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in any fort, be inconfiftent with the fafety of the Queen; he would be in no danger of being corrupted in his principles, or expofed in his perfon by vicious companions; he could be at the head of no factious clubs and cabals, nor be attended by a hired rabble, which his flatterers might reprefent as popularity. He would have none of that impatience which the frailty of human nature gives to expect. ing heirs. There would be no pretence for men to make their court by affecting German modes and refinements in drefs or behaviour: nor would there be an occafion of infinuating to him, how much more his levee was frequented than the anti chambers of St. James's. Add to all this, the advanta-ges of being educated in our religion, laws, language, manners, nature of the government, each very different from those he would leave behind. By which likewife he might be highly useful to his father, if that prince fhould happen to furvive her Majefty.

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The late King William, who, after his marriagewith the lady Mary of England, could have no probable expectation of the crown, and very little even of being a Queen's husband, (the Duke of York having a young wife,) was no ftranger to our language or manners, and went often to the chapel of his princefs; which I obferve the rather, becaufe I could heartily with the fame difpofition were in another court, and because it may be difagreeable to a prince to take up new doctrines on a fudden, or fpeak to his fubjects by an interpreter.

An ill-natured or inquifitive man may ftill, perhaps, defire to prefs the queftion farther, by afking, what is to be done, in cafe it fhould fo happen, that this malevolent working party at home hath credit enough with the court of Hanover, to conti-nue the fufpicion, jealoufy, and uneafines there against the Queen and her miniftry; to make fuch demands be still infifted on, as are by no means thought

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thought proper to be complied with; and in the mean time to ftand at arms length with her Majesty, and in close conjunction with those who oppofe her.

I take the answer to be easy; in all contests, the fafeft way is to put those we difpute with, as much in the wrong as we can. When her Majesty shall have offered fuch or the like conceffions as I have above mentioned, in order to remove thofe fcruples, artificially raised in the mind of the expectant heir, and to divide him from that faction by which he is fuppofed to have been mifled; he hath done as much as any prince can do, and more than any other would probably do in her cafe; and will be jaftified before God and man, whatever be the event. The equitable part of those who now fide against the court, will probably be more temperate; and, if a due dispatch be made in placing the civil and military power in the hands of fuch as with well to the conftitution, it cannot be any way for the quiet or intereft of a fucceffor to gratify fo fmall a faction, as will probably then remain, at the expence of a much more numerous and confiderable part of his fubjects. Neither do I fee how the principles of fuch a party, either in religion or government, will prove very agreeable, because I think Luther and Calvin feem to have differed as much as any two among the reformers: and because a German prince will probably be fufpicious of those who think they can never deprefs the prerogative enough.

But fuppofing, once for all, as far as poffible, that the Elector fhould utterly refufe to be upon any terms of confidence with the prefent miniftry, and all others of their principles, as enemies to him and the fucceffion; nor eafy with the Queen herfelf, but upon fuch conditions as will not be thought confiftent with her fafety and honour; and continue to place all his hopes and truft in the difcontented party: I think it were humbly to be wifhed,

wished, that whenever the fucceffion fhall take place, the alterations intended by the new prince should be made by himself, and not by his deputies; because I am of opinion, that the claufe empowering the fucceffor to appoint a latent unlimited number, additional to the feven regents named in the act, went upon a fuppofition, that the fecret committee would be of fuch, whofe enmity and contrary principles difpofed them to confound the reft. King William, whofe title was much more controverted than that of her Majefty's fucceffor can ever probably be, did for feveral years leave the adminiftration of the kingdom in the hands of Lords Juftices, during the height of a war, and while the abdicated prince himfelf was frequently attempting an invasion: from whence one might imagine, that the regents ap. pointed by parliament upon the demife of the crown, would be able to keep the peace during an abfence of a few weeks without any colleagues. However, I am pretty confident that the only reafon, why a power was given of chufing dormant viceroys, was to take away all pretence of a neceffity to invite over any of the family here, during her Majefty's life. So that I do not well apprehend what arguments the Elector can ufe to infift upon both.

To conclude, the only way of fecuring the conftitution in church and ftate, and confequently this very Proteftant fucceffion itself, will be by leffening the power of our domeftic adverfaries as much as can poffibly confift with the lenity of our government; and if this be not speedily done, it will be eafy to point where the nation is to fix the blame; for we are well affured, that fince the account her Majefty received of the cabals, the triumphs, the infolent behaviour of the whole faction during her late illness at Windfor, the hath been as willing to fee them deprived of all power to do mifchief, as any of her moft zealous and loyal fubjects can defire.

THOUGHTS

THOUGHTS On VARIOUS SUBJECTS.

ther.

7E have juft enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one ano

Reflect on things paft, as wars, negotiations, factions, &c. we enter fo little into thofe interests, that we wonder how men could poffibly be fo bufy and concerned for things fo tranfitory; look on the prefent times, we find the fame humour, yet won

der not at all.

A wife man endeavours, by confidering all circumstances, to make conjectures, and form conclufions; but the fmalleft accident interveening, (and in the courfe of affairs it is impoffible to forefee all,) does often produce fuch turns and changes, that at last he is just so much in doubt of events as the most ignorant and unexperienced perfon.

Pofitiveness is a good quality for preachers and orators, because he that would obtrude his thoughts and reasons upon a multitude, will convince others the more, as he appears convinced himself.

How is it poffible to expect that mankind will take advice, when they will not fo much as take warning?

I forget whether advice be among the loft things which Ariftotle fays are to be found in the moon; that and time ought to have been there

No preacher is liftened to but time, which gives us the fame train and turn of thought that elder people have tried in vain to put into our heads before.

When we defire or follicit any thing, our minds run wholly on the good fide or circumitances of it;

when

when it is obtained, our minds run wholly on the bad ones.

In a glafs-houfe the workmen often fling in a fmall quantity of fresh coals, which feems to dif turb the fire, but very much enlivens it. This feems to allude to a gentle stirring of the paffions, that the mind may not languish.

Religion feems to have grown an infant with age, and requires miracles to nurfe it as it had in its infancy.

All fits of pleasure are balanced by an equal degree of pain or languor; it is like fpending this year part of the next year's revenue.

The latter part of a wife man's life is taken up in curing the follies, prejudices, and falfe opinions he had contracted in the former.

Would a writer know how to behave himself with relation to pofterity, let him confider in old books what he finds that he is glad to know, and. what omiffions he most laments.

Whatever the poets pretend, it is plain they give, immortality to none but themfelves: it is Homer and Virgil we reverence and admire, not Achilles or Eneas. With hiftorians it is quite the contrary; our thoughts are taken up with the actions, and events we read, and we little regard the authors.

When a true genius appears in the word, yɔu may know him by this fign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.

Men who poffefs all the advantages of life, are in a state where there are many accidents to diforder and difcompofe, but few to please them.

It is unwife to punish cowards with ignominy; for if they had regarded that, they would not have been cowards: death is their proper punishment, because they fear it most.

The greateft inventions were produced in the times of ignorance; as the ufe of the compafs, gun

powder,

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