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"tween the Mitre and the Crown, have conftantly ❝labour'd, with officious Emulation, to promote what66 ever had any Tendency to the Augmentation of our "Revenue, the Enlargement of our Prerogative, or a "Complyance with our Will. Whereas therefore "our Soldiers revel at their Eafe; whereas our Mer"chants are happily relieved from the Fatigues of Commerce; whereas fuch Perfons are invested with the Epifcopal Dignity, as even the most inveterate Adver"faries of our Church would rejoice to fee exalted, in Proportion to their Deferts; for all these Bleffings We acknowledge ourselves indebted to the Vigilance, Fidelity, and unwearied Application of a fingle Mi"nifter. What then remains, but that We confer "upon this incomparable Patriot, who whilft a Commoner obtain'd the Honour of two Ribbons, the only "Title wanting to his Merit? Know ye there"fore, &c.

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Thus have I given the Publick a true Copy of the Manufcript, as it came to my Hands, with a Tranflation for the Ufe of Thofe, who do not understand the Latin Language. I am very fenfible that, in feveral Places, it is far from coming up to the Spirit of the Original; but I confulted the Sense, more than the Elegance of it, and muft rely on the Candour of my loving Readers to accept of my best Endeavours. I could wish, indeed, that my learned Friend, who obliged me with this curious Piece, had been pleased to communicate his Sentiments, concerning the Occafion of it; for though it is drawn up in the Form of a Preamble, as I obferved before, I cannot find any Minifter in the English Hiftory, whom it can fit in every Particular. I have carefully review'd the Characters of all the most eminent Court-Minions from the Conqueft down to this Time, particularly the Gaveftons, Spencers, Mortimers, de la Poles, &c. without any Satisfaction in this Point. In fome Refpe&ts, indeed, it feems well enough adapted to Them all; but, in others again, I

cannot

cannot reconcile it to any one of Them. In the Business of Squeezing Money out of the People, I could not forbear thinking, at firft, that it was defign'd for Empfon, or Dudley; but as neither of those State-Leeches were ever honour'd with any Badges of Diftinction, befides their own infamous Practices, I was foon obliged to give up that Opinion. As to the Conduct of foreign Affairs, and engroffing the whole Power of the Kingdom, it anfwers pretty well to the Character of Wolfey; but as a Churchman, He was incapable both of any Order of Knighthood, or fecular Peerage. fecular Peerage. An old Brother Bencher of Gray's-Inn, to whom I communicated this Piece, told me with a Smile that it muft certainly have been defigned for the great Duke of Northumberland, who govern'd Church and State, in the Reign of Edward the VIth ; but to This I reply'd, that the Compofition plainly appear'd to be of later Date, by the Conduct affign'd to the Bishops, which feem'd to be intirely built on the Act of UNIFORMITY. For this Reafon, I think the Character of Villars, Duke of Buckingham, fuits it beft, as the whole Power of the Kingdom was monopolized in his Hands; with this remarkable Circumstance, that He had the Honour of the blue Ribbon, whilft a Commoner; and, perhaps, the other Ribbon, mention'd in the Manufcript, might be fome little, red Order, which He brought with Him from France. There is another Particular, in which this Character feems to tally with Buckingham; I mean in that Part, which relates to the EXCISE; for it is very remarkable that He was the firft Minifter, who endeavoured to naturalize that grievous Method of Taxation in this Kingdom. But, after all, I muft freely confess that I am far from being clear, as to this Point, and must leave it intirely to the Determination of the judicious Reader, whether it was a real Preamble, or only the Sport of a political Satirist upon fome overgrown Monster of Power, in former Times. I can only fay for myfelf, that as I believe no Man of Letters

will look upon it as a modern Compofition, so I cannot be charged with the Imputation of defigning a PARAL

LEL.

C. D.

N° 364. SATURDAY, June 23, 1733.

T is with no small Satisfaction I observe that Mr. Walfingham fhould condefcend to take Notice of fo inconfiderable a Perfon as myself; and I think it my Duty, in a particular Manner, to acknowledge the Honour, which He hath done me, in his last inimitable Production; for though it is impoffible not to feel the Poignancy of his Satire, yet He hath fuch a peculiar Delicacy of conveying it in the finest Strokes of Wit and Humour, without any Mixture of Courfenefs, or Ill-manners, that I cannot find in my Heart to be angry with Him. He feems to have made Himself a perfect Mafter of the Ridiculum acre of his polite Friend HORACE, and arrived at the fame happy Talent of pleafing us, whilft He makes us fmart.

In my last Paper but one, I explain'd the Importance of this great Perfonage, in his ministerial Capacity; and took the Liberty of congratulating Him on the ample Materials, which this Season was likely to afford Him, for exercifing his Genius in courtly Invective. He hath already had the Pleasure to see my Prediction partly accomplish'd, by the Difmiffion of fome other noble Lords from their Employments; and, perhaps, it may be farther fulfill'd, before this Paper becomes publick.

I have been fo feverely rebuked of late by this great Perfon, for ufing the Words Grief and Aftonishment, that

I am

I am refolved to be very fparing in my Application of them for the future, however the Subject may adınit, or even require both. I am the more cautious in this Particular, because I am fenfible that Mr. Walfingham's Valour equals his Wit, and that it would be dangerous for me to perfift in the Ufe of a Couple of Words, which have been in a Manner profcribed from our Languages by his all-powerful Edict.

For thefe Reafons, I will not prefume to exprefs either "my Grief, or Aftonishment, at the late Difmiffion of a NOBLE LORD from his Poft of Colonel of Horfe; but I hope Mr. Walfinghom will allow me to fay that I am a little concern'd that his Lordship should have done, or not done, thought, or not thought, fomething or other, that hath brought his Patron's Difpleasure upon Him.

I cannot, indeed, be astonish'd at this Event, fince the fame Thing happen'd to this noble Lord before, in the late Queen's Reign; for it is very remarkable that immediately after the Peace, and the very Day after her Majefty had, in a moft gracious Speech from the Throne, denounced DESTRUCTION against fach as delighted in War, this noble Peer was removed from his Regiment of Dragoons, and made one of the earlieft Examples that military Preferments were not for Life. This being what the Lawyers call a Cafe in Point, I prefume neither the World, nor even the noble Lord himself, can be aftonish'd at his late Removal from a Regiment of Horfe; fince it is not to be doubted that the fame Way of thinking and acting hath again put Him in the fame Situation.

Neither will I fuffer myself to be grieved; fince Grief implies fome Degree of Regard and Efteem for the Perfon, who is the Object of it. Far be it from Me, as I am perfuaded it is from Mr. Walfingham, to have any Efteem, or Regard for a Perfon, who hath received the leaft Mark of minifterial Difpleafure. No feeming Merit, Abilities, or Services, can counterballance that Crime, in the Opinion of a loyal Subject;

and

and it is but common Candour to fuppofe that fome fecret Demerit, too impenetrable for vulgar Eyes, hath not only juftified, but even call'd for his Difgrace.

My only Concern is for the Perfons in the AdminiAration, whom I apprehend this Event may affect; tho', in the Heat and Vigour of the Action, They might not be fenfible of the Danger. As This is a loyal and an boneft Concern, I will give it Vent, and express my Fears. It is with Concern then I reflect that numberless are the Enemies to this Administration, who make it their daily Endeavour to blacken and misrepresent their Conduct to the Publick; and I fear i They will, with their usual Art and Malice, take this Handle of adding Numbers to Thofe, whom They' have already deluded. I am the more confirm'd in thefe Apprehenfions by the Difcourfe of a malecontent Politician, which I heard to'ther Day at a Coffee-house. "It is ftrange, faid He, that a Man, who was turn'd "out of one Regiment, in the last Years of Queen Anne, "fhould be now turn'd out of another, by Perfons "feffing to act upon oppofite Principles. If the Com"miffions of Officers are fo precarious, how preca"rious mult thofe Liberties be, which depend fingly

6:

pro

upon the Virtue of fuch Officers? I have heard that "the noble Lord lately difmife'd hath, for thefe thirty "Years paft, diftinguish'd Himfelf as a good Soldier "and a good Citizen; qualified for the one, by his "Valour and Experience; and for the other, by his "Birth, Property, Principles and Abilities. When fuch Men are removed, there muft furely be fome Defigns laid, which render it unfit for Them to be trufted. However, continued He, This will have one good Effect; it will caufe a great Reduction of "the Army next Year; for the chief Argument of "Thofe, who have spoken for it from Year to Year, was, that as it had never been garbled, it could not "be intended for any ill Purposes; and a noble Duke, "whofe juft Influence in the Houfe of Peers is well

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"known,