and greater hopes of a recovery, to offer, at least, the proper remedy, whether it should be taken or not.

George Lyttelton, Efq. Dec. 18, 1739.

The honourable gentleman who spoke laft (Sir Robert Walpole) has told us, that questions in politics admit of no demonftration. In this I am entirely of his opinion; and, I think, this opinion was never more strongly confirmed than by the debate of this day. There never was a queftion in this House that could be brought nearer to a demonstration than the queftion now before us; and yet, I find, it is not poffible to convince those that may be affected by its being agreed to. It has hitherto been reckoned a maxim in law, which I never before heard difputed, that parties ought not to be judges: but now I find this maxim defied; and, indeed, it inuft be fo, by every gentleman that fays our conftitution can never fuffer by a majority of placemen in this House: for that placemen and officers of all kinds must be parties concerned in many cafes which we, as Members of this House, muft judge of, is fo clear, that I fhould have been afhamed to have given you the trouble of proving it, if I had not heard the motion now before you fo warmly oppofed.

Sir W. Wyndham, Dec. 18, 1739.

In King William's time, there was a famous Member of this Houfe, whom you have all heard of, John How by name, who having been refufed fomething which he had not, or, at leaft, which that wife Prince thought he had not any title to afk, took it into his head to fet up for a patriot, and to become a violent oppofer of the Adminiftration. From that time this gentleman's continual cry was, "Our liberties are in danger! our conftitution is to be overturned !" and with fuch exclamations he was always endeavouring, by his pretended fears, to raise apprehenfions in the minds of fome of the weak men in that age. Argument fignified nothing; he still went on harp

ing upon the fame ftring: but at laft he was filenced by a story told the House by Sir Thomas Lyttelton, which was thus — "A gentleman of my acquaintance," fays Sir Thomas, "was lately travelling in a coach with two ladies who were fifters: one fat very quiet, and without being in the least disturbed, but the other was upon every little jolt in a fright, and always crying out, O Lord, Sir, we fhall be overturned! For God's fake, tell the coachman to drive foftly!' What's the matter, Madam fays the gentleman'why. are you in such a fright? We have a fine eafy coach, a plain good road, and a careful, cautious coachman: there is not the least danger.' But all fignified nothing. the lady continued as before. At laft the gentleman afks the lady, What ails your fifter, Madam? Is the ufually of fuch a fearful temper ?' — To which the other answered, 'Do not mind her, Sir. My fister is really in no fright; only fhe thinks she has a very pretty voice, and therefore takes great delight in hearing herself fpeak.'

This ftory, Sir, put the zealous patriot fo much out of countenance, that he became quite filent, fo that the House for fome days heard no more of the danger of our liberties; and I hope it will now have the fame effect as it had at that time for during his prefent Majesty's reign, I am fure we fhall have no occafion for being put in mind of our liberties, or for being warned of their being expofed to danger; and if ever they fhould, in any future reign, I hope this House will ftand in need of no Common-cryer to put them in mind of their duty.

Hon. Horatio IValpole, May 4, 1749.

I rife up to thank the noble Lord in office (Lord North) for his extreme bounty in affuring us, that no hoftile intentions are defigned against the East-India Company, and that he wishes to make it a great and glorious Company (for those are his pompous expreffions) and put it upon a permanent

footing.

footing. Three Kings have entered an unfortunate kingdom with fire and fword, in order, I prefume, to make it also a great and glorious kingdom, and fecure to it its liberties and laws. They have published a manifefto to that purpose, which the noble Lord has, perhaps, just received; and he gives it you to day, left it might be stale to-morrow. But let us examine into this extraordinary matter. Here is a Committee appointed last year, a fair and open Committee, which have produced nothing. This was the lawful wife publicly avowed: but finding her barren, they have taken a neat, little, fnug one, which they call a Secret Committee; and the refolution now moted to restrain the Company from fending out Supervifors, is her firstborn. Indeed, from the fingular expedition of this extraordinary delivery, I am to think she was pregnant before wedlock. Yet, after all, what is the Report but a direct invasion of the Company's charter? It is, Sir, a bill to fufpend a law of the land; it is neither more nor less; and we are, after diftreffing the Company, about to rob them of their charter, and overthrow their conftitution. The noble Lord does well in saying, that he means to preferve the Company from ruin; but he should previously have told you, that their ruin was the immediate confequence of his blunders. In the year 1767, Administration plundered the Company of 400,000l.; and this I affert to have occafioned this diftrefs. If we fuffer this bill to pafs, we fhall, in fact, become the EastIndia Company, and you, Sir, will be feated in that chair, with a little hammer, by an inch of candle. The Treasurybench will be the buyers, and on this fide we shall be the fellers. The Senate will become an auction room, and the Speaker an auctioneer!- Shame upon fuch proceedings! Here is an end to confidence and public faith.-Public faith! alas! that has long been given up; that has not been attended to for many years. However, I hope the Houfe will be furnished with more fubftantial reasons than have yet appeared for invading the charter of that Company.

In one particular respecting the Dictator of ancient times, I beg to fet right a very high law officer (Mr. Thurlow) among us. All the Roman magiftrates were not, as he says, superfeded by that creation; for the Tribunes of the People, preserved their authority even under a Dictator.

It has been faid, Sir, by another gentleman, who is likewife in a great law office, (Mr. Wedderburne) that in this House a discontented party had ridiculously given into a tone of prophefy, which has never been accomplished, and that about a year ago it was the cafe of the right honourable gentleman who spoke lately under the gallery. It is not, I believe, very parliamentary to quote words fpoken in a former debate but if the learned gentleman's memory goes to a prophefy of one year, which has not been fulfilled, he will permit me a fair excurfion to another prophefy of that very Member's, fix years ago, which has been exactly verified. His prophefy in this Houfe was, that if the fame violent measures against the Americans were perfifted in, the Colonies, which formed fo great a ftrength to this kingdom in the reign of George the Second, would be diffevered from the British empire in the reign of George the Third. No prophecy, Sir, ever received a more perfect accomplishment. He wonderfully poffeffes the second fight of his native country. How deeply criminal he and others have been in bringing the prophecy to país, I hope the House will one day inquire. A very extraordinary observation of the fame gentleman, amidst a variety of heterogeneous matter, it is impoffible for me not to mention. He has laughed at univerfal benevolence, and endeavoured to demonftrate the impoffibility of its existence. But, Sir, he has only given us the narrow, contracted, selfish ideas of his own heart, and his own country. His fentiments and his feelings are confined to a very fmall, infignificant circle, indeed! They are merely clannish and Scottish. His remarks, I faw, excited a general indignation amongst us. An Englishman has ideas infinitely more liberal and enlarged.

His heart expands itself, and takes in the general good of all mankind. I will only add, Sir, that I think the most beautiful fentence of all antiquity is that which was received with fuch applaufe by the generous, free Roman' people, and an English Senate I am fure will adopt, against every measure of oppreffion and cruelty, Homo fum, humani nihil a me alienum puto. Mr. Wilkes, Feb. 17, 1777.

The most short-fighted of all animals is undoubtedly our country gentleman of the true tory breed. He has scarcely the fagacity of his pointer. Formerly he was very stubborn and reftive, and could not be driven forward; now he is perfectly tame, fawns on his feeder, and is eafily managed. Mr. Pitt first seized him, and, after fome little struggling, plunged him over head and ears in the German war. The noble Lord (Lord North) has gone farther, and transported him, weary and exhaufted, beyond the Atlantic, where he is likely to continue much longer than he was in Germany.

Mr. Wilkes, Nov. 26, 1778.

In answer to the charge of embezzlement brought by the honourable gentleman (Temple Luttrell) when I first heard it, I did not know it was laid at the door of the Treafury Board; but though those who embezzle the public money ought to be feverely punished at all times, I am exceedingly happy to hear of the embezzlement in queftion, let who will be guilty, because 450,000l. juft at prefent would be very useful to the public; and as the honourable gentleman has found,. fo unexpectedly, that such a fum has been embezzled, I doubt not it will be forthcoming; unfortunately, however, for the public, it now appears that there has been no embezzlement at all: but the honourable gentleman difavows any intention of clogging the wheels of Government. For my part I have never charged the honourable gentleman with any fuch defign. I com

Z 4