1769. During the prefent Reign. we cheat them from their habitations, or tear them violently from their families, to ftand up against the enemies of their country. Many perfons, who have now eftates in America, are of fering immenfe fums, and employing indefatigable industry to people their property, but will any body fay that the emigrants they obtain are obliged to them?-With equal reafon we might boaft of our generofity to a physician in the rage of a fever, when we requeft his affiftance wholly for our own immediate benefit. In fact, if we have fupported the colonies, let us not parade about our difinterestedness, when our views are evidently felfish; we have made them opulent undoubtedly, but the fweets of that opulence is monopolized by ourfelves their trade, their property, their very existence is ultimately ours, and when we make a merit of I defending them against their enemies, our hearts must fecretly tell us that we are only fighting the battles of our own country. Yet to give government every argument which it can poffibly defire, let us fuppofe that colonies by liftening to the flattering promifes of this kingdom, and by forming a large dominion for our emolument, are culpable in proportion as they are meritorious, and have by their actual fervice to Great Britain relinquished every title to the privileges of good Englishmen even fuppofing this to be the cafe, what does it neceffarily make the mother country?—It makes her a cruel, a barbarous parent-it makes her dead to the calls of reafon, and to the pleadings of humanity :--it puts an inftant end to all her boafted regard of justice, and all her idle rant of generolity. But, furely, if the colonies have not forfeited their title to the privileges of Englishmen, by their utility to the British empire, they have an indifputable right to the exercife of these privileges, and cannot be legally taxed without their own confent. To fay they are virtually represented, is to talk very fallaciously, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Hallifax, the particular places to which on this fubject they are conftantly compared, though without members, have indeed a virtual reprefentation, the fame tax that raifes money upon them, raifes 205 money alío upon every other town in England; but the cafe is widely different with America. The Americans are fubject to a tax, in which England is utterly exempted, and at the very time moreover in which every branch of their trade, that is, every means of paying the tax, is wholly at the mercy of the people by whom they are thus rigorously affeffed. That Great Britain has a power of compelling the Americans into obedience, under the most inequitable law, cannot admit of much difpute,but there is a wide difference between the power of compelling and the right; if justice is to depend upon force, it is in vain to argue farther.-But the people of this country fhould confider well how they increafe the influence of their minifters; but what is it likely to be, if a difcretionary difpofition of all the American revenues is to be lodged in their hands? To extort fuch a revenue from America, will answer two great purposes of tyranny in a little time; it will ruin our trade intirely, and it will arm all future adminiftrations with inevitable means of corruption. Let us not therefore fight the cause of a dangerous minifter against our fellow fubjects, nay against ourselves.To divide and conquer is the invariable principle of arbitrary governments. Let us not therefore hastily imbibe prejudices against our brethren of the colonies.-The fame oppreflors under which we groan, are their oppreffors; the fame freedom which is the object of our generous purfuit, is the fole object of theirs. In the repeal of the Stamp Act our own wishes were as much gratified as their wishes; they obtained a timely relief, but we alfo obtained a timely relief ourselves.-In reality our profperity is mutual, and whenever the arm of deftruction overwhelms the one, the other must prepare for immediate annihilation.Above all things let us guard against entertaining an unfavourable idea of the American gratitude---and let us confider what cause the Americans have to be grateful: the repeal of the deteftable law fo frequently mentioned, though the miniftry celebrate it as an act or great generofity, was in reality nothing more than a fimple act of justice; it was a right which the Americans received, not an obligation; this is the 206 POETICAL ESSAYS in APRIL, 1769. first time that an administration made it meritorious to discontinue the hand of rapine, and one might rather expect a fatefman of real integrity would lament, that America was plundered fo long, than talk to us of his wonderful goodness in not plundering it fill longer. But furely the most extraordinary, the moft whimsical idea that ever entered into the head of any minifterial Quixote, is a defign of loading a people with new injuries, that they may prove their grateful fenfibility of being delivered from old ones. 'Tis on all hands agreed, that the Stamp Act was a very unwarrantable stretch of autho- POETICAL ESSAY S. A POLITICAL BALLAD. G With plenty, joy, and peace; And grant henceforth that dirty work In Sev'nteen Hundred Sixty-nine, The caufe was this, that Johnny Wilkes, The men of Middlesex did choose, And girt him for their knight. But others, full as wife as they, As loyal and as good, Who, for their fov'reign and his rights, O then fept forth a forward fquire, As Reynolds urg'd his reafons con, Yet ftill, nor words, nor blows cou'd move, And met all on a luckless day, But ah! what evils them befel! Some loft their hats, and fome their canes, And most were fo be-daub'd with dirt, Say, D-g-y, M-Im-n, and the reft, And not have fpoil'd your clothes? Some few their way did fight, On either fide a 'fcutcheon hung, Of fad device, to tell, How hireling blood-hounds murder'd Clarke, Then came L-d T-t 'mid the croud, That throng'd the palace gate, They broke his 1-df-p's pate. The Guards were call'd, who fome did take, God profper long our noble k-g, With peace and glory blefs; D -y, a Patron of the M o.ath approach'd wou'd fay, "Take thy fee and walk PROLOGUE to THE FATAL DISCOVERY. Spoken by Mr. BARRY. III. Give me freely, while I live, Friends fincere, and beauty kind. He, from his fancy, where the feeds of things WHEN firft the children of the mufe be- Whofe polish'd fitrength defies the rage of time. gan To try their magic on the mind of man, Hence is deriv'd the poet's lofty name, Such were the bards, whom we too call Homer the father of the godlike line. born 208 POETICAL ESSAYS in APRIL, 1769. Thus far our author as a prologue writ, And give him fpirits for a nobler ftrain. EPILOGUE, I'm fuch a figure !-and in fuch a flutter- Our bard, a ftrange unfafhionable crea- As obftinate, as favage in his nature, Will trick your mufe out, in the tip-top tafte! Greeks us'd none, (Then mutt'ring Greek-fomething like Nay, fhould a statesman make a box his neft; his reft? Let come what may, I will not make 'em Take for an epilogue-this epitaph. 'Tis thus these pedant Greek-read poets va A pour Is it your pleasure I fhould read the paper? Whatever mortal to this fpot is brought, To a YOUNG GENTLEMAN. E not, my friend, by youth deceiv'd, Youth must refign its blooming charms Will wither ev'ry joy: 'Tis brittle glafs, 'tis rapid ftream, So fmiles at morn the dewy rofe, Evolving odours round; But, crush'd by ev'ning's rufhing rains, Down trodden with the ground. And muft return no more. Know, my young friend, that moments fled Are moments ever, ever dead, And cancell'd from thy score. Are haft'ning to their doom: His parent and his tomb. Though we in thefe low vales were born, * Like harmless infants mourn themselves afkeep. Alex. T. G. POETICAL ESSAYS in APRIL, 1759. On a late Occafion. Wrate between fleeping and waking. But wanted the fheriff's protection. And tell you the truth of the cafe; To work himself out of disgrace. But fuch has of late Been th' oppreffion of S-te, And freeholder's right fo invaded; On Middlesex ground, In the cause of their country who traded. Then prithee fit ftill, And attend to thy mill, Nor mind what-minifters fay; They're born to deceive and betray. ANTONINUS. EXTEMPORE, on reading Mr. Foote's pamphlet, entitled An Appeal to the Public. I Think this, fame Foote fhould be taken die care of, [aware of; He poffeffes more mifchief than most are I will not determine how matters may go, But I'm fure he has hit a confounded bard blow; [have faid, And maugre what B-d or Sg Has fairly, I think, knock`d`em all on the bead, It's well for his carcafe that blows are declar'd No longer as mortal, ftruck ever fo bard; The fact fully prov'd, and he clearly convicted Be never concern'd the proofs were so plain, But appeal to L-d ————————-- and his pard.n you'll gain. 209 What reafon to doubt the fuccefs of your work, When so recent an infiance as Balfe and M&Quirk March 27, 1769. ANGLUS. T O fing or fay, to warble or to fpeak, The Idioms four, in which the Drama fhines, Whose well-wrought tales the human heart refines; Thro' channels two it's various power conveys, In well turn'd periods, or in well-fung lays; Between the two you'll fee a precious tether, My bold attempt to drag 'em here together.And bold, indeed, methinks I hear you fay, Sure he must be fo ftrange a part to play! From fage Orellan, in his dark abode, To wish to please in fo abfurd a road, Why different talents means he to confound, And turn a Renegade from fenfe to found? How cou'd fuch folly get into his pate! Patience, good Sirs, the motive I'il relate.When the ftate coffer's empty, wane of treafure, The next thing to contrive is a new measure, Or to exonerate from all arrear. Be merciful, and fpare-your humblest fer- An IMPARTIAL REVIEW of NEW PUBLICATIONS. ARTICLE I. THE Hiftory of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V. &c. (Continued from p. 159) "The unfortunate elector was in his hands, and he was ungenerous and hardhearted enough to take advantage of this, in order to make an experiment whether he April, 1769. might not bring about his defign, by working upon the tendernefs of a wife for her hufband, or upon the piety of children towards their parent. With this view, he fummon. ed Sybilla a fecond time to open the gates, letting her know that if the again retuted to comply, tht eletor fhould anfwer with D d his |