7.1762. A perfuafive to national unanimity. en the leader of that oppofition ¦is a itary leader, who has hardly any o. r ideas of government, than what he ed in the German difeipline, which Idiers, unused to fuch feverity, fuch y, fo fenfibly felt, and fo loudly reted? If this man comes into power violence, he must maintain it by vioce. Yet when he places himself at the d of faction, every officer who has a t in parliament, and joins under fuch ader, in fuch a caufe, must give us ve ferious apprehenfions. We cannot < upon fuch a member of parliament, a man merely following his own upin in civil matters: whenever he fucds, he becomes an instrument to oppress liberty of a free people. But when commander in chief both of the king I army fhall pour abroad his spirit upon on the foldiery-The unhappy Roman on whom Sylla either forgot, or neglectto fmile, was butchered by his guards. Shall we then unite with him in defigns fuch dreadful apprehenfion to the very ng of the conftitution? We have, in roach, been called the dupes of many pofitions. Adhering to our common nciples, we have delpifed fuch reproach. t, in honour to our understanding, let not be the dupes to those who invite to join in our own destruction, and e destruction of whatever is most dear us. But how does this Noble perfon opofe to himself a pollibility of engag us to fupport his oppofition? By what ethods does he propole to carry this exaordinary project into execution? By ethods as extraordinary as the project self. A certain Right Honourable entleman is supposed to have a mighty fluence over us; an influence powerful ough to turn us from our intereft, our aty, and even our gratitude. We have the highest opinion of the ight Honourable Gentleman's abilities. lis influence among us is acknowledged. ut what arguments can poflibly convince s, that we ought to engage in this most natural alliance ? What eloquence educe us, from our prefent honourable fi. uation? We are here placed between the perfon of our fovereign, and the dan gerous rage of party; between the preogatives of his crown, appointed by the wildom of the conftitution, and the intrigues of precipitate ambition, joined with the arrogance of family, and led on by a fpirit that delighteth in blood. If the prerogatives granted to the throne by 579 our ancestors, are either oppreffive, or dangerous to Liberty, let them be legally taken away. But let it be well confidered, before they are given to another part of the conftitution, fome of whom have already fhewn their inclination to render themselves formidable to the Liberty of their country. In proof of this affertion, three or four families have formed an oppofition that dares to threaten and infult their fovereign. They have affumed to themselves, as most ho nourable, the no-longer-exifting title of Whigs; they have given to us, countrygentlemen, as moft ignominious, the nolonger-exifting name of Tories. I have not mentioned the folly, with regard to our intereft, of uniting with thele Noble perfons. I fhould think it almost an indignity to mention the word intereft to gentlemen, who, I am perfuaded, will act upon other motives, thofe of principle, and honour; of probity, and a love for our country. Such have hitherto been the motives of our conduct; and furely nothing can hereafter be given us in exchange for our integrity; no recompence for the violation of that character, which we have always, and, I trust, we fhall always maintain. I am, Gentle men, Your most obedient fervant. A perfuafive to national unanimity. don papers about th end of November, and [This piece was, published in one of the Lon came abroad foon after in a loose half-fheet, with the following ADVERTISEMENT prefixed. "This Letter and Addrefs appeared a few days ago in one of the public 'papers, and feems fo admirably calculated to imprefs upon the minds of all honeft men, a proper fenfe of what they owe at this conjuncture to their fovereign, and his faithful fervants, that the republication of them requires no apology."] SIR, THE following lines, and the imaginary addrefs annexed, are very honeftly defigned, to conciliate the minds of our fellow-fubjects one to another, and to awaken our attention to the many reafons we have for truft and confidence, for gratitude and thankfulness, instead of that: fedition, licentioufnels, and anarchy, which fo many labour to promote. We boaft, and justly, of the excellence of our conflitution, and style it, very truly, the admiration and envy of the whole world; and yet a great part of us aft as if we had lived under no government at all, or one that was to be changed, every winter, like our fafhions, by the ca4 G 2 prices prices of the vulgar, great or fmall: fo little do we know, or at least reflect, that the love of laws, and the love of liberty, is one and the fame thing; that whenever we overturn the one, we destroy the other; and that the fure ft road to tyranny is by licentiousness. From this confideration it is, that there is nothing mat. ter of more grief to all good and wife men, than that spirit of calumny and defamation on the highest and most respect able characters, that our periodical political writers indulge themfelves in. Bold and confident afiertions, however groundlefs, nay even the most gross and palpable falfities, find their believers among the ignorant and credulous: nor are there ever wanting artful men, continually em ployed in fpreading difcontent, till they raife a ftorm which they hope to be able to direct at the heads of thofe they would fain deftrov, though it much oftener recoils on themselves; carelefs and unconcerned as they are, in the mean time, in what diffenfions they plunge their injured country, or how far extends the mischief they fet on foot, fo as that they can but gratify their ambition or profufion, avarice or spleen, or whatever other felith paffion is uppermost. By thefe arts are the people often, in the midft of the greatest fucceffes, and the enjoyment of every public bleffing, made to believe they are on the brink of ruin and destruction; and that the adminiftration of affairs is in the bands of weak, ignorant, and corrupt men, in fpite of the strongest evidence of facts to the contrary. What numbers of infolent and licentious prints have for many months been publifhing every day, to the difgrace of the nation, and in defiance of every principle of honour, truth, or decency; not fparing the Royal Fami ly, or the perion of the King himself? In all which time, have the people one fingle complaint to make of the infraction of the leaft of our laws or privileges? But the misfortune is, thefe fons of fedition and clamour make up in noife and fcurri lity, buffoonery, or indecency, what they are wanting in truth, and reafon; till they perfuade the croud to believe that very noife is the voice of the people; when in reality, the fentiments of the unprejudiced and difinterested part of the public, which is at least nine tenths of it, are in nothing more unanimous than in the contempt and deteftation of all fuch vile ants to feduce and inflame, and I have no doubt, that were the real opi nions of the people, on this present critical conjuncture of our state, to be put into language, and fupposed to be addressed to the throne, they would be in words not very different from the following. To the KING. May it pleafe your Majesty, To receive the fincere and hearty thanks of millions of your fubjects, for the bleffings we have enjoyed now for the space of more than two years, under your reign; and to be affured, that the malicious calumnies, falle infinuations, and mifreprefentations, that, for fome months paft. have been induftriously propagated, to serve base and interested purpofes, have had no other effect, than to endear you the more to us, and increase our esteem for, and trust in your Majesty, by making us the more attentive to your character, and fyftem of government. We give your Majefty our thanks, in the first place, as for what is, in its own nature, fupreme in value, for that noble example of fteady, uniform, and confistent virtue, difplayed, in your whole life; equally free from bigotry, enthusiafim, and fuperftition;, for setting us a pattern, fo neceffary to all ranks of people, of oeconomy, fobriety, temperance, and chastity. We fee you, Sir, with pleasure fill up all the filial, conjugal, and domestic duties of life, in a manner that would make the meanest of your Majesty's fubjects refpectable and amiable to all his neighbourhood: thus prefenting, to a luxurious age, for its amendment, at one and the fame time, from your high fta. tion, the most confpicuous, and most beautiful picture of true happiness, and home enjoyment. That in this dangerous poft of fo great profperity, in the height of youth, health, fpirits, and imperial power, your Majefty fhould give an example of a ftrictnels of virtue worthy of a Marcus Aurelius, muft ever make you, not only to us, but to the whole world, the fubject of the highest veneration that can be due to a mortal man. Permit us, Sir, in the next place, as freedom is next in value to virtue, to return our thanks to your Majefty for that heroic love of liberty, and our free conftitution of government, fo early expreffed in your declarations [xxii. 545, 48, 99.] to your people, and made good by all your actions. In particular, for the addition of honour, freedom, and independence, beftowed on our judges, by act of parlia -ment Nov.1762. A perfuafive to national unanimity. ment [xxii. 241. xxiii. 159, 61. 212. xxiv. 229.), at your own motion; in this generous action giving us a fecurity of the highest importance to our lives and liberties, were it ever to happen that a prince of an arbitrary disposition fhould fucceed one of a contrary character. With the fame fpirit, and confidence in the affections of your people, did your Majefty give up the hereditary revenue [xxii. 665. xxiii. 461.] of the crown in the excife, which was held independent of the gift of parliament, having been at the restoration annexed to the crown, in lieu of the ancient and undifputed right of our king to wardships and liveries. And to name but one thing more, in this fame spirit is your Majefty the known patron and encourager of our national militia [xxii. 599.]. While we reflect, Sir, on thefe, and many other proofs of your true knowledge of our conftitution, and generous love of it, we fhall ever defpife the groundless infinuations of venal pens, that would perfuade us, in fpite of common fenfe, and the light of the fun, to dread the rivival of Tory principles, and Tory favourites, under your most auspicious government. On the contrary, we esteem it the highest fervice done our country by your Majesty, on your first ac cellion to your throne, the abolishing our long kept up party-diftinctions; nobly fcorning to continue a profcription of part of your subjects for a mere name, when the real difference was become extinct by time, by the more general spreading of knowledge, and the fenfe of the happi nefs we have enjoyed under the mild and legal government of princes of your own houfe, now for half a century. We have felt, too fenfibly, the ill effects thefe party-divifions had, for fo long a period of time, on all our foreign and domestic concerns, protracted as they were, be yond their natural life, by the conduct of pufillanimous and weak minifters, not to value the firmnefs, ftrength, and conftancy, we experience by a contrary spirit in our government. For fuch actions as thefe, our Hampdens, Ruffels, and Sydneys, would have loved and applauded our King; and fo fhall we, while one fpark of the fame noble spirit actuates our minds. From these matters of higher importance to the happiness, improvement, and dignity, of human life, we can turn our view to furvey with pleafure your Majefty's patronage of learning, and bounty eminent fcholars; your love and en 581 couragement of the fine arts of painting, fculpture, and architecture; and your magnificence difplayed on every public occafion, befitting the fplendor of fo great and powerful a nation. While this is the true character in which your Majesty appears in the eyes of your people, in vain will always be the clamour of factious men; in vain the cabals of a few great fubjects, endeavouring to wreft from the crown thofe legal powers and prerogatives, intrusted to it by the conftitution of this country, for the general good, and to fecure us from anarchy and confufion. Inftances of the mischiefs we have fuffered from the violence of parties, and madnefs of faction, we meet with in every page of our history; and for an ever-memorable example of fuch a cabal, aiming, and fucceeding too, at prescribing to the crown its choice of minifters, and confining all power and profit in one narrow circle, we need not look back twenty years [viii. 98. ]. But furely never will the generofity of the British nation fuffer a diminution of the legal power of the crown, in the hands of a prince, fo tender, in his own perfon, of all their laws and liberties; fo ready even to surrender his own prerogative, when in any inftance it would contribute to the general good. In this happy period of our government, we are not perplexed with doubts, what are the prerogatives of the King, what the privileges of the subject; doubts which in former times divided even the wifeft and best of our forefathers. We all know, that it is the province of your Majefty to chufe your minifters, for every branch of the executive part of your government; that they will always be men of experienced honour, fidelity, and abilities, we doubt not at all; and they ever remain for their actions accountable to your Majesty, to the known laws of the land, and to our general representa tive the parliament. Your people, Sir, ever loved a brave and steady prince; nor can your Majesty endear yourfelf more to us, than by preferving your own entire independence, on which firmness, we are convinced the glory, fuccefs, and happinets of your whole future life, and the profperity of your people, fo much depend *. That God A faying is reported of his Majefty [624.], expreffing a noble firmness of mind, and placing that virtue upon the best of all foundations:"I will not be the only flave in a nation where I am refolved every man thall be free.”) Almighty 582 A political dream. N Vol. xxiv. ha Almighty will long preferve to us fo good, thofe chairs, fifteen potentates of Eu rope. Very few of thofe feats were filled: and the Dane was in the act of quit. ting his, to commit his bark to the form which larger vesels had with difficulty weathered. a prince, the glorious king of a free people, to reign over this mighty, and now fo greatly increated empire, fhall ever be the wifhes and prayers of the hearts of your Majesty's moft dutiful and loyal fubjects. After the fatigue of a very reflefs night, I fell towards morning into a flumber, when my fancy reprefented to me a fmall ifland, like that of Bals near Scotland; fcarce accelible by reafon of its rocky thore, rifing high amidit a tempe ftuous fea. In the middle of the afcent on the fouth fide was a large natural grotto; which, with admirable art, had been wrought into a temple worthy of ancient Rome. A grove of mirtles fhaded the entrance; and halcyons nefted along the ftrand. On a frieze above the door, there were legible characters; PACI ET CON CORDIAE S. Clemency and Moderation, arrayed in white vails, each with a caduceus in her hand, waited at the top of a flight of fteps, to introduce ftrangers or abfentees into the dome. At the bottom, Security fat on a roftrated column, to which veffels were wont to be moored; the leaned on an anchor, and viewed with placid countenance the diftant tempeft. Concord fat by her fide, on a fafcine, bound, not with twigs, but with doubled wires; and touched her harp with delightful harmony. Within the door, PEACE kept her court: the fat on a chair of ftate reclining on her elbow, with an onyx phial of balm in her hand, treading burnished weapons beneath her feet: a fountain played before her, and bedewed the olive trees rourd its margin. Indufiry and Commerce stood behind her; the one with a flail, and patera of honey; the other with an oar, and a purfe fufpended to it. Adjacent to thefe, fat Plenty, with her double horn, and full lap; and, in carelefs fportive mien, Joy, crowned with flowers. On one de, Knowledge was buly in trimming her lamp; on the other, Equity, in applying her compafes to the claims of con nunities and individuals; and the whole fiflerhood of Arts found chearful employment in the cells round the temple. In the circumference of the fountain, feats were placed for about ffteen ccmmarders of flips; by which I was inclined to underfand, when I had examined the arms embroidered on the backs of Mean while the din of war upon the ocean was increafing. I heard from afar the roar of eddying winds, the loud echo of cannons, the cries of anguifh and defpair. PEACE rofe from her feat, and faid, "Is there none of you that can be mediator? none that can stop the effuton of human blood?"-Silence at first enfued. At length the Pope fhook his triple crown, and antwered for himself: "I have fuffered tufficiently, in only endeavouring to quench the flames of Corfica." The Hollander chuckled, "May the fray," quoth he, "be perpetual, to that my dikes be undisturbed: it empties my warehouse, and fills my coffers." The Savoyard winked; and pointed at his bales of velvet. The Grand Turk, in commiferation of Christendom, was ring from his pillow; when the Christian Pon tiff, in high difdain, forbade his interpofition: "To thy neft, caitiff, and know, that the blefling of the peacemaker is a golpel bleffing; in which the circumcised never can have part." He would have faid more; but a great huzza without doors turned the attention of the whole aflembly. The Muscovite and Swede had just gained the thore; and the former, attended by his Confort and Mifs, was climbing the cliff to invite o ther vefels, that were tossed on the main, to this calm and happy retreat. I caught the founds from his speaking trumpet: "Hoa! brother Pruflian! turl fail, and come in.-O Hoa! Coufin Saxon! a lee, a lee.-Hip! will you not hear? you Fury of Hungary! come and anchor here." The words were scarce uttered, when the good man tumbled down the precipice; whether giddy, or pushed. was not expedient for PEACE to inquire: but he fell and his confort dropt a tear after him; yet faid he deferved his fall. Then, having placed a guard upon Miks, fe ftrode majestically to the fteps; met the Dane in his exit, gave him her band, and led him back to the temple; in which, though neither Moderation nar Security would confent to be her uhers, fie gained admiffion, and took her feat; without locking for the gratulations either of Equity, or of Fey, upon the occafion. My attention was foon turned to the harbour re b W C C harbour again, where acclamations were redoubled, and almot rent the ky. A chevalier, diftinguished by two broad ribands on his fhoulder, was turning the windlafs with all his might to draw a fplendid yacht to fhore. It was the St George; a lion decorated its prow. A long-fide were feveral fmall boats in tow; laden with the fpoils of Bengal, of the Havannah, and the filver of Potoi. Great part of the crew were loud for keeping the fea; bidding defiance to the caprices of Neptune, Mars, or Fortune, If the former fteerfman, a mariner refpectable for his knowledge and magnanimity, might take the helm again, all the Mexican ports and treasures, they faid, might be their own. But thefe were unable, by their wifhes, and even by their oars, to push the veffel from the creek. Apollo, in the fhape of a young graceful prince, came himself to the helm, and fteered the vellel, till it bore upon the ftrand: when Security moored it to her column. With this arrived the St Denis, a ftately frigate; its enlign a flower de luce: he had had rencounters, but gain ed by them no treasure: two of her mafts had been splintered; great part of her rigging destroyed; only her hull remain ed entire the towed feveral prames, which he had laden with grapples and other implements for boarding the St George, and with fetters, an ufelefs provifion, for the St George's crew. Her mariners fhewed famine in their faces; they curfed their captain's mistress, who, without knowledge of a chart, had affumed the direction of a rudder. But they bragged with enthufiafin of the glory of their captain, who was fnoring in his cabin with a bottle at his elbow. The St James, a large and rich galleon, was the next that made land. She had fuffered damage in her upper deck; the main-maft was tottering, and its fail quite gone: a man was hanging at the yardarm, whom I fuppofed to be the boatfwain Squillacio, a name held in great deteftation by the whole crew. Her captain, with the tremulous knees of a petit maitre, and with the ferocious look of a Bifcayner, was ftamping upon the deck: "No, I will give full fcope to my great nefs. Poltroons! why have ye not brought me the little king captive ?" Mercury laughed, and prefented him with Alluding to an expreffion in a note delivered to Mr Pitt by the Count de Fuentes in Septem, ber 1701. 583 a crofs bow, for fhooting out the eyes of tape try-kings. He then defcended to land with a genuine air of Spanish grandeur. On the other fide of the creek, a Lif bon merchant was ftepping out of his tartane, leaning on the thoulders of an English foldier. Pale was his look, yet his eyes (poke joy; there feemed a truggle in his mind, as though, labouring to throw off his fright. He called St Christopher, and al the faints, to wit. nefs, "that though the ambuh in the vinevard was terrible, yet he thought it was nothing to the horrors of a wreck." An Imperial galley and a privateer floop came nov in view, flowly failing into port. In the fir t, 'an Amazon clad in armour had the command; a very Camilla in appearance, if a matron may be called Camilla; not without remains of beauty, which not years, but care, and the pangs of fruitless revenge, had impaired. She had caule enough to wish for this fhore; but the abhorred the thought of reft, if reft muit be given to Mezentio too.-In her vêtlel the had brought a Saxon Count, who had left his own by the privateer's running foul upon it. Mezentio, the commander of the privateer, might at first fight be known for a hero. He had fome fcars, the marks of honourable defeats: but many laurels, the rewards of victories. He beckoned to his chief purfer, an Englishman; and frowned to find the finews of war obftructed. Glory, with quivering wing, welcomed him to fhore: her trumpet swelled its moit awful notes. The proceffion of thefe worthies to the temple was now beginning. I longed to fee the manner of their admiffion, and the honours paid to each by the genius of the place. But of this I was dilappointed: the thunder of the cannon at the tower, and in the park, on the figning of the preliminaries, awakened me from my dream. Lond. Chron. |