been fo exactly fulfill'd. Befides, that Office properly belongs to the minifterial Writers, and I would by no Means incroach upon their Province. I fhall therefore leave it to the Confideration of thofe ingenious Gentlemen, and fubfcribe Myfelf, without any farther Ceremony.

A.

SIR, Yours,

JACK RAMBLE.

N° 358. SATURDAY, May 12, 1733.

Was in Hopes that the Projector of Excifes would have pocketted up his late Difgrace, and endeavour'd to soften the juft Refentments of an injured People, by inftructing his Advocates to fhew fome publick Marks of Contrition and Humiliation. In that Cafe, I fhould have been content with congratulating my Countrymen on their Deliverance, and have pafs'd on to fome other Topicks, that deserve Confideration. But, it feems, He has an After-game to play; and, being a little recover'd from that Confufion and Horror, into which He rafhly plunged himself, infolently perfifts in the Uprightnefs of his Scheme, and gives us to understand that it is only laid afide for the prefent, in Compliance with the unreafonable Prejudices of a felf-interested, or misguided Multitude. Nay, He hath gone farther, and manifefted his Defign, by taking a mean Advantage of venting his Spleen against Thofe, who had the Virtue to oppole his deftructive Meafures. He may, perhaps, think This a politick Step, in order to convince the World that He hath not loft Ground, and to deter Others from prefuming to controul his Will and Pleafure, in

Project, for the future. But, in my Opinion, it is as weak as it is wicked. It looks as if He was refolved to brave Mankind, and took Delight in Storms of State, though He hath given us ample Proof that He wants Courage to weather them. A wife Man, who had been defeated in this Manner, would certainly have permitted the Paffions of the People to grow cool, before He began to infult and menace Them with the Revival of the fame Scheme, which had fo lately thrown Them into a Flame. But there is fomething fo extremely wrong-headed in Men drunk with Power, that we cannot wonder at any Extravagances in their Conduct, however wicked and injudicious, when They are fpurr'd on by Difappointment and Revenge.

I was led into theie Thoughts by fome Papers, lately publish'd, in Behalf of Excifes, even fince the Demolition of that execrable Project; particularly one, intitled An Englishman's Thoughts on the late Danger of the Conftitution, printed in the Daily Journal of Friday the 27th of lait Month. I was fomewhat furprifed to fee this Paper made the Vehicle of ministerial Scandal, when there are fo many others, which have long been employ'd in that honourable Drudgery; but I fuppofe it was ftolen in here, in Hopes of concealing its Parent, as well as to give it a little better Currency, and prevent that ignominious Fate, which would have probably attended it in the Daily Courant.

I fhall not trouble the Reader with any Answer to thofe trite Arguments, in Defence of Excifes, which have been fo often confuted already; but confine my felf to that Part, which relates to the Methods employ'd to oppofe the late Bill, for extending Excifes.

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If it fhall ever happen (fays this worthy Englishman) that publick Measures are influenced and directed by any Confideration, but the Reafon of Things and the Good of the Community; the Happinefs, the Safety of a free People, and the very Being of a well-ballánced Conftitution are at an End.

To

out any

To This I readily give my Confent; and am glad to find a minifterial Writer driven to the Neceffity of pleading for the Freedom and Independency of Parliaments; which the Gentlemen of that Order have always been fo unwilling to acknowledge, on other Occafions. I hope They will not, for the future, throw indecent Reflections on a Bill, for preventing unwarrantable Practices in that auguft Affembly, which may biafs Them to act against the Reafon of Things and the Good of the Community; for I must beg Leave to put Them in Mind, that the fccret Influence of a Bribe, or a Penfion, is of infinitely more dangerous Confequence to the Freedom of Parliaments and the very Being of our Conftitution, than the open Petitions, or Inftructions of the People to their Representatives against a Design, which They apprehended to be deftructive of their Trade and Liberties. However uncommon thefe Methods, may have been, for feveral Years paft, (as this Writer is pleafed to obferve) they are fully warranted by the fundamental Laws of our Government, as well as the frequent Practice of our Forefathers; and I hope will be revived, in the fame prudent and vigorous Manner, upon all extraordinary Occafions.

But We are told "that the People are too ignorant "of the general State of Affairs, to be intrufed with "the important Power of governing the Government. "Such Ignorance (fays this Gentleman) is unavoid

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able, unless Minifters of State are to communicate their Dispatches to the World, and our Enemies are, "at all Times, to be acquainted with every Step We "defign against Them."Whatever Force there might be in this Argument, as to foreign Affairs, in Time of War, it is nothing to the Purpose at prefent, when We are at perfect Peace; efpecially in a Difpute, concerning a Point of domeftick Government, which the Body of the People muft neceffarily underftand better than any Minister of State whatsoever.

As to their attending the House of Commons with a Petition in a tumultuous Manner, (upon which this Gentleman expatiates with his ufual Volubility) I can appeal to every impartial By-ftander, whether fo large a Concourfe of People did ever behave with more Decency, or Regard to the Dignity of the Place, where They were affembled. I fpeak This of the Merchants and Traders in general; who difmifs'd their Servants, if I am rightly inform'd, as foon as They got out of their Coaches, that They might commit no Disorders, or Irregularities, as Servants are fometimes apt to do, without the leaft Encouragement from their Mafters. Nay, They had fo particular a Regard to the Laws, in this Cafe, that They did not attend the Sheriffs with their Petition; but went sometime afterwards, and appear'd only in the Court of Requests, and the adjoining Coffee Houfes, to folicit against the Bill, in a peaceable Manner, as They had an undoubted Right to do, and as is conftantly practifed by every Body of Men, whofe particular Interests are concern'd in any Bill, depending in Parliament.

If there happen'd to be any little Infult, or Diforder, in the Evening of that Day, on which the Bill was put off; it ought to be imputed to that Exuberance of Joy, which is apt to break out on fuch Occafions, and cannot be prevented in a large Multitude but as it was never pretended that the Merchants gave the leaft Encouragement to any fuch Outrage, They are not answerable for it; and it is mean and ungenerous to reproach Them, on that Account.

If the fame Spirit hath discover'd itself through all Parts of the Kingdom, in Bonfires, Illuminations, drinking Healths, and treating the Projector with Contempt in Effigie; it is no more than He might reafonably expect, and ought to be look'd upon as a very moderate Satisfaction for his Endeavours to oppreis Them in Reality.

I must therefore infift upon it, that no bad Confequences have attended, or are likely to attend, these publick Manifestations of the Senfe of the People, or of their Joy upon the Succefs. This is fuch an Influence, as the Nature of our Constitution requires that the Reprefented fhould have over their Reprefentatives; and, as it works above-board and by Day-light, can have no ill Effects; for a whole trading People can never be fupposed to mistake their true Intereft, in Points of Trade; and if any particular Body of Men fhould endeavour to influence the Legislature in their own Intereft, to the Prejudice of the Nation in general, They would be immediately oppo'ed and defeated by Thofe, who found themselves affected by their Schemes.

But This is widely different from the Cafe of Corruption, which operates in fecret, faps the very Foundations of Government, and is calculated, like a Mine, to blow up the Conftitution, before the People are aware of their Danger. It hath an immediate Tendency to a Sort of legal Tyranny, and to plague us, (as the fage Mrs. Osborne obferves, in her last Paper) with ACTS OF POWER turn'd into ACTS OF PARLIA MENT.

We are told, indeed, by this worthy Englishman, who appears in the Daily Journal, "that the wifer "and better Part of the Kingdom fee no Reafon for "Exultation; meerly because an honett Attempt to prevent notorious Frauds hath not been attended "With Succels; nor any other propofed in its Room.

I fhould be glad to know where these wife and good Men live, and mortify Themfelves in private for the Miscarriage of fuch an boneft Attempt. It is certain that They have not yet thought fit to discover Themfelves as a Party; and if They fhould ever come to fuch a Refolution, I believe They would appear to confift chiefly of Projectors, Penfioners and Excifemen. I cannot add even Placemen to the Number; for it is notorious, that feveral Gentlemen have been obliged

to