or Acquifitions, I take This to be a Reflection on the Conduct of the noble Lord; whofe Fortune, I believe, hath not been much increased by his Pofts, or Attendance at Court; but fuch a Miftake may be easily accounted for in Mr. Walfingbam; who, by his Intimacy with one great Man, hath attach'd the Ideas of Rife and Fortune fo ftrongly to the general Idea of a Minifter, that He is apt to look upon them as infeparable, and thinks it the utmost Reproach upon a Perfon in Office and Favour, not to have made his Fortune at Court.

The two Words, which contain the whole Malignity of the Sentence before-mention'd, and upon which Mr. Attorney Walfingham lays his chief Stress, are astonish'd and grieve. It is therefore neceffary to take the Force of these Terms into Confideration.

As to the first, I will venture to affirm that the good People of England have a natural Right to be aftonifb'd; for Aftonishment being a Paffion raised in the Mind by fome outward Object, of an extraordinary Nature, is a Part of Humanity; and therefore it is prefumed that the Exercife of it can never have been prohibited by the Common, or Statute Laws of this Realm.

The Paffion of Aftonishment is likewife fo far from being arrogant and difrefpectful, that it is enjoin'd us as a Duty by the great Governor of the Universe. Mark me, and be astonish'd! Tremble, and be astonish'd! with other Expreffions of the fame Nature, in facred Writ, which put us in Mind of this Duty to the fupreme Being; and fome fmall Degree of it is certainly owing to his Vicegerents. The Actions of inferior Mortals furprize; but Thofe of Kings aftonish. That this Manner of Expreffion, in the prefent Cafe, was particularly respectful, will appear by the Negative of the Propofition; for let us fuppofe that the Craftsman, after the fame Account of his Lordship's Difmiffion, and an Enumeration of his Services, had obferved, that the

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World

World is NOT aftonish'd at fuch an Event; would it not have been conftrued into a fcandalous Infinuation, that the noble Lord was difmifs'd, because a faithful and able Minifter does not fuit with the present Times? The Word aftonifh'd was therefore not only proper, but highly dutiful, in this Cafe, as it expreffes an humble Refignation to the royal Pleasure, without any curious Enquiries into the Reasons, by which it acts; for in the Sentence quoted by Mr. Walfingham, there is not the leaft Infinuation that his Lordship was difmiss'd without fome urgent and wife Motive. It is the Ignorance only of the Caufe, not any Sufpicion that a Caufe is really wanting, which produces the Aftonishment; and therefore Mr. Walfingham, who hath the Honour to be let into the Secret of Affairs, is juft in the Cafe of an Aftronomer, who laugh'd at the Aftonishment of the Vulgar, during the late Eclypfe. That Mr. Walfingbam knows the true Caufe of this furprizing Event, (I ask Pardon for the Repetition of fo obnoxious a Phrafe) appears from the Hints at the latter End of his Paper; where He fpeaks in the following, hypothetical Manner. Suppofe, fays He, that We were acquainted with more than meerly royal Will and Pleasure, as operating in this Affair; fuppofe we knew, by the most authentick Information, that the noble Lord, by Mifbehaviour or Mistake, be it better or worse, had impofed the Neceffity on his royal Master to remove Him from his Service.. Lord, faid I to mvfelf, upon reading this Paffage, how happy is Mr. Walfingham, in being admitted into Counfels of State, and the fecret Springs of Action! But methinks it is a little ungenerous, and be neath the Dignity of fo important a Perfonage, to fet his Strength against the Craftsman; a poor, helpless, old Man, without Power, without Favour, or any Opportunity of furnishing himself with the fame authentick Information. Dear, honour'd Mr. Walfingham, be fo good as to cure us, inferior Mortals, of this offenfive Aftonishment, and unravel the Mystery in plain

Terms:

Terms; for We cannot understand your dark Hints. In one Place, you feem to impute this Event to Errors and Infirmities; but afterwards infinuate fomething fo terrible to be the Cause of it, that to speak it out would be no less than Scandalum Magnatum. That would be bad indeed; but you, Sir, always preserve fuch a Decency of Expreffion, even in your sharpest Invectives, that I could almoft promife myself to indemnify you from any Profecutions of that Nature; though I am glad to hear that you have received farther Affurances, and are now at full Liberty to enjoy the Dif grace of this noble Lord, whenever your Genius prompts you, or your Patron directs you, without any Apprehenfions of Breach of Privilege, Actions of Scandalum Magnatum, or even a Cudgel. I ask Pardon for men

tioning fo ungenteel a Word as Cudgel to a Perfon of your nice Breeding, who have long ago been dignify'd with the Intimacy of a Prime Minifter, and now appear in an Equipage, fuitable to the Character of a jecond Minifter yourfelf. But I could not conceal my Joy, upon hearing of the candid Message, which you have lately received; and heartily wish you could prevail on your Patron to give poor Francklin the fame gracious Promife of Indemnification from the Cudgels and Flails of the Law.

any

But let us return to the Information. If there is Thing really blameable in my Client's Form of Expreffion, it is a pretty good Apology for Him, that He was led into it by the general Example of his Countrymen, who have been aftonish'd at almost every Thing, that hath happen'd in the World, for feveral Years paft. What can be more aftonishing than the political Maxims, advanced and defended by Mr. Walfingham himfelf, as well as other minifterial Writers; viz. that ftanding Armies are the best Prefervative of publick Liberty, and Excifes the most effectual Means of pro moting Trade; that popular Measures are beneath the Dignity of a great Prince and that Millions of Hearts

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are

are not worth preferving, at the Expence of a little Condefcenfion to the Intereft and Humours of the People?

Are not the Events equally aftonishing with the Doctrines, viz. that a great Minifter fhould be baulk'd in his Defign of paffing the most beneficial Law in the World, even during this Parliament; or that He fhould acquire new Credit and Authority, by being burnt and treated with other Marks of Indignity, in all the Market-Places of the Kingdom ?Thefe extraordinary Doctrines and Events have thrown the People into such a Courfe of Aftonishment, that Heaven knows when They will be able to wean Themselves from it.

So much for the Word aftonish'd. As for the other Term, which hath given the fame Offence, and makes as glaring a Figure in the Information, I will undertake to prove, even against Mr. Attorney himfelf, that it is likewife the Duty of every good Subject to be grieved, whenever the Crown lofes the Service of an able Minifter, let the Cause be what it will. If it is owing to Misbehaviour in the Minifter, there is certainly great Reafon for Grief, that the Prince fhould have conferr'd his Favours on an unworthy Perfon; and if a deferving Man fhould ever lofe his Place by Mifreprefentation, (as it fometimes happens in Courts) I hope We may be allow'd a little Grief, in this Cafe, without flying in the Face of Majefty.

But Mr. Walfingham plays the Lawyer a little too much upon the Word grieve; which was used by the Craftsman, in no other Senfe than being forry, or concern'd; whereas He changes it into grievous, which hath another Signification, and implies that the noble Lord's Difmiffion was burthenfame and oppreffive to the People. Whether This ought to be imputed to Chicanry, or Ignorance of our Language, let the World judge.

I muft, in this Place, beg Leave to be fomewhat aftonifb'd at Mr. Walfingham's Intimation, that if his

Patron

Patron were turn'd out, He would drop Him at once, and not afford Him fo much as one commemorative Paragraph, fetting forth his Titles, Places, Dignities and Continuance in Power. I cannot help thinking This a little ftingy and ungenerous in Mr. Walfingham, who hath received fo many Favours at his Hands; but when that fatal Hour arrives, as one Day it muft, I hope fomebody will do the honourable Gentleman that last Office; and, perhaps, with more Juftice to his Character than now, when He is in full Poffeffion of Power. It is the great Misfortune of Mr. Walfingham's Wri tings, that He is commonly deficient in Point of Proof; and fo it happens in the prefent Cafe. He hath not brought a fingle Argument to fupport his Charge, befides a tautological Syllogifm, or Premifes, which prove the direct contrary of his Conclufion.

The tautological Syllogifm, extremely familiar to Mr. Walfingham, confifts in feveral Times repeating the Propofition, or Conclufion, which ought to be proved; or feveral ftrong Affirmations of the fame Thing in different Expreffions. I know this Kind of Argumentation is very much in Fashion, and does not want its Force with fome People.-Oh! that I were endowed with fome fmall Portion of Mr. Walfingham's luxuriant Eloquence! Then would I din it into the Ears of the Publick, for whole Columns together, that this Method of Reasoning is an Infult upon common Sense; injurious to Freedom of Thought; affuming a dictatorial Power; an arrogant Demand of implicit Faith; voting, and not reafoning; enacting, without convincing; giving a Blow, inftead of an Argument; a fcandalous Afperfion upon the Understandings of all his Readers, &c. &c. &c.

When Mr. Walfingham defcends from Aertions to Reafoning, there is often a Miftake, in his Conclufion, of a Negative for an Affirmative; or an Inverfion of the Propofition. His Writings every where abound with this Sort of Anti-Logick. There are fome Inftances of it in the Paper before me. For Example, your men