"tereft is never thought of by thofe Men, who thus "mifcall you; Men, who have no more WIT, and "much less HONESTY than your felves; and Men, "whofe Infolence and Saucinefs are owing to Wealth, "which They have plunder'd from you. It depends 66 now on yourselves, whether you will deferve these bafe and reproachful Names, or not. Shew that you "are Men, and you will be used like Men; but if you "fell yourselves, like the Beafts in the Field, the Pur"chafers will have a Right to fell you again, and "make honeft Gains out of a villainous Bargain.

These were Cato's Sentiments about eleven Years ago; and what a noble Spirit do they breathe, when compared with the fcandalous Doctrines of Clodius and Cicero, as well as fome other Time-serving Pieces, in which Bribery, Corruption and Venality are openly defended? Had the Gentleman, whom I quoted above, béen now living, how would He have exerted Himfelf, and pour'd forth the honeft Indignation of his Heart against that Usage, which his Countrymen have lately received from the Tools of Power? The fame bafe and reproachful Names have not only been repeated without End, but improved, wonderfully improved, and extended to Perfons, who never before pass'd under the Denomination of a Mob. The principal Merchants and Traders of England have now the Honour to be rank❜d amongst the Dregs of the People, treated as a Gang of Smugglers, Pedlars and perjured Rascals, who cheat the King, and impofe upon their Fellow-Subjects. For this Reafon Fetters were actually prepared for Them; and when They came down to Weftminster, in a legal Manner, to reprefent their Cafe, and fupplicate the Parliament against fo cruel an Expedient, They were fcouted by the Projector, and branded with the infamous Name of STURDY BEGGARS.

This Appellation hath however had one good Effect. It hath discover'd the Spirit of the Man, who had the Infolence to fix it upon fo valuable a Body of Englishmen,

Englishmen, and united Them all against Him, for their common Security. It hath likewife brought a good old Tune, which was grown almoft out of Date, into Fafhion again, and made it the favourite Entertainment in all publick Affemblies, without the Verge of the Court. One cannot walk the Streets, without hearing it chaunted forth to vaft Crouds of our honeft Countrymen, with vifible Marks of Triumph and Exultation.

According to this Doctrine, We are all a Parcel of low, vulgar Wretches, except a few Gentlemen of great Quality, Places and Eftates. It hath a direct Tendency to put us upon the fame Level with arbitrary Countries, where there are but two Sorts of People, Nobility and Beggars; and I must do the Projector the Juftice to acknowledge that his Practice hath been intirely conformable to his Doctrine.

But it is really aftonishing that He fhould perfift in thefe Infults, or encourage his Advocates to renew them, after fo memorable a Defeat, and the Rebukes He hath met with in moft of the chief Towns and Corporations in England. One would think that the Wantonnefs of Power might have been pretty well mortify'd by fuch wholesome Caftigations, and that He would have condefcended to foften his Language to the People; ef pecially at a Time, when He feems to ftand in fo much Need of their Affiftance. But there is a Fatality in fome Men, which drives Them on headlong to their own Ruin. Quos Jupiter vült perdere, prius dementat.

Let us fuppofe that a great Man, upon travelling the Road, fhould be thrown into a Ditch, and feeing fome Country Fellows not far off, fhould call out to Them in the following Manner; Hark'ee, you RASCALS, come hither and help me out of the MIRE.. Would it not be natural for an honest, Ruftick to reply; Wounds, Sir, if you can't keep good Words in your Mouth, you may lye and rot there for us?

I have

I have heard a Story, fomewhat to this Purpose, of a French Bishop; who being a Man of Quality, as the Bifhops generally are in France) thought it beneath his Dignity to addrefs his Flock in the ufual Style, Mes theres Freres, or dearly beloved Brethren; but began his Sermon thus; Canaille chretien, ecoutès la Parole de Dieu; Ye CHRISTIAN SCOUNDRELS, liften to the Word of God!But what was the Confequence? Why the whole Congregation, who came there to be edify'd, not abufed, went immediately out of Church, and left the proud Bishop to preach by Himself.

The Merchants and Traders of England have lately been used in juft the fame complaifant Style by our LayPrimate. As They live in a free Country, They have already discover'd fome Marks of their Refentment, and, perhaps, may foon express it in a more effectual ManThe Spirit of Liberty is fo generally diffused amongst Them, that it cannot be eafily fupprefs'd. Let the Projector call Them Scoundrels and Beggars, as much as He pleases; but I thank God it is in their own Power not to be made Slaves.

ner.

I fhall conclude with an Obfervation of the Lord Clarendon on the great Earl of Strafford, whofe pernicious Measures brought not only his own Head to the Block, but likewife That of his unhappy Mafter, by endeavouring too long and obftinately, though at last in vain, to screen Him from the Justice of the Nation.

"Of all his Paffions, fays the noble Hiftorian, his "Pride was most predominant; which a moderate Ex"ercife of ill Fortune might have corrected and re"form'd; and which was by the Hand of Heaven "ftrangely punish'd, by bringing his Deftruction upon "Him by two Things, that He moft defpifed, the PEOPLE and Sir HARRY VANE.

D. R.

SATURDAY,

N° 373. SATURDAY, August 25, 1733.

T

HE minifterial Advocates feem to have taken great Offence at my political Creed, as well as at fome other Difcourses, which I have lately publish'd, on the Principles of Whiggifm, and the Nature of our Conftitution. It is very plain from their Manner of writing, on this Occafion, that their Resentment does not arife from any Conviction that thofe Papers are founded on bad Principles, or a Mifapplication of good ones; but from a Confcioufnefs that they cannot be anfwer'd confiftently with their own Profeffions; which puts Them under the Neceffity of fhuffling, and mifreprefenting my Meaning. I will give the Reader an Inftance or two of these low Shifts, which abound every where in their Writings.

In defining the Nature of our Government, I call'd it a Sort of REGAL COMMON-WEALTH; an Expreffion, which some of thefe Writers have endeavour'd to cavil at, though in general They cannot deny it to be juft. The Word Commonwealth is not always ufed in the ftricteft Senfe, to fignify a Democracy, or popular State; but is often applied to all Sorts of Government without Diftinction. Thus, for Inftance, the Regency of Poland is ufually ftyled a Commonwealth, or Republick, though every Body knows that the chief Magiltrate is a King. The Governments of Holland and Venice are likewife term'd Commonwealths, though neither of them are properly Democracies; and our own Government is often ftyled a Commonwealth by the

beft

beft Writers, without any Defign of excluding the King from his Share in it. But as I write in a very captious Age, I took Care to add the Word regal, in order to distinguish it from a fimple Commonwealth, and avoid all Misconstruction. A Monarchy is the abfolute Rule of One; and as our Government is lodged in three different Eftates, it cannot be properly call'd a Monarchy any more than an Ariftocracy, or Democracy, because it partakes of all. What therefore fhall We call it, but a Sort of REGAL COMMONWEALTH, or a REPUBLICK, with a KING at the Head of it?

In one of these Papers, I likewise afferted that the late Oppofition had been carried on intirely on WHIG PRINCIPLES, the Principles of the REVOLUTION; upon which thefe Gentlemen obferve, with wonderful Acutenefs, that Nobody can deny them to be Revolu tion-Principles, fince they are evidently made Ufe of to bring about another Revolution.-What can a Man fay, in his own Defence, against fo grievous and plaufible a Charge? For my Part, I can only declare that whenever I speak of Revolution-Principles, I mean thofe Principles, which brought about the late Revolution, in Favour of King William, without intending, or thinking of any other. But I am fenfible this Plea will not ferve my Turn, though the Word Revolution hath been long grown a technical Term in this Ifland, and is al ways understood to mean that great Change of Affairs, when ufed without any particular Diftinction. Yet This, I fay, will not be fufficient to clear me from the Imputation of having fome finifter Defign in making Ufe of fo equivocal a Word; for I am likewife charged with afferting, that an Alteration of Perfons is not the only Point, which hath been pursued in this Paper; and that I am determined not to lay it down, till my Readers are convinced Themselves that fomething farther was intended, and I hope will be happily effected.Here my Adverfaries feem to think They have me fure, and therefore lay about Them without

Mercy.