pliance. But that policy proved ineffectual, and that negotiation appears at laft to have wanted fubftance as well as form, and to have produced nothing to Great-Britain, but an increase of the civil lift debt, as we were given to understand the last Seffions, in a Debate on that subject, by one that knew the fecret.

"But we are now told, that prudent and powerful alliances are actually made, and that what was only attempted at Cambray, has been fully accomplished at Herenhausen: nor can there be any doubt, of his Majefty's extenfive care over all his concerns both foreign and domeftic; but that his alternate refidence here and abroad, as it hath procured, so it would, with the advice of a good Miniftry, and without the aid of a great army, preferve to us, through the whole courfe of his reign, that fecurity, and thofe bleffings we now enjoy. For, whether at home or abroad, his influence is irresistible, because his councils are wife and his defigns are juft. Nor am I altered in this opinion by what has happened at Glasgow and other places in Scotland, or at Thorn in Poland.

For, if I am rightly informed, the tumult at Glasgow was no more than a mob, compofed chiefly of women, a mere mock-refemblance of an Amazonian army, that might have been quelled by the interpofition of the civil power, without recourfe to that military vengeance which was executed there. Such commotions we fee arife almoft in every nation, when the occafions of the public call for new and extraordinary taxes; and yet they are generally defpifed, as impotent efforts against established Governments, and left to be punished by the laws of the country. But, now all is quiet, now all is fafe in Scotland, not the leaft murmur is heard against Administration. The Highland Clans have been difarmed without any disturbance; they rejoice, we are told, in their fubmiffion, and are brought to a perfect sense of their duty to his Majefty, by the obliging behaviour and prudent conduct of the General, whofe province it was to enforce the act of Parliament against them.

• As

As to the important affair of Thorn, which by the way was no act of retaliation, as fome, who neither confider the circumstance of time nor things would infinuate, but the effect of a spirit of perfecution; we are affured, that his Majesty has done more towards obtaining the defired fatisfaction for the barbarous and unchriftian cruelties committed there, and gained greater conceffions from the Catholic Princes, by his pacific mediation and by his perfonal intereft, than he could probably have done by rougher expedients, by threatening, or even entering into a religious war. Nor can malice itself suppose, that, whilst he is resenting the violation of Treaties, he would do any thing that would but look like an infraction of the limitation in the Act of Succeffion, which reftrains the Crown from involving Great-Britain in any foreign disputes, except where her own immediate interefts and alliances are concerned.

I hope we conceive no ill omens from the French King's marriage to the daughter of the Pretender to the Crown of Poland; no diftruft, that such an alliance can fhake our late Proteftant Treaty with that young Prince; no jealousy that he will follow the example of the Emperor and the King of Spain, by engaging in a clandeftine League without our knowledge, and to our prejudice. I must own, that would be a melancholy confideration. For then an army of twice eighteen thousand men would not be fufficient to defend that caufe, which his Majefty has hitherto afferted, with fo much glory to himfelf, and so much advantage to the Proteftant part of Europe.

'It was a notorious faying, and the avowed policy of our late famous Statesman, who lived till after the Revolution, and was thought a fecret inftrument in it, that notwithstanding the noise and clamour of the people against foldiers in time of peace, the easiest and best way of governing England was by an army; and that a Minister fo guarded, might profecute his measures with fafety and fuccefs, and foon make the boating affertors of Liberty and Property, as tame as a flock of turkies, and drive

them which way he pleased. This gives us a true idea of fome forts of modern policy, and of the infolence of that man in authority, who ruined the Prince by the very methods he would have enflaved his own fellow-fubjects, but not of the genius of the people of England. For he found another fpirit in them; he found they perpetually ftruggled with him in defence of the Church and State, when he was endeavouring to facrifice both, as well as he did his own honour and confcience, in order to erect an arbitrary and unlimited dominion in these kingdoms. Nor could they endure his return into power after the Revolution, though he was countenanced by King William himself, and though his meritorious perfidy was ftrongly pleaded in his favour. But they continued their oppofition to him, till they had accomplished his difgrace; and still his memory is as deteftable, as his Administration was wicked, though he neither aggrandized his family, nor augmented his eftate by the spoils of the Public.

'Now we are to hope the military principles of this Statesman are dead with him, and we are fure good Minifters will never pursue the maxims of bad ones, because the means of their actions must neceffarily be as different as the ends are. It is therefore unintelligible to me, how the keeping up an army in time of peace, which has formerly been thought criminal advice in a Minifter, as being incompatible with our Constitution, should now be annually recommended to Parliament by our modern patriots, as the only method of fecuring us in the poffeffion of our Laws and Liberties. I fay, this is unintelligible to me; and till the feeming paradox can be reconciled to reafon, I must beg leave conftantly to oppose the Question.' Mr. Shippen, Jan. 28, 1726.

I AM forry to hear a parrallel drawn by any Member of this House, between the army kept up by the late King James, and the army intended to be kept up at present. King James's army was raised against law, was maintained against the con

fent

fent of the people, and was employed in overturning the liberties of the people: the prefent question is about an army which is to be kept up according to law, and by and with the con fent of the people. If we look into the Petition of Right itself, what does it say? Why that an army raised, or kept up, without confent of Parliament, is contrary to the conftitution; but it never was faid, that an army kept up by confent of Parlia ment, is illegal, or any way contrary to the conftitution; in this refpect, no parallel can therefore be drawn between. the prefent army, which is to be kept up only by confent. of the people, and maintained by them, and that army which was raised and maintained by King James himself, and was fo far from being by the concurrence or confent of the people, that it was to be employed against them; and I am perfuaded, that no man here expects that the present army is to be employed in such manner.

I really believe, and I hope I am right, that there is but very little diffatisfaction in the nation, and that the Jacobite party is now become very inconfiderable; but still that party is not to be ridiculed and made a joke of: we are not fo much to despise all attempts that may be made by them, as not to take any measures to provide ourselves against them; fuch a fecurity is the best thing they can wifh for; they would be glad to be defpifed in fuch a manner. Gentlemen may say what they will of the little confequence of any endeavours that have been, or may be used by them; but the late rebellion is a certain teftimony that they are not to be too much defpifed. The fate of the kingdom was at that time brought even to the decision of a day; and if the Rebels had been fuccessful at Preston, I do not know what might have been the confequences; I dread to think of them but let them have been never so fatal, if the liberties of this nation had been overthrown by the fuccefs of those Rebels, it would have been entirely owing to our having fo few regular forces on foot at that time. We have escaped that danger, but do not let us expofe ourselves every day to fuch dangers for the future; which must be the necessary consequence

of

of reducing any part of the fmall army now on foot, and defired to be continued.

A parliamentary army never yet did any harm in this nation; but reductions of that army have often been fatal. I have been aflured by a Minifter of very great confequence of the Court of France, that the reducing our army after the Peace of Ryfwick, very much encouraged the Court of France to take fuch measures, and to make such bold fteps as they afterwards did. They would have been more cautious, if we had kept ourfelves in a capacity of pouring in a numerous army upon them; but they faw that we had put it out of our power, and therefore they defpifed us. The reduction of the army after the Peace of Utrecht, had not, by good luck, all the ill confequences that were defigned, but the reduction was certainly made with no good intent. I have a good opinion enough of the late Queen; fhe had not, perhaps, any ill intentions; but I am convinced, that her Minister had laid a scheme for overturning the Proteftant fucceffion; and they had no other way of executing this scheme, but by getting free of all those brave officers and foldiers who had ferved their country fo faithfully in the late wars; this was what made the army be reduced at that time fo low as it was: the Minifters knew, that thefe honeft ofcers would not ferve them in the execution of their deftructive fchemes; but they took care to fupply their place with a body of above 6000 men, who were privately kept in pay, and maintained under colour of Chelfea-hofpital; and the confequence fhewed what fort of men these new troops were, for almost every man of them appeared in arms in the late Rebellion against the government. We have heard the Treaty of Utrecht, upon which this reduction was made, applauded by fome; whether it deferves any fuch applaufe I do not know; but I am certain that fince that time we have been obliged to enter into separate treaties and negotiations almost with every power in Europe, for amending and explaining the blunders of that Treaty and if we are now right, whoever afcribes our 6 being