his own friends to try the imputed crimes or mifmanagement of himself and his colleagues in office, annexing a very beneficial falary to each of these gentlemen. By this management the public is put into the fituation of a traveller at a Dutch inn. When he complains to the landlord of the extravagance of his bill, he takes it away, and makes a confiderable addition to each article, which the unwary ftranger is obliged to pay. Thus when the people require a reduction of places and penfions, the noble Lord answers them with the appointment of half a dozen new Commiffioners, with the falary of one thousand pounds per annum.

Sir Philip Jennings Clerke, Nov. 10, 1789.

Every one, as well as myself, must recollect what paffed on the first day of the feffion, when the scene was the most striking that, perhaps, ever was exhibited within these walls, and when the principal actor in that scene, the late Speaker, (Sir Fletcher Norton) gave an example of heroic fortitude equal to any ever difplayed by a Roman matron. It requires the pencil of a Weft, or a Copley, to do it full justice. Being but a bad painter, I must have recourfe to poetry, and recall the idea of that scene to the Houfe, by ftating, that it ftrikes me as a strong resemblance of the fcene which paffed between Paulo Purganti and his wife. The late Speaker, on the first day, fat and heard the noble Lord who moved the question of that day, and the right honourable seconder, (Mr. Fox) anxious for his health, expreffive of their care for his conftitution, and thence defirous of removing the burden of business off his fhoulders. The Houfe heard the right honourable gentleman, the late Speaker, confefs, that his conftitution was impaired, that his faculties were injured, that he was much the worse for having fat fo long in the chair; and yet now, when the right honourable gentleman's friends have expreffed a defire of that gentleman's return to the chair, the right honourable gentleman ftands up, and, like a Roman ma

tron,

tron, defpifing the thorns with which the feat is filled, defpifing all fears of restless days, fleepless nights, and dull debates, declares himself again willing to undergo the punishment of fitting here. Thus the doctor in the tale, like the noble Lord, is laborious in recommending patience to his wife, in giving her receipts for her health; but fhe, with Roman firmness, in fpite of all his advice, ftill urged her wishes and her refolutions, till at length the doctor cried

And then, like the right honourable gentleman on the first day of the feffion, Paulo Purganti's wife, in defiance of the threatened danger, replied

Let wanton wives by death be scar'd;

But, to my comfort, I'm prepar'd.

Mr. Courtenay, Nov. 16, 1780.

Sir Hugh Pallifer's filence immediately after the sentence of the Court Martial was known, his refignation of his lieute nant-generalfhip of marines, his retirement from Parliament at that time, and his high tone now, all remind me of a scene between two characters at a play, which I have often laughed at, and doubt not every gentleman present has done the fame. In the play, the Old Batchelor, that I allude to, a bluftering being, Noll Bluff, was kicked and disgraced at one period of the plot, which he suffered with the utmost patience, and without attempting to defend himself, or to retaliate on his assailant; but in a subsequent scene, in which a dialogue ensues between the Bully and Sir Jofeph, (Sir Jofeph Wittol) the former grows angry, and fays, "Death and hell! to be affronted thus! I'll die before I'll fuffer it." Sir Jofeph endeavours to perfuade him not to revive what had disgraced him, and what was then paft remedy; and asks him, whether he

was not "abused, cuffed, and kicked?" To which the Bully fwears, "By the immortal thunder of great guns, 'tis false!" and draws his fword. Sir Jofeph begs him not to be in a pasfion, and fays, " Put up, put up." The Bully replies, "By Heaven! 'tis not to be put up!" Sir Jofeph fays in answer, "What!" The Bully replies, "The affront." Sir Joseph then adds, "That's put up already; thy fword, I mean, put up; put up your fword." This fcene, I muft confefs, ftrikes me as a strong refemblance of the Vice-admiral's conduct. I advise him, therefore to put up his anger, and think himself well off to reft as he is,

TT

Hon. John Townsend, Dec. 4, 1780,

A lively French writer has faid, that the most melancholy quarter of an hour in the whole twenty-four, is that in which the reckoning is to be paid. This is the time in which the Public are called on to discharge the tremendous reckoning incurred by the American war; and in order to it, gentlemen are defired to impose burdens of the most heavy and galling nature on their conftituents. It is now a moment when men naturally examine the items of the bill, and are led to afk themselves, whether in ordering the dishes which have compofed their entertainment, they have not thoughtleffly given way to their capricious appetites, rather than confulted their fober reafon, and ordered fuch matters only as their bodily health required. I will venture to fay, that now men have rifen from the feaft, extravagant beyond all example as it has been, it has not proved falutary or fatisfactory to any one that has partook of it. The time of remedy has unfortunately been fuffered to escape unused: but you, Sir, I truft, will do me the justice to say, that I objected to the bill of fare originally, and that I ftated my reasons for disapproving of the moft expenfive difhes. That very coftly one, an army large beyond all example, has been a particular object of my dif

like. A large army was always disagreeable to an Englishman. A large army for no use is still more difguftful. What proof have we that the army exifted which we voted, but that most disagreeable of all proofs, the being called upon to pay them? What has that army done for the immense fums that they have coft the public? What are they now doing? A fhort paragraph would comprehend the hiftory of all their most memorable tranfactions. In 1778, the army evacuted Philadelphia; in 1779, they evacuated Rhode Ifland; in 1780, the army was-no man knew where, and doing-no man knew what. So that the idea of Mr. Bayes, which has hitherto been confidered as a ludicrous one, is attempted to be feriously realized, viz. to keep a large army incog.

Sir Charles Bunbury, April 12, 1780.

I am forry that opulence is to be acquired by getting into Parliament. But fo it is, that Members are like the tenuis vulpercula, or the weazel, which being flender, creeps into the cupboard; but eats fo much there, that it cannot get out. So it is with Members of Parliament; they get in fleek and flender, and afterwards, being gorged with places, penfions and douceurs, get fuch enormous bellies, that they are scarcely able to get out again. To adopt another comparison: Members come here as into a hencoop, where they feed heartily at the expence of freedom. I wish the House of Commons were a kind of ergastulum, to work off these fat, large bellies, that are contracted by the douceurs acquired herein. I wifh, Sir, that Members might spend, instead of acquiring fortunes in the public fervice, and growing fat, (ftroking his own belly, and looking at Lord North) "with fair round belly, and good Capon lined."

Mr. Burke, March 8, 1781.

O liberty!

O liberty! O virtue! O my country! has been the inceffant pathetic, but fallacious cry, of former Oppositions; the prefent, I am fure, act on purer motives; they weep over their bleeding country; yet "the patriot eye, in a fine phrenzy rolling," deign to caft a wifhful squint on riches and honours enjoyed by the Minister and his venal fupporters. If I were not apprehenfive of hazarding a ludicrous allufion, which I know is always improper on a serious subject, I would compare their conduct to the fentimental Alderman's in one of Hogarth's prints, who, when his daughter is expiring, wears indeed a parental face of grief and folitude; but it is to secure her diamond ring, which he is drawing gently from her finger. Mr. Courtenay, Feb. 26, 1781.

The American war, and the continuation of the Minifters in office, go hand in hand; if the former was at an end, the latter would infallibly lose their places, which they confider as their ftake. His Majefty's Minifters and the American war are like the porter's breech and the nofe of Taliacotius. There is a fympathy between them, which renders them constantly dependent on each other;

When life of parent b-m is out,

Off drops the sympathetic fnout,

So with the American war muft their places and their penfions very fympathetically expire.

Mr. Burke, April 28, 1781,

The Minister has faid, that we are not to go on with the American war in the fame way; we are to alter and contract the mode of it; but does that make any material difference? I have read of a Lacedemonian, who, in a war with a neighbouring country, and in a fea engagement fwam up to a galley, and laid hold of it with his right hand; the people in the galley cut off his right hand; he then feized hold of it with his left

hand;