different degrees, he na-- 
 turally obliges thofe whom he has confidered with 
 fo much tendernefs, and diftinguifhed as the moft 
 proper objects of mercy. In fhort, thofe who are- 
 pardoned would not have known the value of 
 grace, if none had felt the effech of juftice. 
 
 I- muft not omit another reafon which the 
 Author makes ufe of againft punifhments ; ' Be- 
 < cauie, he lays, thole very means, or the ap- 
 
 * prehenfioa?
 
 i8o The FREE-HOLDER. N3i 
 
 4 prehenfions of them, have brought things to 
 4 the pa(s in which they are, and confequently, 
 * will reduce them from bad to worfe, (p. 10.) 
 ' And afterwards, the growth of diffaffectton is 
 ' in a great meafure owing to the groundlefs 
 ' jealoufies men entertained of the prefent ad- 
 ' fhiniftration, as if they were to expect no- 
 ' thing but cruelty under it.' If our Author 
 would have fpoken out, and have applied thefe 
 effects to the real caufe, he could afcribe this 
 change of affections among the people to no- 
 thing elfe hut the change of the miniftry : For 
 we find that a great many perfons loft their loy- 
 alty with their places ; and that their friends 
 have ever fince made ufe of the moft bafe me- 
 thods to infufe thofe groundlefs difcontents into 
 the minds of the common people, which have 
 brought fo many of them to the brink of de- 
 ftructton, and proved fo detrimental to their fel- 
 low fubjects. However, this proceeding has 
 ihewn how dangerous it would have been for his 
 Majefty to have continued in their places of truft 
 a fet of men, fome of whom have fince actually 
 joined with the Pretender to his Crown : While 
 others maybe juftiy fufpected never to have been 
 faithful to him in their hearts, or, at leaft, whofe 
 principles are precarious, and vifibly conducted 
 by their intereft. In a word, if the removal of 
 thefe perfons from their ports has produced fuch 
 popular commotions, the continuance of them 
 might have produced fomethingmuch more fatal 
 to their King and country, and have brought 
 about that revolution, which has now been in 
 vain attempted. The condition of a Briiifli King 
 would be very poor indeed, fhould a party of his 
 i'ubjects threaten him with a rebellion upon his 
 bringing malefactors to juftice, or upon his re- 
 lufmg to employ thofe whom, he dares not truft. 
 
 I ihall
 
 N'3* he FREE-HOLDER. 18 1 
 
 I fliall only mention another argument againft 
 the punifhment of any of the rebels, whofe exe- 
 cutions he reprefents as very (hocking to the 
 people, becaufe they are their countrymen, 
 (p. 12.) And again, ' The quality of the fuffer- 
 ers, their alliances, their characters, their 
 being Engltflmun^ with a thoufand other cir- 
 cumftances, will contribute to breed more ill 
 blo:)d than all the flate-chirurgeons can pof- 
 fibly let out,* (p. 12.) The impeached Lords 
 likewife, in the laft paragraph of the pamphlet, 
 are recommended to our pity, becaufe they are 
 our countrymen. By this v/ay of reafoning, 
 no man that is a Gentleman, or born within 
 the three feas, (hould be fubjecl: to capital 
 puniftiment. JBefides, who can be guilty of 
 rebellion, that are not our countrymen ? As for 
 the endearing name of Englijhman^ which he 
 beftows upon every one of the criminals, he 
 fhould confider, that a man defervedly cuts hirn- 
 felf off from the affections as well as the privi- 
 leges of that community, which he endeavours 
 to fubvert. 
 
 Thefe are the feveral arguments which appear 
 in different forms and expreffions through this 
 whole pamphlet, and under which every one that 
 is urged in it may be reduced. There is inJeed 
 another fet of them, derived from the example 
 and authority of great perfons, which the Author 
 produces ia favour of his own fcbeme. Thefe 
 are JVilliam the Conqueror, Henry the Fourth 
 of France, our late King I'/llliam^ King Solomon^ 
 and the Pretender. If a man were difpofed to 
 draw arguments for feverity out of hiftory, how 
 many inlrances might one find of it among the 
 greatefl Princes of every nation? But as dif- 
 ferent Princes may at very laudably by different 
 
 methods
 
 1 82 The F R E E-H OLDER. N 9 3 r 
 
 methods in different conjunctures, I cannot think 
 this a conclufive way of reafoning. However, 
 let us examine this fet of aiguments, and we 
 fhall find them no lei's defective than thofe above- 
 mentioned. 
 
 4 One of the greateft of our Englijh Monarchs/ 
 fays our Author, was WiViam the Conqueror ; 
 ' and he was the greater, becaufe he put to death 
 
 * only one perfon of Quality that we read of, and 
 ' him after repeated treacheries ; yet he was a fo- 
 
 * reigner, had power fuflkient, and did not want 
 
 * provocations to have been more bloody,'(p.27.) 
 This perfon of Quality was the Tttt\ Wahbafr 
 who, being overtaken with wine, engaged in a 
 con fpi racy againft this Monarch, but, repenting 
 of it the next morning, repaired to the King 
 who was then in Normandy, and difcovered the 
 whole matter. Notwithstanding; which, he was 
 beheaded upon the defeat of the confpiracy, for 
 having but thus far tampered in it. And as for 
 the reft of the confpirators, who rofe in an actual 
 rebellion, the King ufed them with the utmoft 
 rigour; he cut oft* the hands offome, put out 
 the eyes of others ; fome were hanged upon gib- 
 bets, and thofe who fared the beft were lent into 
 banifhment. There are, indeed, the moft dread- 
 ful examples of feverity in this reign : Though it 
 muft be conferled, that, after the manner of 
 thofe times, the Nobility generally efcaped with 
 their lives, though multitudes of them were pu- 
 nKhed with banifhment, perpetual imprifonment, 
 forfeitures, and other great feverities : While 
 the poor people, who had been deluded by thefe 
 their ringleaders, were executed with the utmoft 
 rigour. A partiality, which I believe no com- 
 moner of England will ever think to be either 
 juft or reafor.able. 
 
 The
 
 N3 1 fbe F R E E-H OLD ER. 1 83 
 
 The next inftance is/j&wry the Fourth of France^ 
 who (fays our Author) To handfomly exprefFed 
 his tendernefs for his people, when, at figning . 
 the treaty of Fervins^ he faid, that by one daih 
 of his pen he had overcome more enemies, than 
 he could ever be able to do with his fword.' 
 Would not an ordinary reader think that this 
 treaty of Vervins was a treaty between Henry the 
 Fourth and a party of his fubjecls r For otherwife, 
 how can it have a place in the prefent argument? 
 But inftead of that, it was a treaty between 
 France and Spain; fo that the fpeech exprefTed an 
 equal tendernefs to the Spaniards and French; as 
 multitudes of either nation muft have fallen in 
 that war, had it continued longer. As for this 
 King's treatment of confpirators, (though he is 
 quoted thrice in the pamphlet as an example of 
 clemency) you have an eminent inftance of it in 
 his behaviour to the Marefchal de Birou^-who had 
 been his old faithful fervant % and had contributed 
 more than any one to his advancement to the 
 throne. This Marefchal, upon fome difcon- 
 tent, was entered into a confpiracy againft his 
 mafter, and refufmg to open the whole fecret to 
 the King, he was lent to the Bo/lile, and there 
 beheaded, notwithstanding he fought for mercy 
 with great importunities, and in the moft moving 
 manner. There are other inftances in this King's 
 reign, who notwithftanding was remarkable for 
 his clemency, of rebels and confpirators who 
 were hanged, beheaded, or broken alive on the 
 wheel. 
 
 The late King IVilliam was not difturbed by 
 any rebellion from thofe who had once fubmit- 
 ted to him. But we know he treated the perfons 
 concerned in the aflaffination-pl-ot as fo horrid 
 a confpiracy dsferved. As for the faying which 
 
 this
 
 1 84 Tlx F R E E-H OLDER, N3 I 
 
 this Author imputes to that Monarch, it being 
 a piece of fecret hiftory, one doth not know 
 when it was fpoken, or what it alluded to, un- 
 lefs the Author had been more particular in the 
 account of it. 
 
 The Author proceeds in the next place to no- 
 lefs an authority, than that of Solomon: ' Among 
 ' all the general obiervations ofthewifeft Princes 
 ' we know of, I think there is none holds more 
 
 * univerfally than mercy and truth preferve a 
 ' King, and his throne is eftablifhed in mercy,' 
 (p. 18.) If we compare the different fayings of 
 this wife King, which relate to the conduct of 
 Princes, we cannot queftion but that he means 
 by this mercy that kind of it, which is confident 
 with reafon and government, and by which we 
 hope to fee his Majefty's throne efbblifhed. 
 But our Author mould confider, that the fame 
 wife man has (aid in another place, that " An 
 " evil man feeketh rebellion, therefore a cruel 
 *' meflenser mould be fent againft him." Ac- 
 cordingly his pa6tice was agreeable to his pro- 
 verb : No Prince having ever given a greater 
 teftimony of his abhorrence to undertakings 
 of this treafonable nature. For he di^atched 
 fuch a cruel meSenger, as is here mentioned to 
 thofe who had been engaged in a Rebellion 
 many years before he himfelf was on the throne, 
 and even to his elder brother, upon the bare 
 fufpicion that he was projecting fo wicked an 
 enterprise. 
 
 How the example of the Pretender came into 
 this argument, I am at a lofs to find out. ' The 
 
 * Pretender declared a general pardon to all i. 
 
 * And (hall our rightful King mew himfelf lefs 
 
 * the true father of his people, and afrord his 
 
 * pardon to none,' &c. (p. 25.) The Pretender's 
 
 general
 
 N3i The FREE-HO LD E R. 185 
 
 general pardon was to a people who were not in 
 his power ; and had he ever reduced them under 
 it, it was only pfomifed to fuch as immediately 
 joined with him for the recovery of what he 
 called his right. It was fuch a general pardon as 
 would have been confident with the execution 
 of more than nine parts in ten of the kingdom. 
 
 There is but one more hiftorical argument, 
 \vhich is drawn from King Philip's treatment 
 of the Catalans. * I think it would not be unfea- 
 fonable for fome men to recollect what their 
 own notions were of the treatment of the Ca- 
 talans , how many declamations were made on 
 the barbarity ufed towards them by KingP/6/A/>, 
 &c.' (p. 29.) If the Author remembers, thefe 
 declamations, as he calls them, were not made 
 fo much on the barbarity ufed towards them by 
 KingPbi/ip, as onthebarbarity ufed towards them, 
 by the /{/ government. KingP/W//> might have 
 fome colour for treating them as rebels, but we 
 ought to have regarded them as allies ; and were 
 obliged by all the ties of honour, confcience, and 
 publick faith, to have flickered them from thofe 
 jufFerinrs, which were brought upon them by a 
 firm and inviolable adherence to our intereft. 
 However, none can draw into a parallel the 
 cruelties, which have been inflicted on that un- 
 happy people, with thofe few inftances of feve- 
 rity which our Government has been obliged to 
 exert towards the Briiijh rebels. I fay, no man 
 would make fuch a parallel, unlefs his mind 
 be fo blinded with paffion and prejudice, as to 
 affert, in the language of this pamphlet, ' That 
 6 no inftances can be produced of the leaft lenity 
 e under the prefent adminiftrat'ion from the firit 
 * hour it commenced to this day,' (p. 20.) with 
 other ailoniihing reflexions of the fame nature, 
 
 which
 
 186 Tije FRE E-HoiDE R. 
 
 which are contradicted by fuch i 
 matters of fait, that it would bean affront t<> 
 a. leader's underftanding to endeavour to con- 
 fute them. But to return to the Catalans; 4 Dur- 
 * ing the whole courfe of the war,' fays the Au- 
 thor, ' which ever of them fubmitted to difcre- 
 ' tion, were received to mercy,' (p. 22.) This is 
 fo far from being truly related, that in the begin- 
 ning of the war they were executed without 
 mercy. But when, in conjunction with their allies, 
 they became fuperior to King Philip's party in 
 ftrength, and extended their conquefts up to the 
 very gates of Madrid^ it cannot be fuppofed the 
 Spanip) court would be fo infatuated as to perilft 
 in their firft feverities againft an enemy that 
 could make fuch terrible reprifals. However, 
 when this reafon of ftate ceafed, how dreadful 
 was the havock made among this brave but un- 
 happy people! The whole kingdom, without 
 any diftinc~iion to the many thoufands of its m- 
 jiocent inhabitants, was ftriptofits immunities, 
 and reduced to a flate of flavery. Barcelona was 
 filled with executions ; and all the patriots of 
 their ancient liberties either beheaded, flowed in 
 dungeons, or condemned to work in the mines 
 of America. 
 
 God be thanked we have a King who puniflies 
 with reluctancy, and~is averfe to fuch cruelties 
 as \vere ufed among the Catalans^ as much as 
 to thofe practiied on the perfons concerned in 
 lltfonmoutb's Rebellion. Our Author indeed con- 
 demns thole 1l\Jlc>n affizes in King James's 
 Reign, (p. 26.) And it would be well, ir" all 
 thofe who flill adhere to the caufe of that unfor- 
 tunate King, and are clamorous at the proceed- 
 ings of his prefent Majefty, would remember, 
 that notwithftanding that Rebellion fell very 
 
 much
 
 N3 1 The F R E E-H OLDER. 1 87 
 
 much fhort of this both in the number and 
 ftrength of the rebels, and had no tendency ei- 
 ther to deflroy the national religion, to intro- 
 duce an arbitrary government, or to fubjecT: us 
 to a foreign power; not only the chief of the 
 rebels was beheaded, but even a Lady, who 
 had only harboured one of the offenders in her 
 houfe, was in her extreme old age put to the 
 fame kind of death : That about two hundred 
 and thirty were hanged, drawn and quartered 
 and their limbs difperfed through feveral parts 
 of the country, and fet up as fpeclacles of terror 
 to their feliow-fubjecls. It would be too tedious 
 a work to run through the numberlefs fines, 
 imprifonments , corporal punifhment? , and 
 tranfportations, which were then likewife prac- 
 tifed as wholfom feverities. 
 
 We have now feen howfallacioufiy the Author 
 has {rated the caufe he has undertaken, by fup- 
 pofing that nothing but unlimked mercy, or un- 
 limited punifhment, are the methods' that can 
 be made ufe of fn our prefent treatment of the 
 rebels : That he has omitted the middle wa/of 
 proceeding between thefe two extremes : That 
 this middle way is the method in which his 
 Majc/ry, like all other wife and good Kino;s, 
 fcas chofen to proceed : That it is agreeable to 
 the nature of Government, Religion, and our 
 Briti/?} Conftitution : And that every argument 
 which the Author has produced from reafon 
 and example, would have been a true one, had 
 it been urged for that reftrained clemency which 
 his Majefty has exercifed ; but is a falfe one, 
 when applied to fuch a general, undiftinguifh- 
 ing mercy as the Author would recommend. 
 
 Having thus anfwered that which is the main 
 drift and delign of this pamplet, 1 fhall touch 
 
 upon
 
 1 88 The F R E E-H OLDER. N$r 
 
 upon thofe other parts of it,which are interwoven 
 with the arguments, to put men out of humour 
 with the prefent Government. 
 
 And here we may obferve, that it is our Au- 
 thor's method to fuppofe matters of fat which 
 are not in being, and afterwards to defcant upon 
 them. As he is very fenfible that the caufe will 
 not bear the teft of reafon, he has indeed every 
 where chofen rather topicks for declamation 
 than argument. Thus he entertains us with a 
 laboured inveclive againfta ftanding-army. But 
 what has this to do in the prefent cafe? 1 fup- 
 pofe he would not advife his Majefty to difband 
 his forces while there is an army of rebels in 
 his dominions. I cannot imagine he would think 
 the affedtions of the people of England a fecu- 
 rity of the Government in fuch a juncture, 
 were it not at the fame time defended with a fuf- 
 ficient body of troops. No Prince has ever 
 given a greater inftance of his inclinations to rule 
 without a ftanding-army, if we confider, that 
 upon the very fir- ft news of the defeat of the 
 rebels, he declared to both houfes of Parliament, 
 that he had put an immediate ftop to the levies 
 which he had begun to raife at their requeft, and 
 that he would not make ufe of the power which 
 they had intruded him with, unlefs any new pre- 
 parations of the enemy fhould make it necefiary 
 for our defence. This fpcech was received with 
 the greatc-ft gratitude by both houfes ; and it is 
 fald, that in the Huiife of Commons a very can- 
 did and honourable Gentleman (who generally 
 votes with the minority) declared, that he had 
 not heard fo gracious a fpeech from the throne 
 ior many years laft paft. 
 
 In another place, he fuppofes that theGovern- 
 nient has not endeavoured to gain the applaufe of 
 
 the
 
 N3i ^FREE-HOLDER. 189 
 
 the vulgar, by doing fomething for the Church ; 
 and very gravely makes excufes for this their pre- 
 tended neglect. What greater inftances could 
 his Majefty have given of his love to the Church 
 of England, than thofe he has exhibited by his 
 moft fblemn declarations} by his daily exam- 
 p'le; and by his promotions of the moft eminent 
 among the clergy to fuch vacancies as have hap- 
 pended in his reign. To which we muft add, 
 for the honour of his Government in this, parti- 
 cular, that it has done more for the advantage 
 of the clergy, than thofe, who are the mod zea- 
 lous for their intereft, could have expected in fo 
 fhort a time ; which will farther appear, if we 
 reflect upon the valuable and royal donative to 
 one of our Univerfhies, and the provifion made 
 for thofe who are to officiate in the fifty new 
 churches. His Majefty is, indeed, a Prince of 
 too much magnanimity and truth, to make ufe 
 of the name of the Church for drawing his peo- 
 ple into any thing that may be prejudicial to 
 them ; for what our Author fays, to this pur- 
 pofe, redounds as much to the honour of the pre- 
 fent adminiftration, as to the difgrace of others. 
 ' Nay, I wifh with all my foul they had ftooped 
 * a little 0^ captumvulgi to take in thofe (hallow 
 ' fluttering hearts, which are to be caught by 
 ' any thing baited with the name of Church,' 
 (p. n.) 
 
 Again: The Author afks, * Whether terror is 
 ' to become the only national principle?' With 
 other queftionsof the fame nature: And in feveral 
 parts of his book harangues very plentifully 
 againft fuch a notion. Where he talks in ge- 
 neral upon, this topick, there is no queftion bat 
 every Whig and Tory in the kingdom perfectly 
 agree with him in what he fays. But if he would
 
 190 ffle F R E E-H OLDER. N3 1 
 
 infmuate, as he feems to do in feveral places, that 
 there mould be no impreflkms of awe upon the 
 mind of a fubje&, and that a Government 
 fhould not create terror in thofe who are difpof- 
 ed to do ill, as well as encourage thofe that do 
 their duty: In fhort, if he is for an entire ex- 
 clufion of that principle of fear which is fup- 
 pofed to have fome influence in every law, he 
 oppofes himfelf to the form of every Govern- 
 ment in the world, and to the common fenfe 
 of mankind. 
 
 The artifice of this Author in ftarting objec- 
 tions to the friends of the Government, and the 
 foolifh anfwers which he fuppofes they return to 
 them, is fo very vifible, that every one fees they 
 are defigned rather to divert his reader, than to 
 inftrucl him. 
 
 I have now examined this whole pamphlet; 
 which, indeed, is written with a great deal of art, 
 and as much argument as the caufe would bear. 
 And after having ftated the true notion of cle- 
 mency, mercy, companion, good-nature, hu- 
 manity, or whatever elfe it may be called, fo far 
 as is confiftent with wifdom, and the good of 
 mankind ; or, in other words, fo far as it is a 
 moral virtue, I fhall readily concur with the Au- 
 thor in the higheft panegyricks that he has be- 
 itowed upon it: As iikewife, I heartily join with 
 him in every thing he has faid againft juftice, if" 
 it includes, as his pamphlet fuppofes, the extir- 
 pation of every criminal, and is not exercifed 
 with a much greater mixture of clemency than 
 rigour. Mercy, in the true fenfe of the word, 
 is that virtue by which a Prince approaches near- 
 eft to him, whom he reprefents j and while he 
 is neither remifs nor extreme to animadvert upon 
 thofe who offend him, that logick will hold 
 
 true
 
 N32 The FRE E-HOLD ER. 191 
 
 true of him which is applied to the great Judge 
 of all the earth ; ' With thee there is mercy ; 
 * therefore (halt thou be feared.' 
 
 N32 Monday, April 9. 
 
 Hen miftrte civet ! non hojlem, inimicaque cujlra 
 
 ArghrtUR ; <veftras fpei uritis 
 
 Virg, JEn. 5, ver. 671. 
 
 What madnefs moves ye, matrons, to deftroy 
 The lait remainders of unhappy Troy? 
 Not holliie fleets, but your own hopes ye burn, 
 And on your friends your fatal fury turn. 
 
 "D R y D E N. 
 
 IQueftion not but the Britifi Ladies are very 
 well pleafed with the compliment I have paid 
 them in the courfe of my Papers, by regarding 
 them not only as the moft amiable, but as the 
 moft important part of our community. They 
 ought, indeed, torefentthe treatment they have 
 met with from other Authors, who have never 
 troubled their heads about them, but addrefied 
 all their arguments to the male half of their fel- 
 low-fubjedls ; and taken it for granted, that, if 
 they could bring thefe into their meafures, the 
 females would of courfe follow their political 
 mates. T he arguments they have made ule of 
 are like Uudibras's fpur, which he applied to 
 one fide of his horfe, as not doubting but the 
 other would keep pace with it. Thefe writers 
 fcem to have regarded the Fair Sex but as they 
 
 are
 
 192 ^FREE-HOLDER. N32 
 
 are of ufe in a nation ; and when they confider 
 them as parts of the commonwealth, it is only 
 as they are of ufe to the confumption of our ma- 
 nufacture. ' Could we perfuade our Britijh wo- 
 ' men' fays one of our eminent merchants in a 
 letter to his friend in the country upon the fubje6t 
 of commerce) c to clothe themfelves in the 
 comely apparel which might be made out of 
 the wool of their own country ; and inftead 
 of coffee, tea, and chocolate, to delight in 
 thofe wholfom and palatable liquors which 
 may be extracted from the Britijh fimples j 
 they would be of great advantage to trade, 
 and therein to the publick weal.' 
 It is now, however, become neceffary to treat 
 our women as members of the body politick ; 
 fince it is vifible, that great numbers of them 
 have of late eloped from their allegiance, and 
 that they do not believe themfelves obliged to 
 draw with us, as yoke-fellows in the conftitu- 
 tion. They will judge for themfelves; look in- 
 to the ftate of the nation with their own eyes ; 
 and be no longer led blindfold by a male legifla- 
 ture. A friend of mine was lately complaining 
 to me, that his wife had turned off one of the 
 beft cook- maids in England^ becaufe the wench 
 had faid fomething to her fellow-fervants, which 
 feemed to favour the fufpenfion of the Habeas 
 Corpus act. 
 
 When errors and prejudices are thus fpread 
 among the Sex, it is the hardeft thing in the 
 world to root them out. Arguments, which 
 are the only proper means for it, are of little 
 ufe: They have a very faort anfwer to all rea- 
 fonings that turn againft them, ' Make us believe 
 * that, if you can;' which is in Latin^ if I may 
 upon this occaiion be allowed the pedantry of a 
 
 Quotation,
 
 K a 3 2 The F R E E-H OLDER. 193 
 
 quotation, nan perfuadebi^ etiamfi perfuaferis, I 
 could not but fmile at a young univerfity dif- 
 putant, who was complaining the other day of 
 the unreafonablenefs of a Lady with whom he 
 was engaged in a point of controverfy. Being 
 left alone with her, he tcok the opportunity of 
 purfuing an argument which had been before 
 Itarted in difcourfe, and .put it to her in a fyl- 
 logifm : Upon which, as he informed us with 
 fome heat, fhe granted him both the major and 
 the minor, but denied him the conclufion. 
 
 The beft method, therefore, that can be made 
 ufe of with thefe polemical Ladies, who are 
 much more eafy to be refuted than fiJenced, is 
 to fhew them the ridiculous fide of their caufe, 
 and to make them laugh at their own politicks. 
 It is a kind of ill-manners to offer objections 
 to a fine woman j and a man would be out of 
 countenance that mould gain the fuperiority in 
 flich a conteft. A coquette logician may be 
 rallied, bqtnct contradicted. Thofe who would 
 make ufe of folid arguments and ftrong rea- 
 ibnings to a reader or hearer of fo delicate a 
 turn, would be like that foolifh people whom 
 JEllan (peaks of, that worfhiped a Fly, and facri- 
 ficed an Ox to it. 
 
 The truth of it is, a man muft be of a very 
 difputatious temper, that enters into ftate-con- 
 troverfies wrth any of the fair fex. If the ma- 
 lignant be not beautiful, (he cannot do much mif- 
 chief ; and if fhe is, her Arguments will be fo 
 inforced by the charms of her perfon, that her 
 antagonift may be in danger of betraying his 
 own caufe. Milton puts this confeflion into the 
 mouth of our father Adam \ who, though he 
 afferts his fuperiority of reafon in his debates 
 with the mother of mankind, adds, 
 
 K Yet
 
 1 94 *Th e FREE-HOLDER. 
 
 Yet when I approach 
 
 Her lovelinefs, fo abfolute fhe feems, 
 And in herfelf complete ; fo well to know 
 Her own, that what fhe wills to do or fay, 
 Seems wifeit, virtuoufeft, difcreeteft, beft ; 
 All higher knowledge in her prefence falls 
 Degraded, wifdom in difcourfe with her 
 Lofes, difcountenanced, and like folly fliews ; 
 -Authority and reafon on her wait. 
 
 If there is fuch a native lovelinefs in the fex, 
 s to make them vi&orious even when they are 
 in the wrong, how refiftlefs is their power when 
 they are on the fide of truth ! And indeed, it is 
 a peculiar good fortune to the Government, that 
 our fair malecontents are fo much over-matched 
 in beauty, as well as number, by thofe who 
 are loyal to their King, and friends to their 
 country. 
 
 Every Paper, which I have hitherto add refled 
 to our beautiful incendiaries, hath been filled 
 with confiderations of a different kind ; by 
 which means I have taken care that thofe, who 
 are enemies to the fex, or to myfelf, may not 
 accufe me of tautology, or pretend that I at- 
 tack them with their own weapon. For this 
 reafon, I lhall here Jay together a new fet of 
 remarks, and obferve the feveral artifices by 
 which the enemies to oi:r eftablifhment do raile 
 fuch unaccountable paflions and prejudices in 
 the .minds of cur difcontented females. 
 
 In the firft place, it is tifual among the moft 
 cunning of our adverfaries to reprefent all the 
 Rebels as very handfcm men. If the name 
 of a traitor be mentioned, they are very parti- 
 cular in defcribing his perfon ; and when they 
 are not able to extenuate his treafon, commend 
 his fliape. This has fo good an effect in one 
 
 of
 
 N 3 2 The F R E E-H OLDER. 195 
 
 of our female audiences, that they reprefent to 
 themfelves a thoufand, poor, tall, innocent, frefh- 
 coloured young gentlemen, who are difperfed 
 among the feveral prifons of Great -Britain:, and 
 extend their generous companion towards a mul- 
 titude of agreeable fellows that never were in 
 being. 
 
 Another artifice is, to inftil jealoufies into 
 their minds of defigns upon the anvil to re- 
 trench the privileges of the fex. Some reprefent 
 the Whigs as enemies to Flanders lace : Others 
 had fpread a report, that in the late act of Par- 
 liament for four {hillings in the pound upon 
 land, there would be inferted a clauie for railing 
 a tax upon pin-money. That the Ladies may 
 be the better upon their guard againft fuggeftioris 
 of this nature, I fhall beg leave to put them in 
 mind of the ftorv of Papirius^ the fon of a Ro- 
 man fenator. This young gentleman, after 
 having been prefent in publick debates, was ufu- 
 ally teized by his mother to inform her of what 
 had parTed. In order to deliver himfelf from this 
 Importunity, he told her one day, upon his re- 
 turn from the fenate-houfe, that there had been 
 a motion made for a decree to allow every man 
 two wives. The good Lady faid nothing ; but 
 managed matters fo well among the Roman ma- 
 trons, that the next day they met together in a 
 body before the fenate-houfe, and prefented a 
 petition to the fathers againft fo unreafonable 
 a law. This groundless credulity raifed fo much 
 rallery upon the petitioners, that we do not find 
 the Ladies offered to direct the Lawgivers of their 
 country ever after. 
 
 There has been another method lately made 
 xife of, which has been pra&ifed with extraordi- 
 nary fuccefs j I mean the fpreading abroad re- 
 K 2 ports
 
 196 The FRE E-HoL D E R, N32 
 
 ports of prodigies, which has wonderfully grati- 
 fied the curiofity, as well as the hopes of our 
 fair malignants. Their managers turn water 
 into blood for them ; frighten them with fea- 
 monfters ; make them fee armies in the air ; 
 and give them their word, the more to ingratiate 
 themfelves with them, that they fignify nothing 
 ]efs than future daughter and defolation. The 
 difloyal part of .the fex immediately hug them- 
 felves at the news of the bloody fountain ; look 
 upon thefe fifh as their friends j have great ex- 
 pectations from the clouds ; and are very angry 
 with you, if you think they do not all portend 
 ruin to their country. 
 
 Secret hiftory and fcandal have always had 
 their allurements : And I have in other ciif- 
 courfes {hewn the great advantage that u made 
 of them in the .prefent ferment among the fair 
 ones. 
 
 But the mafter-engine to overturn the minds 
 of the female world, is the danger of the 
 Church. -I am not fo -uncharitable as to think 
 there is any thing in an obfervation made by fe- 
 vcral of. the Whigs, that there is fcarce a woman 
 in England^ who is troubled with the vapours, 
 but is more orlefs affe&ed with this cry : or, to 
 remark with others, that it is not uttered in any 
 part of the nation with fo much bitternefs of 
 tongue and heart, as in the diftricls of Drury- 
 lane. On the contrary, I believe there are many 
 devout and honourable women who are deluded 
 in this point by the artifice of defigning men, 
 To thefe, therefore, I would apply myfelf, in a 
 more ferious manner, and defire them to conllder 
 how that laudable piety, which is natural to the 
 fex, is apt to degenerate into a groundlefs and 
 furious zeal, when it is not kept within the 
 
 bounds
 
 N32 The FREE-HOLDER. 197 
 
 bounds of charity and reafon. Female zeal, 
 though proceeding from fo good a principle, has 
 been infinitely detrimental to fociety, and to re- 
 ligion itfelf. If v/e may believe the French hif- 
 torians, it often put a flop to the proceedings 
 of their Kings, which might have ended in a 
 reformation. For,- upon their breaking with the 
 Pope, the Queens frequently interpofed, and by 
 their importunities reconciled them to the.ufur- 
 pations of the church of Rome. Nay, it was this 
 vicious zeal which gave a remarkable check to 
 the firft progrefs of chriftianity, as we find it 
 recorded by a facred hiftorian in the following 
 paflage, which I (hall leave to the confideration 
 of my female Readers. ' But the Jews flirred 
 . * up the devout and honourable women and the 
 4 chief men of the city, and raifed a perfecution 
 * againft P^w/and Barnabas^ and expelled them- 
 'out of their coafts,' 
 
 K 3 Friday,
 
 198 The FREE-HOLDER. 
 N33 Friday, April 13. 
 
 JN'.v/// a.d<utrfus magijlratus ac reges gra t tores funt, me 
 anmeriib, nullis enim plus freejtar.t quam quibus 
 frui tranquillo olio licet. Itaqui hi, quibus ad fro- 
 p'.fituin bent iu'vtndi confer! Jecuritas fui/ica t ne- 
 ie~e fji auJforcvi hujus biini ut parent etn colant. 
 
 Senec. Ep. 73. 
 
 None have a greater refpefl for Magiftrates and 
 Kings, and none with more reafon ; for none 
 are more obliged to them, than thofr* who en- 
 joy eafe and tranquility through their means. 
 Thofe therefore, whofe happinefs is fecured by 
 the publick fafety, ought to refpecl the Author of 
 this good as a parent. 
 
 WE find by our publick Papers, theUniver- 
 fity of Dublin have lately prefented to the 
 Prince of lVales y in a moft humble and dutiful 
 manner, their diploma for conftituting his royal 
 highnefs Chancellor of that learned body ; and 
 that the Prince received this their offer with the 
 goodnefs and condefcenfion which is natural to 
 his illuftrious houfe. As the college of Dublin 
 have been long famous for their great learning, 
 they have nowgiven us an inftance.of their good- 
 fenfe ; and it is with pleafure that we find fuch a 
 difpoiltion in this famous nurfery of letters to 
 propagate found principles, and to a6l, in its proper 
 fphere, for the honour and dignity of the royal 
 family. We hope, that fuch an example will 
 have its influence on other focieties of the fame 
 nature ; and cannot but rejoice to fee the heir 
 
 of
 
 N33 7/*? Fa EE-Ho LD E R. 199 
 
 of Great-Britain vouchfafing to patronize in 
 fo peculiar a manner that noble feminary, 
 which is perhaps at this time training up fuch 
 perfons as may hereafter be ornaments to his 
 reign. 
 
 When men of learning are acted thus by a 
 knowledge of the world as well as of books, 
 and fhew that their ftudies naturally infpire 
 them with a love to their King and Country ; 
 they give a reputation to literature, and con- 
 vince the world of its ufefulnefs. But when 
 arts and fciences are fo perverted as to difpofe 
 men to act in contradiction to the reft of the 
 community, and to fet up for a kind of feparate 
 republick among themfelves, they draw upon 
 them the indignation of the wife, and the con- 
 tempt of the ignorant. 
 
 It has indeed been obferved, that perfons, 
 who are very much efleemed for their know- 
 ledge and ingenuity in their private characters, 
 have acted like ftrangers to mankind, and to 
 the dictates of right reafon, when joined to- 
 gether in a body. Like feveral chymical wa- 
 ters, that are each of them clear and tranfparent 
 when feparate, but ferment into a thick trou- 
 bled liquor when they are mixed in the fame 
 vial. 
 
 There is a piece of mythology which bears 
 very hard upon learned men ; and which I fhall 
 here relate, rather for the delicacy of the fa- 
 tire, than for the juftnefs of the moral. \Vhen 
 the city of Athens was finifhed, we are told, that 
 Neptune and Minerva prefented themfelves as 
 candidates for the guardianship of the place. - 
 The Athenian, after a full debate upon the mat- 
 ter, came to an election, and made choice of 
 Minerva. Upon which Neptune^ who very much 
 K 4 xefeiued
 
 '200 The F R E E-H OLDER. N 3 J 
 
 refented the indignitv, upbraided them with their 
 fhipldity and ignorance ; that a maritime town 
 fhould reject the patronage of him who was the 
 God of the feas, and could defend them againft 
 a:l the attacks of their enemies. He concluded 
 with a curfe upon the inhabitants, which was 
 to (lick to them and their pofterity ; namely, 
 4 Tnat they fhould be all fools,' 'When Mi- 
 nerva their tutelary goddei'd, who prefides over 
 arts and fciences, came among them to receive 
 the honour they had conferred upon her, they 
 made heavy complaints of the curfe which Nep- 
 tune had laid upon the city ; and begged her, 
 if poffible, to take it off. But fhe told them, 
 it was not in her power; for that one deity 
 could not reverfe the aft of another. * How- 
 4 ever, faid fhe, I may alleviate the curfe which 
 ' I cannot remove : It is not poffible for me to 
 
 * hinder you from being fools, but I will take 
 
 * care that you {hall be learned.' 
 
 There is nothing which bodies of learned men 
 fhould be more careful of, than, by all due me- 
 thods, to cultivate the favour of the great and 
 powerful. The indulgence of a Prince is abfo- 
 lutely neceflary to the propagation, the defence, 
 the honour and fupport of learning. It natu- 
 rally creates in mens minds an ambition to dif- 
 tinguifli themfelves by letters ; and multiplies 
 the number of thofe who are dedicated to the 
 purfuits of knowledge. It protects them againft 
 the violence of brutal men ; and gives them 
 opportunities to purfue their ftudies in a ftate 
 of peace and tranquillity. It puts the learn- 
 ed in countenance; and gives them a place 
 among the fafhionable part of mankind. It dif- 
 tributes rewards ; and encourages fpeculative 
 perfons, who have neither opportunity nor a 
 
 turn
 
 N33 ^FREE-HOLDER. 201 
 
 turn of mind to increafe their own fortunes, 
 with all the incentives of place, profit, and pre- 
 ferment. On the contrary, nothing is in itfelf 
 fo pernicious to communities of learned men, 
 nor more apprehended by thofe that wifh them 
 well, than the difpleafure of their Prince, which 
 thofe may j uftly expect to feel, who would make 
 ufe of his favour to his own prejudice, and put 
 in practice all the methods that lie within their 
 power to vilify his perfon, and diftrefs his go- 
 vernment. In bbth thefe cafes, a learned body 
 is in a more particular manner expofed to the in- 
 fluence of their King, as defcribed by the wifeft 
 of men, ' The wrath of a King is as the roar- 
 ' ing of a lion; but his favour is as the dew 
 ' upon the grafs.' 
 
 We find in our Engliflj hiftories, that the 
 Emprefs Matilda^ (who was the great anceftor 
 of his prefent Majefty, and whofe grand-daugh- 
 ter of the fame name has a place upon feveral of 
 the Hanover medals) was particularly favoured by 
 the Univerfity of Oxford^ and defended in that 
 place, when moft parts of the Kingdom had re- 
 volted againft her. Nor is it to be queftioned, but 
 an Univerfity,' fo famous for learning and found 
 knowledge, will mew the fame zeal for her il- 
 luftrious defcendent, as they will every day 
 difcern his Majefty's royal virtues, through 
 thofe prejudices which have been raifed in their 
 minds by artful and defigning men. It is with 
 much pleafure we- fee this great fountain of 
 learning already beginning to run clear, and re- 
 covering its natural purity and brightness. None 
 can imagine, that a community which is taxed 
 by the worft of its enemies, only for overftrain- 
 ing the notions of Loyalty even to bad Princes, 
 mil fall fhort of a due allegiance to the beft. 
 
 K 5 When.
 
 202 1?je FREE-HOLDER. N34 
 
 When this happy temper of mind is fully efta- 
 bliflied among them, we may juftly hope to fee 
 the Isrgeft fhare of his Majeily's favours fail 
 upon that Univerfity, which is the greateft, and 
 upon all accounts the moftconfiderable not only 
 in his dominions but in all Europe. 
 
 I fhall conclude this Paper with a quotation out 
 
 of Camderis hiftory of Queen Elizabeth ^ \vhc, 
 
 after having defcribed that Queen's reception at 
 
 Oxfa d) gives an account of the fpeech which fhe 
 
 made to them at her departure; concluding with 
 
 a piece of advice to that Univerfity. Her coun- 
 
 fel was, * That they would firft ferve God, not 
 
 after the curiofity of fome, but accord ing to the 
 
 laws of God and the land ; that they would 
 
 not go before the Jaws, but fellow them ; 
 
 nor difpute whether better might be prefcribed, 
 
 but "keep thole prefcribed already j obeying 
 
 their fuperiors ; and laftly, embrace one 2a- 
 
 cthcr in brotherly piety and concord.' 
 
 N34 Monday, April 16. 
 
 apert 
 
 l?i rabiem f&fi 
 
 Hor. Epift. i. 1. 2. ver. 148, 
 Triumphant malice lag'd thro' piivate life. 
 
 POPE. 
 
 IT is very juftly, as well as frequently obferved, 
 that if our nation be ever ruined, it muft be 
 by itfelf. The parties and divifions which reign 
 among us may fevcral ways bring deftruclioa 
 
 upon
 
 N 34 The F R E E-H OLDER. 203 
 
 upon our country, at the fame time that our 
 united force would be fufficient to fecure us 
 againft all the attempts of a foreign enemy. 
 Whatever expedients therefore caa be found to 
 allay thofe heats and animofities, which break 
 us into different factions and interefts, cannot 
 but be ufeful to the publick, and highly tend to 
 its fafety, ftrength, and reputation. 
 
 This dangerous diflenfion among us difcovers 
 itfelf in all the moft indifferent circumftances of 
 life. We keep it up, and cherim it with as much 
 pains, as if it were a kind of national bleffing. 
 .It infmuates itfelf into all our difcourfes, mixts 
 in our parties of pleafure, has a fliare in our di- 
 verfions, and is an ingredient in moft of our 
 publick entertainments. 
 
 I was hot long ago at the Play called Sir Courtly 
 Afcij where, to the eternal reproach of good- 
 fenfe, I found the whole audience had very 
 gravely ranged themfelves into two parties, un- 
 der Hot-head and Teftimony. Hot-head was the 
 applauded hero of the Tories, and Teftimony no 
 lei's the favourite of the Whigs. Each party 
 followed their Champion. It was wonderful to 
 fee fo polite an afTembly diftinguifhing them- 
 felves by fuch extraordinary reprefentatives, 
 and avowing their principles as conformable 
 either to the zeal of Hot-head, or the mode- 
 ration of Teftimony. Thus the two parts, which 
 were defigned to expofe the faults of both fides, 
 and were accordingly received by our anceftors 
 in King Charles the Second's reign, meet with a 
 kind of fan&ion from the applaufes which are 
 refpedtively beftowed on them by their wife pof* 
 terity. We feem to imagine, that they were 
 written as patterns for imitation, not as objects 
 &f ridicule. 
 
 This
 
 204 The F.R E E-H o L D E R. 
 
 This humour runs fo far, that moil of our 
 late comedies owe their fuccefs to it. The 
 Audience liftens after not hinge) fe. I have feen 
 \\t\\zDicky place himfelf with great approba- 
 tion at the head of the Tories for five Ab to- 
 gether, and Pinky efpoufe the inter-eft of the 
 Whigs with no lefs Succefs. I do not find that 
 either party has yet thrown themfelves under 
 the patronage of Scaramouch, or that Harle- 
 quin has violated that neutrality-, which, upon 
 his late arrival in Great-Britain^ he profefled 
 to both parties, and which it is thought he will 
 punctually obferve, being allowed on all fides 
 to be a man of honour. It is true,, that, upon 
 his firft appearance, a violent Whig tradefman- 
 in the pit begun to compliment him with a 
 cjap, as overjoyed to fee him mount a lad- 
 der, and fancying him to be dreft in a highland 
 plad. 
 
 I queftion not but my readers, will be fur-, 
 prifed to find me animadverting on a practice 
 that has been always favourable to the cauib 
 which now prevails. The Britijh theatre was 
 Whig even in the worft of times ; and in the laft 
 reign did not fcruple to teftify its zeal for the 
 good of our country, by many magnanimous 
 claps in its. lower regions, anfwered with loud 
 huzzas from the upper gallery. This good dif- 
 pofition is fo much heightened of late, that the 
 whole neighbourhood of the Drury-Lane The- 
 atre very often (hakes with the Loyalty of the 
 audience. It is faid, that a young Author, who 
 very much -relies on this prevailing humour, 
 is now writing a/arce to ,bs called, A match 
 * out of newgate,' in alkmon to the title of a 
 comedy called, * A match in newgate ;' and that 
 his chief psrfon is a round fhouldered man with' 
 
 a prcrty
 
 F R E E-H o L D E R. 205- 
 
 a pretty large nofe and a wide mouth, making- 
 his addreffes to a lovely black woman that?- 
 pafles for a Peerefs of Great- Britain. In fhort, 
 the whole play is built upon the Jate efcape of 
 General Fore/ter, who is fuppofed upon the road 
 to fall in. love with my Lord Nitbfdale, whom 
 the ingenious Author imagines to be, ftill in hiss . 
 riding- hood.. 
 
 But notwithftanding the good principles of a- ; 
 Britifl} audience in this one particular, .it were> 
 to be vviihed, that every thing mould be banifhed 
 the ftage which has a tendency to exafperate 
 mens minds, and inflame that party rage which 
 makes us fuch a miferable and divided people. 
 And that in the firft place, becaufe fuch a pro- 
 ceeding as this difappoints- the very defign of 
 all publick diverfions and entertainments. The 
 inftitution of fports and mows was intended 
 by all governments, to turn off the thoughts of 
 the people from bufying themfelves in matters- 
 of flate, which did not belong to them ; to 
 reconcile them to-one another by the common? 
 participations of mirth and;- pleafure ; and to 
 wear out of their minds that rancour which 
 they might have contracted by the interfering 
 views of intereft and ambition. It would there- 
 fore be for the benefit of every fociety, that is 
 difturbed by contending factions, to-encourage 
 fuch innocent amufements as may thus difembit- 
 ter the minds of men, and make them mutu- 
 ally rejoice in the fame agreeable fatisfa&ions. 
 When people are accuftomed to fit together with 
 pleafure, it is a ftep towards reconciliation : 
 But as we manage matters, our politeft aflem- 
 blies are like boifterous clubs, that meet over .a 
 glafs of wine, and, before they have done, throw 
 bottles at one another's heads. Inftead of mul- 
 tiplying
 
 206 The FR EE-HoL DE R. N34 
 
 tiplying thofe defirable opportunites where we 
 may agree in points that are indifferent, we let 
 the fpirit of contention into thoie very methods 
 that are not only foreign to it, but fhould in their 
 nature difpofe us to be friends. This our anger 
 in our mirth is like poifon in a perfume, which 
 taints the fpirits inftead of chearing and refrefh- 
 ing them. 
 
 Another manifeft inconvenience which arii'es 
 from this abufe of publiclc entertainments, IF, 
 that it naturally deftrcys the tafte of an au- 
 dience. I do not deny, but that feveral perfor- 
 mances have been juftly applauded tor their wit, 
 which have been written with an eye to this pre- 
 dominant humour of the town : But it is vifi- 
 ble even in thefe, that it is not the excellence, 
 but the application of the fentiment, that has 
 raifed applaufe. An Author is very much dif- 
 appointed to find the beft parts of his produc- 
 tions received with indifference, and to fee the 
 audience difcovering beauties which he never 
 intended. The actors, in the midft of an in- 
 nocent old play, are often ftartled with unex- 
 pected claps or hifles; and do not know whe- 
 ther they have been talking like good fubje&s, or 
 have fpoken treafon. In fhort, we leem to have 
 fuch a relifh for faction, as to have lolt that of 
 wit j and are fo ufed to the bittemefs of party- 
 rage, that we cannot be gratified with the higheft 
 entertainment that has not this kind of feafoning 
 in it. But as no work muft expect to live long, 
 which draws all its beauty from the colour of 
 the times ; fo neither can that pleafure be of 
 greater continuance, which arifes from the pre- 
 judice or malice of its hearers. 
 
 To conclude : Since the prefent hatred and 
 violence of parties is fo unfpeakably peinkious 
 
 to
 
 N* 3 5 The F R E E-H OLDER. 207 
 
 to the community, and none can do a better 
 fervice to their country than thofe who ufe their 
 utmoft endeavours to extinguifh it, we may 
 reafonably hope, that the more elegant part of 
 the nation will give a good example to the reft ; 
 and put an end to fo ablurd and foolifh a pra&ice,. 
 which makes our moft refined diverfions detri- 
 mental to the publick, and in a particular man- 
 ner deftrudive of all politenefs. 
 
 N35 Friday, April 20. 
 
 jftbenienjiitm res gejite, ficut ego exiflumo, fatis amplce 
 magnif.cce^ite fucre, <ver:im aliquanto minores tamen t 
 quam famd feruntur : SeJ, quia provenere ibi magna 
 /(.riptorum ingenia, per t err arum or bent athenien* 
 Jium faSla pro maxumis celebrantur. Ita eorum, 
 qui eafecere, -virtus tanta babetur, quantum verbis- 
 ta potuere ex tollers pr&clara ingenia. 
 
 Saluft. Bell. Catil. 8. 
 
 The aclions of the dtheniatts were fufficiently great 
 and noble; though I am apt to think, fame has 
 recorded them greater and nobler than they really 
 were : For, having the advantage of feveral excel- 
 lent hiftorians, the exploits of the Athenians are 
 celebrated, as the moft extraordinary, through the 
 whole world; and the reputation of their great 
 men is advanced in proportion to the wit and in- 
 genuity of their writers. 
 
 among his maxims for raifing a man 
 to the moft confummate character of great- 
 fiefs, advife* ftrft to perform extraordinary ac- 
 
 tions,,
 
 208 The F R E E-H OLDER. N3 5 
 
 tions, and in the next place to fecure a good 
 hiftorian. Without the laft, he confiders the firft 
 as thrown away ; as indeed they are in a great 
 meafure by fuch illuftrious perfons, as make 
 fame and reputation the end of their under- 
 takings. The moft mining .merit goes down to 
 pofterity with diladvantage,when it is not placed 
 by writers in its proper light. 
 
 The misfortune is, that there are more in- 
 ftances of men who deierve this kind of im- 
 mortality, than of Authors who are able to 
 beftow it. Our country, which has produced 
 writers of the firft figure in every other kind of 
 work, has been very barren in good hiftoruns. 
 We have had feveral who have been able to 
 compile matters of fat,, but very few who have 
 been able to digeft them with that purity and 
 ekgance of ftile, that nicety and ftrength of 
 reflexion, that fubtiky and difcernment in the 
 unraveling of a character, and that choice of 
 circumftances for enlivening, the whole narra- 
 tion, which wefojuftly admire in the ancient 
 hiftorians of Greece and Rome, and in fome 
 Authors of our neighbouring nations. 
 
 Thofe, who have fucceeded beft in works of 
 this kind, are fuch, who, befides their natural 
 good-fenfe and learning, have themfelves been 
 verfed in publick bufinefs, and thereby acquired 
 a, thorough knowledge of men and things. It 
 was the advice of the great Duke of Scbomberg^ 
 to an eminent hiftorian of his. acquaintance, 
 who was an Ecclefiaftick, that he fhould avoid 
 being too particular in the drawing up of an 
 army, and other circumftances of the day 
 of battle; for that he had always obferved 
 moft notorious blunders and absurdities com- 
 mitted, on that occafion, by fuch writers as 
 
 were.
 
 N35 The F R E E-H'o L D E R. 20-9 
 
 were not converfant in the art of war. We 
 may reafonably expect the like miftakes in 
 every other kind of publick matters, recorded by 
 t-hofe who have only a diftant theory of fuch 
 affairs.^ Befides, it is not very probable, that 
 .men, who have pafled all their time in low 
 and vulgar life, fliould have a-fuitable idea of 
 the feveral beauties and blemiflies in the actions 
 or characters of great men. For this reafon 
 I find an old law quoted by the famous Mon- 
 fieur Bayle y that no perfon below the dignity 
 of a Roman Knight fhould prefume to write an 
 hiftory. 
 
 In England there is fcarce anyone, who has 
 had a tincture of reading or ftudy, that is not 
 apt to fancy himfelf equal to fo great a tafk; 
 though it is plain, that many of our countrymen, 
 who have tampered in hiftory, frequently fhew, 
 that they do not underftand' the very, nature of 
 thofe tranfactions which they recount. Nay, 
 nothing is more ufual than to fee every man, 
 who is verfed in any particular way of bufi- 
 nefs, finding fault with feveral of thefe Au- 
 thors, fo far as they treat of matters within his 
 fphere. 
 
 There is a race of men lately fprung up 
 among this fort of writers, whom one cannot 
 reflect upon without indignation as well as con- 
 tempt. Thefe are our Grub-Jlreet biographers, 
 who watch for the death of a great man, like 
 fo many undertakers, on purpofe to make a 
 penny of him. He is no fooner laid in his 
 grave, but he falls into the hands of an hifto- 
 rian; who, to fwell a, volume, afcribes to him 
 works which he never wrote, and actions which 
 .he never performed; celebrates virtues which 
 he. was never famous for, and excufes fauks 
 
 which;.
 
 2io 7/k FREE-HOLD ER. N35 
 
 which he was never guilty of. They fetch their 
 only authentick records out of Doflcrs Com- 
 tnons, and when they have got a copy of his laft 
 will and teftament, they fancy themfelves 
 furniilied with fufficicnt materials for his hiftory. 
 This might indeed enable them in fome mea- 
 fure to write the hiftory of his death ; but what 
 can we expect from an Author that undertakes 
 to write the life of a great man, who is 
 furnifhed with no other matters of fact, befides 
 legacies; and inilead of being able to tell us 
 what he did, can only tell us what he bequeathed? 
 This manner of expofing the private concerns 
 of families, and facrificing the fecrets of the 
 dead to the curiofity of the living, is one of 
 thofe licentious practices which might well de- 
 ferve the animadverfion of our Government, 
 when it has time to contrive expedients for 
 remedying the many crying abules of the prefs. 
 In the mean while, what a poor idea muffc 
 Grangers conceive of thofe perfons, who have 
 been famous among us in their generation, fhouIJ 
 they form their notions of them from the 
 writings of thefe our hiftoriographers ! what 
 would our pofterity think of Ihcir illuftrious 
 forefathers, fhouJd they cniy fee them in fuch 
 weak and difadvar.tageous lights ! But to our 
 comfort, works of this nature are fo fhort- 
 lived, that they cannot poffibly diminfh the me- 
 mory or thofe patriots which they are not able 
 to preferve. 
 
 The truth of it is, as the lives of great men 
 cannot be written with any tolerable degree of 
 elegance or exactrefs, within a fhort fpace 
 after their deceafe; fo neither is it fit that the 
 hiftory of a perlon, who has acted among us 
 in a pubiick character, ftiould appear, until envy 
 
 and
 
 N3 5 T& e F R E E-H O L D E R.. 211 
 
 and friendfhip are laid afieep, and the prejudice 
 both of his antagonifts and adherents be, in 
 fome degree, foftned and fubdued. There is no 
 queftion, but there are feveral eminent perfons 
 in each party, however they may reprefent one 
 another at prefent, who will have the fame 
 admirers among pofterity, and be equally cele- 
 brated by thofe, whofe minds will not be dif- 
 tempered by intereft, paffion, or 'partiality. It 
 were happy for us, could we prevail upon our- 
 felves to imagine, that one, who differs from us 
 in opinion, may poffibly be an honeft man ; 
 and that we might do the fame juftice to one 
 another, which will be done us hereafter by thofe 
 who fhall make their appearance in the world, 
 when this generation is no more. But in our 
 prefent miserable and divided condition, how 
 juft foever a man's pretenfions may be to a 
 great or blamelefs reputation, he muft expect: his 
 fhare of obloquy and reproach; and, even 
 with regard to his pofthumous character, con- 
 tent himfelf with fuch a kind of confideration,. 
 as induced the famous Sir Francis Bacon, after 
 having bequeathed his foul to God, and his 
 body to the earth, to leave his fame to foreign 
 nations j and, after fome years, to his own 
 country. 
 
 Monday,
 
 2 1 2 The F R E E-H OLDER. N c 5 
 
 M>OOO*M>O 
 
 N C 36 Monday, April 23. 
 
 Ilia fe jatfet in aula. 
 
 Virg. JEn. i . ver. 1 44. 
 
 There let him reign, D R Y D E N. 
 
 AMong all the paradoxes in politicks which 
 have been advanced by fome among us, 
 there is none fo abfurd and {hocking to the 
 moft ordinary underftanding, as that it is pof- 
 fible for Great- Britain to be quietly governed 
 by a Popifh Sovereign. King Henry the Fourth 
 found it impracticable for a Proteftant to reign 
 even in France^ notwithftanding the reformed 
 religion does not engage a Prince to the perfe- 
 cution of any other; and notwithftanding the 
 authority of the Sovereign in that country is 
 more able to fupport itfelf, and command the 
 obedience of the people, than in any other 
 European Monarchy. We are convinced by the 
 experience of our own times, that our con- 
 ftitution is not able to bear a Popifh Prince at 
 the head of it. King James the Second was 
 endowed with many royal virtues, and mi^ht 
 have made a nation of Roman Catholicks happy 
 under his adminiftration. The grievances we 
 fufFered in his reign proceeded purely from his 
 religion : But they were fuch as made the whole 
 body of the Nobility, Clergy, and commonal- 
 ty, rife up as one man againft him, and oblige 
 him to quit the throne of his anceftors. The 
 truth of it is, we have only the. vices of a Pro- 
 
 teftant
 
 "N3'6 The FREE-HOLDER. 213 
 
 teftant Prince to fear, and may be made happy 
 by his virtues : But in a Popifh Prince we have 
 no chance for our profperity; his very piety 
 obliges him to our deftrucYion : And in propor- 
 tion as he is .more religious, he becomes more 
 infupporta'ble. One would wonder, therefore, 
 to find many who call themfelves Proteftants, 
 favouring the pretenfions of a perfon, who has 
 been bred up in the atmoft bitternefs and bigotry 
 of the church of Rome; and who, in all proba- 
 bility, within lefs than a twelvemonth, would 
 be oppofed by thofe very men that are induftri- 
 ous to fet him upon the throne, were it pofll- 
 ble for fo wicked and unnatural an attempt to 
 fucceed. 
 
 I was fome months ago in a company, that 
 diverted themfelves with the Declaration which 
 he had then publifhed, and particularly with the 
 date of it, ' In the fourteenth year of our reign.' 
 The company was furprifed to find there was a 
 King in Europe who had reigned fo long and 
 made fuch a fecret of it. This gave occafion to 
 one of them, who is now in France, to enquire 
 into the hiftory of this remarkable reign, which 
 he hasdigefted into annals, and lately tranfmitted 
 hither for the perufal of his friends. 
 
 I have fupprefled fuch perfonal reflexions as 
 are mixed in this fliort chronicle, as not 
 being to the purpofe; and find that the whole 
 hiirory of his regal conduct and exploits may be 
 comprized in the remaining part of this half- 
 iheer. 
 
 The
 
 214 7*& FREE-HOLDER. N36 
 
 The hiftory of the Pretender'* fourteen 
 years reign y digejledinto annals. 
 
 ANno Regnl i. He made choice of his mi- 
 "^ niftry, the firft of whom was his ConfefTor. 
 This was a perfon recommended by the fociety 
 of Jefuits, who reprefented him as one very 
 .proper to guide the confcience of a King, that 
 hoped to rule over an ifland which is not 
 within the pale of the church. He then proceeded 
 to name the Prefident of his Council, hi; Secre- 
 taries of State, and gave away a very honourable 
 fine-cure to his principal favourite, by confti- 
 tuting him his Lord High-Treafurer. He likewife 
 figned a dormant commiffion for another to be 
 his High-Admiral, with orders to produce it 
 whenever he had fea-room for his employment. 
 
 Anno Regni 2. He perfected himfelf in the 
 minuet ftep. 
 
 Anno Regni 3. He grew half a foot. 
 
 Anno Regnl 4. He wrote a letter to the Pope, 
 defiring him to be as kind to him as his 
 predecefTor had been, who was his godfather. 
 In the fame year he ordered the Lord High- 
 Treafurer to pay off the debts of the crown, 
 which had been contracted fmce his acceflion to 
 the throne i particularly, a milk-fcore of three 
 years (landing. 
 
 Anno Regni 5. He very much improved him- 
 felf in all princely learning, having read over the 
 legends of the faints, with the hiftory of thofe 
 feveral martyrs in England^ who had attempted 
 to blow up a whole parliament of hereticks. 
 
 Anno Regnl 6. He applied himfelf to the arts 
 of government with more than ordinary dili- 
 gence ; took a plan of the baftile with his own 
 
 hand;
 
 N3^ ^FREE-HOLDER. 215 
 
 hand ; vifited the galleys ; and ftudied the edicts 
 of his great patron Louis the Fourteenth. 
 
 Anno Regni 7. Being now grown up to years 
 of maturity, he refolved to feek adventures ; but 
 was very much divided in his mind, whether he 
 (hould make an expedition to Scotland, or a pil- 
 grimage to LoreUo' t being taught to look upon 
 the latter, in a religious fenfe, as the place of his 
 nativity. At length he refolved upon his Scotch 
 expedition} and, as the 6rft exertion of that 
 royal authority, which he was going to aflame, 
 he knighted himfelf. After a fhort piece of 
 errantry upon the feas, he got iafe back to 
 Dunkirk, where he paid his devotions to St. An- 
 thony, for having delivered him from the dan- 
 gers of the fea, and Sir George Bing. 
 
 Anno Regni 8. He made a campaign in 
 Flanders, where, by the help of a telefcope, he 
 favv the battle of Qudenarde, and the Prince of 
 Hanyutr's horfe mot under him ; being pofted 
 on a high tower with two French Princes of the 
 blood. 
 
 Anno Regni 9. He made a fecond campaign 
 in Flanders ; and, upon his return to the French 
 court^ gained a great reputation, by his perfor- 
 mance in a ri^adoon. 
 
 Anno Regni 10 The Pope, having heard the 
 fame of thefe his military atchievements, made 
 him the offer of a Cardinal's cap; which he 
 was advifed not to accept, by fome of his friends 
 in England. 
 
 Anno R.egni 11. He retired to Lorrain, where 
 every morning he made great havock among 
 the wild- fowl, by the advice, and with the 
 nulflance, of his Privy-Council. Heisfaid, this 
 'fummer, to have {hot with his own hands fifty 
 brace of pheafants, and one wild pig; to have 
 
 fet
 
 216 Tke FREE-HO L D E R. N36 
 
 fet thirty coveys of partridges ; and to have 
 hunted down forty brace of hares; to which 
 he might have added as many foxes, had not 
 mod of them made their efcape, by running out 
 of his friend's dominions, before his dogs could 
 finifh the chace. He was particularly animated 
 to thefe diverfions by his miniftry, who thought 
 they would not a little recommend him to the 
 good opinion and kind offices of feveral Britijb 
 fo>-hunters. 
 
 Anno Regni 1 2. He made a vifit to the Duke - 
 d" Amount, and pafled for a French Marquis in a 
 mafquerade. 
 
 Anno Regni 13. He -vifited feveral convents, 
 and gathered fubfcriptions from all the well- 
 difpofed Monks and Nuns, to whom he com- 
 municated his dcfign of an attempt upon Great- 
 Britain. 
 
 Anno Rfgm 14. He now made great prepa- 
 rations for the invafion of England, and got 
 together vaft ftores of ammunition, confifting of 
 relicks, gunpowder and cannon-ball. He re- 
 ceived from the Pope a very large contribution, 
 one moiety in money, and the other in indul- 
 gences. An Irijb prieft brought him an authentick 
 tooth of St. Thomas a Beckst, and, it is thought, 
 was to have for his reward the Archbifhoprick 
 of Canterbury. Every monaftery contributed 
 fomething : One gave him a thoufand pound ; 
 and another as many mafles. 
 
 This year continuing farther the battles which 
 he fought in Scotland, and the towns which he 
 took, is fo frefli in every one's memory, that we 
 fhall fay no more of it. 
 
 Friday,
 
 N37 ffl> e FREE-HOLDER. 217 
 N37 Friday, April 27. 
 
 Jfrigida curarum foment a relinquere pojjei ', 
 
 Quo te coeleftis Japientia duceret, ires, 
 
 Hoc oj>us t hoc Jludiutn par<vi properetKUf t & ampl! t 
 
 Si patrice volutnu}, Ji nobii <vivere cari. 
 
 Hor. Ep. 3. lib. i. ven 25. 
 
 If you cou'd leave thofe cares that 'numb the mind, 
 Shake off thy fears, and leave the clog behind; 
 Then you vvou'd live as wifdom's rules advife: 
 This is the work, the noble ftudy this : 
 'I his rich and poor fhou'd make their greateft care, T 
 Jf we wou'd live fecure, and free from fear, 
 To honeft men, and to our country dear. J 
 
 CREECH. 
 
 IT is a melancholy reflexion, that our country, 
 which in times of popery was called the na- 
 tion of faints, fhould now have lefs appearance 
 of religion in it, than any other neighbouring 
 irate or kingdom; whether they be fuch as con- 
 tinue ftill immerfed in the errors of the church 
 of. Rome, or fuch as are recovered out of them. 
 This is a truth, that is obvious to every one, 
 who has been converfant in foreign parts. It 
 was formerly thought dangerous for a young man 
 to travel, left he fnould return an Atheift to his 
 native country: But at prefent it is certain, that 
 an Englijlman^ who has any tolerable degree of 
 reflexion, cannot be better awakened to 'a fen fe 
 of religion in general, than by obferving how the 
 L minds
 
 2 I 8 The FREE -HOLDER. N37 
 
 minds of all mankind are fet upon this impor- 
 tant point; how every nation is ferious and 
 attentive to the great bufmefs of their being; 
 and that in other countries a man is not out of 
 the fafliion, who is bold and open in the pro- 
 fcffion and practice of all Chriftian duties. 
 
 This decay of piety is by no means to be 
 imputed to the Reformation, which in its hrft 
 eftablifhment produced its proper fruits, and 
 tliftinguifhed the whole age with (hining inftan- 
 ces of virtue and morality. If we would trace 
 out the original of that flagrant and avowed 
 impiety, which has prevailed among us for fome 
 years, we ftiould find that it owes its rife to 
 that oppofite extreme of Cant and Hypocrify, 
 which had taken pofleffion of the people's minds 
 in the times of the great rebellion, and of the 
 ufurpation that fucceeded it. The practices of 
 thele men, under the covert of a feigned zeal, 
 made even the appearances of fincere devotion 
 ridiculous and unpopular. The rallery of the 
 wits and courtiers, in King Charles the Second's 
 reign, upon every thing which they called pre- 
 cife, was carried to fo great an extravagance, 
 that it almoft put chriftianity out of coun- 
 tenance. The ridicule grew fo itrong and licen- 
 tious, that from this time we may date that re- 
 markable turn in the behaviour of our fafhion- 
 able Engli/hman^ that makes them fhaine-faced 
 in the exercife of thofe duties which they were 
 fent into the world to perform. 
 
 The late cry of the Church has been an arti- 
 fice of the fame kind with that made ufe of by 
 the hypocrites of the laft age, and has had as 
 fatal an influence upon religion. If a man would 
 but ferioufly confider how much greater com- 
 fort he would receive in the laft moments of 
 
 his
 
 N37 he FRE E-Ho LDER. 2:9 
 
 his life from a reflexion that he has made one 
 virtuous man, than that he has made a thoufand 
 Ivories, we fhould not fee the zeal of fo many 
 good men turned off from its proper end, and 
 employed in making fuch a kind of converts. 
 What fatisfa&ion will it be to an immoral man, 
 at fuch a time, to think he is a good Whig ! or 
 to one that is confcious of fedition, perjury, or 
 rebellion, that he dies with the reputation of a 
 High-Churchman ! 
 
 But to confider how this cry of the Church 
 has corrupted the morals of both parties : Thofe 
 who are the loudeft in it regard themfelves rather 
 as a political, than a religious community, and 
 are held together rather by ftate-notions, than by 
 articles of faith. This fills the minds of weak 
 inen, who fall into the fnare, with groundlefs 
 fears and apprehenfions, unfpeakable rage to- 
 wards their fellow-fubje6ts, wrong ideas of per- 
 fons whom they are not acquainted with, and 
 uncharitable interpretations of thofe actions of 
 which they are not competent judges. It inftils 
 into their minds the utmoft virulence and bitter- 
 nefs, inftead of that charity, which is the per- 
 fection and ornament of religion, and the moft 
 indifpenfable and neceflary means for attaining 
 the end of it. In a word, among thefe miftaken 
 zealots, it fan&ifies cruelty and injuftice, riots 
 and treafon. 
 
 The effects, which this cry of the Church has 
 had on the other party, are no lefs manifeft and 
 deplorable. They fee themfelves unjuftly af- 
 perfed by it, and vindicate themfelves in terms 
 l\o lefs opprobrious, than thofe by which they 
 are attacked. Their indignation and refentment 
 rifes in proportion to the malice of their adver- 
 faries. The unthinking part of them are apt 
 L 2 to
 
 -220 Ibe F R E E-H OLDER. N 3 J 
 
 to contract an unreafonable averfton even to that 
 ecclefiaftical conftituticn to which they are re- 
 prefented as enemies ; and not only to particular 
 perfons, but to that order of men in general, 
 which will be always held facred and honour- 
 able, fo long as there is reafon and religion in 
 the world. 
 
 I might mention many other corruptions com- 
 mon to both parties, which naturally flow from 
 this fource, and might eafily fhew, upon a full 
 difplay of them, that this clamour, which pre- 
 tends to be raifed for the fafety of religion, has 
 almoft worn out the very appearance of it ; 
 and rendered us not only the moft divided, but 
 the moft immoral people upon the face of the 
 earth. 
 
 When our nation is overflowed with fuch a 
 deluge of impiety, it muft be a great pleafure 
 to find any expedient take place, that has a 
 tendency to recover it out of fo difmal a con- 
 dition. This is one great reafon why an honeft 
 man may rejoice to fee an aft fo near taking 
 tffet, for making elections of members to ferve 
 in parliament lefs frequent. I fincf myfelf pre- 
 vented by other writings (which have confidered 
 the ad~t, now depending, in this particular light) 
 from expatiating upon this fubjecl. I {hall only 
 mention two fhort pieces which I have been juit 
 now reading, under the following titles, c Argu- 
 ' ments about the alteration of the triennial elec- 
 * tions of parliament: And, the alteration in the 
 ' triennial at conftdered.' 
 
 The reafons for this Jaw, as it is necefiary 
 for. fettling his Majefty in his throne; for 
 extinguifhing the fpirit of rebellion; for pro- 
 curing foreign alliances ; and other advantages 
 of the like nature ; carry a great weight with 
 
 them.
 
 N3& 7^ FR EE-Ho LD E R. 22E 
 
 them. But I am particularly pleafed with it, as 
 it may compofe our unnatural feuds and ant*, 
 mofities, revive an honefl fpirit of induhry in 
 the nation, and cut off frequent occaiituis of 
 brutal rage and intemperance; in fhort, as- 
 it will make us not only a more fafe. a more 
 flourishing, and a more happy, but alfo a more 
 virtuous people. 
 
 N38 Monday, April 30, 
 
 i Longum, formofa, Vale f \--> 
 
 Virg. Eel 3. ver. 7.9. 
 
 *, <- "> 
 
 Adieu, my fair, a long adieu ! 
 
 IT is the ambition of the male-part o*" the 
 world to make themfelveS efleemed, and of 
 the female to make themfelves beloved. As this 
 is the laft Paper which I (hall addrefs to my fair 
 readers, I cannot perhaps oblige them mo^e than? 
 by leaving them as a kind of legacy a certain 
 fecret, which feldom fails of procuring this Afr 
 fecHon, which fhey are naturally formed both to 
 dcfire and to obtain. This Noftrum is corr.- 
 prized in the following fentence of Seneca, which 
 1 (hall tranflate for the fervice of my country- 
 women. Ego tili monjlrabo amatorlum fine me- 
 diccimento^ fine herba^ fine ullius venefica? carmine ' 
 Si vis amari, ama. <4 I will difcover to you a 
 *' phiker that has neither drug nor fimple, nor 
 " enchantment in it. Love, if you would raife 
 " love." If there be any truth in this difco- 
 L 3 very,
 
 222 The FREE-HOLDER. N^S 
 
 very, and this be fuch a fpecifick as the Author 
 pretends, there is nothing which makes the Sex 
 more unamiable than Party rage. The fineft 
 woman, in a tranfport of fury, lofes the ufe 
 of her face. Inftead of charming her beholders, 
 fhe frights both friend and foe. The latter can 
 never be fmitten by fo bitter an enemy, nor 
 the former captivated by a nymph, who, upon 
 occafion, can be fo very angry. The moft en- 
 dearing of our beautiful fellow-fubje&s a^ethofe 
 whofe minds are the leaft imbittered with the 
 paffions and prejudices of either fide, and who 
 difcover the native fweetnefs of the Sex in every 
 part of their converfation and behaviour. A 
 lovely woman, who thus flourimes in her inno- 
 cence and good-humour, amidft that mutual 
 fpite and rancour which prevails among her 
 exafperated fifterhood, appears more amiable by 
 the fingularity of her character ; and may be 
 compared, with Solomon's bride, to ' a lily among 
 * the thorns.' 
 
 A ftatefwoman is as ridiculous a creature as 
 a cot-quean. Each of the Sexes fliould keep 
 within its particular bounds, and content them- 
 fclves to excel within their refpeclive diftricts. 
 When'ftmu complained to Jupiter of the wound 
 which (he had received in battle, the father of 
 the gods fmiled upon her, and put her in mind, 
 that inftead of mixing in M'ar, which was not 
 her bufinefs, fhe ihould have been officiating in 
 her proper miniftry, and carrying on the de- 
 lights of marriage. The delicacy of feveral 
 modern criticks has been offended with Homer's 
 Biilingfgate warriors; but a fcolding hero Is 
 at the worfl, a more tolerable character than ;i 
 bully in petticoats. To which we may add, 
 that the keeneft fatirift, among ^the ancients, 
 
 looked
 
 N38 The FRE E-HOLDE R. 223 
 
 looked upon nothing as a more proper fubjedl 
 of rallery and inve&ive, than a female gla- 
 diator. 
 
 T am the mare difpofed to take into confidera- 
 tion thefe Ladies of fire and politicks, becaufe it 
 would be very monftrous to fee feuds and ani- 
 mofities kept up among the foft Sex, when they 
 are in fo hopeful a way of being compofed among 
 the men, by the feptennial bill, which is now 
 ready for the royal aflcnt. As this is likely to 
 produce a cefiation of arms, until the expiration 
 of the prefent Parliament, among one half of our 
 ifland, it is very reafonable, that the more beauti- 
 ful moiety of his Majefty's fubjects-fhouid efta- 
 blifh a truce among themfelves for the fame 
 term of years. Or rather, it were to be wifhed, 
 that they would fummon together a kind of fe- 
 nate, or Parliament, of the faireft and wifeft of 
 our fifter-fubjeclis, in order to enacl: a perpetual 
 neutrality among the Sex. They might at loaft 
 appoint fomething like a committee, chofen from 
 among the Ladies refiding in London and Weft- 
 mmfter^ in order to prepare a bill to be laid be- 
 fore the aflembiy upon the firft opportunity of 
 their meeting. The regulation might be as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " That a committee of Tofts be forthwith 
 " appointed; to confider the prefent ftate of the 
 " Sex in the Britijh nation. 
 
 " That this committee do meet at the houfe of 
 " e\'ery refpeclive member of it on her vifitino-- 
 *' day; and that every one who comes to it fhafl 
 44 have a vote, and a dim of tea. 
 
 44 That the committee be impowered to fend 
 " for billets-doux, libels, lampoons, lifts of 
 " tofts, or any other the like papers and re- 
 " cords. 
 
 L 4 That
 
 224 The FREE-HOLDER. N^S 
 
 " That it be an inftrudtion to the faid comrnit- 
 <c tee, to confrder of proper ways and methods to 
 " reclaim the obftinately opprobrious and viru- 
 ' lent; and how to make the ducking-ftool more 
 '" ufeful." 
 
 Being always willing to contribute my affif- 
 tances to my countrywomen, I will propofe 
 a preamble, fetting forth, " That the late civil 
 " war among the Sex has tended very much 
 " to the leflening of that ancient and undoubted 
 ** authority, which they have clakned over the 
 " male part of the ifland; to the ruin of good 
 *' houfewifry; and to the betraying of many 
 * important fecrets: That it has produced much 
 ** bitternefs of fpeech, many fliarp and violent 
 tf contefts, and a great eftufion of citron- 
 ** water : That it has raifed animofities in their 
 '* hearts, and heats in thefr faces : That it 
 '** has broke cut In their ribbons, and caufetl 
 " unfpeakaMe confufions in their drefs : And 
 " &bove a!J, that it has introduced a certain 
 *' frown into the features, and a fournefs into 
 *' tiie air of our Briftjb Ladies, to the great 
 ** damage of their charms, and vifible decay 
 ** of the national beauty." 
 
 As for the enacting part of the bill, it may 
 confsfl: of many particulars, which will natu- 
 rally arife from the debates of the tea-table; 
 and mult, therefore, be ler't to the discretion 
 and experience of the committee. Perhaps, 
 it might not be amifs to enab, among other 
 things, 
 
 " That the difcourfing on politicks fhajl b 
 ** looked upon as dull as talking on the weather, 
 
 ' That if any man troubles a female afiem- 
 " bly with parliament-news, he. {hall be marked 
 " out as a blockhead, or an incendiary. 
 ' ' : > - "That
 
 N38 The FREE-HO LBER. 225 
 
 " That no woman fhall henceforth prefumc 
 " to- ftick a patch upon her forehead, unlefs ft 
 " be in the very middle, that is, in the neutral 
 ** part of it. . . ^ 
 
 '* That all fans and fnuff-boxes, of what 
 " principles foever, {hall be called in : And 
 *' that orders be given to Motteux and A'la- 
 ** tbers t to deliver out, in exchange 'for thm, 
 *' fuch as have no tindure of party in themi. 
 
 " That when any Lady befpeaks a play, {he 
 " fhall take effectual care, that the audience be 
 " pretty equally checkered with Whigs and 
 " Tories. 
 
 *' That no woman of any party prefume to 
 " influence the legiflature. ~ ,. --,' 
 
 *' That there be a general amnefty and obli- 
 '* vion of all former hoftilities and diftin6lions, 
 " all publick and private failings on either fide : 
 .** And that every one who comes into this neu- 
 " trality v/ithin the fpace of weeks, 
 
 *' {hall be allowed an ell extraordinary, above tbe 
 " prefent ftandard, in the circumference of her 
 *' petticoat. 
 
 *' Provided always, neverthelefs, that nothing 
 ** herein contained fhall extend, or be conftrued. 
 ;" to extend, to any perfon or perfons,. inhabiting 
 ** and praSifing within the hundreds of Drurf, 
 c< or to any other of that fociety in, what part 
 " foever of the nation, in like manner pralifing 
 ,'* and refuKng ; who are ftill at liberty to rail, 
 .." calumniate, fcold, frown and pout, as in 
 ." aforetimes, any thing in this act to the con- 
 ** trary notvvithilanding.''
 
 226 7#? FRE E-HOLDER. N39 
 
 ^^e,-j^Ngg^^g^^ 
 
 e%&9k^p5^e^^ 
 N39 Friday, April 4. 
 
 PraJfJfi quam ccnfpici. Lord S O M E R s's Motto, 
 Ufeful rather than confpicuous. 
 
 IT often happens, that extirpating the love of 
 glory, which is obferved to take the deepeft 
 root in noble minds, tears up feveral virtues 
 with it, and that fuppreffing the defire of fame 
 is apt to reduce men to a ftate of indolence and 
 fupinenefs. But when, without any incentive of 
 vanity, a perfon of great abilities is zealous fer 
 the good of mankind ; and as felicitous for the 
 concealment, as the performance of illuftrious 
 actions ; we may be fure, that he has fomething 
 more than ordinary in his composition, and has a 
 heart filled with goodnefs and magnanimity. 
 
 There is not perhaps, in all hiftory, a greater 
 inftance of this temper of mind, than what ap- 
 peared in that excellent perfon, v/hofe motto I 
 have placed at the head of this Paper. He had 
 worn himfelf out in his application to fuch ftu- 
 dies as made him ufeful or ornamental to the 
 world, in concerting fch ernes for the welfare of 
 his country, and in profecuting fuch meafures as 
 were neceflary for making thofe fchemes effectu- 
 al: But all this was done with a view to the 
 publick good that fhould rife out of thefe gene- 
 rous endeavours, and not to the fame which 
 fhould accrue to himfelf. Let the reputation of 
 the adion fall where it would ; fo his country 
 reaped the benefit of it, he was fausfied, As 
 
 this
 
 N39 ?/k FR E E-HOL DE R. 227 
 
 this turn of mind threw off in a great mea- 
 fure the. oppofhions of envy and competition, 
 it enabled him to gain the moft vain and im- 
 practicable into his defigns, and to bring about 
 feveral great events for the fafety and advantage 
 of the publick, which muft have died in the 
 birth, ha I he been as defirous of appearing 
 beneficial to mankind, as of being fo. 
 
 As he was admitted into the fecret and moft 
 retired thoughts and counfels of his Royal 
 Mafter King William, a great fhare in the plan 
 of the protefiant fuccefiion is univerfally al- . 
 cribed to him. And if he did not entirely pro- 
 ject the union of the two kingdoms, and the 
 bill of regency, which feem to have been the 
 only methods in human policy for fecuring ta 
 us fo ineftimable a bleffing, there is none who 
 will deny him to have been the chief conductor 
 in both thefe glorious works. For pofterity are 
 obliged to allow him that praife after his death,. 
 which he induftrioufly declined while he was 
 living. His life indeed feems to have been pro- 
 longed beyond its natural term, under thofe in- 
 difpofitions which hung upon the latter part of 
 it, that he might have the fatisfadtion of feeing 
 the happy fettkment take place, which he had 
 propofed tohimfelfas the principal end of all 
 his publick kbours. Nor was it a fmall addi- 
 tion to his happinefs, that by this means h.e./aw 
 thofe who had been alway- his moft intimate 
 friends, and who had conce ted with, him inch, 
 nieafures for the guaranty cf the proteftant fuc- 
 cefiion, as drew upon; them the difpleafure of 
 men who were adverfe to it, advanced to the 
 higheft pofts of truft and honour under his- 
 prefent Majtfly. 1 believe there are none of 
 
 tkefe
 
 i 228 .*T/:e F R E E-H o L D E R. 
 
 thefe patriots, who will think it a derogation 
 from their merit to have it faid, that they re- 
 ceived many lights and advantages from their 
 intimacy with my Lord Sewers: Who ha<J 
 fuch a general knowledge of affairs, and ib 
 tender a concern for-. his friends, that, what- 
 ever Station they were in, they ufu lly applied 
 to him for his advice in every perplexity of 
 bufinefs, and in affairs of the greateft diffi- 
 culry. 
 
 His life was, in every part of it, fet off with 
 that graceful modefty and referve, which made 
 . his virtues more beautiful, the more they were 
 caft in fuch agreeable {hades, 
 
 His religion was fmcere, not oftentatious ; and 
 fuch as infpired him with an univerfal benevo- 
 Jence towards all his fellow-fubjetb, not with 
 -bittrrHefs againft any part of them. He (hewed 
 his firm adherence to it as modeled by our na- 
 tronal constitution, and was conftant to its offi- 
 ces of devotion, both in publick and in his fa- 
 mily. He appeared a champion for k with great 
 reputation in the caufe of the feven Bi&ops, at 
 a time when the church was really in danger. 
 To. which we may add, that he held a ftriclr 
 friendship and correfpondence with the great 
 Archbifhcp Tiltstfon, being a&ed by the fame 
 fpirit of candour and moderation; -and moved 
 rather with pity than indignation towards the 
 perfons of thofe, who differed from him in the 
 uneficntial parts of chriftianity. 
 
 His great humanity appeared in the minuteft 
 circLmftances of his converfarion. You found 
 it in the benevolence of his afpec"r, the com- 
 placency of his behaviour, and the tone of his 
 voice. His great application to the fevcrer Stu- 
 dies
 
 3X^39 ^ FREE-HOLD ER. 229 
 
 djes of the law had not infected his temper 
 with any thing pofitive or litigious. He did not' 
 .know what it was to wrangle on indifferent 
 points, to triumph in the luperiority of his 
 underftanding, or to be fupercilious 'on the 
 fide of truth. He joined the greateft delicacy 
 of good-breeding to the greateft ftrength of 
 reafort. By approving the fentiments of a pei- 
 fon, with whom he converfed, in fuch particu- 
 lars as were juft, he won him over-from thofe 
 points in which he was miftalcen ; and had fe> 
 agreeable a way of conveying knowledge, that 
 .whoever conferred with him grew the wifen, 
 without perceiving that he had been inftrucl:ed 
 .We may probably afcribe to this mafterlyand en- 
 gaging manner of converfation, the great efteem 
 which he had gained with the late Queen, while 
 fhe purfued thofe meafures which had earned 
 ihe Britijh nation to the higheft pitch of glory.; 
 notwithftandingfhe had entertained manyunreai- 
 fonable prejudices againft him, before fhe was 
 acquainted with his peribnal worth and behai- 
 
 As in his political capacity we have before 
 feen how much he contributed to the eftabjiih- 
 ment of the Proteftant intereft, and the good of 
 his native country, he was always true to thefe 
 great ends. His character was uniform and con- 
 fident with itfelf, and his whole conduct of a 
 piece. His principles were founded in reafon, 
 and fupported by virtue ; and therefore did not 
 lie at the mercy of ambition, avarice, or refent- 
 inent. His notions were no lefs fteady and un-- 
 fhaken, than juft and upright. In a word, he 
 concluded his courfe among the farae welt-, 
 chofen friendfhips and alliances, with which he 
 began it.' * 4 . . .. -* 
 
 This
 
 230 The F R E E-H OLDER. N39 
 
 This great man was not more confpicuous 
 as a patriot and a ftatefman, than as a perfon of 
 univerfal knowledge and learning. As by di- 
 viding his time between the publick fcenes of 
 Bufmefs, and the private retirements of life, he 
 took care to keep up both the great and good 
 man ; fo by the fame means he accomphfhed 
 iiimfelf not only in the knowledge of men and 
 things, but in the fkill of the moft refined arts 
 and fciences. That unwearied diligence, which 
 followed him through all the ftages of his life, 
 gave him fuch a thorough infight into the laws 
 of the land, that be paiTed for one of the greateft 
 matters of his profeffion, at his firft appearance 
 in it. Though he made a regular progrefs 
 through the feveral honours of the long robe, 
 he was always locked upon as one who deferred 
 a fuperior ftation to that he was poffefied of; till 
 iie arrived at the higheft dignity to which thofe 
 ftudies could advance him 
 
 He enjoyed in the higheft perfection two ta- 
 lents, which do not often meet in the fame per- 
 fon, the greateft ftrength of good fenfe, and 
 the moft exquifite tafte of politenefs. Without 
 the firft, learning is but an incumbrance ; and 
 without the laft, is ungraceful. My Lord Sown 
 was mafter of thefe two qualifications in fo emi- 
 nent a degree, that all the parts of knowledge 
 appeared in him with fuch an additional ftrength 
 and beauty, as they want in the pofleflion of 
 others. If he delivered his opinion of a piece of 
 poetry, a ftatue, or a picture, there was fome- 
 thing fo juft and delicate in his observations, as 
 naturally produced pleafure and aflent in thofe 
 who heard him. 
 
 His folidity and elegance, improved by the 
 reading of the ftneft Authors both of the learned 
 
 and
 
 N39 ^ F RE E-Ho L D E R. 231 
 
 and modern languages, difcovered itfeif in all 
 his productions. His oratory was mafculine 
 and perfuafive, free from every thing trivial and 
 affected. His ftile in writing was chafte and 
 pure, but at the lame time full of fpirit and po- 
 Jitenefs ; and fit to convey the moft intricate bu- 
 firiefs to the underftanding of the Reader, with 
 the utmoft clearnefs and perfpicuity. And here 
 it is to be lamented, that this extraordinary per- 
 fon, out of his natural averfion to vain-glory, 
 wrote feveral pieces as well as performed fcverai 
 actions, which he did not afiume the honour of: 
 Though at the fame time fo many works of 
 this nature have appeared, which every one has 
 afcribed to him, that I believe no Author of the 
 greateft eminence would deny my Lord Sewers 
 to have been the befl writer of the age in which 
 he lived. 
 
 This noble Lord, for the great extent of his 
 knowledge and capacity, has been often com- 
 pared with the Lord Vernlam, who- had alfo been 
 Chancellor of England. But the conduit of thefe 
 two extraordinary perfons under the fame cir- 
 eumftances, was vaftly different. They were both 
 impeached byahoufe of commons. One of them, 
 as he had given juft occafion for it, funk under 
 it ; and was reduced to fuch an abject fubmiflion,, 
 as very much diminished the luitre of fo exalted 
 a character: But my Lord Somsrs was too well 
 fortified in his integrity to fear the impotence of 
 an attempt upon his reputation ; and though his 
 accufers would gladly have dropped their im- 
 peachment, he was inftant with them for the pro- 
 fecution of it, and would not let that matter reft 
 till it was brought to an iflue. For the fame vir- 
 tue and greatnefs of mind, which gave him a 
 
 difregatd
 
 232 The FREE-HOLDER. N4o 
 
 difrcgard of fame, made him impatient of an 
 undeferved reproach. 
 
 There is no queftion but this wonderful man 
 v.'iil make one of the moft diftinguifhed figures 
 in the hiftory of the prefent age ; but we can- 
 not expert that his merit will mine out in its 
 proper light, fince he wrote many things which- 
 are not publifhed in his name ; was at the bot- 
 tom of many excellent counfels, in which he 
 did not appear ; did offices of friendfhip to 
 many perfons, who knew not from whom they 
 were derived ; and performed great fervices to 
 his country, the glory of which was transferred 
 to others : In fhort, fince he made it his endea- 
 vour rather to do worthy actions than to gain an 
 illuftrious character. 
 
 Monday, May 7. 
 
 Vrit enim fulgcrefuo qui prttgra-vai artts 
 1'ifraje pc/jitas : ex tin ft 'us cmahitur idem. 
 
 Hor. Ep. i.l. 2. ver. 13. 
 
 {IMITATED.] 
 
 Sure fate of all, beneath whofe rifing ray 
 Each ftar of meaner merit fades away ! 
 Oppreifed we fee! the beam dire&ly beat; 
 Thofe luns of glory pleafe not 'till they fet. 
 
 POPE, 
 
 IT requires no fmall degree of refolution, to 
 be an Author in a country fo facetious and 
 fotirical as this of Great-Britain. Such a one 
 
 raifcs
 
 N a 4 Tb* F R E E-H OLDER. 233 
 
 taifes a kind of alarm among his feilow-fiibjects, 
 and, by pretending to diftinguifh himfelf from the 
 herd, becomes a mark of publick cenfure, and 
 fometimes a {landing object of rallery and ri- 
 dicule. Writing is indeed a provocation to the 
 envious ajid an affront to the ignorant How 
 often do we fee a perfon, whofe Intentions are 
 vifibly to do good by the works' which he pub- 
 lifhes, treated in as fcurrilous a manner, as if he 
 were an enemy to mankind ? All the little 
 fcramblers after fame fall upon him, publifh 
 every blot in his life, depend upon hear-fay to 
 defame him, and have recourfe to their own in- 
 vention, rather than fufter him to erect himfelf 
 into an Author with impunity. Even thofe who 
 write on the moft indifferent fubje&s, and are 
 converfant only in works of tafte, are looked 
 upon -as men that make a kind of intuit upon 
 fociety, and ought to be humbled as difturbers 
 of the publick tranquillity. Not only the dull 
 and the malicious, which make a formidable 
 party in our ifland, but the whole fraternity of 
 writers rife up in arms againft every new in- 
 truder into the world of fame j and a thoufand 
 to one, before they have done, prove him not 
 only to be a fool, but a knave. Succefsful Au- 
 thors do what they can to exclude a competitor, 
 while the unfuccefsful with as much eagernefs 
 Jay in their claim to him as a brother. This na- 
 tural antipathy to a man who breaks his ranks r 
 and endeavours to finalize his parts in the 
 world, has very probally hindered many per- 
 lb;;s from making their appearance in print, who 
 might have enriched our country with better 
 productions in all kinds than any that are now 
 extant. The truth of it is, the active part of 
 mankind, as they do moft for the good of their
 
 234 he FR E E-HoL r> E R. N4o 
 
 contemporaries, very defervedly gain the greateft 
 (hare in their applaufes ; while men of fpecu- 
 lative endowments, who employ their talents in 
 writing, as they may equally benefit or amufe 
 fucceedi plages, have generally the greateft fhare 
 in the admiration of pofterity. Both good and 
 bad writers may receive great fatisfation from 
 the profpeiSts of futurity ; as in after-ages the 
 former will be remembered and the latter for- 
 gotten. 
 
 Among all fets of Authors, there are none 
 who draw upon themfelves more dilpleafure, 
 than thofe who deal in political matters, which 
 indeed it very often too jufHy incurred ; confi- 
 dering that fpirit of rancour and virulence, 
 with which works of this nature generally 
 abound. Thefe are not only regarded as Au- 
 thors, but as partifans, and are fare to exafpe- 
 rate at leaft one half of their Readers. Other 
 AV'riters offend only the flupid or jealous among 
 their countrymen; but theie, let their caufe be 
 never fo juft, muft expedl to irritate a fupernu- 
 merary party of the felf-interefted, prejudiced, 
 and ambitious. They may however comfort 
 themfelves with confidering,that if they gain any 
 unjuft reproach from one fide, they generally 
 acquire more praiic than they dcferve from the 
 other; and that writings, of this kind, if con- 
 ducted with candour and impartiality, have a 
 more particular tendency to the griod of their 
 country, and of the prefent age, than any other 
 compofitions whatfoever. 
 
 To confider an Author farther, as the fub- 
 je& of obloquy arid detraction : We may ob- 
 j'erve with what pleafure a work is received by 
 the invidious part of mankind, in which a wri- 
 ter falls (hort of himfcif, and does not anlVer 
 
 the
 
 N4Q The F R E E-H OLDER. 235 
 
 the chara&er which he has acquired by his 
 former productions. It is a fine fimile in one 
 of Mr. Congreve's prologues, which compares 
 a writer to a buttering gamefler, that itakes 
 all his winnings upon every caft : So that if 
 he lofes the laft throw, he is fure to be undone. 
 It would be well for all Authors, if, like that 
 gentleman, they knew when to give over, and 
 to defift from any farther purfuits after fame, 
 while they are in the full poffeffion of it. On 
 the other hand, there is not a more melancholy 
 objetSt in the learned world, than a man who 
 has written himfelf down. As the publick is 
 more difpofed to cenfure than to praife, his 
 Readers w ? ill ridicule him for his laft works, 
 when they have forgot to applaud thofe which 
 preceded them. In this cafe, where a man 
 -has loft his fpirit by old age and infirmity, one 
 could wifh that his friends and relations would 
 keep him from the ufe of pen, ink, and paper, 
 if he is not to be reclaimed by any other me- 
 thods. 
 
 The Author indeed often <rrows old before the 
 man, efpecially if he treats on fubjedts of in- 
 vention, or fuch as arife from reflexion upon 
 human nature : For in this cafe, neither his own 
 ftrength of mind, nor thofe parts of life which 
 are commonly ur.obferved. will furnifh him with 
 fufficient materials to be at the fame time both 
 p'eafing and voluminous. We find even in the 
 outward drefs cf poetry, that men, who write 
 much without taking breath, very often return 
 to the fame phrafes and forms of expreffion, 
 a^ well as to the fame manner of thinking. 
 Authors, who have thus drawn of the fpirit of 
 their thoughts, fhbuld lie ftill for fome time, 
 till their minds have gathered frefh ftrength, and 
 
 by
 
 236 'The FREE-HOLDER. N46 
 
 by reading, reflexion and converfation, laid 
 in a new flock of elegancies, fentiments, and 
 images of nature. The foil, that is worn with 
 too frequent culture, muft lie fallow for a while, 
 until it has recruited its exhauftedfalts,and again 
 enriched itfeif by the ventilations of the air, the 
 dews of heaven, and the kindly influences of 
 the fun. 
 
 For my own part, notwithftanding this gene- 
 ral malevolence towards thofe who communicate 
 their thoughts in prnt, I cannot but look with 
 a friendly regard on fuch as do it, provided there 
 is no tendency in their writings to vice and 
 profanenefs. If the thoughts of fuch authors 
 have nothing in them, they at leaft do no harm, 
 and fhew an honeft induftry and a good inten- 
 tion in the compofer. If they teach me any 
 thing I did not know before, I cannot but look 
 upon myfelf as obliged to the Writer and con- 
 fider him as my particular benefactor, if he con- 
 veys to me one of the greatef! gifts that is in the 
 power of man to beftow, an improvement of 
 my underftanding, an innocent amufement, 
 or an incentive to fome moral vir'ue. Were 
 not men of abilities thus communicative, their 
 wi&lom would be irr a great meafure uiclcis, and 
 their experience uninftructive. There would 
 be no buiineis in foiitude, nor proper relaxa- 
 tions in bufinefs. By thefe Affiftances. tlr? re- 
 tired man lives in the world, if not above if ; 
 pailion is compofed ; thought hindered from 
 being barren ; and the mind from preying upon 
 itfeif. That eiteem, indeed, which is paid to 
 
 Ex>d writers by their polterity, fufficiently 
 ews the merit of perfons who are thus em- 
 ployed. Who does not now more admire Cicero 
 as an Author, than as a Conful of Rome I And 
 
 docs
 
 N4o ^FREE-HOLDER. 237 
 
 does not oftner talk of the celebrated VVritersof 
 our own country, who lived in former ages, 
 than of any other particular perfons amorws their 
 contemporaries and fellow fubjedlis ! 
 
 When I con fid er myfelf as a Briti/h Free- 
 holder, 1 am in a particular manner pleafed with 
 the labours of thofe who have improved our 
 language with the tranflation of old Latin and 
 Greek Authors, and by that means let us into 
 the knowledge of what pafled in the famous 
 Governments of Greece and Rome. We have 
 already moft of their hiftorians in our own 
 tongue : And what is frill more for the ho- 
 nour of our language, it has been taught to ex- 
 prefs with elegance the greateft of their Poets 
 in each nation. The illiterate among our 
 countrymen may learn to judge from Dryden's 
 Virgil of the moft perfect epic performance : 
 And thofe parts of Homer, which have already 
 been publifhed by Mr. Pope, give us reafon 
 to think that the Iliad will appear in Englijh 
 with as little difadvantage to that immortal 
 poem. 
 
 There is another Author, whom I have long 
 wifhed to fee well translated into Engli/h, as his 
 work is filled with a fpirit of liberty, and more 
 directly tends to raife fentiments of honour and 
 virtue in his Reader, than any of the poetical 
 writings of antiquity. J mean the Pbarfalia of 
 Lucan. This is the only author of confederation 
 among the Latin Poets, who was not explained 
 for the ufe of the Dauphin, for a very obvious 
 reafon ; becaufe the whole Phcrfalia would have 
 been no lets than a fatire upon the French form 
 of government. The tranflation of this Au- 
 thor is now in the hands of Mr. Rave, who has 
 already given the world fome admirable fpeci-
 
 238 
 
 FRE E-Ho L D E 
 
 mens of it ; and not only kept up the fire of the 
 original, but delivered the fentiments with 
 greater perfpicuitj, and in a finer turn of phrafe 
 and verfe. 
 
 As undertakings of fo difficult a nature require 
 the greateft encouragements, one cannot but re- 
 joice to fee thofe general fubfcriptions which have 
 been made to them ; efpecially fince if the two 
 works laft mentioned are not finimed by thofe 
 mafterly hands, which are now employed in 
 them, we may defpair of feeing them attempted 
 by others. 
 
 N4i Friday, May u. 
 
 D'J/entientis conditionibus 
 
 Foedn, 5* exemplo trahenti 
 Pertiiciem <veiens in a-vum. 
 
 Hor. Od. 5. 1. 3. ver. 14. 
 
 He fcorn'd bafe terms that Carthage fent; 
 
 Nor wou'd he e'er by his advice 
 
 Tempt future age to cowardife. CREECH. 
 
 AS the care of our national' commerce re- 
 dounds more to the riches and profperityof 
 the publick, than any other aft of government, 
 it is pity that we do not fee the ftateof it marked 
 out in every particular reign with greater dif- 
 tincYion and accuracy, than what is ufual among 
 our Englijh hiftorians. We may however ob- 
 ferve in general, that the beft and wifeft of our 
 monarchs have not been lefs induftrious to extend 
 
 their
 
 N'4 1 The FRE E-Ho L D E R. 239 
 
 their Trade, than their dominions; as it mani- 
 feftly turns in a much higher degree to the wel- 
 fare of the people, if not to the glory of the 
 Sovereign. 
 
 The firft of our Kings who carried our com^ 
 merce, and confequently our navigation to a very 
 great height, was Edward the Third. This vic- 
 torious Prince, by his many excellent laws for 
 the encouragement of trade, enabled his fubjedls 
 to fupport him in his many glorious wars upon, 
 the continent, and turned the fcale fo much in 
 favour of our Englijh merchandife, that, by a ba- 
 lance of Trade taken in his time, the exported 
 commodities amounted to two hundred ninety 
 four thoufand pounds, and the imported but to 
 thirty eight thoufand. 
 
 Thofe of his fucceflbrs, under whofe regula- 
 tions our Trade flourifhed moft, were Henry the 
 Seventh and Queen Elizabeth. As the firft of 
 thefe was for his great wifdom very often ftiled 
 the Engiifi Solomon, he followed the example of 
 that wife King in nothing more, than by ad- 
 vancing the.Traffick of his people. By this 
 means he reconciled to him the minds of his fub- 
 jecl:s, ftrengthencd himfelf in their affections, 
 improved very much the navigation of the King- 
 dom, and repelled the frequent attempts of his 
 enemies. 
 
 As for Queen Elizabeth, fhe had always the 
 Trade of her kingdom very much at heart, and 
 we may obferve the effects of it through the 
 whole courfe of her reign, in the love and obe- 
 dience of her people, as well as in the defeats 
 and difappointments of her enemies. 
 
 It is with great pleafure that we fee our prefent 
 Sovereign applying his thoughts fo fuccefsfully to 
 the advancement of ourTraffick, and confider- 
 
 ing
 
 240 *fbe FREE-HOL DE R. N4,r 
 
 ing himfelf as the King of a trading ifland. His 
 Majefty has already gained very confiderable 
 advantages for his peopje, and is ftill employed 
 in concerting fchemes and forming treaties, for 
 retrieving and enlarging our privileges in the 
 World of commerce. 
 
 I fhall only in this Paper take notice of the 
 treaty concluded-at Madrid on the I4th of De- 
 cember laft, 17155 and by comparing it with that 
 concluded at Utrecht on the gth of December, 
 1713, fhew feveral particulars in which the 
 treaty made with his prefent Majefty is more 
 advantageous to Great- Britain, than that which 
 was made in the laft reign ; after this general 
 obfervation, fhat it is equally furprifing how fo 
 bad a treaty came to be made at the end of a 
 glorious and fuccefsful war ; and how fo good 
 a one has been obtained in the beginning of a 
 Reign difturbed by fuch interline commotions. 
 But we may learn from hence, that the wifdom 
 of a Sovereign, and the integrity of his minifters, 
 are more neceffary for bringing about works of 
 fuch confequence for the pubiick good, than any 
 juncture of time, or any other the moft favour- 
 able circum (lance. 
 
 We muft here premife, that by the Treaty 
 concluded at Madrid in 1667, the Duties of 
 importation payable upon the manufactures and 
 produces of Great- Britain, amounted upon the 
 eftublifhed valuation in the Spanijh book of rates, 
 (after the deduction of the Gratia's, in Anda- 
 lufia to 1 1 4 per Cent, in Valentia to 5 per Cent. 
 and in Catalonia to about 7 per Cent, or lefs j 
 and consequently upon the whole aforefaid trade, 
 thofe duties could not exceed 10 per Cent, in a 
 medium. 
 
 After
 
 N4i 7#* FREE-HOLD ER. 241 
 
 After this fhort account of the ftate of our 
 trade wuh Spain, before the Treaty of Utrecht 
 under the late Queen, we muft obferve, that by 
 the explanatory articles of this laft mentioned 
 Treaty, the duties of importation upon the pro- 
 ducts and manufactures of Great-Britain were 
 augmented in Andalujia to 2j^ per Cent, at a 
 medium. 
 
 But by the late Treaty made with his prefent 
 Majefly at Madrid, the (aid duties are again re- 
 duced according to the aforefaid treaty of j 667: 
 And the deduction of ihe gratia's is eftabJifh- 
 ed as an inviolable law, whereas, before, the 
 gratia s of the farmers particularly were alto- 
 gether precarious, and depended entirely upon 
 courtefy. 
 
 That the common reader may underftand the 
 nature of thefe gratia's, he muft know that when 
 theKingof $/>fl/H had laid higher duties upon our 
 EngHJh goods, than what the merchants were 
 able or willing to comply with, he ufed to abate 
 a certain part: Which indulgence, or abatement, 
 went under the name of a Gratia. But when 
 he had farmed out thefe his cuftoms to feveral 
 of his fubjeds, the farmers, in order to draw 
 more merchandife to their refpeclive ports, and 
 thereby to increafe their own particular profits, 
 ufed to make new abatements, or gratia's to the 
 Britijh merchants, endeavouring fometimes to 
 outvy one another in fuch indulgences, and by 
 that means to get a greater proportion of cuftom 
 into their own hands. 
 
 But to proceed : The duties on exportation may 
 be computed to be raifed by the Utrecht Treaty, 
 near as much as the aforefaid d uties of im portation : 
 Whereas, by the Treaty made with his prefent 
 Majefty, they are reduced to their ancient ftandard. 
 M Complaint
 
 242 < Tbe FK E -E-HoLJ>E R. N4i 
 
 Complaint having been made, that the Spa- 
 niard; after the fufpenfion of arms had taken fe- 
 veral New-England and other Briirjh fhips ga- 
 thering Salt at the ifland of Tertttga, a very full 
 and juft report concerning that afr'jir was laid 
 before her late Majefty, of which Ifhall give the 
 reader the following extract : 
 
 " Your Majefty's fubje&s have, from the firft 
 " fettlement of the continent of America^ had a 
 " free accefs to this ifland ; and have \7ithout 
 " interruptions^ unlefs in time of war, ufed to 
 " take what Salt they pleafed there : And we 
 <c have proofs of that ufage for above fifty years, 
 " as appears by certificates of perfons who have 
 " been employed in that trade. 
 
 " It doth not appear, upon the ftri&eft en- 
 " quiry, that the Spaniards ever inhabited or 
 " fettled on the faid ifland ; nor is it probable 
 " they ever did, it being all either barren rock, 
 " or dry fand, and having no frefti water or pro- 
 " vifions in it. 
 
 *' We take leave to lay before your Majefty, 
 : the confequence of your Majefty's fubjecls 
 ; being prohibited to fetch Salt at Tertuga; which 
 " will in part appear from the number of fhips 
 " ufing that trade, being, as we are informed, 
 " one year with another about one hundred fail. 
 
 " The fait carried from thence to Neuo-Eng- 
 ' land is ufed chiefly for curing of fifh, which is 
 <c either Cod, Scale-fifti, or Mackrel :The for- 
 " mer of which is the principal branch of the 
 " returns made from the continent to Great- 
 " Britain by way of Spain, Portugal, and the 
 44 Straits, for the woollen and other goods fent 
 " from this kingdom thither. Befides which, 
 " the Scale-Fifh and Mackre! are of fuch confe- 
 " quence, that the fugar-iflands cannot .fubfifl: 
 
 " without
 
 N4i The FR E E-H OLDER. 243 
 
 " v/ithout them, their negroes being chiefly fup- 
 " ported by this fifh: So that if they were not 
 ** fupplied therewith from New-England, (which' 
 " they cannot be, if your Majefty's fubjeds 
 " are prohibited from getting Salt at Tcrtuga) 
 " they would not be able to carry on their fugar 
 ** works. This hath been confirmed to us by 
 " feveral confiderable planters concerned in thofe 
 " parts. 
 
 " Upon the whole, ytour Majefty's fubjecSls 
 " having enjoyed an uninterrupted ufage of ga- 
 " thering Salt zt-Tertuga ever fmce the firftfef- 
 " tlement of the continent as aforefaid, we hum- 
 " bly fubmitto your Majefty the confequence of 
 " preferving that ufage and right upon which the 
 " trade of your Majefty's plantations fo much 
 " depends." . 
 
 Notwithftanding it appears from what is 
 above-written, that our fugar-iflands were like 
 to fuffer confiderably for want of fifh from 
 New-England, no care was taken to have this 
 matter remedied by the explanatory articles, 
 which were pofterior to the above-mentioned 
 report. 
 
 However in the third article of the treaty 
 made with his prefent Majefty, this bufinefs is 
 fully fettled to our advantage. 
 
 The Britijh merchants having had feveral 
 hardfhips put upon them at Bilboa, which oc- 
 cafioned the decay of our trade at that place', 
 the faid merchants did make arid execute, in the 
 year 1700, a treaty of privileges with the rna- 
 giftrates and inhabitants of St. Ander^ very much 
 to the advantage of this kingdom, in order to 
 their removing and fettling there : The effect of 
 which was prevente'd by the death of King 
 Charles the Second of Spain, and the war which 
 M 2 foon
 
 244 *H' e F R E E-H OLDER. N4 I 
 foon after enfued. This matter, it teems, was 
 flighted or negle&ed by the managers of the 
 Utrecht treaty : For, by the fourteenth article of 
 that Treaty, there is only ' a liberty given to 
 ' the Britijb fubje&s to fettle and dwell at St. 
 
 * Ander^ upon the terms of the ninth and thirtieth 
 
 * articles of the Treaty of 1667,' which are 
 general. But no regard was kad to the fore- 
 mentioned Treaty of privileges in 1700; whereas 
 by the fecond article of the Treaty now made 
 with his prefent Majefty, the forementioned 
 Treaty of privileges with St. Ander is confirmed 
 and ratified. 
 
 Another confiderable advantage is, that the 
 French^ by the Treaty made with his prefent 
 Majefty, are to pay the fame duties at the Dry- 
 Ports, through which they pafs by land-carriage, 
 as we pay upon importation or exportation by 
 fea; which was not provided for by the Utrecht 
 Treaty. 
 
 By the fchedulas annexed to the Treaty of 
 1667, the valuable privilege of havingjudge-con- 
 fervators (appointed to make a more fpeedy and 
 lefs expenfive determination of all controverfies 
 arifing in trade) was fully eftablifhed. But by 
 the fifteenth article of Utrecht that privilege was 
 in effect given up. For it is therein only ftipu- 
 lated, * That in cafe any other nation have that 
 
 * privilege, we fhall in like manner enjoy it.' 
 But by the fifth article of the Treaty now made 
 with his prefent Majefty it is ftipulated, that 
 
 We fhall enjoy all the rights, privileges, 
 franchiles, exemptions, and immunities v/hat- 
 foever, which we enjoyed by virtue of the 
 royal fchedulas or ordinances by the Treaty 
 of 1667.' So that hereby the privilege of judge- 
 confervators is again confirmed to us. 
 
 As
 
 N42 The F R E E-H OLDER, 245 
 
 As nothing but the reputation of his Majefty 
 in foreign countries, and of his fixed purpofes to 
 purfue the real good of his Kingdoms, could 
 bring about treaties of this nature : So it is im- 
 pofiible to reflect with patience on the folly and 
 ingratitude of thofe men, who labour to difturb 
 him in the midft of theie his royal cares, and 
 to mifreprefent his generous endeavours for the 
 good of his people. 
 
 N42 Monday, May 14, 
 
 Qfcrmnatos Mercatores ! 
 
 Hor. Sat. 1. 1. i. ver. 4. 
 
 Happy the 'Merchants ! 
 
 SEveral Authors have written on the advantage 
 of Trade in general ; which is indeed fo co- 
 pious a fubje<5t, that as it is impoffible toexhauft 
 it in a (hort difcourfe, fo it is very difficult to 
 obferve any thing new upon it. I {hall, therefore, 
 only confider Trade in this Paper, as it is abfo- 
 lutely neceflary and efiential to the fafety, 
 ftrength, and prosperity of our own nation, 
 
 Jn the firft place, as we are an iflar.d accom- 
 modated on all fides with convenient ports, 
 and encompaffed with navigable feas, welhould 
 be inexcufable, if we did not make thefe blef- 
 fin^s of Providence and advantages of nature 
 turn to their proper account. The moft cele- 
 brated Merchants in the world, and thofe who 
 make the greateft figure in antiquity, were 
 M 3 fituated
 
 246 The FREE-HOLDER. N42 
 
 fnuated in the little ifland of Tyre^ which, by the 
 prodigious increafe of its wealth and ftrength at 
 fea, did very much influence the moft confider- 
 ab'e Kingdoms and Empires on the neighbour- 
 ing continent, and gave birth to the Cartha- 
 gimansi who afterwards exceeded all other na- 
 tions in naval power. The old Tyre was in- 
 deed feated on the continent, from whence the 
 inhabitants, after having been befieged by the 
 great King of Afjjria for the fpace of thirteen 
 year's, withdrew themfelves and their effects in- 
 to the ifland of Tyre, where, by the benefit of 
 fuch a fituation, a trading people were enabled 
 to hold out for many ages againft the attempts 
 of their enemies, and became the Merchants of 
 the world. 
 
 Farther; as an ifland, we are acceflibleonevery 
 fide, and expofed to perpetual invafionsj againft 
 which it is impoffible to fortify ourfelves fuffi- 
 ciently, without fuch a power at lea, as 'is not 
 to be kept up, but by a people who flourifh in 
 commerce. To which we m'uft add, that our in- 
 land towns being deftitute of fortifications, it is 
 oar indifpenfable concern to preferve this our 
 "naval ftrength, which is as a general bulwark 
 to the Biitijh nation. 
 
 Befides ; as an ifland, it has not been thought 
 agreeable to the true Briiijh policy to make ac- 
 q;jif;tions upon the continent. In lieu, there- 
 fore, of fuch an increafe of dominion, it is our 
 bufinefs to extend to the utmoft our Trade and 
 Navigation. By this means we reap the advan- 
 tages of conqueft, without violence or injuftice ; 
 we not only ftrengthen ourfelves, but gain the 
 wealth of our neighbours in an honeft way; and, 
 without any aft of hoftility, lay the feveral na- 
 tions of the world under a kind of contribution.
 
 N42 *The FREE-HOLD E R. 247 
 
 Secondly ', Trade is fitted to the nature of our 
 country, as "it abounds with a great profullon 
 of commodities of its own growth very con- 
 venient for other countries, and is naturally 
 deftitute of many things fuited to the exi- 
 gencies, ornaments and pleafures of life, which 
 may be fetched from foreign parts. But, that 
 which is more particularly to be remarked, our 
 Britijh Produ6ts are of fuch kinds and quan- 
 tities, as can turn the balance of Trade to our 
 advantage, and enable us to fell more to To-- 
 feigners, than we have occafion to buy frorn 
 them. 
 
 To this we muft add, that, by extending a well- 
 regulated Trade, we are as great gainers by the 
 commodities of many other countries, as by tho'ie 
 of our own nation j and, by fupplying foreign 
 markets with the growth and manufactures of 
 the mod diftant regions, we receive the fame 
 profit from them, as if they were the produce of 
 our own ifland. 
 
 Thirdly, We are not a little obliged to Trade, 
 as it has been a great means of civilizing our na- 
 tion, and bamming out of it all the remains of its 
 ancient barbarity- There are many bitter fayiii^s 
 againft iflanders in general, reprefenting them as 
 fierce, treacherous, and inhofpitable. Thofe who 
 live on the continent have fuch opportunities of 
 a frequent intercourfe with men of different re- 
 ligions and languages, and who live under diffe- 
 rent Laws and Governments, that they become 
 more kind, benevolent, and open-hearted to their 
 fellqw-creatures, than thofe who are the inhabi- 
 tants of an ifland, that hath not fuch converfa- 
 tfons With the reft of the fpecies. Cafor's ob- 
 fervation upon our forefathers is very much to 
 our prefent purpofe \ who remarks, that thofe 
 M 4 of
 
 248 The FREE-HOLDER. N42 
 
 of them that lived upon the coaft, or in fea-port 
 towns, were much more civilized, than thole 
 who had their dwellings in the inland country, 
 by reafon of frequent communications with their 
 neighbours on the continent. 
 
 In the Jaft place ; Trade is abfolutely neccffary 
 for us, as our country is very populous. It em- 
 ploys multitudes of hands both by fea and land, 
 and furnifb.es the pooreft of our fellow-fubjecls 
 with the opportunities of gaining an honeft live- 
 lihood. The fkilful or induftrious find their ac- 
 count in it : And many, who have no fixed pro- 
 perty in the foil of our country, can make them- 
 fe.'ves mafters of as confiderable eftates, as thofe 
 who have the greattft portions of the land de- 
 fcending to them by inheritance. 
 
 If what has been often charged upon us by our 
 neighbours has any truth in it, that we are 
 prone to fedition, and delight in change, there is 
 no cure more proper for this evil than Trade, 
 which thus fupplies bufmefs to the acYive, and 
 wealth to the indigent. When men are eafy in 
 their circumftances, they are naturally enemies 
 to innovations : And indeed we fee in the courfe 
 of our Englijh hiftories, many of our popular 
 commotions have taken their rife from the de- 
 cay of fome branch of commerce, which created 
 discontents among psrfons concerned in the ma- 
 nufactures of the Kingdom. When men arc 
 foured with poverty, and unemployed, they ea- 
 fily give into any profpecl of change, which may 
 better their condition, and cannot make it much 
 worfe. 
 
 Since therefore it is manifeft, that the promot- 
 ing of our Trade and Commerce is necefi'ary and 
 *flential to our fecurity and ftrength, our peace 
 and profperity, it is our particular happincfs to 
 
 fee
 
 N42 ^FREE-HOLDER. 249 
 
 fee a monarch on the throne, who is fenfible of 
 the true intereft of his Kingdoms, and applies 
 himfelf with fo much fuccefs to the advancement 
 of our national commerce. 
 
 The Reader may fee in my laft Paper, the 
 advantages which his Majefty has gained for us 
 in our Spanijh Trade. In this, I (hall give a fhort 
 account of thofe procured for us from the Auf- 
 trlan low-countries, by virtue of the 20th Ar- 
 ticle of the Barrier-Treaty made at Antwerp the 
 1 5th of November laft. 
 
 This branch of our Trade was regulated by a 
 Tariff, or Declaration of the duties of import 
 and export in the year 1670, which was fuper- 
 feded by another made in 1680, that continued 
 until this laftTdr/jffettled ^1715 with his prefent 
 Majefty. As for the two former, thofe who are 
 at the pains of perufing them will find the Tariff 
 of 1670 laid higher duties- on feveral confiderahie 
 branches of our Trade, than that of 1680, but 
 in many particulars was more favourable to us 
 than the latter. Now, by the prefent Tariff 'of 
 1715, thefe duties are fixed and regulated for 
 the future by thofe which were moft favourable 
 in either of the former Tariffs : And all our 
 produces and manufactures (one only excepted, 
 which I fhall name by and by) fettled upon ra- 
 ther an eafier foot than ever. 
 
 Our woollen cloths, being the moft profitable 
 branch of our Trade into thefe countries, have 
 by this means gained a very confiderable advan- 
 tage. For the Tariffuf 1680 having laid higher 
 duties upon the finer forts, and lower duties on 
 ordinary cloth, than what were fettled in the 
 Tariff of 1670, his Majefty has, by the/prefent 
 treaty, reduced the duties on the finer forts to 
 the Tariff Q{ 1670, and confirmed the duties on 
 M 5 ordinary
 
 250 The FREE-HOLDER. N42 
 
 ordinary cloth according to the Tariff" of i68o 
 Jnfomuch that this prefent Tariff of 1/15, con- 
 fidered with relation to this valuable part of our 
 Trade, reduces the duties at leaftone fixth part, 
 fuppofing the exportation of all forts to be equal. 
 But as there is always a much greaterexportation 
 of the ordinary cloth, than of the finer forts, 
 the reduction of thefe duties becomes ftill much 
 more confiderable. 
 
 We muft farther obferve, that there had been 
 fevcral innovations made to the detriment of the 
 Engiijh Merchant fince the Tariff" of 1080; all 
 which innovations are now entirely fet afide upon 
 every fptrics of goods, except butter, which is 
 heie particularly mentioned, becaufe we cannot 
 be too minute and circumftantial in accounts of 
 this nature. This article however is moderated, 
 and is rated in proportion to what has been, and 
 is itill to be, paid by the Dutch. 
 
 As our commerce with the Netherlands is thus 
 fettled to the advantage of our Britijh Merchants, 
 fo it is much to their fatisfa&ion : And if his 
 Majefty, in the feveral fucceeding parts of his 
 reign (which we hope may be many years pro- 
 longed) fhould advance our commerce in the fame 
 proportion as he has already done, we may expect 
 to fee it in a more flourishing condition*, than 
 under any of his royal anceftors. He feems to 
 place his greatnefs in the riches and profperity 
 of his people ; and what may we not hope from 
 him in a time of quiet and tranquillity, fince, 
 during the late diftradions, he has done fo much 
 for the advantage of our trade, when we could 
 not reafunably exped: he fhould have been able 
 to do any thing ? 
 
 Friday,
 
 N43 ^ FREE-HOLDER. 251 
 N43 Friday, May 18. 
 
 Hoc fonte deri'vata clades, 
 In pat r I am populumquefuxit. 
 
 Hor. Od. 6.1. 3. ver. 19. 
 
 From this polluted head 
 Infedious ilrearas of crowding fins began, 
 And thro' the fpurious brood and guilty nation ran. 
 
 RoSCOMMONo 
 
 ONE would wonder how any perfon, endow- 
 ed with the ordinary principles of prudence 
 and humanity, fhould defire to be King of a 
 country, in which the eftablifhed religion is di- 
 jedtly oppofite to that which he himfelf profefies* 
 Were it pofiible for fuch a one to accomplish his 
 defigns, his own reafon muft tell him, there 
 could not be a more uneafy Prince, nor a more 
 unhappy people. But how can it enter into the 
 wiflies of any private perfons to be the fubje&s 
 of a man, whofe faith obliges him to ufe the 
 moftefteitual means for extirpating their religion,. 
 is altogether incomprelvenfible, bur upon theiup- 
 pofition that,.whatever principles they feem to ad- 
 here to, their intereft, ambition, or revenge, is 
 much more active and predominant "m their 
 minds, than the love of their country, or of its^ 
 national worfliip. 
 
 I have never heard of any one particular benefit, 
 which, either the Pretender himfelf, or the fa- 
 vourers of his caufe, could promife to the Britijh 
 nation from the fuccefs of his pretenfions ; though 
 
 the
 
 252 The FR EE-HOL DER. N4} 
 
 the evils, which would arife from it, are number- 
 ]efs and evident. Thefe men content themielves 
 with one general aflertion which often appears 
 in their writings, and in their difcourfe; that the 
 kingdom will never be quiet until he is upon the 
 throne. If by this pofition is meant, that thofe 
 will never be quiet who would endeavour to place 
 him there, it may poflibly havefome truth in it ; 
 though we hope even thefe will be reduced to 
 their obedience by the care of their fafety, if not 
 by the fenfe of their duty. But on the other fide, 
 how ineffectual would this ftrange expedient be 
 for eftabliftiing the publickquiet and tranquillity, 
 ihould it ever take place ! for, by way of argu- 
 ment, we may fuppofe impoflibilities. Would 
 
 . that party of men which comprehends the moft 
 wealthy, and the moft valiant, of the kingdom, 
 and which, were the caufe put to a trial, 
 would undoubtedly appear the moft numerous, 
 (for I am far from thinking all thofe, -who are 
 
 . diftinguifhed bv the name of Tories, to be fa- 
 vourers of the Pretender) can we, I fay, luppofe 
 thefe men would live quiet under a reign 
 which they have hitherto oppofed, and from 
 
 . which they apprehend fuch a manifeft deftruction 
 to their country ? Can we fuppofe our prefent 
 Royal Family, who are fo powerful in foreign 
 dominions, fo ftrong in their relations and 
 alliances, and fo univerfally fupported by the 
 Proteftant intereft of Europe, would continue 
 quiet, and not make vigorous and repeated at- 
 tempts for the recovery of their right, (hould 
 it ever be wrefted out of their hands ? Can we 
 imagine that our Britijh Clergy would be quiet 
 under a Prince, who is zealous for his religion, 
 and obliged by it to fubvert thofe doctrines, 
 which it is their duty to defend and propagate ?
 
 N43 *Ibe FREE-HOLDER. 253 
 
 ray, would any of thofe men themfelves, who 
 are the champions of this defperate caufe, un- 
 lefs fuch of them as are profefled Roman-catho- 
 licks or difpofed to be fo, live quiet under a 
 government which at the beft would make uie 
 of all indirect methods in favour of a religion, 
 that is inconfiftent with our laws and liberties, 
 and would impofe on us fuch a yoke, as nei- 
 ther we nor our fathers were able to bear? All 
 the quiet, that could be expected from fuch a 
 reign, muft be the refult of abfolute power on 
 the one hand, and a defpicable flavery on the 
 other : And L believe every reafonable man will 
 be of the Roman hiftorian's opinion, that a 
 difturbed liberty is better than a quiet fervi- 
 tude. 
 
 There is not indeed a greater abfurdity than 
 to imagine the quiet of a nation can arife from 
 an eftablimment, in which the King would be 
 of one communion, and the people of another ; 
 efpecially, when the religion of the Sovereign car- 
 ries in it the utmoft malignity to that of the fub- 
 jet. If any of our Englijh Monarchs might have 
 hoped to reign quietly under fuch circumftances, 
 it would have been King Charles the Second 
 who was received with all the joy and good-will 
 that are natural to a people, newly refcued from 
 a tyranny which had long opprefled them in 
 feveral fliapes. But this Monarch was too wife 
 to own himfelf a Roman - Catholick, even 
 in that juncture of time; or to imagine it 
 , practicable for an avowed Popifh Prince to 
 govern a Proteftant people. His brother tried 
 the experiment, and every one knows the 
 fuccefs of it. 
 
 As fpeculations are beft fupported by facts, 
 I fhall add to thefe domeftick examples one or 
 
 two
 
 254 The FREE-HOLDER. N P 4j 
 
 two parallel inflances out of the Stcutf^fe biftqry, 
 which maybe fufficient to fhew us, that a fcheme 
 of Government is impracticable, in which the 
 head does not agree with the body, in that point, 
 which is of the greateft concern to reafonable 
 creatures. Sweden is the only Proteftant king- 
 dom in Europe, befides this of Great-Britain^ 
 which has had the misfortune to fee Popifh 
 Princes upon the throne; and we find, that they 
 behaved themfelves as we did, and as it is na- 
 tural for men to do, upon the fame occafion. 
 Their King Sigifmcnd having, contrary to the 
 inclinations of his people, endeavoured by fe- 
 veral clandeftine methods, to promote the Ro- 
 man-catholick religion among his fubje&s, and 
 ihewn feveral marks of favour to their priefts 
 and jefuits, was, after a very fhort reign, de~ 
 pofed by the States of that kingdom, being re- 
 prefented as one who could neither be held by 
 oaths nor promifes, and over-ruled by the in- 
 fluence of his religion, which difpenfes with 
 the violation of the moft facred engagements 
 that are oppofite to its interefts. The ttates, to 
 fhew farther their apprehcnfions of popery, 
 and how incompatible they thought the prin- 
 ciples of the church of Rome in a Sovereign 
 were with thofe of the reformed religion in his 
 fubje<Sts, agreed that his fon fhould fucceed to 
 the throne, piovided he were brought up a Pro- 
 teftant. This the father feemingly complied 
 withj but afterwards refuting to give him lucrt 
 an education, the fon was likewife fet afide, 
 and for ever excluded from that fucceffion. 
 The famous Queen Chrijiina^ daughter to the 
 great Guficevin, was fo fenfible of thofe trou- 
 bles which would accrue both to herfelf and her 
 people, fhould Ihe avow the Roman-Catholick 
 
 religion
 
 N43 The FREE-HOLDER. 255 
 
 religion while (he was upon the throne of 
 Sweden ; that (he did not make an open pro- 
 feffion of that faith, until fhe had refigned her 
 crown, and was actually upon her journey to 
 Rome. 
 
 In fhorr, if there be any political maxim, 
 which may be depended upon as fure and infal- 
 lible, this is one ; that it is impoffible for a 
 nation to be happy, where a people of the re- 
 formed religion are governed by a King that is a 
 papift. Were he indeed only a nominal Roman - 
 catholick, there might be a poffibility of peace 
 and quiet under fuch a reign ; but if he is fmcere 
 in the principles of his church, he muft treat 
 heretical fubje&s as that church directs him, and 
 knows very well, that he ceafes to be religious, 
 when he ceafes to be a profecutor. 
 
 Monday a
 
 256 'The FREE-HOLDER. N44 
 
 oooooooooooooooo 
 
 N44 Monday, May 21. 
 
 Multaauf prtfterea <var/arum monflra ferarunt 
 Centaur i in fcribus Jlo.bula.nt Jcylleeyue biformes t 
 Et centum-gemintis Briareus, ac bellua hrn/e 
 Hcrrendumftridens, flammijque armata Cbinittra, 
 Gorgones, Harpjtfque, et forma iricorporii umbrtp. 
 Co>-r:pit hie fubitd trepidus formidine f err urn 
 ^Eneas, ftrifiamque aciem --uenientibus cffirt. 
 Et, ni defta comes tenues fine corpore 'vitas 
 ddmoneat vo'itare ca<vajub imagine form.?, 
 Jrruat, et frujira ferro di<uerberet umbras* 
 
 Virg. JEn. 6. ver. 285. 
 
 Of various forms unnnmber'd fp^Tres more; 
 Centaurs, and double fhapes, befiege the door: 
 Before the paffage horrid Hydra ftand?, 
 And Briareus with all his hundred hands: 
 Corgons, Geryw with his t:iple frame; 
 And vain Chimttras vomit empty flame. 
 The chief unfheath'd his fhining fteel, prepar'd 
 Tho' feiz'd with fudden fear, to force the guard, 
 OfFring his brandifn'd weapon at their face; 
 JIad not the S/'^y/ftopp'd his eager pace, 
 And told him vvhatthofe emrty fantonas were, 
 Forms without bodies, and impaffive air. 
 
 D R Y D E N. 
 
 AS I was laft Friday taking a walk in the 
 park, I faw a country Gentleman at the 
 fide of Rofamond^s pond, pulling a handful of 
 oats out of his pocket, and with a great deal 
 of pleafure gathering the ducks about him. 
 Upon my coming up to him, who Ihould it be 
 
 but
 
 N44 Me FREE-HOLDER. 257 
 
 but my friend the Fox-hunter, whom I gave 
 fome account of in my twenty-fecond Paper ! I 
 immediately joined him, and partook of his di- 
 verfion, until he had not an oat left in his pocket. 
 We then made the tour of the Park together, 
 when after having entertained me with the de- 
 fcription of a decoy pond that lay near his feat 
 in the country, and of a meeting-houfe that was 
 going to be re built in a neighbouring market- 
 town, he gave me an account of fome very 
 odd adventures which he had met with that 
 rrorning"; and which I {hall lav together in a 
 fhort and faithful hiftory, as well as my memory 
 will give me leave. 
 
 My friend, who has a natural averfion to 
 London^ would never have come up, had not 
 he been fubpcened to it, as he told me, in order 
 to give his teftimony for one of the rebels, 
 whom he knew to be a very fair fportfman. 
 Having travelled all night, to avoid the incon- 
 veniences of duft and heat, he arrived with his 
 guide, a little, after break of day, at Chat -'ing- 
 Ctofs ; where, to his great furprife, he faw a 
 running footman carried in a chair, followed 
 by a waterman in the fame kind of vehicle. 
 He was wondering at the extravagance of their 
 mafteis, that furnifhed them with fuch drefles 
 and accommodations, when on a fudden he be- 
 held a chimney-fwceper, conveyed after the 
 fame manner, with three footmen running 
 before him. During his progrefs through the 
 Strand^ he met with feveral other figures no lefs 
 wonderful and furprifmg. Seeing a great many 
 in rich morning-gown?, he was amazed to find , 
 that rerfons of Quality were up fo eaily: And 
 was ro lefs aftoniflied to fee many lawyers in 
 their bar-gowns, when he knew by his alma- 
 nack
 
 258 'The FREE-HOLDER. N44 
 
 naclc that term was ended. As he was ex- 
 tremely puzzled and confounded in himfelf what 
 ail this would mean, a hackney-coach chancing 
 to pafs by him, four Batts popped out their 
 heads all at once, which very much frighted 
 both him and his horfe. My friend, who al- 
 ways takes care to cure his horfe of fuch ftart- 
 inghts, fpurred him up to the very fide of the 
 coach, to the no fmall diverfion of the Batts j 
 who, feeing him with his long whip, horfe-hair 
 periwig, jockey-belt, and coat without fleeves, 
 fancied him to be one of the mafqueraders on 
 horieback, and received him with.a loud peal 
 of laughter. His mind being full of idle Ito- 
 ries, which arc fprcad up and down the nation 
 by the difaffecled, he immediately concluded 
 that all the perfons he faw in thefe ftrange habits 
 were foreigners, and received a great indigna- 
 tion a^aiuft them, for pretending to laugh a; zn 
 Ertgiijb country Gentleman. But he foon reco- 
 vered out of his eiror, by hearing the voices of 
 feveralof them, and particularly of a mepherdefs 
 ^quarrelling with her coachman, and threatning 
 to break his bones in very intelligible Englijh^ 
 though with a mafculine tone. His aftonifh- 
 ment ftiil increafed upon him, to fee a conti- 
 nued procefflon of harlequins, fcaramouches, 
 punch',nello's,and a thoufand other merry drefTes, 
 by which people of Quality diftinguifh their wit 
 from that of the vulgar. 
 
 Being now advanced as far a? Snnerfet-Houfe, 
 and obferving it to be the great hive whence 
 this fwarm of chimeras ifTued forth from time 
 to time, my friend took his flation among 
 a clufter of mob, who were making therr.ielves 
 merry with their betters. The firft that came 
 out, was a very venerable matron, with a nofe 
 
 and.
 
 ,N44 ^ F R E E-H OLDER. 259 
 
 and chin, that were within a very little of 
 touching one another. My friend, at the firft 
 view fancying; her to be an old woman of Qua- 
 lity, out of his good-breeding put off his hat to 
 her, when the perfon pulling off his malk, to 
 his great furprife, appeared a fmock-faced young 
 fellow. His attention was foon 'taken off from 
 this object, and turned to another that had very 
 hollow eyes and a wrinkled face, which flourim- 
 cd in all the blcom of fifteen. The whitenefs 
 of the lily was blended in it with the blufh of 
 the rofe. He miftook it for a very whimfical 
 kind of mafk ; but upon a nearer view he found 
 that ilie held her vizard in her hand, and that 
 what he faw was only her natural countenance, 
 touched up with the ufual improvements of an 
 aged coquette. 
 
 The next who fliewed herfelf was a femate 
 quafcer, fo very pretty, that he could not forbear 
 Jicking his lips, and faying to the mob about 
 him, * It is ten thoufand pities file is not a church - 
 * woman.' The quaker was followed by half a 
 dozen nuns, who filed off one after another up 
 Catharine-Street , to the refpe&ive convents in 
 Drury-Lane. 
 
 The Efquire obferving the precifenefs of their 
 <3refs, began now to' imagine after all, that this 
 was a neit of fe&aries; for he had often heard 
 that the town was full of them. He was con- 
 firmed in this opinion upon feeing a conjurer, 
 whom he guefled to be the holderforth. How- 
 ever, to fatisfy himfelf, he asked a porter, who 
 flood next him, what religion thefe people were 
 of? The porter replied, * They are of no re- 
 ' ligion ; it is a mafquerade.' Upon that, fays 
 my friend, 1 began to fmoke that they were a - 
 parcel of mummers - y and being himfelf one of 
 
 the
 
 260 'The F R E E-H OLDER. N44 
 
 the quorum in his own country, could not but 
 wonder that none of the Mlddlefex Juftices took 
 care to lay fome of them by the heels. He was the 
 more provoked in the fpirit of magiftracy, upon 
 difcovering two very unfeemly objects: The firft 
 was a judge, who rapped out a great oath at his 
 footman; and the other a big- bellied woman, 
 who, upon taking a leap into the coach, mif- 
 carried of a cufhion. What {Kll gave him greater 
 offence was a drunken Bifhop, who reeled from 
 one fide of the court to the other, and was very 
 fweet upon an Indian Queen. But his worfhip, 
 in the midft of his aulterity, was mollified at 
 the fight of a very lovely milk-maid, whom he 
 began to regard with an eye of mercy, and 
 conceived a particular afte&ion for her, until he 
 found to his great amazement, that the ftandera- 
 by fufpedied her to be a Dutchefs. 
 
 I muft not conclude this narrative without 
 mentioning one diiafter which happened to my 
 friend on this occafion. Having for his better 
 convenience difmounted, and mixed among the 
 crowd, he found upon his arrival at the inn, 
 tbat he had loft his purfe and his almanack. 
 And though it is no wonder fuch a trick (houUl 
 be played him by fome of the curious fpeclators, 
 he cannot beat it out of his head, but that it was 
 a cardinal who picked his pocket, and that this 
 cardinal was a Prefb) terian in diigui'e. 
 
 Friday,
 
 N45 The FREE-HOLDER. 261 
 N45 Friday, May 25. 
 
 Nimium rifus pretium fft Ji probitat'n impendio conflat. 
 
 Quintil. 
 
 Laughter is bought too dear, if it be at the expence 
 of honefty. 
 
 I Have lately read, with much pleafure, the 
 Eflays upon feveral fubjedts published by Sir 
 Richard Blackmore\ and though I agree with 
 him in many of his excellent observations, I can- 
 not but take that reafonable freedom, which 
 he htmfelf makes ufe of, with regard to other 
 writers, to difTent from him in fome few par- 
 ticulars. In his reflexions upon works of wit 
 and humour, he obferves how unequal they are 
 to combate vice and folly; and feems to think, 
 that the fined rallery and fatire, though directed 
 by thefe generous views, never reclaimed one 
 vicious man, or made one fool depart from his 
 folly. 
 
 This is a pofition very hard to be contradicted, 
 becaufe no Author knows the number or names 
 of his converts. As for the Tatlers and Specta- 
 tors in particular, which are obliged to this inge- 
 nious and ufeful Author for the character he has 
 given of them, they were fo generally difperfed 
 in fmgle (heets, and have fince been printed in fo 
 great numbers, that it is to be hoped they have 
 made fome profelytes to the interefts, if not to 
 the practice of wifdom and virtue, among fuch 
 a multitude of readers. 
 
 I need
 
 262 *fbe F R E E-H o L D E R. N45 
 
 I need not remind this learned Gentleman, 
 that Socrates, who was the greateft propagator of 
 morality in the heathen world, and a martyr 
 for the unity of the godhead, was fo famous 
 for the exercife of this talent among the politeft 
 people of antiquity, that he gained the name of 
 (3"Epw>) the Drole. 
 
 There are very good effects which vifibly 
 arofe from the above-mentioned performances 
 and others of the like nature ; as, in the firft 
 place, they diverted rallery from improper ob- 
 jels, and gave a new turn to ridicule, which 
 for many years had been exerted on peribns and 
 things of a facred and ferious nature. They 
 endeavoured to make mirth inftrudive, and, if 
 they failed in this great end, they muft be al- 
 lowed at leaft to have made it innocent. If wit 
 and humour begin again to relapfe into their 
 former licentioufnefs, they can never hope for 
 approbation from thofe who know that rallery 
 is ufelefs when it has no moral under it, and. 
 pernicious when it attacks any thing that is either 
 unblameable or praife- worthy. To this we may 
 add, what has been commonly obferved, that it 
 is not difficult to be merry on the fide of vice, 
 as ferious objects are the moft capable of ridi- 
 cule; as the party, which naturally favour fuch 
 a mirth, is the moft numerous ; and as there are 
 the moft Handing jefts and patterns for imitation 
 in this kind of writing. 
 
 In the next place : Such productions of wit 
 and humour, as have a tendency to expofe vice 
 and folly, furnifti ufeful diverfions to all kinds 
 of ceaders. The good or prudent man may, by 
 thefe means, be diverted without prejudice to his 
 difcretion, or morality. Rallery, under fuch 
 regulations, unbends the mind from ferious ftudies- 
 
 and
 
 N45 ^FREE-HOLDER. 263 
 
 and feverer contemplations, without throwing 
 it off from its proper bias. It carries on the 
 fame defign that is promoted by Authors of a 
 grave turn, and only does it in another man- ' 
 ner. It alfo awakens reflexion in thofe who are 
 the moft indifferent in the caufe of virtue or 
 knowledge, by fetting before them the abfur- 
 dity offuch practices as are generally unobferved, 
 by reafon of their being common or fafhionable : 
 nay, it fometimes catches the difiblute and 
 abandoned before they are aware of it : who are 
 often betrayed to laugh at themfelves, and upon, 
 reflexion find, that they are merry .at their own 
 expence. I might farther take notice, that by 
 entertainments of this kind, a man may be 
 chearful in folitude, and not be forced to feek 
 for company every time he has a mind to be 
 merry. 
 
 The laft advantage I (hall mention from 
 compofitions of this nature when- thus reftrain- 
 ed, is, that they ihew wifdom and virtue are 
 far from being inconfiftent with politenefs and 
 good humour. They make morality appear 
 amiable to people of gay difpofitions, and re- 
 fute the common objection againft Religion, 
 which reprefents it as only fit for gloomy and 
 melancholy tempers. It was the motto of a 
 Bifiiop very eminent for his piety and good 
 works in King Charles the Second's reign, 
 Infervi Deo & l^tare^ "Serve God and be 
 -" chearful." Thofe therefore who fupply the 
 world with fuch entertainments of mirth as" 
 are inftrudlive, or at leaft harmlefs, may be 
 thought to deferve well of mankind ; to which 
 I mall only add, that they retrieve the honour 
 of polite learning, and anfwer thofe four en*-' 
 thuliafts who affect to frigmatize the fineft aivl 
 moft
 
 264 The F R E E-H OLDER. N45 
 
 moft elegant Authors, both ancient and modern, 
 (which they .have never read) as dangerous to 
 Religion,. and deftructive of ail found and laving 
 knowledge. 
 
 Our "nation are fuch lovers of mirth and 
 humour, that it is impoflible for detached papers, 
 which come out on ftated days, either to have 
 a general run, or long continuance, if they are 
 not diverlified and enlivened from time to time, 
 with lubjech and thoughts, accommodated to 
 this tafte, which fo prevails among our country- 
 men. No periodical Author, who always main- 
 tains his gravity, and does not fometimes facri- 
 fice to the graces, muft expect to keep in 
 vogue for any confiderable time. Political fpecu- 
 lations in particular, however juft and impor- 
 tant, are of fo dry and auftere a nature, that 
 they will not go down with ihe publick without 
 frequent leafoningb of this kind. The work 
 may be well performed, but will never take, if 
 it is not let oft" with proper fcenes and decora- 
 tions. A mere politician is but a dull com- 
 panion, and, if he is always wife, is in great 
 danger of being tirefom or ridiculous. 
 
 Befides, papers of entertainment are necefTary 
 to increafe the number of readers, efpecially 
 among thofe of different notions and principles ; 
 who by this means may be betrayed to give you 
 a fair hea;ing, and to know what you have to 
 fay for yourlelf. I might likewife obferve, that 
 in ail poliucal writings there is fomething that 
 grates upon the mind of the moft candid reader, 
 in opinions which are not conformable to his 
 own way of thinking; and that the harfhnefs 
 of reafoning is not a little foftened and fmoothed 
 by the infuftons of mirth and pleafantry. 
 
 ,
 
 1X^45 %%* F R E E-H OLDER. 265 
 Political Speculations do likewife furnifh us 
 with feveral objects that may very innocently be 
 ridiculed, and which are regarded as fuch by men 
 of fenfe in all parties; of this kind are the paf- 
 fions of our ftates-women, and the reafonings 
 of our Fox-hunters. 
 
 A writer who makes fame the chief end of 
 his endeavours, and would be more defirous of 
 pleafing than of improving his readers, might 
 find an inexhauftvble faad of mirth in politicks. 
 Scandal and fatire are never-failing gratifications 
 to the puWick. Detraction and obloquy are re- 
 ceived with as much eagernefs as wit and hu- 
 mour. Should a writer fingle out particular per- 
 fons, or point his rallery at any order of men, 
 who by their profeffion ought to be exempt from 
 it; mould he flander the innocent, or fatirize the 
 miferable; or mould he, even on the proper 
 fubjects of derifion, give the full play to his 
 mirth, without regard to decency and good- 
 manners ; he might be fure of pleafing a great 
 part of his readers, but muft be a very ill man, 
 if by fuch a proceeding he could pleafe himfelf, 
 
 Monday,
 
 266 The F R E E-H o L D E R. N 46 
 N46 Monday, May 28. 
 
 male ominatis 
 
 Par cite merbis : 
 
 Hie dies, were mi hi feftus, atras 
 Eximet cur as ; ego nee tumultum 
 jVif f mori per <vim metuam, tenente 
 
 C&Jare terras. 
 
 Hor. Od. 14. lib. 3. ver. 11. 
 Let fall no inaufpicious word : 
 This day, to me a real feaft, 
 -Black cares (hall banifh for my breafl; 
 I'll fear no tumult, fear no pains, 
 Nor violent dearh, while Casfar reigns CREECH. 
 
 T-H E ufual falutation to a man upon hi 
 birth-day among the ancient Romans was 
 Multos et Felices; in which they wifhed him 
 many happy returns of it. When Augujlus ce- 
 lebrated the fecular year, which was kept but 
 once in a century, and received the congratu- 
 lations of his people on that account, an eminent 
 court-wit faluted him in the Birth-day form 
 (Multos et Felices] which is recorded as a beau- 
 tiful turn of compliment, expreffing a delire 
 that he might enjoy a happy life of many 
 hundreds of years. This falutation cannot be 
 taxed with flattery, fince it was directed to a 
 Prince, of whom it is faid by a great hiftorian, 
 ' It had been happy for Rome, if he had never been 
 ' born, or if he had never died.' Had he never 
 been born, Rome would, in all probability, have 
 recovered its former liberty: Had he never died, 
 it would have been more happy under his govern- 
 ment,
 
 N 46 *Tbe FREE-HOLDER. 267 
 
 ment, than it could have been in the pofleflion 
 of 'its ancient freedom. 
 
 It is our good fortune that our Sovereign, 
 whofe nativity is celebrated on this day, gives us 
 a profpecl:, which the Romans wanted under the 
 reign of their Augujlu^ of his being fucceeded 
 by an heir, both to his virtues and his domi- 
 nions. In the mean time it happens very luckily, 
 for the eftablifhment of a new race of Kings- 
 upon the Britijh throne, that the firft of this 
 Royal line has all thofe high qualifications which 
 are neeeflary to fix the crown upon his own 
 head, and to tranfmit it to his pofterity. We 
 may indeed obferve, that every i'eries of Kings 
 who have kept up the fucceffion in their refpec- 
 tive families, in fpite of all pretenfions and op- 
 pofitions formed againft them, has beeti headed 
 by Princes famous for valour and wifdom. I 
 need only mention the names of William the 
 Conquer or i Henry the Second, Henry the Fourth, 
 Edward the Fourth, and Henry the Seventh. 
 As for King James the Firfl, the founder of the 
 Stuart race, had he been as well turned for the 
 camp, as the cabinet, and not confined all his 
 views to the peace and tranquillity of his own 
 reign, his fon had not been involved in fuch 
 fatal troubles and confufions. 
 
 Were an honeft Briton to wifli for a Sovereign, 
 who in the prefent fituation of affairs would be 
 moft capable of advancing our national happi- 
 nefs, what could he defire more than a Prince 
 mature in wifdom and experience; renowned 
 for his valour and refolution; fuccefsful and for- 
 tunate in his undertakings ; zealous for the re- 
 formed religion ; related or allied to all the moft 
 confiderable Proteftant powers of Europe j and 
 bleft with a numerous iflue ! A failure in any 
 N 2 one
 
 268 The FREE-HOLDER. N46 
 
 one of thefe particulars has been the caufe of in- 
 finite calamities to the Britijh nation j but when 
 they all thus happily concur'in the fame perfon, 
 they are as much as can be fuggefted, even by 
 our wifhes, for making us a happy people, fo 
 far as the qualifications of a Monarch can 
 contribute to it. 
 
 I mall not attempt a character of his prefent 
 Majefty, having already given an imperfect fketch 
 of it in my fecond Paper ; but (hall choofe rather 
 to obferve that cruel treatment which this ex- 
 cellent Prince has met with from the tongues 
 and pens of fome of his difaftecled fubjects. The 
 baienefs, ingratitude, and injuftice of which prac- 
 tice will appear to us, if we confider, 
 
 Firft, that it reflects highly upon the good- 
 fen fe of the BritiJJ) nation, who do not know 
 -how to fet a juft value upon a Prince, whole 
 \'irtues have gained him the univerfal efteem of 
 foreign countries. Thofe potentates who, as fome 
 may fuppofe, do not wifh well to his affairs, 
 have fhewn the greateit refpet to his perfonal 
 character, and teftified their readinefe to enter 
 into fuch friendfhips and alliances as may be 
 advantageous to his people. The northern Kings 
 iolicit him with impatience to come among 
 them, as the only perfon capable of fettling the 
 iev.eral claims and pretenfions, which have pro- 
 duced iiich unfpeakable calamities in that part 
 of the World. Two of the moft remote and 
 formidable powers of Europe have entertained 
 thoughts of fubmlttin.g their difputes to his ar- 
 bitration. Every one Jcnows his ancient fubjects 
 had fuch a long experience of his Sovereign vir- 
 tues, that at his departure from them his whole 
 people were in tears ; which were anlwered 
 ivith ail thofe ie.ntime.nts of humanity, that 
 
 arife
 
 N46 'The FREE -HOLDER. 269 
 
 arife in the heart of a good Prince on fo moving 
 an occafion. What a figure therefore muft we 
 make among mankind, if we are the only peo- 
 ple of Europe who derogate from his merit, that 
 may be made happy hy it ! and if in a Kingdom, 
 which is grown glorious by the reputation of 
 fuch a Sovereign, there are multitudes who 
 would endeavour to leflen and undervalue it. 
 
 In the next place; fuch a treatment from 
 any part of our fellow-fubjects is by no means 
 anfwerable to what we receive from his Majefty. 
 His love and regard for our conftitution is fo 
 remarkable, that, as we are told by thofe whofe 
 office it is to lay the bufinefs of the nation be- 
 fore him, it is the firft queftion, upon any mat- 
 ter of the leaft doubt or difficulty, whether it- 
 be in every point according to the ]a\vs of the 
 land ? He is eafy of accefs to thofe who defire 
 it, and is fo gracious in his behaviour and con- 
 defcenfion on fuch occafions, that none of his 
 fubjets retire from his prefence without the 
 greateft idea of his wifdom and goodrrefs. His 
 continued application to fuch publick affairs, as 
 may conduce to the benefit ofhfs Kingdoms, 
 diverts him from thofe pleafures and entertain- 
 ments which may be indulged by perfons in a 
 fower ftation, and are purfued with eagernefs 
 by Princes who have not the care of the publiclc 
 fo much at heart. The leaft return, which we 
 can make to fuch a Sovereign, is that tribute 
 which is always paid by honeft men, and is al- 
 ways acceptable to great minds, the praife and 
 approbation that are due to a virtuous and noble 
 character. Common decency forbids opprobri- 
 tfus language, even to a bad Prince ; and com- 
 mon juftice will exatS from us, towards a good 
 Prince, the fame benevolence and humanity 
 N 3 with
 
 270 Tie FREE-HOLDER. N46 
 
 with which he treats his fubjecls. Thofe, who 
 are influenced by duty and gratitude, will rife 
 jmich higher in all the expreffions of affe&ion 
 and refpet, and think they, can never do too 
 much to advance the glory of a Sovereign, who 
 takes fo much pains to advance their happinefs. 
 
 When we have a King, who has gained the 
 reputation of the molt unblemished probity and 
 honour, and has been famed, through the whole 
 courfe of his life, for an inviolable adherence 
 to his promifes, we mayacquiefce (after his many 
 folemn 'declarations) in all thole meafures which 
 it is impofiible for us to judge rightly of, unlefs 
 \ve were let into fuch fchemes of council and 
 intelligence as produce them ; and therefore we 
 fhould rather turn our thoughts upon the rea- 
 ibnablenefs of his proceedings, than bufy our- 
 felves to form objections againft them. The 
 confideration. of his Majefty's character fhould 
 at all times fupprefs our cenfure of his conduct: 
 And fmce we have never yet feen, or heard of 
 any falfe fteps in his behaviour, we ought in 
 juftice to think, that he governs himfelf by his 
 ufual rules ofwifdom and honour, until we dif- 
 cover fomething to the contrary. 
 
 Thefe confiderations ought to reconcile to his 
 Majefty the hearts and tongues of all his people : 
 But as for thofe who are the obftinate, irreclaim- 
 able, profefled Enemies to our prefent eftablifh- 
 ment, we muft expect their calumnies will not 
 only continue, but rife againft him in proportion 
 as he purfues fuch meafures as are likely to prove 
 fuccefsful, and ought to recommend him to his 
 people. 
 
 Friday,
 
 N47 * FREE-HOLDER. 271 
 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 N47 Friday, June i 
 
 ce (fit furor, et rabida or a yuierunf. 
 
 Virg. JE.TO.. 6. ver. 102. 
 
 Ceas'd is his fury, and he foams no more. 
 
 IQueftion not but moft of my readers will be 
 very well pleafed to hear, that my friend the 
 Fox-hunter, of whofe arrival in town I gave 
 notice in my forty-fourth Paper, is become a 
 convert to the prefent Eftablifhment, and a good 
 fubjecl to King GEORGE. The motives to 
 his converfion ihall be the fubje<5t of this Paper, 
 as they may be of-ufe to other perfons who labour 
 under thofe prejudices and prepofleflions, which 
 hung fo long upon the mind of my worthy friend. 
 Thefe I had an opportunity of learning the other 
 day when, at his requeft,. we took a ramble 
 together to fee the curiofities of this great town. 
 
 The firft circumftance, as he ingenuoufly con- 
 feflfed to me (while we were in the coach toge- 
 ther) which helped to difabufe him, was feeing 
 King Charles the Firft on horfeback, at Cbaring- 
 Cro/s; for he was fure that Prince could never 
 have kept his feat there, had the ftories been 
 true he had heard in the country, that Fortv- 
 one was come about again. 
 
 He owned to me that he looked with horror 
 on the new church that is half bliilt in the Strand? 
 as taking it at firft fight to be half demoliflied : 
 But upon enquiring of the workmen, was 
 Agreeably furprifed to find, that inftead of pulling 
 N 4 it
 
 272 T/^ FR E E-HoL DE R. N47 
 
 it down, they were building it up ; and that fifty 
 .more were raifing in other parts of the town. 
 
 To thefe I muft add a third circumftance, 
 which I find had no fmall fhare in my friend's 
 converfion. Since his coming to town, he 
 chanced to look into the church of St. Paul^ 
 about the middle of fermon-time, where having 
 firft examined the dome, to fee if it flood fafe, 
 (for the fcrew-plot ftiil ran in his head) he ob- 
 ferved, that the Lord-Mayor, Aldermen, and. 
 city-fword were a part of the congregation. 
 This fight had the more weight with him, as 
 by good luck not above two of that venerable 
 body were fallen afleep. 
 
 This difcourfe held us until we came to the 
 Tower; for our firft vifit was to the lions. My 
 friend, who had a great deal of talk with their 
 keeper, enquired very much after their health, 
 and whether none of them had fallen fick upon 
 the taking of Perth ^ and. the flight of the Pre- 
 tender? and hearing they were never better in, 
 their lives, I found he was extremely ftartled : 
 For he had learned from his cradle, that the lions 
 in the tower were the beft judges of the title 
 of our Britifh Kings, and always fympathized 
 with our Sovereigns. 
 
 After having here fatiated our curiofity, we 
 repaired to the Monument, where my fellow- 
 traveller, being a well-breathed man, mounted 
 the afcent with much fpeed and activity. I 
 was forced to hah fo often in this perpendicular 
 march, that, upon my joining him on the top 
 of the pillar, I found he had counted all the 
 fteeples and towers which were difcernible from 
 this advantageous fituation, and was endeavour- 
 ing to compute the number of acres they flood 
 upon. We were both of us very well pleaied 
 
 with t
 
 N47 ^ FREE-HOLDER. 273 
 
 with this part of the profpe&; but I found he 
 caft an evil eye upon feveral ware-houfes, and 
 other buildings, that looked like barns, and 
 feemed capable of receiving great multitudes of 
 people. His heart mifgave him that thefe were 
 ib many meeting-houfes, but, upon communi- 
 cating his fufpicions to me, I foon made him 
 eafy in this particular. 
 
 We then turned our eyes upon the river, 
 which gave me an occafion to infpire him with 
 fome favourable thoughts of trade and mer- 
 chandize, that had filled the Thames with fuch 
 crowds of hips r and covered the fhore with fucb 
 fwarms of people: 
 
 We defcended very leifurely, my friend being; 
 careful to count the fteps, which he regifiered 
 in a blank leaf of his new almanack. Upon/ 
 our coming to the bottom, obferving an Englijh- 
 infcription upon thebafis, he read it over feveral 
 times, and told me he could fcarce believe his 
 own eyes, for that he had often, heard from an 
 old Attorney,who lived near him in the country, 
 that it was the prefbyterians who burned down, 
 the city; whereas, fays he, the pillar pofitively 
 affirms in fo many words, that * the burning of" 
 * this ancient city was begun and carried on by 
 ' the treachery and malice of the popifh faction,, 
 ' in order to the carrying on their horrid plot for 
 c extirpating the Proteftant Religion, and old; 
 ' /?7&/Miberty, and introducing popery and fla- 
 1 very.' This account, which he looked upon to- 
 be more authentic, than if it had been in print, I 
 found, made a very great impreffion upon him.. 
 
 We now took coach again, and made the beft- 
 
 f our way for the Royal Exchange, though I 
 
 found he did not much care to venture himfelff 
 
 into the throng of that places fc> r he told me: 
 
 N he;
 
 274 Tb* F ~ R E E-H'o L D E R, N47 
 
 he had heard they were, generally fpeaking, re- 
 publicans, and was afraid of having his pocket 
 picked amongft them. But he foon conceived a 
 better opinion of them, when he fpied the ftatue 
 of King Charles the Second ftanding up in the 
 middle of the crowd, and moft of the Kings in 
 Bafar's Chronicle ranged in order over their 
 heads ; from whence he very juftly concluded, 
 that an antimonarchical aflembly could never 
 choofe, f_uch a place to meet in once a day. 
 
 To continue this good difpofition in my friend, 
 a.fter a fhort flay at Stocks-mar ~ket, we drove away 
 directly for the Meufe, where he was not a little 
 edified with the fight of thofe fine fets of horfes 
 which have been brought over from Hanover, 
 and with the care that is taken of them. He 
 made many good remarks upon this occafion, 
 and was fo pleafed with his company, that I J . 
 had much ado to get him out of the ftable. 
 
 In our progrefs to St. James's-Part (for that 
 was the end of our journey) he took notice, with- 
 greatfatisfac^ion, that, contrary to his intelligence 
 in the country, the (hops were all open and full 
 afbufmefs; that the foldiers walked civilly in 
 theftreets; that clergymen, inftead of being af- 
 fronted, had generally the wall given theroj and 
 that he had heard the bells ring to prayers from 
 morning tq night, in fome part of the town or 
 another. 
 
 As he was full of thefe honeft reflexions, it 
 happened very luckily for us, that one of the 
 King's coaches pafled by with the three young 
 PrincefFes in it, whom by an accidental flop we 
 had an opportunity of furvejing for fome time : 
 My friend was rayifhed with the beauty, inno- 
 cence, and fweetnefs, that appeared in all their 
 faces, He declared feveral times that they were 
 
 the
 
 N 47 The F R E E-H OLDER. 275 
 
 the fineft children he had ever feen in all his 
 life; and allured me that, before this fight, if 
 any one had told him it had been poflible for 
 three fuch pretty children to have been born out 
 of England^ he fhould never have believed them. 
 
 We were now walking together in the Park, . 
 and, as it is ufual for men who are naturally 
 warm and heady, to be tranfported with the 
 greateft flufh of good-nature when they are once 
 fweetned, he owned to me very frankly, he had 
 been much impofed upon by thofe falfe accounts 
 of things he had heard in the country; and that 
 he would make it his bufinefs, upon his return, 
 thither, to fet his neighbours right,and give them 
 a morejuft notion of the prefent ftate of affairs. 
 
 What confirmed my friend in this excellent 
 temper of mind, and gave him an inexpreflible 
 fatisfadtion, was a mefTage he received, as we 
 were walking together, from the prifoner for 
 whom he had given his teftimony in his late - 
 trial. This perfon, having been condemned for 
 his part in the late rebellion, fent him word that 
 his Majefty had been gracioufly pleafed to reprieve 
 him, with feveral of his friends, in order, as it 
 was thought, to give them their lives ; and that.: 
 he hoped before he went out of town they fhould 
 have a chearful meeting, and drink health and , 
 pjofperity to King George. 
 
 X -Jg 
 
 Monday,
 
 276 fbe FREE-HOLDER. N 48; 
 N48. Monday, June 4, 
 
 5"a tame ft, Jt babes aliquam fpem de republica Ji*ve de~. 
 fperai ; ea para, meditare, cogita, qu<f ejje in eo cive 
 ac <viro debent, qui fttremftublicam ajfiiciam et op- 
 prejffam miferis temper ibut ac perditis moribus in 
 veterem dignitatem hoc libertatem <vidicaturus. 
 
 Cicero. 
 
 But you, whether you have any hopes, or whether you 
 defpair of the commonwealth, employ neverthelefs 
 all your faculties and thoughts, as becomes a man 
 and a citizen, who is defimus to vindicate, the an- 
 cient honour and liberty of the ftate from, the cor- 
 ruptions and oppreffions of unhappy times and, 
 degenerate morals. 
 
 TH E condition of a miniftcr of ftate is only 
 fuited to perfons, who, out of a lOve to 
 their King and country, defire rather to be ufeful 
 to the publick, than eafy to themfelves. When 
 a man is ported in fuch a ftation, whatever his 
 behaviour my be, he is fure, befide the natural 
 jxJtigue and trpuble of it, to incur the envy of 
 fome, and the difpleafure of others ; as he will, 
 have many rivals, \vhofe ambition he cannot 
 Satisfy, and many dependents whofe wants he 
 cannot provide for. Thefe are misfortunes infe-- 
 parable from fuch publick employments in all 
 countries; but there are feveral others which hang, 
 upon this condition of life in our Brjtijh Govern- 
 ?nent, more than any other fovereignty in Europe: 
 As in the firft place, there is no other nation which 
 4 fp equally divided into two oppofite parties,. 
 
 whom
 
 N48 The F R E E-FTo L D E R. 277 
 
 whom it is impofiible to pleafe at the fame time, 
 our notions of the publick good, with relation 
 both to ourfelves and foreigners, are of fo diffe- 
 rent a nature,, that thofe meafures, which are 
 extolled by one half of the kingdom, are natu- 
 rally decried by the other. Befides, that in a Bri? 
 tijh adminiftration, many acts of Government 
 are abfolutely neceflary, in which one of the 
 parties muft be favoured- and obliged, in oppofi- 
 tion to their antagoniife. So that the moft per- 1 
 fec"t adminiftration, conducted' by the moft-con- 
 fummate wifdom and probity, muft unavoidably 
 produce oppofition, enmity, and defamation,, 
 from multitudes who are madfe happy by it. 
 
 Farther, it is peculiarly obferved of our na- 
 tion, that almoft every man in it is a politician, 
 and hath a fcheme of his own, which he thinks 
 preferable to that of any other perfon. Whether 
 this may proceed from that fpirit of liberty 
 which reigns among us, or from thofe great 
 numbers of all' ranks and conditions, who from 
 time to time are concerned in the Britijb legif-. 
 lature, and by that means are let into the bufi- 
 nefs of this nation, I fhall not take upon me to 
 determine. But for this reafon it is certain, that 
 a Eritljh miniftry muft expect to meet with many 
 cenfurers, even in their own party, and ought 
 to be fatisfied, if, allowing to every particular 
 man that his private fcheme is wifeft, they can 
 perfuade him that next to his own plan that of 
 the Government is the moft eligible. 
 
 Befides, we have a fet of very hoiieft and 
 well-meaning Gentlemen in England^ not to be 
 met with in other countries, who take it for 
 granted, they can never be in the wrong, fo long 
 as they oppofe Minifters of State. Thofe, whom 
 they have admired through the whole courfe 
 
 of
 
 278 Tbe F R E E-H o L D E R. N 48 
 
 of their lives for their honour and integrity, 
 though they ftiil perfift to acl: in their former 
 character, and change nothing but their ftations, 
 appear to them in a difadvantageous light, as 
 foon as they are placed upon ftate-eminencies. 
 Many of thefe Gentlemen have been ufed to 
 think, there is a kind of flavery in concurring with 
 the meafures of great men, and that the good 
 of the country is inconfiftent with the inclina- 
 tions of the Court : By theftrength of thefe pre- 
 judices, they are apt to fancy a man lofes his 
 honefty, from the very moment that it is made 
 the moft capable of being ufeful to the publick; 
 and will not confider that it is every whit as 
 -honourable to aflift a good Minifter, as to oppfe 
 a bad one. 
 
 In the laft place, we may obferve, that there 
 are greater numbers of perfons who folicit for 
 places, and perhaps are fit for them, in our own 
 country, than in any other. To which we muft. 
 add, that by the nature of our conftitution, 
 . it is in the power of more particular perfons in 
 this kingdom, than in- any other, to diftrefs the 
 Government when they are difobliged. A Britijb 
 Minifter muft therefore expect to fee many of 
 thofe friends and dependents fall off from him, 
 whom he cannot gratify in their demands upon 
 him ; fince to ufe the phrafe of a late Statefman, 
 who knew very well how to form a party, * The 
 ' pafture is not large enough.' 
 
 Upon the whole : The condition of a Britljh 
 Minifter labours under fo many difficulties, that 
 we find in almoft every reign fince the con- 
 queft, the chief minifters have been new men, 
 or fuch as have raifed themfelves to the greateft 
 pofts in the Government, from the ftate of private 
 Gentlemen, Several of them neitherrofe from any 
 
 con-
 
 N48 The FREE-HOLDER. 
 
 confpicuous family, nor left any behind them, 
 being of that clafs of eminent perfons, whom 
 Sir Francis Bacon fpeaks of, who, . like comets 
 or blazing ftars, draw upon them the whole: 
 attention of the age in which they appear, 
 though no body knows whence they came, 
 nor where they are loft. Perfons of hereditary 
 wealth and title have not been over forward, 
 to engage in fo great a fcene of cares and per- 
 plexities, nor to run all the rifles of fo dan- 
 gerous a fituation. Nay, many whofe greatnefs 
 and fortune were not made to their hands, and 
 had fufficient qualifications and opportunities of 
 rifing to thefe high pofts of truft and honour,, 
 have been deterred from fuch purfuits by the 
 difficulties that attend them, and chofe rather 
 to be eafy than powerful ; or, if I may ufe the- 
 expreffion, to be carried in the chariot than, 
 to drive it. 
 
 As the condition of a minifter of ftate, in 
 general, is fubjeclt to many burdens and vexa- 
 tions ; and as that of zBritiJh minifter in parti- 
 cular is involved in feveral hazards and diffi- 
 culties peculiar to our own country : fo is this- 
 high ftation expofed more than ordinary to fuch 
 inconveniences in the prefent juncture of af- 
 fairs ; firft, as it is the beginning of a new efta- 
 blifliment among us ; and fecondly, as this efta- 
 bliihment hath been difturbed by a dangerous , 
 Rebellion. 
 
 If we look back into our Englijh hiftory, we 
 laall always find the firft monarch of a new 
 line received with the greateft oppofition, and' 
 reconciling to himfelf by degrees the duty and 
 affection of his people. The Government, on 
 /uch occafions, is always (haken before it fettles, 
 inveteracy of the people's prejudices, and 
 
 the
 
 2 So The F R E E-H OLDER. N 48 
 
 the artifices of domeftick enemies, compelled 
 their rulers to make ufe of all means for re- 
 ducing them to their allegiance, which perhaps, 
 after all, was brought about rather by time than 
 by policy. When commotions and difturbances 
 are of an extraordinary and unufuaJ nature, the 
 proceedings of the Government muft be fo too. 
 The remedy muft be fuited to the evil, and 
 I know no juncture more difficult to a minifter 
 of ftate,than fuch as requires uncommon methods 
 to be made ufe of; when at the fame time no 
 others can be made ufe of, than what are pre- 
 fcribed by the known laws of our conftitution. 
 Several meafure? may be abfolutely neceflary in 
 fuch a juncture, which may be reprefented as 
 hard and fevere, and woui'd not be proper in a 
 time of publick peace and tranquillity. In this 
 eafe Firgil's excufe, which he put in the mouth 
 of a fictitious Sovereign upon.a complaint of this 
 nature, hath the utmoft force of reafon and 
 juftice on its fide. 
 
 Res dura et regnl ntruitas me talia cogunt. 
 " The difficulties I meet with in the beginning- 
 ** of my reign make fuch a proceeding nece/Tary." 
 
 In the next place : As this eftablimment has 
 been difturbed by a dangerous Rebellion, the 
 miniftry has been involved' in many additional 
 and fupernumerary difficulties. It is a common 
 remark, that Engliflj minifrers never fare fo 
 well as in a time of war with a foreign power, 
 which diverts the private feuds and animofiries 
 of the nation, and turns their efforts upon the 
 common enemy. As a foreign war is favour- 
 able to a miniftry, a Rebellion is no lefs dan- 
 gerous ; if it fucceed, they are the firft perfons 
 
 who.
 
 N49 The F R E E-H OLDER. 28* 
 
 who muft fall a facrifice to it; if it is defeated, 
 they naturally become odious to all the fecret 
 favourers and abettors of it. Every method 
 they make ufeof for preventing or fupprefTmg it, 
 and for deterring others from the like practices 
 for the future, muft be unacceptable and difpleaC- 
 ing to the friends, relations, and accomplices 
 of the guilty. In cafes where it is thought 
 neceflary to make examples, it is the humour of 
 the multitude to forget the crime and remember 
 the punifhment, However, we have already feen,. 
 and ftill hope to fee, fo many inftances of mercy 
 in his Majefty's Government, that our chief 
 minifters have more to fear from the murmurs 
 of their too violent friends, than from the re- 
 proaches of their enemies. 
 
 N49 Friday, June 8. 
 
 Jam nunc filennts ducere pampas 
 dd delubra ju<vat Virg. Georg. 3. 1. 2a. 
 
 Now to the temples lead the folemn pomp. 
 
 YEfterday was fet a part as a day of publidc 
 thankfgiving for the late extraordinary fuc- 
 cefles, which have fecured to us everything that 
 can be efteemed, and delivered us from every 
 thing that can be apprehended, by a Proteftant 
 and a free people. I cannot but obferve, upon 
 this occafion, the natural tendency in fuch a na- 
 tional devotion, to infpire men with fentiments, 
 of religious gratitude, and to fwell their hearts 
 With inward, tcanfports of joy and exultation.
 
 282 Tfo FREE-HOLD E R. N49 
 
 When inftances of divine favour are great in 
 themfelves, when they are frtfh upon the me- 
 mory, when they are peculiar to a certain coun- 
 try, and commemorated by them in large and 
 folemn aflemblies ; a man muft be of a very 
 cold or degenerate temper, whofe heart doth 
 not burn within him in the midft of that praife 
 and adoration, \\hich arifes at the fame hour in 
 all the different parts of the nation, and from the 
 many thoufands of the people. 
 
 It is impoflible to read of extraordinary and 
 national acts of worfhip, without being warmed 
 with the defcription, and feeling feme degree 
 of that divine enthufiafm, which fpreads itfelf 
 amons; a joyful and religious multitude. A part 
 of that exuberant devotion, with which the whole 
 affembly raifed and animated one another, catches 
 a reader at the greateft diftance of time, and 
 makes him a kind of iharer in it. 
 
 Among all the publick folemnities of this na- 
 ture, there is none in hiftory fo glorious as that 
 under the reign, of King Ssicmon^ at the dedi- 
 cation of the temple. Befides the great officers 
 of ftate, and the inhabitants of Jenifalem^ all the 
 elders and heads of tribes, with the whole body 
 of the people ranged under them, from one end 
 of the Kingdom to the other, were fummoned 
 to aflift in it. We may guefs at the prodigious 
 number of this affembly from the facrifice on- 
 which they feafted, confifting of a hundred and 
 twenty thoufand fheep, and two hundred 
 and twenty hecatombs of oxen. When this 
 vaft congregation was formed into a regular pro- 
 ceffion to attend the ark of the covenant, the 
 King marched at the head of his people, with 
 hymns and dances, to the new temple, which 
 he had erected for its reception. Jofephus tells us 
 
 that
 
 N49 ^ je F R E E-H OLDER. 2&3 
 that the Levites fprinkled the way as they parted 
 with the blood of facrifices,. and burned the 
 holy incenfe in fuch quantities as refrefned the 
 whole multitude with its odours, and filled all 
 the region about them, with perfume. When 
 the ark was depofited under the wings of the 
 cherubims in the holy place, the great confort 
 of praife began. It was enlivened with a hun- 
 dred and twenty trumpets, affifled with a pro- 
 portionable number of other kinds of mufical 
 inftruments, and accompanied with innumerable 
 voices of all the fingers of Ifrael who were 
 inftru6ted and fet apart to religious performances 
 of this kind. As this mighty chorus was ex- 
 tolling their Maker, and exciting the whole na- 
 tion thus afiembled to the praife of his never- 
 ceafing goodnefs and mercy, the Sheklnah de- 
 fcended : Or, to tell it in the more emphatical 
 words of holy writ, 'It came to pafs, as the- 
 trumpets and fingers were as one, to make one 
 found to be heard in praifing and thanking the 
 Lord, and when they lift up their voice with the 
 trumpets and fymbals, and inftruments of mu- 
 fick, and praifed the lord, faying,' for he is good, 
 for his mercy endureth for ever ; ' that then the 
 4 houfe was filled with a cloud.' The priefts 
 themfelves, not able to bear the awfulnefs of 
 the appearance, retired into the court of the 
 temple, where the King being placed upon a 
 brazen fcaffbld, fo as to be feen by the whole 
 .multitude,.blefTed the congregation :of Ifrael, and 
 afterwards,. fpreading forth his hands to heaven,, 
 offered up that divine prayer which is twice re- 
 corded at length in fcripture, and has always 
 been looked upon as a compofition fit to have 
 proceeded from the wifeft of men. He had no 
 iboner finiflied his prayer, when, a flafh of fire 
 
 fell
 
 The F R E E-H OLDER. N 49-- 
 
 fell from heaven and burned up the facrifice which 
 )ay ready upon the altar. The people, whofc 
 hearts were gradually moved by the folemnity 
 of the whole proceeding, having been exalted 
 by the religious ftrains of mufick, and awed by 
 the appearance, of that glory which filled the 
 temple, feeing now the miraculous confump- 
 tion of the facrifice, and obferving the piety of 
 their King, who lay proftrate before his Maker, 
 
 * Bowed themfelves with their faces to the 
 
 * ground upon the pavement, and worfhipped 
 4 and praifed the Lord, faying,' for he is good, 
 for his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 What happinefs might not fuch a Kingdom 
 promife to itfelf, where the fame elevated fpirit 
 of religion ran through the Prince, the priefts, 
 and the people ! But I fhall quit this head, to 
 obferve, that fuch an uncomon fervour of de- 
 votion (hewed itfelf among our own country- 
 men, and in the perfons of three princes, who 
 were the greatcft conquerors in our Engli/h 
 hiftory. Thcfe are Edward the Third', his Son 
 the Black-Prince^ and Henry the Fifth. As for 
 the firft we are told that, before the famous battle 
 of Crejy, he fpent the greateft part of the night 
 in prayer, and in the morning received the fa- 
 crament, with his fon, the chief of his officers, 
 and nobility. The ni^ht of that glorious day 
 was no lefs pioufly diflnnguifhed by the orders, 
 which he gave out to his army, that they fhould 
 forbear all infulting of their enemies, or boaft- 
 ing of their own valour, and employ their time 
 in returning thanks to the great giver of the 
 victory. The Black Prince, before the battle 
 of Poifiiers, declared, that his whole confidence 
 was in the divine afliftance ; and after that 
 great vi&ory, behaved himfelf in all particulars 
 
 like.-
 
 N49 The FRE E-Ho L D E R. 285 
 
 like a truly chriftian conqueror. Eight days 
 fucceflively were appointed by his Father in Eng- 
 land^ for a folemn and publick thankfgiving ; 
 and when the young Prince returned in triumph 
 with the King of France as his prifoner, the 
 pomp of the day confifted chiefly in extraordi- 
 nary proceffions, and acts of devotions. The 
 behaviour of the Black Prince, after a battle in 
 Spain, whereby he reftored the King of Cafllle 
 to his dominions, was no lefs remarkable. When 
 that King, tranfported with his fuccefs, flung 
 himfelf upon his Knees to thank him, the gene- 
 rous Prince ran to him, and, taking him by the 
 hand, told him it v/as not he who could lay 
 any claim to his gratitude, but defired they 
 might go to the altar together, and jointly re- 
 turn their thanks to whom only it was due. 
 
 Henry V . (who at the beginning of his reign, 
 made a publick prayer in the prefence of his 
 lords and commons, that he might be cut off 
 by an immediate death, if Providence forefaw 
 he would not prove a juft and good Governor, 
 and promote the welfare of his people) mani- 
 feftly derived his courage from his piety, and 
 was fcrupuloufly careful not to afcribe the fuc- 
 cefs of it to himfelf. When he came within 
 fight of that prodigious army, which offered 
 him battle at dgincourt, he ordered all his ca- 
 valry to difmount, and with the reft of his for- 
 ces, to implore upon their knees a blefling on 
 their undertaking. In a noble fpeech, which he 
 made to his foldiers immediately before the firft 
 onfet, he took notice of a very remarkable cir- 
 cumftance, namely, that this very day of battle 
 was the day appointed in his own kingdom, 
 to offer up publick devotions for the profperity 
 of .his arms, and therefore bid them not doubt 
 
 f
 
 286 ^FREE-HOLDER. N4p 
 
 of victory, fince at the fame time that they 
 were fighting in the field, all the people of Eng- 
 land were lifting up their hands to heaven for 
 their fuccefs. Upon the clofe of that memo- 
 rable day, in which the King had performed 
 wonders with his own hand, he ordered the 
 CXVth pfalm to be repeated in the midft of his 
 victorious army, and at the words, ' Not unto 
 ' us, not unto us, but unto thy name be the 
 ' praife,' he himfelf, with his whole hoft, fell 
 to the earth upon their faces, afcribing to Omni- 
 potence the whole glory of fo great an action. 
 
 I fhall conclude this Paper with a reflexion 
 which naturally rifes out of it. As there is no- 
 thing more beautiful in the fight of God and 
 man, than a King and his people concurring in 
 fuch extraordinary acts of devotion, one cannot 
 fuppofe a greater contradiction and abfurdity in 
 a Government, than where the King is of one 
 religion and the people of another. What har- 
 mony or correfpondence can be expected be- 
 tween a Sovereign and his fubjects, when they 
 cannot join together in the moft joyful, the moll 
 folemn, and moft laudable action of reafonable 
 creatures; in a word, where the Prince confiders 
 his people as hereticks, and the people look upon 
 their Prince as an idolater ! 
 
 Monday,
 
 N5Q 3ft* FREE-HOLDER. 287 
 
 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 
 
 N5o Monday, June ir. 
 
 "O quifquis volet impias 
 
 Cades, aut rabiem tollere ci'vlcam : 
 Si qufsret pater urbzum 
 
 suljcrtbtftatui} ; indomitam audeat 
 Refranare licentiam 
 
 Clarus pbft genitis 
 
 Hor. Od. 24. 1. 3. ver. 25. 
 
 He that wou'd prize his country's good, 
 And flop the iflue of our civil blood ; 
 -He that wou'd ftand in brafs as fix'd as fate, 
 Be iram'd the father of the ftate ; 
 Let him reftrain his brutal rage; 
 A glorious man in future age ! CREECH. 
 
 WHEN Mahomet had for many years en- 
 deavoured to propagate his impofture 
 among his fellow-citizens, and, inftead of 
 gaining any number of Profelytes, found his 
 ambition fruftrated, and his notions ridiculed ; 
 he forbad his followers the ufe of argument and 
 difputation in the advancing of his doctrines, 
 and to rely only upon the fcirnetar for their, 
 fuccefs. Chriftianity, he obferved, had made 
 its way by reafon and miracles, but he profefied 
 it was his defign to fave men by the fword. 
 From that time he began to knock down his fel- 
 low-citizens with a great deal of zeal, to plun- 
 der caravans with a moft exemplary fan6tity, 
 and to fill all Arabia with an unnatural medley 
 of religion and bloodfhed. 
 
 The
 
 88 The F R E E-H OLDER-. N d j> 
 
 The enemies of our happy eftablifliment feem 
 at prefent to copy- out the piety of this feditious 
 prophet, and to have recourfe to this laudable 
 method of club-law, when they find all other 
 means for enforcing the abfurdity of their opi- 
 nions to be ineffectual. It was ufual among the 
 ancient Romans, for thofe, who had faved the 
 life of a citizen, to be drefied in an oaken 
 garland ; but among us, this has been a mark 
 of fuch well-intentroned perfons, as would be- 
 tray their country, if they were able, and 
 beat out the brains of their' fellow-fubjecls. 
 Nay, the leaders of this poor unthinking rab- 
 ble, to (hew their wit, have lately decked them 
 out of their kitchen- gardens in a moft infipid 
 pun, very well fuited to the capacity of fuch 
 followers. 
 
 This manner of poceeding lias had an ef- 
 fect quite contrary to the intention of thefe in- 
 genious demagogues. For by fetting fuch an 
 unfortunate mark on their followers, they 
 have expofed them to innumerable drubs and 
 contufions. They have been cudgelled moft 
 unmercifully in every part of London and JVeft- 
 minfttr ; and over all the nation have avowed 
 their principles, to the unfpeakable damage of 
 their bones. In (hort, if we may believe our 
 accounts both from town and country, the 
 nofes and ears of the party are very much di- 
 minifhed,fince they have appeared under this un- 
 happy distinction. 
 
 The truth of it is, there is fuch an unaccount- 
 able frenzy and licentioufncfs fpread through 
 the bafeft of the people, of all parties and de- 
 nominations, that if their fkirmiihes did not pro- 
 ceed to too great an extremity, one would not 
 be forry to fee them beftowing fo liberally, upon 
 
 one
 
 N5 The F R E E-HOLD ER. 289 
 
 one another, a chaftifement which they fo richly 
 deferve. Their thumps and bruifes might turn 
 to account, and fave the Government a great deal 
 of trouble, if they could beat each other into good 
 manners. 
 
 Were not advice thrown away on fuch a 
 thoughtlefs rabble, one would recommend to 
 their ferious confideration what is fufpe&ed, 
 and indeed known, to be the caufe of thefe po- 
 pular tumults and commotions in this great 
 city. They are the Popifh miflionaries, that 
 lie concealed under many difguifes in all quar- 
 ters of the town, who mix themfelves in thefe 
 dark fcuffles, and animate the mob to fuch mu- 
 tual outrages and infults. This profligate fpe- 
 cies of modern apoftles divert themfelves at 
 the expence of a Government, which is oppo- 
 fite to their interefts, and are pleafed to fee the 
 broken heads of hereticks, in what party foever 
 they have lifted themfelves. Their treatment 
 of our filly countrymen puts me in mind of 
 an account in Tavernlcr\ travels through the 
 Eq/l-Indies. This Author tells us, there is a 
 great wood in thofe parts very plentifully flock- 
 ed with Monkies ; that a" large highway runs 
 through the middle of this wood ; and that the 
 Monkies, who live on the one fide of this high- 
 way, are declared enemies to thofe who live n 
 the other. When the inhabitants of that coun- 
 try have a mind to give themfelves a diverfion, 
 it is ufual for them to fet thefe poor animals 
 together by the ears ; which they do after this 
 manner. TRey place feveral pots of rice in 
 the middle of the road, with great heaps of 
 cudgels in the neighbourhood of every pot. 
 The Monkies, on the firft difcovery of thefe 
 provifions, defcend from the trees on either 
 O fide
 
 290 T/je FREE-HOLDER. N 50 
 
 fide in prodigious numbers, take up the arms, 
 with which their good friends have furniflied 
 them, and belabour one another with a ftorm 
 of thwacks, to the no fmall mirth and enter- 
 tainment of the beholders. This mob of Mon- 
 kies al however fo far reafonably in this point, 
 as the victorious fide of the wood find, upon the 
 repulfe of their enemies, a confiderable booty 
 on the field of battle ; whereas our party-mobs 
 are betrayed into the fray without any profpect 
 of the feaft. 
 
 If our common people have not virtue enough 
 left among them, to lay afide this wicked and 
 unnatural hatred which is crept into their hearts 
 againft one another, nor fenfe enough to refift 
 the artifice of thofe incendiaries, who would 
 animate them to the deftru&ion of their coun- 
 try; it is high time for the Government to exert 
 itfelfin the reprefling of fuch feditious tumults 
 and commotions. If that extraordinary lenity 
 and forbearance, which has been hitherto {hewn 
 on thofe occafions, proves ineffectual to that 
 purpofe, thefe mifcreants of the community 
 ought to be made fenfible, that our constitution 
 is armed with a fufficient force for the reforma- 
 tion of fuch diforders, and the fettlement of the 
 publick peace. 
 
 There cannot be a greater affront to religion, 
 than fuch a tumultuous rifing of the people, who 
 diftinguifh the times fet apart for the national 
 devotions by the moft brutal fcenes of violence, 
 clamour, and intemperance. The day begins 
 with a thankfgiving, and ends in a riot. In- 
 ilead of the voice of mutual joy and gladnefs, 
 there is nothing heard in our ftreets but op- 
 probrious language, ribaldry and contention. 
 
 As
 
 N5 The FREE-HOLDER. 291 
 
 As fuch a practice is fcandalous to our reli- 
 gion, fo it is no lefs a reproach to our Govern- 
 ment. We are become a by-word among the 
 nations for our ridiculous feuds and animo- 
 fities, and fill all the publick prints of Europe 
 with the accounts of our midnight brawls and 
 confufions. 
 
 The mifchiefs arifing to private perfons from 
 thefe vile difturbers of the commonwealth are 
 too many to be enumerated. The great and 
 innocent are infuked by the fcum and refufe of 
 the people. Several poor wretches, who have 
 engaged in theie commotions, have been dif- 
 abled, for their lives, from doing any good 
 to their families and dependents ; nay, feveral 
 of them have fallen a facrifice to their own in- 
 excufable folly and madnefs. Should the Go- 
 vernment be wearied out of its prefent patience 
 and forbearance, and forced to execute all thofe 
 powers with which it is inverted for the pre- 
 fervation of the publick peace ; what is to be 
 expelled by fuch heaps of turbulent and feditious 
 men ! 
 
 Thefe and the like confiderations, though they 
 may have no influence on the headftrong unruly 
 multitude, ought to fmk into the minds of thofe 
 who are their abettors, and who, if they efcape 
 the punifhment here due to them, muft very 
 well know that thefe feveral mifchiefs will be 
 one day laid to their charge. 
 
 O 2 Friday,
 
 292 The FR E E-HoL D E R. N5i 
 
 "fi?^ i ^S'^' i ^5'^^ l "^^^ > '^?5 ! ^?%^^^!'5^ 
 
 \t/i '3^s/Z> <3^&S^S <S^<A% S^ ^S !S^8iSv 
 
 N5i Friday, June 15. 
 
 IQuod ji in hoc erro libenier erro ; nee ntibi bunc err 6- 
 rem, quo delefior, dum <vi<vo, extcrqueri vo/o. 
 
 Cicero. 
 
 If I am miHaken in this, T am wilfully miftaken ; 
 nor, while Hive, will lever part with fo pleafing 
 an error. 
 
 AS there is nothing which more improves the 
 mind of man, than the reading of ancient 
 Authors, when it is done with judgment and dif- 
 cretion ; fo there is nothing which gives a more 
 unlucky turn to the thoughts of a reader, when 
 he wants difcernment, and loves and admires the 
 characters and actions of men in a wrong place. 
 Alexander the Great was fo inflamed with falfe 
 notions of glory, by reading the ftory of Ahittes 
 in the Iliad^ that, after having taken a town, he 
 ordered the Governor, who had made a gallant 
 defence, to be bound by the feet to his chariot, 
 and afterwards dragged the brave man round the 
 city, becaufe Hettor had been treated in the fame 
 barbarous manner by his admired hero. 
 
 Many Engli/bmen have proved very pernicious 
 to their own country, by following blindly the 
 examples of perfons to be met with in Greek 
 and Roman hiftory, who aied, in conformity 
 with their own governments, after a quite dif- 
 ferent manner, than they would have ar,ed in a 
 conftitution like that of ours. Such a method of 
 proceeding is as unreafonable in a politician, as it 
 
 would
 
 N5i The FREE-HOL r> E R. 293 
 
 would be in ahufbandman to make ufeof ffrgil's 
 precepts of agriculture, in managing the foil of 
 our country, that lies in a quitedifferent climate, 
 and under the influence of a!moft another fun. 
 
 Our regicides in the commiflion of the moft 
 execrable murder ufedto juftify them/elves from 
 the conduct of Brutus, not confidering that Cafar, 
 from the condition of a fellow-citizen, had rifen 
 by the moft indiret methods, and broken through 
 all the laws of the community, to place himfelf 
 at the head of the government, and enflave his 
 country. On the other fide, feveral of our Eng- 
 lijh readers, having obferved that a paffive and 
 unlimited obedience was paid to Reman Empe- 
 rors, who were poflefled of the whole legiflative, 
 as well as executive power, have formerly endea- 
 voured to inculcate the fame kind of obedience, 
 where there is not the fame kind of authority. 
 
 Inftrud^ions therefore to be learned from hifto- 
 ries of this nature, are only fjch as arife from 
 particulars agreeable to all communities, or from 
 fuch as arc common to our own conftitution, and 
 to that of which we read. A tenacious adherence 
 to the rights and liberties tranfmitted from a 
 wife and virtuous anceftry, pubhck fpirit, and a 
 love of one's country, fubmiffion to eihblifhed 
 laws, impartial adminiflrations of juftice, adrift 
 regard to national faith, with feveral other du- 
 ties, which are the fupports and ornaments of 
 Government irr general, cannot be too much ad- 
 mired among the States of Greece and Rcme y nor 
 too much imitated by our own community. 
 
 But there is nothing more abfurd,than formen, 
 who are converfant in thefe ancient Authors," to 
 contract fuch a prejudice in favour of Greeks and 
 Romans^ as to fancy we are in the wrong in every 
 circumftance whereby we deviate from their 
 O 3 moral
 
 294 7& FRE E-HOLDER. N5i 
 
 moral or political conduct. Yet nothing hath 
 been more ufual, than for men of warm heads 
 to refine themfelves up into this kind of ftate 
 pedantry : Like the country fchoolmafter, who, 
 being ufed for many years to admire Jupiter^ 
 Mars, Bacchus^ and dpcllo^ that appear v, ith fo 
 much advantage in claflick Authors, made an 
 attempt to revive the worfhip of the heathen 
 gods. In fliort, we find many worthy Gentle- 
 men, v. hofe brains have been as much turned 
 by this kind of reading, as the grave Knight's of 
 a&ancbi was by his unwearied application to 
 books of knight-errantry. 
 
 To prevent fuch mifchiefs from arifmg out of 
 ftudies, which, when rightly conducted, may 
 turn very much to our advantage, I (hall venture 
 to aflert, that, in our peruial of Greek or Roman 
 Authors, it is impoffible to find a religious or 
 civil conftitution, any way comparable to that 
 which we enjoy in our own country. Had not 
 our religion been infinitely preferable to that of 
 the ancient Heathens, it would never have made 
 its wav through paganifm, with that amazing 
 progrefi and activity. Its victories were the 
 victories of reafon Una/lifted by the force of 
 human power, and as gentle as the triumphs of 
 light over da knefs. The fudden reformation 
 which it made among mankind, and which y/as 
 Ib juftly and frequently boalted of by the firft 
 apologills for chrillianity, (hew how infinitely 
 preferable it is to any fyftem of religion, that 
 prevailed in the world before its appearance. This 
 preeminence of chriflianity to any other general 
 religious fcheme, which preceded it, appears like- 
 wife from this particular, that the moil eminent 
 and the mofc enlightened among the pagan phi- 
 loibphers difclaimed many of thofe iuperftitious 
 
 follies,
 
 N5i ^FREE-HOLDER. 295 
 
 follies, which are condemned by revealed religi- 
 on, and preached up feveral of thofe doctrines, 
 which are fome of the moft efiential parts of it. 
 
 And here I cannot but take notice of that 
 ftrange motive which is made ufe of in the hiftory 
 of Free-thinking, to incline us to depart from 
 the revealed doctrines of chriftanity, as adhered, 
 to by the people of 'Great-Britain , becaufe Socrates* 
 with feveral other eminent Greeks, and C?cera 9 
 with many other learned Romans, did in thejike 
 manner depart from the religious notions of their 
 own countrymen. Now this Author fhould have 
 considered, that thofe very points, in which thcfe 
 wife men difagreed from the bu!!c of the people* 
 are points, in which they agreed with the re- 
 ceived doctrines of our nation. Their Free- 
 thinking confifted in averting the unity and im- 
 materiality of the Godhead, the immortality of 
 the Soul, a ftate of future rewards and punifh- 
 ments, and the neceffity of virtue, exclufive of 
 all filly and fuperftitious practices, to procure the 
 happinefs of a feparate ftate. They were there- 
 fore only Free-thinkers, fo far forth as they ap- 
 proached to the doctrines of chriftianity, that is 
 to thofe very do&ines which this kind of Au- 
 thors would perfuade us, as Free-thinkers, to 
 doubt the truth of. Now I would appeal to any 
 reafonableperfon, whether thefe great men fhould 
 not have been propofed to our imitation, rather 
 as they embraced thefe divine truths, than only 
 upon the account of their breaking loofe from 
 the common notions of t-heir fellow-citizen. c 
 But this would difappoint the general tendency 
 of fuch writings, 
 
 I fhall only add under this head, that as chrifti- 
 
 anity recovered the law of nature out of all thofe 
 
 errors and corruptions, with which it was over- 
 
 O 4 grown
 
 296 *The FR E E-Ho L DE R. N5i 
 
 grown in the times of paganifm, our national 
 religion has reftored chriibanity itfelf to that 
 purity and fimplicity in which it appeared, before 
 it was gradually difguifed and loft among the va- 
 nities and fuperftitions of the Romijh church. 
 
 That our civil conftitucion is preferable to any 
 among the Greeks or Rffauarf, may appear from 
 this fmgle confederation ; that the greateft theo- 
 rifts in matters of this nature, among thole very 
 people, have given the preference to fuch a form 
 of Government, as that which obtains in this 
 kingdom, above any other form whatfoever. I 
 fhall mention Arijhtle, Polybius^ and Cicero^ that 
 is, the greatefl philofopher, the moft impartial 
 hiftorian, and the moft confumrnate Statefman 
 of all antiquity. Thefe famous Authors give the 
 preeminence to a mixt government confifting 
 of three branches, the regal, the noble and the 
 popular. It would be very eafy to prove, not only 
 the reafonablenefs of this pofition, but to fne->y, 
 that there was never any constitution among the 
 Greeks or Romans, in which thefe three branches 
 were fo well diftinguifhed from each other, in~ 
 veiled with fuch fuitabie proportions of power, 
 and concurred together in the legiflature, that is, 
 in the moft fovereign acts of government, with 
 iuch a neceffary content and harmony, as are to 
 be met with in the conftitution of this kingdom. 
 i>ut I have obferved in a foregoing Paper, how 
 defective the Roman commonwealth was in this 
 particular, when compared with our own form, 
 of government, and it will not be difficult for the 
 reader, upon Tingling out any other ancient ftate, 
 to find how far it will fufrer in the parallel. 
 
 Monday,
 
 
 N52 ^FREE-HOLDER. 297 
 N52 Monday, June 18. 
 
 An tu fopulum Roman urn ejje ilium put as qui conjlat 
 ex 12 s, qui mercede conducuniur? qui impelluntur, uf 
 'vim offer ant magiftraiibus ? ut objldeant fenatum ? 
 of tent quotidie cecdcm, incendia, rapine's ? quern tu 
 tcimen p"pulum, nijt talernis cla::fis,freqv.entare non 
 pot eras: Cui populo duces Lentidios, Lollies, Sergios, 
 pra-ftceras. O Jpeciem, dignitc.ietnque populi Rc- 
 jnani, quant tfges, quam nationes extern, quam 
 gentes ultimo per time/cunt', multitudinem hominum 
 ex Jer<uis condufiis^ ex facinorcfis, ex egentibus con- 
 gregatam! Cicero. 
 
 Do you efleem thofc to be Romans, who are influenced 
 by money ? who arc led to inl'uit the Magifl rates, 
 befiege the Senate, and daily to wifli for fword, 
 lire, and rapine? Men whom you cannot meet 
 with, but when the tavern-doors are Ihut; who are 
 headed by fuch fellows as Lentidius, Lolihn, and 
 Serous? Is it here we muil 'ook for the grandeur 
 and dignity of the Romans, fo formidable to Kings, 
 foreign ftates, and the remoteft nations; here, 
 among this rabble, compoied of flaves^ and the 
 very dregs of the people 1 
 
 THERE is in all Governments a certain 
 temper of mind, natural to the patriots and 
 lovers of their conftitution, which may be calkd 
 ftate-jealoufy. It is this which makes themappre- 
 henfive of every tendency in the people, cr in 
 any particular member of the Community, to 
 endanger ordiftisrb that form of rule, which is 
 eftablifhed by the laws and cuftoms of their 
 O 5 country.
 
 298 The FREE-HOLDER. N52 
 
 country. This political jealoufy is abfolutely re- 
 quifite in fome degree for the preservation of a 
 Government, and very reafonable in perfons who 
 are perfuaded of the excellency of their confti- 
 tution, and believe that they derive from it the 
 moft valuable bleflina;? of fociety. 
 
 This publick-fpiritedpaflion ismoreftrong and 
 active under fome Governments, than others. 
 The commonwealth of Venice, which hath fub- 
 fifted by it for near fourteen hundred years, is fo 
 jealous of all its members, that it keeps continual 
 ipies upon their actions ; and if any one of them 
 prefume to cenfure the eftablifhed plan of that 
 republick, or touch upon any of its fundamentals, 
 he is brought before a fecret council of ftate, 
 tried in a moft rigorous manner, and put to death 
 without mercy. The ufual way of proceeding 
 with perfons who difcover themfelves unfatisfied 
 with the title of their Sovereign in defpotick 
 Governments, is to confine the malecontent, if 
 his crimes are not capital, to fome caftle or 
 dungeon for life. There is indeed no conftitu- 
 tion fo tame and carelefs of their own defence, 
 where any perfon dares to give the lead fign or 
 intimation of being a traitor in his heart. Our 
 Engli/h hiftory furnifhes us with many examples 
 of great feverities, during thedifputes between the 
 houfes of York and Lancafler^ inflicted on fuch 
 perfons as (hewed their difafte&ion to the Prince 
 who was on the throne. Every one knows, that 
 a factious inn-keeper, in the reign of Henry the 
 Seventh, was hanged, drawn and quartered, for 
 a faucy pun, which reflected, in a very dark and 
 diftant manner, upon the title of that Prince to 
 the crown. I do not mention the practice of 
 other Governments, as what fhould be imitated 
 incurs, which, God be thanked, affords us all the 
 reafonable liberty of i'peech and action, fuited
 
 N5 2 Tfo FREE-HOLDER. 299 
 
 to a free people; nor do I take notice of this Jaft 
 inftance of feverity in our own country, to 
 juftify fuch a proceeding; but only to difplay the 
 mildnefs and forbearance made ufe of under the 
 reign of his prefent Majefty. It may, how- 
 ever, turn to the advantage of thofe, who have 
 been instrumental in ftirring up the late tumalts, 
 and feditions among the people, to confider the 
 treatment which fuch a lawlefs ungoverned 
 rabble would have met with in any other coun- 
 try, and under any other Sovereign. 
 
 Thefe incendiaries have had the art to work 
 up into the moft unnatural ferments the moft 
 heavy and ftupid part of the community; and 
 if I may ufe a fine faying of 'Terence upon another 
 occafion, c to convert fools into madmen.' This 
 frenzy hath been raifcd among them to fuch a 
 degree, that it hath lately difcovered itfelf in a 
 /edition which is without a parallel. They have 
 had the fool-hardinefs to let a mark upon them- 
 felves on the Pretender s birth-day, as the declared 1 
 friends to his caufe, and profeft enemies to their 
 King and country. How fatal would fuch a dif- 
 tinction, of which every one knew the meaning, 
 have proved in former reigns, when many a cir- 
 cumftance of lefs fignifkancy has been conftrued 
 into an overt-acl: ol'high-treafon ! This unex- 
 ampled piece of infolence will appear under its 
 iuft aggravations, if we confider in the firft place^ 
 that it was aimed perfonally at the King. 
 
 I do not remember among any of our popular 
 commotions,, when marks of this nature have 
 been in fafbion, that either fide were fo void of 
 common fenfe, as to intimate by them an aver- 
 fion to their Sovereign. His perforv was ftill held 
 as facred by both parties. The contention was 
 not who (hould be the Monarch over them, but 
 whofe fcliems of policy (hould take place in his 
 
 adml-
 
 300 The F R E E-HoL D E R. N52 
 
 adminiftration. This was the conduct of Whigs 
 and Tories under King Charles the Second's 
 reign, when men hung out their principles in 
 different coloured ribbons. Nay, in the times of 
 the great rebellion, the avowed difaffedion of 
 the people always terminated in evil counfellors. 
 Such an open outrage upon Majefty, fuch an 
 oftentation of difloyalty, was referved for that 
 infamous rabble of Engiijhmen^ who may bejuftly 
 looked upon as the fcandal of the prefent age, 
 and the moft fhamelefs and abandoned race of 
 men that our nation has yet produced. 
 
 In the next place, It is very peculiar to this 
 mob of malecontents, that they did not only 
 diftinguifh themfelves againft their King,~ but 
 againft a King pofTefTed of all the power of the 
 nation, and one who had fo very lately crufhed 
 all thofe of the fame principles, that had bravery 
 enough to avow them in the field of battle. 
 When ever was there an inftance of a King, who 
 was not contemptible for his weaknefs and want 
 of power to refent, infulted by a few of his un- 
 armed daftard fubje&s ? 
 
 It is plain from this fmgle conuderation, that 
 fuch a bafe ungenerous race of men could ely 
 Upon nothing for their own fafety in this affront 
 to his Majefty, but the known 2;entlenefs and 
 lenity of his Government. Inftead of being; de- 
 terred by knowing that he had in his hands the 
 power to punifh them, they were encouraged by 
 knowing that he had not the inclination. In a 
 word, they prefumed upon that mercy which in 
 all their converfations they endeavour to depre- 
 ciate and mifreprefent. 
 
 It is a very fenfible concern to every one, who 
 has a true and unfeigned refpeft for our national 
 religion, to hear thefe vile mifcreants calling 
 themfelves fons of the church of England^ amidft 
 
 fuch
 
 N53 The FREE-HOLDER. 301 
 
 fuch impious tumults and diforders-," and joining 
 in the cry of High-church at the fame time 
 that they wear a badge, which implies their in- 
 clinations to deftroythe reformed religion. Their 
 concern for the church always riles higheft, 
 when they are aring in dire<5t oppoiidon to its 
 doctrines. Our ftreets are filled at the fame time 
 with zeal and drunkennefs, riots and religion, 
 \Ve muft confefs, if noife and clamour, flander 
 and calumny, treafon and perjury, were arti- 
 cles of'-their communion, there would be none 
 Jiving more punctual in the performance of their- 
 duties j but if a peaceable behaviour, a love of 
 truth, and a fubrniflion to fuperiors, are the 
 genuine marks of our profeffion, we ought to be 
 very hear tilyafhamed of fuch a profligate brother- 
 hood. Or if we ftill think and own thefe men 
 to be true fons of the church of England, I 
 dare fay there is no church in Europe who will 
 envy her the glory of fuch difciples. But it is to 
 be hoped we are not fo fond of party, as to look 
 upon a man, becaufe he is a bad Chriftian s to 
 be a good Church of England man. 
 
 N53 Friday, June 22. 
 
 Bellua Ceaticeps. 
 
 Hor. Od. 14. I. 2, ver. 34. 
 The monfler furious with an hundred heads. - 
 
 THERE is fcarce any man in England, of 
 what denomination foever, that is not a 
 Free-thinker in politicks, and hath not fome par- 
 ticular notions of hisown, by which he diftin- 
 guifhes himfelf from the reft of the community. 
 
 Our
 
 302 *The FR EE-HoL D E R. Nj3 
 
 Our ifland, which was formerly called a nation 
 of faints, may now be called a nation of ftatei- 
 men. Almorfc every age, profeffion, and fex 
 among us, has its favourite fet of minifters, and 
 fcheme of government 
 
 Our children are initiated into factions before 
 they know their right-hand from their lefr. They 
 nofooner begin to fpeak,butA'V hig and Tory are 
 the firft words they learn. They are taught in 
 their infancy to hate one half of the nation ; and 
 contradt all the virulence and paffion of a party, 
 before they come to the ufe of their reafon. 
 
 As for our Nobility, they are politicians by 
 birth ; and though the Commons of the nation 
 delegate their power in the community to certain 
 reprefentatives, every one referves to himfelf a 
 private juiil'di&ion, or privilege, of cenfuring 
 their conduct, and rectifying the Jegiflature. 
 There is fcarce a frefh-man in either Univerfity, 
 \vho is not able to mend the conftitution in feve- 
 ral particulars. We fee 'Squires and Yeomen 
 coming up to town every day, fo full of politicks, 
 that, to ufe the thought of an ingenious gentle- 
 man, we are frequently put in mind of Roman 
 dictators, who were called from the plough. I 
 have often heard of a fenior alderman in Bucking- 
 hamfljire, who, at all publick meetings, grows 
 drunk, in praife of ariftocracy, and is as often 
 encountered by an old juilice of peace who lives 
 in the neighbourhood, and will talk you from 
 morning until night on the Gothic balance. Who 
 have not oblerved feveral parilh clerks, that have 
 ranfacked Hopkins and SttrabM /or ftaves in 
 favour of the race of "Jacjb ; after the example 
 of their politick predeceflbrs in O&Otr't days, 
 who on every fabbath were for binding Kings in 
 chains, and Nobles in links of iron ! You can 
 fcarce fee a bench of porters without two or three 
 
 cafuifts
 
 N53 *Tb e FREE-HOLDER. 303 
 
 cafuifts in it, that will fettle you the right of 
 Princes, and irate the bounds of the civil and 
 ecclefiaftical power, in the drinking of a pot of 
 ale. What is more ufual than on a rejoicing 
 night to meet with a drunken cobler hauling out 
 for the church, and perhaps knocked down a 
 little after, by an enemy in his own profeflion, 
 who is a lover of moderation ? 
 
 We have taken notice in former Papers of this 
 political ferment being got into the female fex, 
 and of the wild work it makes among them. 
 We have had a late moft remarkable infianceof 
 it in a conterr. between a filter of the white-rofe, 
 and a beautiful and lopl young lady, who, to 
 {hew her zeal for revolution principles, had 
 adorned her pretty bofom with a Sweei-William* 
 The rabble of the fex have not been afhamed 
 very lately to gather about bonfires, and tofcream 
 out their principles in the publick ftreets. In 
 fhort, there is hardly a female in this our me- 
 tropolis, who is not a competent judge of our 
 higheft controverfies in Church and State. We 
 have feverai oifter-wonien that hold the unlaw- 
 fulneis of epillopacy; and cinder- wenche-s that 
 are great ftickleis for indefeaiible right. 
 
 Of all the ways and means by which this 
 political humour hath been propagated among the. 
 people of Great- Britain, I cannot fingleout any 
 ib prevalent and univerfal, as the late conftant 
 application of the prefs to the publiihmg of (tatc- 
 mattei's. We hear of feverai that are newly erected 
 in the country, and fet a part for this particular 
 ufe. For, it feems, the people of Exeter^ Salt/bury^ 
 and other large towns, are refolved to be as great 
 politicians as the inhabitants of London and Weft- 
 minjler ; and deal out fuch news of their own 
 printing, as is belt fuited to the genius of the 
 market people, and the tafte of the country. 
 
 One
 
 304 Tlx FREE-HOLDER. N53 
 
 One cannot but be forry, for the fake of thefe 
 places, that fuch a pernicious machine is creeled 
 among them ; for it is very well knov/n here, that 
 the making of the politician is the breaking of the 
 tradefman. When a citizen turns a JMacbfavt/, 
 he grovVs too cunning to mind his own bufmefsj 
 and I have heard a curious obfervation, that the 
 woollen manufacture has of late years decayed 
 in proportion as the paper manufacture has jn- 
 creafed. Whether the one may not properly be 
 looked upon as the occafion of the other, I {hall 
 leave to the judgment of perfons more profound 
 in political enquiries. 
 
 As our nev\ s wr.ters record many facts, which, 
 to ufe their own phrafe, * afford great matter of 
 * fpeculation, 'their readers fpeculate accordingly, 
 and, by their variety of conjectures, in a few 
 years become confummate ftatefmen ; befides, as 
 their papers are filled with a different party-fpirir, 
 they naturally divide the people into different fen- 
 timents, who generally confider ruther the prin- 
 ciples, than the truth of the news-writer. This 
 humour prevails to f.ich a degree, that there are 
 feveral well-meaning perfons in the nation, who 
 have been -fo mided by their favourite Authors of 
 this kind, that, in the prefent contention between 
 the Turk and the Emperor, they are gone over 
 infenfibly from the interefts of chriftianity, and 
 become weH-wifhers to the Mahometan caufe. In 
 a word, aJmr.ft eve' - y news- writer has his feel, 
 which (confidering the natural genius of our 
 countrymen, to mix, vary, or refine in notions 
 of ftate) furnifhes every man, by degrees, with 
 a particular fyflem of policy. For, however any 
 one may concur in the general fcheme of his 
 party, it is ft'H \vith certain referves and devia- 
 tions, and with a falvo to his own private 
 judgment. 
 
 Among
 
 N53 The F R E E~H OLDER. 305 
 
 Among this innumerable herd of politicians, 
 I cannot but take notice of one fet, who do not 
 feem to play fair with the reft of the fraternity, 
 and make a veryconfiderable clafs of men. Thefe 
 are fuch as we may call the dfterwife^ who, when 
 any project fails, or hath not had its defired 
 effect, forefaw all the inconveniencies that would 
 arife from it, though they kept their thoughts 
 to themfelves until theydifcovered the iffue. Nay, 
 there is nothing more ufual than for fome of thefe 
 wife men, who applauded publick meafures, 
 before they were put in execution, to condemn 
 them upon their proving iinfuccefsfuT. The dic- 
 tators in coffee-houfes are generally of this rank, 
 who often give ihrewd intimations that things 
 would have taken another turn, had they been 
 members of the cabinet. 
 
 How difficult muft it be for any form of 
 Government to continue undifturbed, or any 
 ruler to live uncenfured, where every one of the 
 community is thus qualified for modelling the 
 constitution, and is fo good a judge in matters 
 offtate! A famous French wir, to fhew how 
 the monarch of that nation, who has no part- 
 ners in his fovereignty, is retter able to makd 
 his way through ali the difficulties of govern- 
 ment, than an Emperor of Germany^ who "a els 
 in concert with many inferior fellow-fovereigns ;' 
 compares the firft to a ferpent with many tails 
 to one head } and the other to a ferpent with 
 one tail to many heads ; and puts the queftion: 
 which of them is like to glide with mo ft eafe 
 and activity through a thicket! 1 The fame 
 companion will hold in the bufmefs of a nation' 
 conducted by a miniftry, or a whole Kingdom 
 of politicians. 
 
 Monday,
 
 306 'The FREE-HOLDER. 
 
 N54 Monday, June 25. 
 
 1 u. mh mentis 
 
 Debei ludibriuni, ca-ce. 
 Ruper J'oHicitum qua: mi hi tedium* 
 Nunc c/cju-feriutn, cwafue no a le<vis. 
 
 Hor. Od. 14. 1. i. ver. 15. 
 
 Tho' often thou haft fafely pair, 
 
 Thou ow'ft the winds a. fport at lafl { 
 
 Oh lately thou my grief and fear, 
 
 And now my frefh and prefcnt care ! CREECH, 
 
 E general divifion of the Britl/h nation 
 JL is into Whigs and Tories, there being very 
 few, if any, who ftand neuters in the difpute, 
 without ranging themfelves under one of thefe 
 denominations. One would therefore be apt to 
 think, that every member of the community, who 
 embraces with vehemence the principles of either 
 of thefe parties, had thoroughly fifted and examined 
 them, and was fecretly convinced of their prefe- 
 rence to thofe of that party which he rejects. And 
 yet it is certain, that moft of our fello\v-fubjels 
 are guided in this-particular, either by the preju- 
 dice of education, private intereft,perfonalfriend- 
 fhips, or a deference to the judgment of thofe, 
 who perhaps in their own hearts difapprove the 
 opinions which they induftrioufly fpread among 
 the multitude. Nay, there is nothing more un- 
 doubtedly true, than that great numbers of one 
 fide concur in reality with the notions of thofe 
 whom they oppofe, were they able to explain their 
 implicit femiments, and to tell their own mean- 
 ing. How-
 
 N54 
 
 PREE-Ho LD ER. 307 
 
 However, as it becomes every reafonable man 
 to examine thofe principles by which he acts, I 
 fhall in this Paper felect fome confiderations, out 
 of many that might be-infifted on, to {hew the 
 preference of what is generally called the Whig- 
 fcheme, to that which is efpoufed by the Tories. 
 This will appear in the firft place, if we reflect 
 upon the tendency of their refpedtive principles, 
 fuppofing them carried to their utmoft extremity. 
 For if, in this cafe, the worft confequences of 
 the one are more eligible than the worft confe- 
 quences of the other, it is a plain argument, that 
 thofe principles are the moft eligible of the two, 
 whofe effects are the leaft pernicious. Now the 
 tendency of thefe two different fets of princi- 
 ples, as they are charged upon each party by its 
 antagonifts, is as follows. The Tories tell us, 
 that the Whig-fcheme would end in Prefbyteri- 
 anifm and a commonwealth. The Whigs tell 
 us on the other fide, that the Tory- fcheme would 
 terminate in Popery and arbitrary government. 
 Were thefe reproaches mutually true, which 
 would be moft preferable to any man of common 
 ienfe, Prefbyterianifm and a republican form, 
 of government, or Popery and tyranny ? both 
 extremes are indeed dreadful, but not equally fo j 
 both to be regarded with the utmoft averfion by 
 -the friends of our conftitution, and lovers of 
 our country : But if one of them were inevitable, 
 who would not rather choofe to live under a ftate 
 of exceffive liberty, than of flavery, and not 
 prefer a religion that differs from our own in the 
 circumftantials, before one that differs from it 
 in the effentials of chriflianity. 
 ' Secondly, Let us look into the hiftory of Eng- 
 land, and fee under which of thefe two fchemti 
 the nation hath enjoyed moft honour and prc-1- 
 
 perity,
 
 So8 The F R E E-H OLDER. N 54 
 
 perity. If we obferve the reigns of Queen Eliza- 
 beth and King James I. (which an impudent 
 Frenchman calls the reigns of King Elizabeth and 
 Queen James) we find the Whig-fcheme took > 
 place under the rft, and the Tory-fcheme tinder 
 the latter. The n"r(r, in whom the Whigs have 
 always gloried, oppofed and humbled the mod 
 powerful among, the Roman Caiholick Princes ; 
 raifed and fupported the Dutch ; affifted the French 
 proteftants ; and made the reformed religion an 
 over-balance for popery through all Europe. On 
 the contrary, her fuccefibr aggrandized the ca- 
 tholick King; al enatcd hirnfeTf from the Dutch ; 
 fuffcred- the French power to increafe until it was 
 too late to remedy it; and abandoned the interefts 
 of the King of Bf hernia y grandfather to his prefent 
 Majefty, which might have fpread the reformed 
 religion through all Germany. I need not de- 
 fcribe to the reader the different ftate of the King- 
 dom, as to its reputation, trade, and wealth, 
 under thefe two reigns. We might, after this, 
 compare the figure in which thefe kingdoms, 
 and the whole proteftant intereft o\ Europe, were 
 placed by the conduit of King Charles the Se- 
 cond, and that of King William ; and every one 
 knows which of the fchemes prevailed in each of 
 thofe reigns. I fhall not impute to any Tory- 
 fcheme the adminiftration of King James the 
 Second, on condition that they do not reproach 
 the \Vhigs with the ufurpation of Oliver ; as 
 bein^ fatisfied that the principles of thofe JTO- 
 vernmeiits are refpectively difclaimed and abhor- 
 red by all the men of fcnfe and virtue in both 
 parties, as they novv (land. But we haveafrefli 
 inftance, which will be rernembred with grief 
 by the prefent ao;e, and all our pofterity, of the 
 influence bothof Whig and Tory principles in the 
 
 late
 
 N54 ffl> e FREE-HOLDER. 309 
 
 late reign. \Vas England ever fo glorious in the 
 eyes of Europe, as in that part of.it when the 
 firft prevailed. Or was it ever more contempti- 
 ble than when the laft took place ? 
 
 I fhall add, under this head, the preference of 
 the Whig-fcheme, with regard to foreigners. 
 All the proteftant ftates of Europe^ who may be 
 confidered as neutral judges between both parties, 
 and are well-wilhers to us in general, as to a 
 Proteftant people, rejoice upon the fuccefs of a 
 \Vhig-fcheme; while all the church of Rome t 
 who contemn, hate, and deteft us as the great 
 bulwark of herefy, are as much pleafed when the 
 oppofite party triumphs in its turn. And here 
 let any impartial man put this queftion to his 
 own heart, whether that party doth not act 
 reafonably, who look upon the Dutch as their 
 genuine friends and allies, confidering that they 
 are of the reformed religion, that they have 
 aflifted us in the greateft times of neceffity, and 
 that they can never entertain a thought of re- 
 ducing us under their power. Or, on the other 
 hand, let him confider whether that party aits 
 with more reafon, who are the avowed friends 
 of a nation, that are of the Ro?nan Catbollck 
 religion, that have cruelly perfecuted our bre- 
 thren of the reformation, that Jiave made at- 
 tempts in all ages to conquer this ifland, and 
 fupported the intereft of that Prince, who ab- 
 dicated the throne, and had endeavoured to 
 fubvert our civil and religious liberties. 
 
 Thirdly, Let us compare thefe two fchemes 
 from the effects they produce among ourfelves 
 within our own ifland ; and thefe we may con- 
 fider firft with regard to the King, and fecondly 
 with regard to the people. 
 
 i. With
 
 3 1 o tfbe F R E E-H OLDER. N 54 
 
 1. With regard to the King. The Whigs 
 have always profefled and practifed an obedience 
 which they conceive agreeable to the conftitu- 
 tion ; whereas the Tories have concurred with 
 the Whigs in their practice, though they differ 
 from them in their profeffions ; and have avowed 
 a principal of paflive-obedience, to the tempta- 
 tion, and afterwards to the deftrudlion, of thefe 
 who have relied upon it. Nor muft I here omit 
 to take notice of that firm and zealous adherence 
 which the Whig-party have fhewn to the pro- 
 teflant fucceffion, and to the caufe of his prefent 
 Majefty. I have never heard of any in this prin- 
 ciple, who was either guilty or fufpe&ed of 
 meafures to defeat this eftablifhment, or to over- 
 turn it, fince it has taken effect. A confidera- 
 tion, which it is hoped may put to filence thofe 
 who upbraid the Whig-fchemes of Government, 
 with an inclination to a commonwealth, or a 
 difafreclion to Kings. 
 
 2. With regard to the People. Every one muft 
 own, that thofe laws, which have moft con- 
 duced to the eafe and happinefs of the fubjecl:, 
 have always pafled in thofe parliaments, which 
 their enemies branded with the name of Whig, 
 and during the time of a Whig-miniftry. And, 
 what is very remarkable, the Tories are now 
 forced to have rccourfe to thofe laws for fhelter 
 and protection : By which they tacitly do ho- 
 nour to the Whig-fcheme, and own it more 
 accommodated to the happinefs of the people, 
 than that which they efpoufe. 
 
 I hope I need not qualify thefe remarks with a 
 fuppofition which I have gone upon through the 
 whole courfe of my Papers, that I am far from 
 confidering a great part of thofe who call them- 
 felves Tories, as enemies to the prefent eftablifh-
 
 N55 2&? FREE-HOLDER. 311 
 
 ment ; and that by the Whigs I always mean 
 thofe who are friends to our constitution, both 
 in church and ftate. As we may look upon thefe 
 to be, in the main, true lovers of their religion 
 and country, they feem rather to be divided by 
 accidental friendfhips and circumftances, than 
 by any eflential diftin&ioii. 
 
 N55 Friday, June 29. 
 
 ... Ctfftus artemque rcpono. 
 
 Virg. ^En. 5. ver. 484. 
 The gauntlets I refign, and here renounce the field. 
 
 D R Y B I N. 
 
 ARifing of Parliament being a kind of cefla- 
 tion from politicks, the Free- Holder cannot 
 let his Paper drop at a more proper juncture. I 
 would not be acceflary to the continuing of our 
 political ferment, when occafions of difpute 
 are not adminiftered to us by matters depending 
 before the legiflature ; and when debates with- 
 out doors naturally fall with thofe in the two 
 houfes of Parliament. At the fame time a Briti/h 
 Free-Holder would very ill discharge his part, if 
 he did not acknowledge, with becoming duty and 
 gratitude, the excellency and feafonablenefs of 
 thofe laws, by which the reprefentatives of men 
 in his rank have recovered their country in a 
 great meafure out of its confufions, and provided 
 for its future peace and happinefs under the pre- 
 fent eftablifhment. Their unanimous and regular 
 proceeding* under the condud of that honourable 
 
 perfon
 
 312 *fhe FREE-HOL D E R. N55 
 
 perfon who fills their chair with the moft con- 
 fummate abilities, and hath juftly gained the 
 efteem of all fides, by the impartiality of his 
 behaviour ; the abfolute neceffity of fome acts 
 which they have paflfed, and their dif-inclination 
 to extend them any longer than that neceflity 
 required ; their manifeft averfion to enter upon 
 fchemes, which the enemies of our peace had 
 infmuated to have been their defign ; together 
 with that temper fo fuitable to the dignity of 
 fuch an affembly, at a juncture when it might 
 have been expected that very unufual heats would 
 have arifen in a houfe of Commons, fo zealous 
 for their King and country ; will be fufficient to 
 quiet thofe groundlefs jealoufies and fufpicions, 
 which have been induftrioufly propagated by the 
 iJl-wifhers to our conftitution. 
 
 The undertaking, which I am now laying 
 down, was entered upon in the very crifis of 
 the late Rebellion, when it was the duty of every 
 Briton to contribute his utmoft afliftance to the 
 Government, in a manner fuitable to his ftation 
 and abilities. All fervices, which had a ten- 
 dency to this end, had a degree of merit in them, 
 in proportion as the event of that caufe which 
 they efpoufed was then doubtful. But at prefent 
 they might be regarded, not as duties of private 
 men to their endangered country, but as infults 
 of the fuccefsful over their defeated enemies. 
 
 Our nation indeedcontinues to be agitated with 
 confufions and tumults ; but, God be thanked, 
 thefe are only the impotent remains of an un- 
 natural Rebellion, and are no more than the 
 after- toffings of a feawhen the ftorm is laid. The 
 enemies of his prefent Majefty, inftead of feeing 
 him driven from his throne, as they vainly hoped, 
 find him in a condition to vifit his dominions in 
 
 Ggrtnany^
 
 N55 Tfo FREE-HOLDER. 313 
 
 Germany, without any danger to himfelf or to 
 the publick ; while his dutiful fubjedh would be 
 in no ordinary concern upon this occafion, had 
 they not the confolation to find themfelves left 
 under the protection of a Prince who makes it 
 his ambition to copy out his royal father's ex- 
 ample; and who by his duty to his Majefty, 
 and affection to his people, is fo well qualified 
 to be the guardian of the realm. 
 
 It would not be difficult to continue a Paper 
 of this kind, if one were difpofed to refume the 
 fame fubjects, and weary out the reader with 
 the fame thoughts in a different phrafe, or to 
 ramble through the caufe of Whig and Tory, 
 without any certain aim or method, in every 
 particular difcourfe. Such a practice in politi- 
 cal writers is like that of fome preachers, taken 
 notice of by Doctor South, who, being prepared 
 only upon two or three points of doctrines, run 
 the fame round with their audience, from one end 
 of the year to the other, and are always forced to 
 tell them, by way of preface, Thefe are particu- 
 lars of fo great importance, that they cannot be 
 fufficiently inculcated. To avoid this method of 
 tautology, I have endeavoured to make every 
 paper a diftin6l Effay upon fome particular fub- 
 ject, without deviating into points foreign to the 
 tenor of each difcourfe. They are indeed moft 
 of them Effays upon Government, but with a 
 view to the prefent fituation of affairs in Great- 
 Britain ; fo that if they have the good fortune 
 to live longer than works of this nature generally 
 do, future readers may fee in them the com- 
 plexion of the times in which they were written. 
 However, as there is no employment fo irkfome, 
 as that of tranfcribing out of one's felf, next to 
 that of tranfcribing out of others, I fliall let drop 
 P the
 
 314 $%* FREE-HOLDER. N55 
 
 the work, fmce there do not occur to me any 
 material points arifing from our prefent Situation 
 which I have not already touched upon. 
 
 As to the reafonings in thefe feveral Papers, I 
 muft leave them to the judgment of others. I 
 have taken particular care that they (hould be 
 conformable to -our conftitution, and free from 
 the mixture of violence and pafiion, which fo 
 often creeps into the works of political writers. 
 A good caufe doth not want any bitternefs to 
 Support it, as a bad one cannot fubiift without it* 
 3t is indeed obfervable, that an Author is fcurri- 
 lous in proportion as he is dull, and feems rather 
 to be in apaifion,becaufe he cannot find out what 
 to fay for his own opinion, than becaufe he has 
 difcovered any pernicious absurdities in that of 
 his antagonilts. A man,, fatirized by writers cf 
 this clafs, is like one burnt in the hand with a 
 cold iron : There may be ignominious terms and 
 words of infamy in the ftamp, but they leave 
 no impreflion behind them. 
 
 It would indeed have been unpardonable iafo- 
 knce for a. fellow-Subject to treat, in a vindic- 
 tive and cruel flile,.thofe perfons whom his 
 Majefty has endeavoured to reduce to obedience 
 by gentle methods, which he has declared from 
 the throne to be * moft agreeable to his inclina- 
 tions.' May wenot hopethat all of thiskind, who 
 have the leaft fentiments of honour or gratitude, 
 will be won over to their duty by fo many in- 
 frances of.royal clemency, in the midft of fo many 
 repeated provocations ! May we not expect that 
 Cicen's words to C^/cr, in which he fpeaks of 
 thofe who were Cafar's enemies, and of his 
 cpndudl towards them, may be applied to his 
 'Maje.fty ; Omnes enlm qiu fuerunt^ aut fud perti- 
 v-'tam amijerunt, aut tua mifericord'ta retl- 
 
 r.i.
 
 N55 tte FREE-HOLDER. 315 
 
 nuerunt \ ut out nulll fuperjint de intmicis, out qui 
 
 fuperfuerunt) amiciffimi fent, htare gaude tuo 
 
 ijio tarn excellent! bcno, et fntere cum fortuna, et 
 gloria, turn etiamnatura^ et moribus tuis. Ex quo 
 quidem maximus ejl fruclus^ jucunditajque fapienti 
 
 Nihil babet nee for tuna tua majus, quam ut 
 
 poffi!) nee natura tua me'ias, quam ut velis t quam- 
 plurimos confervare. 
 
 " Ail, who were your enemies, have either 
 " loft their lives through their own obftinacy, 
 " or preferved them through your mercy ; fo- 
 " that either you have no enemies left, or thofe 
 " who were fo are become your beft friends. Re- 
 <c joice therefore in this your peculiar happinefs, 
 " and enjoy, together with your good-fortune 
 <l and glory, your lenity and moderation. It is 
 " the height of your good-fortune that you are 
 " able, and the greateft praife of your temper that 
 *' you are willing, to fave as many as poffible." 
 
 As for thofe Papers of a gayer turn, which 
 may be met with in this collection, my Reader 
 will of himfelf confider how requifite they are to 
 gain and keep up an audience to matters of this 
 nature ; and will perhaps be the more indulgent 
 to them, if he obierves, that they are none of 
 them without a moral, nor contain any thing 
 but what is confident with decency and good- 
 manners. 
 
 It is obvious that the defign of the whole 
 work has been to free the people's minds from 
 thofe prejudices conveyed into them by the ene- 
 mies to the prefent eftablimment againft the King 
 and royal family, by opening and explaining . 
 their real characters ; to fet forth his Majefty's 
 proceedings, which have been very groily mifre- 
 prefented, in a fair and impartial light j to fhew 
 the reafonableneis and neceflity of our oppofing 
 Q. ' the
 
 316 Tfo FR EE-Ho L DE R. N55 
 
 the Pretender to his dominions, if we have any 
 regard to our religion and liberties : And, in a 
 word to incline the minds of the people to the 
 defire and enjoyment of their own happineik 
 There is no queftion, humanly fpeaking, but 
 thefe great ends will be brought about infenfibly, 
 as men will grow weary of a fruitlefs oppofition; 
 and be convinced by experience of a neceffity 
 to acquiefce under a government which daily 
 gathers ftrength, and is able to difappoint the 
 utmoft efforts of its enemies. In the meanwhile, 
 I would recommend to our malecontents the ad- 
 vice given by a great moralift to his friend upon 
 another occafion ; that he would {hew it was 
 in the power of wifdom tocompofe his paflions ; 
 and let that be the work of reafon which would 
 certainly be the effect of time. 
 
 I fhall only add, that if any writer {hall do 
 this Paper fo much honour, as to infcribe the 
 title of it to others, which may be publifhed 
 upon the laying down of this work; the whole 
 praiie or difpraife of fuch a performance will 
 belong to fome other Author} this fifty-fifth 
 being the laft Paper that wUl come from the 
 hand of the Free-Holder* 
 
 INDEX.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 A. 
 
 A Fterwife, who they are, page 305. 
 ** Alexander the Great -his falfe notion of 
 
 glory, 292. 
 Allegiance to be broke by other methods befides 
 
 Rebellion, 35. 
 AmbafTador, what his bufinefs is, according to 
 
 Sir Henry Wotton, 97. 
 St. Ander, Britifh trade there, 243. 
 Arbitrary power exemplifyed, 58. Interwoven 
 
 with Popery, 75. 
 AfFociation, female, 47. Subfcriptions to it, 66. 
 
 The ribbons, 68. 
 Authors, when their arguments lofe their weight, 
 
 i. How they are ufually treated, 232, c. 
 
 To what compared by Mr. Congreve, 235. 
 
 B. 
 
 15 Aeon, Sir Francis, his obfervations on peace- 
 ** able times, 153. His legacy to fore'mu 
 
 nations and pofterity, 211. 
 Biographer (Grub-ftreet,) what they are, 209. 
 Biron (de) Marflial, his execution, 183. 
 Birth-day of King George the Firft, celebrated 
 
 by the Free-holder, 266. 
 Black Prince, his character, 284. 
 Boadicea, her example propofed to the Britiih 
 
 widows, 46. 
 
 Bouhours, his character, 167. 
 Britifh conftitution how far preferable to any 
 
 among the Greeks and Romans, 296. 
 
 C. 
 
 /^Aroline, Queen, her character when Prin- 
 S^ cefs of Wales drawn by the Free-holder, 
 
 118, &c. 
 Cartel fettled for the Britifh Ladies during their 
 
 party contentions, 130. 
 
 Q. 2 Cata-
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Catalans ; remarks on the treatment of thiit 
 
 people, 1 86. 
 
 Caufe, a bad one, the grcateft fign of it, 37. 
 Charles the Firfr, his troubles to whom partly 
 
 owing, 267. 
 Chefhire Prophecy, how much relied on by the 
 
 difaffeaed, 136. 
 Chevreau's character of the Germans, of Bou- 
 
 hours, of the Duchefs of Hannover, -and the 
 
 late Princefs Sophia, 166. 
 Chriftina Queen of Sweden, her refignation of 
 
 the crown, 254. 
 Church, the ridiculous notion of its danger, 40, 
 
 196, 218. A reflection on fuch as engrofs 
 
 that name, 160. Ill conlequences of the cry 
 
 of its danger with regard to religion, 219. 
 Cicero, whether moft admired as an Author, or 
 
 as a ConfuJ, 219. 
 Citizens, the danger of their turning Politicians, 
 
 304. 
 
 Clelia, a Roman fpinfter, her ftory recom- 
 mended to the Britifh virgins, 46. 
 Conde (Prince of) his rallery upon the ficklc- 
 
 nefs of the Englifh politicks, 140. 
 Coriolanus's wife propofed as a pattern to the 
 
 Britifh wives, 46. 
 Creed of a Tory-malecontent, 83, &c. 
 
 lEtraction from merit, what it is owing to, 
 Difaffeclion, how punifhed in fome 
 former reigns, 298. 
 
 Dublin Univerfity, an encomium on it, 198. 
 Duck-hunting, what M. Bayle compares to it, 
 
 E. 
 
 Tf Dward the Third, his character, 239, 284, 
 "*- J Elizabeth (Queen) her fteddinefs and uni- 
 formity, 
 
 D 1
 
 I N- D E X. 
 
 formity, 141. Her advice to the Univerflty 
 of Oxford, 202.. Her character in general, 
 
 239> 3 8 - 
 
 Eloquence, when it proves a very pernicious 
 talent, 132. 
 
 Englifh, much given to change, and why, 138. 
 The ill eftec^s of it, ibid. Their character 
 by the French writers, 165. How they ape 
 the French, 168. 
 
 Englifhman, his duty as fuch, 28. 
 
 Evil, not to be committed that Good may come 
 of it, 40. 
 
 Euripides, the Tragedian, his impious account 
 of an Oath, and how refented by the Athe- 
 nians, 35. 
 
 Examiner, ibme reflections on that Paper, 109. 
 F. 
 
 "C^An, how it may be made ufe of with good 
 
 * fuccefs againft Popery, 44, 87. 
 
 Female converfation, its diftinguifhing orna- 
 ments, 132. 
 
 Fox-hunter, his character, L23, &c. 
 
 Free-holder, Britim, his happinefs, 2, &c. 
 
 Free-holder, the defign of that Paper, 5. 
 
 Free-holder's anfwer to the Pretender's decla- 
 ration, 48. 
 
 Free-thinkers in politicks, who they are, 301. 
 
 Free-thinking of the old Philofophers, 296. 
 
 French, their vanity, 163, &c. The incivility 
 of their Writers to the Engjifh, 1 66. Aad 
 to the Germans,, ibid. What die. Germans, 
 and Italians fay of a Frenchman, 168. 
 G. 
 
 GArter (Lady's) the dropping of it fatal t-o 
 the French nation, 69. 
 
 George the Firfr, King, of Great Britain, his 
 character, j. } 267, His virtues, influence 
 
 and
 
 INDEX. 
 
 and credit, both at home and abroad, 134, 
 
 141. The bafenefs of his Treatment by the 
 
 difaftefted, 267. 
 Germans, French writers reflections on them, 
 
 167. 
 Glory, Alexander the Great his falfe notion of 
 
 it, 292. 
 
 Goffip in politicks, what fhe is in her family, 144. 
 Gratian's maxim for railing a man to greatnels, 
 
 207. 
 
 Gratia's, Spanifh, what they are, 241. 
 Great Britain, not to be governed by a Popifh 
 
 fovereign, 212, 253. 
 Greek Hiftorians, cautions to be obferved int 
 
 reading them, 293. 
 
 Gretzer's character, by Cardinal Perron, 166, 
 Grubftreet Biographers defcnbed, 209. 
 
 H. 
 TT Abeas Corpus Ac~l, reflections on its fufpen- 
 
 1 fton, 92, &c. 
 Henry the Fourth, of France,, bis treatment of 
 
 the confpirators, 183. 
 Henry the Seventh, of England, his character, 
 
 239- 
 
 Henry the Fifth, of England, his character, 285. 
 
 High-church-men,how naturally they are drawa 
 in to favour the caufe of Popery, 157- Com- 
 pared to the blind Syrians, ibid. Their Bawler& 
 a diigrace to the Church of England, 300. 
 
 Highlander, fecond-fighted, his character and 
 vifion, 149, &c. The Jacobites opinion of 
 the Highlanders, 39. Hiftorian, Ecclefiaftick, 
 Duke Schomberg's advice to him, 208. 
 
 Hiftorians, modern, an account of them, 209. 
 
 Hiftorians, Greek and Roman, cautions to be 
 obferved in reading them, 292. 
 
 Humour, its advantage under proper regula 
 tix>as r
 
 INDEX. 
 
 I. 
 
 JAmes the Second, his treatment of thofe 
 concerned in Monmouth's Rebellion, i$6. 
 
 James theFirft, (King) his character, 267, 308. 
 
 Jews, ancient ones, great lovers of their coun- 
 try, 26. 
 
 Impiety, prefent, to what owing, 218. 
 
 Inn-keeper, a pleafant ftory of a High-church 
 one, 126. A factious one executed, for a 
 fawcy pun, 298. 
 
 r -L. 
 
 T Adies, Britifh, their happinefs, 21. 
 
 -*^ Ladies, the great fervice they are of to* 
 their parties, 18. A Cartel for them during, 
 their party contentions, 130. 
 
 Ladies, difaffected, who they are* 129* Con- 
 fiderations offered to them, 145. 
 
 Ladies of either party, propofals for a truce 
 between them, 223. 
 
 Land-tax, reflections upon the Act for laying, 
 four (hillings in the pound, 112. 
 
 Learned Fools, a fable, 200. 
 
 Learned Bodies, their obligation ta cultivate- 
 the favour of Princes and great men ibid. 
 
 Love of one's country defined, 22. How much- 
 it is our duty, 23. Hew natural and reafon- 
 able, 24. 
 
 The actions proceeding from it how received, 26.. 
 
 Lovers, a calculation of their numbers in Bri- 
 tain, 17. 
 
 Louis d'Ors, reflections on the edict for raifing 
 them, 103. 
 
 Loyalty, the nature of U, 36. 
 
 Lucan, his Phari'alia, tranilated by Mr. Rowe, 
 237. The character of that work, and why 
 it was not explained for the ufe of the Dau- 
 phin , ibid.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 LyarSj how they are branded in Turkey, 97. 
 Lyes fuited to particular Climates and Lati- 
 tudes, 41. Party-Lyes, 38* 
 Lying, the fign of a bad caufe, 37. 
 JVL 
 
 MAdrid Treaty compared with that of L T - 
 trecht, 240. 
 
 Mahometanifm. how it was propagated, 287. 
 
 Malecontents, Advice to them, 134. 
 
 Mafquerade on the birth of the Archduke, 257. 
 
 Match out of Newgate, an account of that 
 Farce, -204. 
 
 Maud the Emprefs favoured by the Univer/ity 
 of Oxford, 20 1. 
 
 Minifters of State, how they ftiould bear an 
 undeferved reproach, 98. The condition of 
 thole ia Great-Britain, 276. 
 
 Mobs, the folly and mifchiefs of them, 289. 
 
 Monkeys fkirmifhes in the Eaft- Indies, ibid. 
 
 Morality, its practice necefTary to make a na- 
 tion or party flourish, 158. 
 
 .Muley Ifhmael (Emperor of Morocco) his arbi- 
 trary power, and the tendency of it, 59, &c. 
 
 "^jEtherlands, advantages to our tiade there 
 ""^ obtained by his late Majefty, 249. 
 News-writers, the hardfhip upon them in a 
 
 time of Peace, 148, 153. Their favourite 
 
 feels and parties, 304. 
 Nithifdale. A country Gentlewoman in a 
 
 ridinghood miftaken for that Lord, 146. 
 
 /"\Ak-boughs, Rue and Thyme, the cenfure 
 ^^ and correction of thofe who wore thofe 
 
 badges, 288. 
 
 Oaths to the State, the nature of them, 30. 
 Oxford Univerfity, their affection to the m- 
 
 prefa
 
 INDEX. 
 
 prefs Maud, 201. Queen Elizabeth's advice 
 
 to them, 202. 
 
 P. 
 
 T)Apers of the week, how they ought to be 
 ' conduced, 264. 
 
 Papyrius fonof a Roman Senator, his (lory, 195. 
 Party Writers their unchriftian fpirit, jo8, &c. 
 Party Spirit to be excluded out of publick di- 
 
 verfions, 203. 
 Party Rage how unamiable it makes the fair 
 
 Sex, 221. 
 
 Party Didinctions cenfured, 298, &c. 
 Parties in Church and State, the fource of them, 
 
 144. 
 Patin (M.) his ill-natured character of the 
 
 Englifh, 165. 
 
 Patriots, from whence they naturally rife, 25. 
 Peace : Obfervations upon a time of Peace, 
 
 148, 153. 
 
 Perjury, the guilt of it, 30, &c. 
 Perfian Ambaffador in France, his ceremony 
 
 every morning, 25. 
 Pharfalia of Lucan, the character of that work, 
 
 and why it was not explained for the ufe of 
 
 the Dauphin, 237. 
 Play of Sir Courtly Nice, the audience divided 
 
 into Whigs and Tories, 203. 
 Popifh Prince inconfiftent with Proteftant Sub- 
 jects, 212, 251, &c. 
 Prefton Rebel, his memoirs, 12, &c. 
 Prefton Rebels and their party, 39. 
 Pretender, Annals of his Reign, 214, &c. The 
 
 Free-holder's anfwer to his declaration, 48, 
 
 &c. 
 
 Priming-PrefTes ereled in the country, 303. 
 Pudding, a favourite dim of the EnglUh, 165. 
 Punch, a Remark upon that Liquor, 127.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 R. 
 
 REbellion, the guilt of it in general, and of 
 the late one in particular, 70. What 
 
 would Have been the confequences of its fuc- 
 
 cefs, 74. Indifference in fuch a juncture 
 
 criminal, 77. Several ufeful maxims to be 
 
 learned from the late Rebellion, 155. The 
 
 celebration of the Thankfgiving-day for fup- 
 
 prefling it, 281, &c. 
 Rebels againft the late King, whether they de- 
 
 ferved his mercy or juftice, 169, &c. ' 
 Riches, the uncertainty of them in France, 103. 
 Riots, the folly and mifchief of them, 288. 
 Roman hiftorians, cautions to be obierved in 
 
 reading them, 292. 
 Rowe, Mr. an account of his Translation of 
 
 Lucan's Pharfalia, 237. 
 Ruyter (de) the Governor of Sallee's faying of 
 
 him, 168. 
 
 S. 
 
 O Alluft, his notions of regal authority, 140. 
 ^ Schomberg (Duke) his advice to an eccle- 
 
 fiaftic hiftorian, 208. 
 Second -lighted Sawney, his character and vi- 
 
 fion, 149, &c. 
 
 Septennial Bill, the advantages of it, 220, 223. 
 Shrews domeftic, what they prove in politics, 
 
 129. 
 Sigifmond, King of Sweden, depofed, and why, 
 
 2 54- 
 
 Slander, the fign of a bad caufe, 37. 
 
 Socrates, why called a Droll, 262. 
 
 Solomon's notions of juftice and clemency, 1 84. 
 Feaft of the dedication of his Temple, 282. 
 
 Solon, a remarkable law of his againft the neu- 
 trality of the fubje6ls in a rebellion, 78. 
 
 Somers, (Lord) his character, 226, &c. 
 
 Sophia
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Sophia (Princefs) her character, 166. 
 
 Spanifti trade, advantages to it obtained by the 
 
 late King, 240. 
 State-jealoufy defined, 297. 
 Statefwoman compared to a Cotquean, 222. 
 Sully (Duke of) a. blunt fpeech of his to fome 
 
 Ladies who railed againft Henry the Fourth 
 
 of France, 66. 
 Sweet William, its contention with the white 
 
 Rofe, 303. 
 
 T. 
 
 'TpAriffs, an account of them, 249. 
 * Temple of Solomon, feaft of its dedication, 
 
 282. 
 Tertuga, an account of that Ifland and its 
 
 trade, 242. 
 
 Thankfgiving-day for fupprefling the late re- 
 bellion celebrated, 281. 
 Tilenus's character by Scaliger, 167. 
 Tory malecontent, his political faith and creed, 
 
 83, &c. 
 Tory Fox-hunter's account of the mafquerade 
 
 on the birth of the Arch-duke, 257, &c. 
 
 His converfion, 271, &c. 
 Tories victories in Scotland and Lancaftiire, 39. 
 
 Few beauties among the Tory females, 44. 
 Trade confidcred with regard to our nation, 245. 
 Triennial Act, reafons for altering it, 220. 
 Tyre, an account of that Ifland and its trade, 
 
 246. 
 
 V. 
 
 *f /Enice, the jealoufy in that Commonwealth, 
 V 298. 
 Verulam (Lord) compared with Lord Somers, 
 
 231. 
 
 Viper, ./Efop's fable of it, 147. 
 Virgins, political advice to them, 45. 
 
 Vifion
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Vifion of a fecond-fighted Highlander, 149, Sec. 
 Utrecht treaty compared with that of Madrid, 
 244. 
 
 W. 
 
 TXfAltheof (Earl) beheaded for a confpifacy 
 againft William the Conqueror, though 
 he was the firft that difcovered it, 182. 
 
 Whigs, the fineft women acknowledged to be 
 of that party, 44. The bulk of the men fuch 
 in their hearts, 57. Vindicated from being 
 republicans, &c. 160. Advice to them, 161. 
 Preference of the Whig fcheme to the Tory 
 one, 307. 
 
 White Rofe, its contention with Sweet Wil- 
 liam, 303. 
 
 Widows cannot be enemies to our confutation, 
 46. 
 
 William (King) how injurioufly he was treated 
 by the Jacobites on his firft arrival, 38. 
 
 William Rufus's faying of perjurers, robbers, 
 traitors, 175. 
 
 William the Conqueror, his treatment of con- 
 fpirators, 182. 
 
 Wit, its advantage under proper regulations, 
 262, &c. 
 
 Wives, political advice to them, 45. 
 
 Women (Britifh) the reafons they have to be 
 againft popery and tyranny, 18. The arti- 
 fices of malecontents to draw them to their 
 party, 191. 
 
 Wotton (Sir Henry) his faying of AmbafTadors, 
 
 97- 
 
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