Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

to the impatience of others, who defire to fell their vote, or their intereft, as dear as they can. But whether this hath not been fubmitted to more than was neceffary, whether it hath not been dangerous in the example, and pernicious in the practice, I will leave to the inquiry of those who can better determine.

It may be matter of no little admiration to confider in fome lights the ftate of affairs among us for four years paft. The Queen finding herself, and the majority of her kingdom, grown weary of the avarice and infolence, the mistaken politics, and deftructive principles of her former minifters; calls to the fervice of the public another fet of men, who, by confeffion of their enemies, had equal abilities at least with their predeceffors; whofe intereft made it neceffary for them (although their inclinations had been otherwife,) to act upon thofe maxims, which were moft agreeable to the conftitution in church and state; whofe birth and patrimonies gave them weight in the nation; and who (I fpeak of those who were to have the chief part in affairs,) had long lived under the ftricteft bonds of friendfhip with all these advantages, fupported by a vaft majority of the landed intereft, and the inferior clergy almost to a man, we have feveral times feen the prefent adminiftration in the greatest diftrefs, and very near the brink of ruin, together with the caufe of the church and monarchy committed to their charge; neither doth it appear to me at the minute I am now writing, that their power or duration are upon any tolerable foot of fecurity: which I do not fo much impute to the addrefs and induftry of their enemies, as to fome failures among themselves, which I think have been full as vifible in their caufes as their effects.

:

Nothing hath given me greater indignation than to behold a miniftry, who came with the advantages I have represented, acting ever fince upon the defenfive

fenfive in the House of Lords with a majority on their fide, and, inftead of calling others to account, as it was reasonably expected, mifpending their time and lofing many opportunities of doing good, becaufe a ftruggling action kept them continually in play. This courage among the adverfaries of the court was inspired into them by various incidents, for every one of which I think the minifters, or (if that was the cafe,) the minifter alone is to anfwer,

[ocr errors]

For, first, that race of politicians, who in the cant phrase are called the whimsicals * was never fo numerous, or at least so active, as it hath been fince the great change at court; many of those who pretended wholly to be in with the principles, upon which her Majefty and her new fervants proceeded, either abfenting themfelves with the utmost indifference, in thofe conjunctures whereon the whole caufe depended, or fiding directly with the enemy..

I very well remember, when this miniftry was not above a year old, there was a little murmuring among fuch as are called the higher Tories or Churchmen, that quicker progrefs was not made in removing thofe of the difcontented party out of employments. I remember likewife, the reafonings upon this matter were various, even among many who were allowed to know a good deal of the infide of the court: fome fuppofed the Queen was at firft prevailed on to make that great change, with no other view than that of acting for the future upon a moderating fcheme, in order to reconcile both parties; and I believe there might poffibly have been fome grounds for this fuppofition. Others conceived the employments were left undisposed of, in

*Whimsicals were Tories who had been eager for the conclufion of the peace, til the treaties were perfected, then they could come up to no direct approbation. In the clamour raised about the danger of the fucceffion, they joined the Whigs, and declared directly against their party, and affected in most other points a. most glorious neutra lity. See Bolingbroke's letter to Wyndham, p. 48, 49.

Ff2

order

order to keep alive the hopes of many more impa tient candidates than ever could be gratified. This hath fince been looked on as a very high strain of politics, and to have fucceeded accordingly; because it is the opinion of many, that the numerous pretenders to places would never have been kept in or der, if all expectation had been cut off. Others were yet more refined; and thought it neither wife nor fafe wholly to extinguifh all oppofition from the other fide; becaufe in the nature of things it was abfolutely neceffary that there fhould be parties in an English parliament; and a faction, already odious to the people, might be fuffered to continue with lefs danger, than any new one that could arise. To confirm this, it was faid, that the majority in the House of Commons was too great on the fide of the High-church, and began to form themselves into a body, (by the name of the October Club,) in order to put the miniftry under fubjection. Lastly, the danger of introducing too great a number of unexperienced men at once into office, was urged as an irrefragable reafon for making changes by flow degrees. To discard an able officer from an employment, or part of a commiffion, where the revenue or trade were concerned, for no other reason but differing in fome principles of government, might be of terrible confequence.

However, it is certain, that none of these excufes were able to pafs among men, who argued only from the principles of general reafon. For first, they looked upon all schemes of comprehenfion to be as vifionary and impoffible in the state, as in the church. Secondly, while the fpirit raised by the trial of Dr. Sacheverel continued in motion, men were not fo keen upon coming in themfelves, as to fee their enemies out, and deprived of all afsistance to do mischief: and it is urged further, that this general ambition of hunting after places, grew chiefly from fecing them fo long undifpofed of, and

from

from too general an encouragement by promises, to all who were thought capable of doing either good or hurt. Thirdly, the fear of creating another party, in cafe the prefent faction were wholly fubdued, was, in the opinion of plain men, and in regard to the fituation of our affairs, too great a facrifice of the nation's fafety to the genius of politics; confidering how much was to be done, and how little time might probably be allowed. Befides, the divifions of a Houfe of Commons into court and country parties, which was the evil they feemed to apprehend, could never be dangerous to a good ministry, who had the true intereft and conftitution of their country at heart: as for the apprehension of too great a majority in the Houfe of Commons, it appeared to be fo vain, that upon fome points of importance the court was hardly able to procure one.. And the October Club, which appeared fo formidable at first to fome politicians, proved in the fe-quel to be the chief support of those who fufpected them. It was likewife very well known that the greatest part of thofe men, whom the former miniftry left in poffeffion of employments, were loud-ly charged with infufficiency or corruption, over and above their obnoxious tenets in religion and government; fo that it would have been a matter of fome difficulty to make a worse choice; befides, that plea for keeping men of factious principles in employment upon the fcore of their abilities, was thought to be extended a little too far, and conftrued to take in all employments whatsoever, although many of them required no more abilities. than would ferve to qualify a gentleman ufher at: court fo that this laft excufe for the very flow fteps made in difarming the adverfaries of the crown, was allowed indeed to have more plaufibi lity, but lefs truth than any of the former..

I do not here pretend to condemn the counfels. or actions of the prefent miniftry their fafety and intereft.

Ff3

intereft are vifibly united with thofe of the public; they are perfons of unquestionable abilities, altogealtogether unfufpected of avarice or corruption, and have the advantage to be further recommended by the dread and hatred of the oppofite faction. However, it is manifeft, that the zeal of their friends hath been cooling towards them for above two years paft; they have been frequently deserted or diftreffed upon the most preffing occafions, and very near giving up in despair: their characters have been often treated with the utmoft barbarity and injustice in both houfes, by fcurrilous and enraged orators; while their nearest friends, and even those who must have a fhare in their disgrace, never offered a word in their vindication.

When I examine with myself what occafions the miniftry may have given for this coldnefs, inconftancy, and difcontent among their friends, I at the fame time recollect the various conjectures, reafonings, and fufpicions, which have run fo freely for three years paft, concerning the defigns of the court: I do not only mean fuch conjectures, as are born in a coffee-house, or invented by the malice of a party, but alfo the conclufions (however miftaken,) of wife and good men, whofe quality and ftation fitted them to understand the reafon of public proceedings, and in whofe power it lay to recommend or disgrace an administration to the people. I muft therefore take the boldness to affert, that all thefe difcontents, how ruinous foever they may prove in the confequences, have moft unneceffarily arifen from the want of a due communication and concert. Every man must have a light fufficient for the length of the way he is appointed to go; there is a degree of confidence due to all stations; and a petty conftable will neither act chearfully or wifely without that fhare of it, which properly belongs to him: although the main spring in a watch be out of fight, there is an intermediate communication

between

« AnteriorContinuar »