478

Sir Robert Walpole's

I may be indifferent about yours. Though you would fight, there are others who would affaffinate.

But after all, fir, where is the injury? You affure me that my logic is puerile and tinfel, that it carries not the least weight or conviction, that my premifes are falfe, and my conclufions abfurd. If this be a just defcription of me, how is it poffible for fuch a writer to disturb your peace of mind, or injure a character fo well established as yours? Take care, Sir William, how you indulge this unruly temper, left the world mould fufpect that confcience has fome hare in your refentments. You have more to fear from the treachery of your own paffions, than from any malevolence of mine.

I believe, fir, you will never know me. A confiderable time muft certainly elapfe before we are perfonally acquainted. You need not however regret the delay, or fuffer an apprehenfion that any length of time can restore you to the chriftian meeknefs of your temper, and difappoint your prefent indignation. If I understand your character, there is in your own breaft a repofitory, in which your refentments may be fafely laid up for future occafions, and preferved without the hazard of diminution. The Odia in longum jaciens, quæ reconderet, auclaque promeret, I thought had only belonged to the worst character of antiquity. The text is in Tacitus ;you know beft where to look for the commentary.

Expulfion discussed.

Sept.

To this Junius, his antagonist, anfwers, 1ft. That Mr. Wollaston's cafe is a demonftration that expulfion does not create an incapacity for re-elec tion. This gentleman, fays Junius, was expelled, re-elected, and admitted to ferve in parliament.

Junius proceeds, and complains that this writer has unfairly quoted the refolution of the Commons. The vote, fays he, which declares Mr. Walpole's incapacity of being elected to serve in this prefent parliament, is thus expreffed, "That Robert Walpole, Efq; having been this feffion of parliament committed a prifoner to the Tower, and expelled the house for a high breach of truft in the execution of his office, and a notorious corruption when a fecretary at war, was and is incapable of being elected a member to ferve in this prefent parliament.”

From hence, fays Junius, no propofition can be more evident to my underftanding, than that the House of Commons meant to declare, that Mr. Walpole's incapacity arofe from the crimes he had committed, not from the punishment the house had annexed

to them.

I readily agree with Junius, that Mr. Walpole's incapacity did not arife from his punishment: his incapacity and punishment being one and the fame thing. But I cannot allow that his incapacity arofe from his crimes. In my humble opinion the house, by this vote, intended to declare that Mr. Walpole's crimes appear to them fo heinous, that they cannot, confiftently with honour and justice, permit him to ferve in parliament, fo long as it fhall be in their power to prevent it: that is, fo long as they shall be a House

HE late decifion of the Middle- of Commons.

Trex election has occafioned much party altercation. A defender of it, the author of The Cafe of the late election for the County of Middlefex confidered, undertakes to prove, that expulfion from the Houfe of Commons creates an incapacity for re-election: and to this end quotes, from the Jour nals of the House of Commons, the following words," Refolved, That Robert Walpole, Efq; having been that feffion of parliament expelled the houfe, was and is incapable of being elected a member to ferve in this prefent parliament."

That Mr. Walpole's incapacity did not arife from his expulfion, is evident from the cafe of Mr. Woollafton; and that it did not arife folely from his crimes, feems to me equally clear from the following confideration. Had Mr. Walpole's crimes been the fole caufe of his incapacity to ferve in parlia ment, its duration could not have been limited to the duration of the prefent parliament; it must have lafted as long as his crimes; but it is abfurd to fuppofe that a change of parliament could make a change in his guilt.

Again, allowing Mr. Walpole's

Senex's Remarks on the Times.

769: rimes to have been as great as this oufe took them to be, he would neertheless have ferved in parliament, ad not their confent been wanting. rom whence it is clear to me that Mr. Valpole's incapacity had two caules, be one was his guilt, the other was the letermination of the houfe in confequence of that guilt. It appears alfo, bat Mr. Walpole was morally incapable of being elected to ferve in pariament before his firft expulfion, or even before his first election, he was fo far incapable of being elected to ferve in parliament, as he wanted that innocence, without which no ought to be permitted to ferve in par

liament.

man

If the above reasoning be juft, it feems to follow that, by this vote, Mr. Walpole was not declared incapable of being elected, but he was declared incapable of being elected to ferve in parliament; the houfe being determined to reject him as often as he fhould be elected.

And that this houfe did actually diffinguish between an incapacity of being elected a member to ferve in parliament, and an incapacity of being elected, may be thus more fully proved. If Mr. Walpole was not elected, it is certain that Mr. Taylor, the other candidate, was. But the houfe did not allow Mr. Taylor to take a feat in parliament, therefore it must have been their opinion that Mr. Walpole was elected; maugre their vote, that Mr. Walpole was and is incapable of being elected a member to ferve in this parliament.

It follows from hence, that this vote was a fecond expulfion, as well as a declaration that the houfe would expel Mr. Walpole as often as he should be elected.

I will not affront the understanding of my reader by making inferences; this work I leave to him. I am, your's, &c.

479

brink of deftruction. If a difpaffionate foreigner was to look over our prints for many months paft, he would be aftonished to find us in a capacity of exifting, after the numberless frightful pictures he muft perufe of our enormous taxes, our declining trade, and our party animofities; he would fcarcely fuppofe that the man, who topped up a window to avoid the payment of a fhilling to government, was nevertheless very ready to produce his guinea at a turtle-feaft; it would be difficult to convince him, that the unhappy fhopkeeper, who was actually undone by the decay of commerce, was, in the midst of all his misfortunes, the mafter of a fuperb countryhoufe; and he would wonder to fee thofe very perfons offering forty years purchase, perhaps, for an eftate, who were gravely declaiming, that property was utterly infecure in this miferable kingdom.

I am, fir, an ancient man, have made the little fortune I poffefs by trade, and have lived in a remote corner of Devonshire, ever fince I difengaged myself from business. My principal entertainment has long been the public prints, yet I must confefs the melancholy colours in which they have for fome time painted the fituation of my country, has given me infinitely more concern than fatisfaction. Nay, fir, they lately alarmed me to fuch a degree, that, trembling for my property in the funds, I came up to town about a week ago, to settle with my banker, and to take every fhilling I was worth down with me in hard money to my own habitation. this ftep I was additionally induced by the letters of my old partner, with whom I still kept up a correfpondence, and who frequently informed me, that poor England was ou the verge of annihilation.

Τα

On my coming up to town, the first thing I did was to repair to the neighbourhood of the Change, the fpot where I once refided, and where my induftrious friend had continued from the diffolution of our partnership. But, fir, if I had not known the Ex

change too well to be mistaken, t thould have actually concluded that the coachman had carried me to the polite part of the town; every thing PPP 2

wore

450

Senex's judicious Remarks on

wore an appearance not only of elegance, but of fplendor; there was hardly a door undecorated with a couple of gilded lamps; and my friend's houfe, which, on my retreat to the country, had no other paffage but the fhop, was now metamorphofed into a palace; the front was all fton-work, the hall of downright marble, the grand ftair-cafe confifted of mahogany, and, mercy upon me! there was a fingle picture over the chimneypiece, that coft feven hundred pounds. After staring about me for fome time, with no very well-bred portion of astonishment, I entered into a converfation with my old partner, on the lamentable ftate of public affairs, obferving, however, that it was rather trange, in fuch times of general diftrefs, to find fuch an appearance of general magnificence. He affented to the juftice of my remark, yet perfifted to affert, that trade was entirely ruined; that the prodigious weight of taxes rendered it impoffible for Great Britain to carry on her commerce half a century longer; and that he was determined to trouble himself no longer with a bufinefs in which he feldom cleared above four thousand pounds a year: "On this account, continued he, I have ordered my fon Jack from Italy, who is now making the tour of Europe; he may throw the weight upon any junior partner, who is able to come handsomely down; and país an occafional featon with me at Bath, where I have purchafed a houfe in the Circus that coft me nine thousand pounds."

If my furprize at firft was visible on hearing a tradelman complain of diftrefles, while he was living with all the parade of a coronet, you may naturally imagine my aftonifhment was no way diminished, when I heard him fpeaking of four thousand a year, as an object wholly below his confideration. I remember the time, fir, when he and I looked upon a quarter of the money, as a very capital faving between us in the courfe of a twelvemonth. But then, indeed, neither of us attempted to keep a chariot, nor treated with champaigne. We had a good fubftantial difh on common days, and, perhaps, on Sunday, we threw in a goofe or a bit of fifh, toge

Sept

ther with an apple pie, that we might do things as handfomely as our neigh. bours. Yet these were happy times, and we never once exclaimed at the decline of trade, nor thought our coun try tottering on the brink of destruc. tion. However, fince my friend has been enabled, by his fuccefs in bu finefs, to rival men of rank in his expences, he has alfo become defirous of apeing them in indolence: being now the mafter of a plentiful fortune, be defpifes the means by which it was acquired; trade is no longer worth following, because it does not bring in the revenues of a ducal eftate, and put it in a man's power to live like a fovereign prince, who thould thank the goodness of Providence for putting it in his power to live like a private gentleman. In reality, fir, though there never was a period in which calamity was fo much talked of, I do not believe there ever was a period in which it was fo little experienced by the people of this kingdom. If we are undone, we are the moft fplendidly ruined of any nation in the universe; and if our merchants are all beggars, there are not fuch beggars in any other part of the globe. Though we are preffed to the earth by the weight of taxation, we neverthelefs find a fufficiency to defray the charges of a Ridotto al fresco, a Ball Paré, or a Stratford Jubilee: the more extravagant the entertainment, the more crouded we always find the company; an amusement is reckoned vulgar in proportion to its cheapnefs, and thofe only are followed with any kind of avidity, at which the charges of a fingle evening would afford a week's decent provifion for a middling famliy.

Profperity, fir, is the general parent of infolence; and people moft commonly imagine that they are much worfe off than they ought to be, when they are actually more fortunate than they have any title to expect; I know,' fir, numbers at this moment with diffatisfied faces on incomes of two thoufand pounds a year, who at their fetting out into life, would have thought themfelves poffeffed of a little Mexico in a tenth part of the fum; but increafing in prodigality as they role in affluence, they found no end to their diftreffes; they never recollected, that

if

1769.

The past and prefent Times.

48.

ner's shop will joftle a lady in the fideboxes, to whom he has poffibly carried a pair of ruffles in the morning. Yet we are undone all this time. Our people of condition have not quite enough to gratify the vices that destroy their peace. Our merchants are obliged to think a little for the means of fupporting that imitation which renders them contemptible; and the inferior members of the community, tho equal to their betters in profligacy, are nevertheless unable to copy them in oftentation. Such, fir, are my fentiments of our distreffes, and fuch, I dare fay, are the fentiments of thous fands, befides, fir,

Your conftant reader,

POETICAL ESSAYS.

The Ode upon dedicating a Building and ere?ing a Statue to Shakespeare, at Stratfordupon-Avon.

By DAVID GARRICK, Efq; what bleft genius of the ifle,

Tall Gratitude her tribute pay,

Decree the festive day,

Erect the ftatue, and devote the pile?
Do not your fympathetic hearts accord,
To own the "Bofom's Lord ?"
'Tis he! 'tis he !--that demi-god!
Who Avon's flow'ry margin trod,

While fportive Fancy round him flew,
Where Nature led him by the hand,
Inftructed him in all the knew,
And gave him abfolute command!
'Tis he! 'tis he!

"The god of our idolatry!"

To him the fong, the edifice we raife,
He merits all our wonder, all our praife!
Yet ere impatient joy break forth,
In founds that lift the foul from earth;
And to our fpell-bound-minds impart
Some faint idea of his magic art;
Let aweful filence fill the air!
From the dark cloud, the hidden light
Burfts tenfold bright!
Prepare! prepare! prepare!
Now fwell the choral fong,
Roll the full tide of harmony along;
Let rapture sweep the trembling ftrings,
And Fame expanding all her wings,
With all her trumpet-tongues proclaim,
The lov'd, rever'd, immortal name!
Shakespeare! Shakespeare! Shakespeare !
Let th' inchanting found,
From Avon's fhores rebound;
Thro' the air,

CHORUS..
Swell the choral fong,
Roll the tide of harmony along,

SENEX.

Let rapture fweep the strings,
Fame expand her wings,
With her trumpet-tongues proclaim,
The lov'd rever'd, immortal name!
Shakespeare Shakespeare! Shakespeare!
AIR.

I.

Sweetest bard that ever fung,
Nature's glory, Fancy's child;
Never fure did witching tongue,
Warble forth fuch wood-notes wild!
II.

Come each mufe, and fifter grace,
Loves and pleasures hither come;
Well you know this happy place,
Avon's banks were once your home.

III.

Bring the laurel, bring the flow'r,
Songs of triumph to him raife;
He united all your pow'rs,

All uniting, fing his praife!
Tho' Philip's fam'd unconquer'd fon,
Had ev'ry blood-fain'd laurel won;
He figh'd that his creative word,

(Like that which rules the skies,)
Could not bid other nations rife,
To glut his yet unfated fword:
But when our Shakespeare's matchless pen,
Like Alexander's fword, had done with men;
He heav'd no figh, he made no moan,
Not limited to human kind,

He fired his wonder-teeming mind,
Rais'd other worlds, and beings of his own!
AIR.

When nature, fmiling, hail'd his birth,
To him unbounded pow'r was given;
The whirlwind's wing to fweep the sky,
"The frenzy-rolling eye,

То

POETICAL ESSAYS in SEPTEMBER, 1769.

To glance from heav'n to earth,
From earth to heav'n!"

O from his muse of fire

Could but one fpark be caught,
Then might these humble ftrains afpire,
To tell the wonders he has wrought.
To tell,-how fitting on his magic throne,
Unaided and alone,