66 "A. He, who puts none of it in his own Pocket. Q. You feem by This to be averfe from chufing "fuch as accept Places and Gratuities from the Crown. "What is your Reafon for this Partiality? A. I am far from thinking that a Man may not "ferve his King and his Country faithfully at the "fame Time. Nay, their Interefts are infeparable. "Mr. Such an one, my Lord's Steward, is a very "honeft Man; and yet, if I had any Affairs to settle "with my Lord, I would chufe my Neighbour for a "Referee rather than my Lord's Steward. "Q. Why is Frugality of the People's Money fo ne"ceffary at this Time? 66 "A. Because They have run out much, and are "ftill much in Debt. My Father and I have paid "our Share of one hundred Millions, and I have heard "there are near fifty more to pay. I grudge not this prodigious Expence, as far as it has been the necessary "Price of Liberty; but as it would grieve me much "to fee this Bleffing ravish'd from me, which has coft me fo dear; fo on the other Hand I think it expe"dient to fave, now the Affair is over, and the Go"vernment fettled. 66 Q. Who are Thofe, who are so careful of the "Trade of the Nation? "A. Such as are willing to keep it from all vexa"tious Interruptions by Inspections, entering into Hoa"Jes, Seizures, Suits, and the Oppression of Tax-gatherers, as much as poffible; fuch as are willing to take "off the burthenfome Duties, which encrease the Ex"pence of the Workman, and confequently the Price """ of the Manufacture. ་་ "Q. But as you have a Freehold, would you not be "willing to be excused from paying two Shillings in the "Pound, by laying Excifes upon other Parts of our Confumption? 66 "A. No doubt but every landed glad to be free from paying two Man would be Shillings in the "Pound; "Potted; but, at the fame Time, I would not raife, by another Tax, two Shillings in the Pound, nor one "Shilling in the Pound for a Perpetuity; for Parlia"ments, who have no more to give, may be difappointed in the Redress of their Grievances. Befides, I would not be deluded by an Impoffibility; for if 66 my Tenant has any new Tax laid upon him, I am "afraid he will not pay me fo much Rent; fo that the new Tax muk ftill affect Land. Then it is utterly impoffible to raife by Excifes what fhall be equiva"lent to two Shillings in the Pound, without the Ruin "of Trade; for the Excifes, which are fettled already, "generally fpeaking, raile double the Duty upon the "People, of what they bring in to the Government. "Q How can't Thou prove That? "A. By Experience of feveral Excifes, as of Lea"ther, Candles, Soap, &c. Whatever is brought into "the Publick by thofe Excifes is raised double upon the 66 People; therefore if a Million of Money, or what is "equivalent to two Shillings in the Pound, were levy'd by Excife, it would be two Millions upon the "excifed Commodities, which muft deftroy every "Subject of Trade in Britain. "Why doft Thou infift that a Knowledge of the "State of the Country is a neceffary Qualification for 66 a Parliament-man? "A. Becaufe This is a Qualification, of late, very "much unheeded. I have heard that there are many Corporations, that never faw their Members. 66 66 Q. Is then a Writ of Parliament only a Conge "d'Elire for a Bishop, where the King nominates ? "A. God forbid! The Crozon is never to meddle " in an Election. "Q. Why is affiduous Attendance fo neceffary? "A. Becaufe a Parliament-man is intrufted with "the Lives, Liberties and Properties of the People, "which have often been endanger'd by the Non-Attendance of many Members; because if ReprefentaVOL. XI. Р tives tives do not attend, I may have a Law impofed upon "Me, to which I had no Opportunity of giving my "Affent. Q. Thou haft prudently and juftly resolved to_pro"mote, to the utmost of thy Power, the publick Tranquility. What are the Advantages Thou propofeft .66 from That? "A. All the Advantages refulting from political Society depend upon the publick Tranquility. Be"fides, by publick Tranquility, Armies, which are a " Mark of Diftruft of the Affections of the People, may be disbanded. "Q. Why doft Thou not love Armies, in Time of "Peace? 66 "A. Because Armies have overturn'd the Liberties of moft Countries; and all, who are well-affected to Liberty, ever hated them; because They are fub"ject to an implicit Obedience to their Officers, and to a Law of their own; because They are so many "lufty Men taken from Work, and maintain'd at an extravagant Expence upon the Labour of the reft; becaufe They are many ways burthenfome to the People in their Quarters, even under the best Difcipline, especially in dear Countries; because there "are fo many Preferments in the Hands of defigning "Minifters; and laftly, because the King will never "be deny'd an Army as great as he pleaseth, when it is neceffary. 0. SATURDAY N° 378. SATURDAY, Sept. 29, 1733. The Merits of a CERTAIN HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN, with Relation to the DISSENTERS, farther confider'd. M R. WALSINGHAM having at length publifh'd a Jargon of incoherent Stuff, which He calls a Reply to the CRAFTSMAN, concerning the Merits of the prefent Adminiftration, as they relate to the PROTESTANT DISSENTERS; I fhall take that Affair once more into Confideration. The Author of the Free-Briton hath acted fo meanand fcandalous a Part, in this Difpute, that it is neceffary in the firft Place, to give the Reader a plain State of it, as it ftands between us. The minifterial Advocates having infifted very much, for almost a Year paft, on the Merits of their PATRON, with Regard to the Proteftant Dissenters, and pleaded a Sort of Title to their Votes and Intereft, at the next Election; I thought it proper to make fome Enquiries into the Juftness of thofe Pretenfions, and have proved, from a Deduction of his Behaviour towards Them, that He hath no more Right to their Favour than even Thofe, who first projected and pafs'd the SCHISM-ACT against Them. At the fame Time, I acknowledged very frankly that He spoke and voted against the Schifm-Bill, when it was first enacted; but I obferved that He afterwards cancel'd all that Merit, by fpeaking and voting against the Repeal of it. My Words are These. "We have been often told, in"deed, that He voted and spoke against the SCHISM "BILLY. BILL, at the latter End of Queen Anne's Reign; and fo did many other Gentlemen, who now think it their Duty to act in Oppofition to Him. But it "is likewife known that He oppofed the REPEAL of "that A, in the laft Reign, with equal Warmth "and Vigour. In Anfwer to This, Mr. Walfingham prefaced his next Paper with the following Paragraph, viz. "The Craftfman, in his laft Paper, having very "malicioufly a perfed the Adminiftration, and particularly an HONOURABLE PERSON of great Difinition in his Majesty's Service, by misreprefenting his Conduct towards the DISSENTERS, I fhall, "in my next Paper, confute the Craftíman very fully. "In the mean Time, I have enquired concerning the "Truth of a FACT, afferted in that Paper; namely, that the HONOURABLE PERSON oppofed the Repeal "of the SCHISM-ACT. I am affured, fays Mr. Walfingham, that He voted for THAT REPEAL, in every Step of its Progrefs through the House of "Commons; and by this Specimen of the Craftsman's "Truth and Candour, I fhall fubmit it to the Dif "fenters, how far the Sincerity of his Pretenfions to Friendship for Them may be relied on. By thefe Citations it appears what I afferted as FACT, and what Mr. Walfingham undertook to difprove; viz. that the HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN, bis Patron, appofed the Repeal of the SCHISM-ACT.But how hath He perform'd his Engagement? Why, inftead of confuting the Craftlinan very fully in bis next Paper, as He promifed, He took no farther Notice of it for two Weeks together, filling up his Paper with a Couple of Effays quite foreign to the Purpose; and when my Animadverfions on his Conduct had work'd Him up to fay fomething on this Head, He begins his REPLY, as He calls it, with a most egregious Mifreprefentation of the Cafe, in the following Words, viz. |