66

"who know how exceffively lavish he was of the public money, to his creatures and dependants. But that waste of "the revenue would have been neceffary, on his plan, the "confumptive one, borrowed by him from lord Oxford, 66 even if he had not had the maintenance of his own 66 power in view. For as has been already obferved, that "minifter's scheme was, to drain away the riches of the "nation, and waste and enervate its strength, so as that " in length of time, THE PEOPLE would come of them"felves to fee their condition, and be ready to exchange "it for a better.'

Equally ftrange it is, that his grace of G, fhould have raifed himself fo fpeedily to the fummit of power, did we not know the ladder by which he afcended, here again we discover the footsteps of the fatal favourite, before his grace bowed to this altar of Baal, he held that rank as a British peer and fenator, together with the eftimation of the people, which his birth, and a display of patriotic fentiments juftly entitled him to; and confidering his youth and inexperience, a fmall share in a virtuous administration was all he had a right to expect. Such a fhare he might have enjoyed with honour, and have ftrengthened the hands of that great and good man, the marquis of R- till at length his talents ripening to maturity, in a courfe of years he might have attained the fummit of power, and have taken in his hand the friends of liberty, whom he joined at his outfet, and have carried to the royal clofet, the ftandard of public freedom: but ambition prompted to take a fhorter courfe, to feat her unfledged statesman in the throne of power. The fubverfive fcheme of the favourite was at all events to be pursued, and a man who could be refolute, bold and daring, one who could laugh to fcorn the proudeft connections of loyal families, true to the intereft of their country and of their f, difmifs their chiefs with infolence, and tread on the necks of inferior patriots with Turkifh tyranny, was the man for whom the poft of premier was held out; and Gclaimed it as his own. How long he may fupport himself in it, we cannot prefume to fay, but if the fame causes conftantly produce the fame effects in all ages, he may enjoy his poft till the grand lofing game is fatally played out; for you need only read the elegant, nervous letters of Junius to refolve the queftion-Whether his grace of Ghas not been more lavish of the public revenue to his creatures and dependants, than any of his predeceffors; and every man's reafon will convince him that the lofing game, or confumptive plan is approaching to a crifis, there

wants

wants indeed but another war totally to fubvert this flourishing empire. And should that event take place while mens minds are alienated from government, and their affection is but luke warm to one of the beft of -, who unhappily cannot yet be brought to a fenfe of this truth-That the house of Hr has been conftantly befet with falfe friends, it is greatly to be feared our natural enemy, who is rendering himself every day more formidable by powerful alliances, will unite with the domeftic enemies of this country, and produce a worse revolution in it, than any that has happened fince the invafion of the Romans. And then we may be obliged to fummit to the old conflitution under fome of their dependants, perhaps fome petty tributary tyrant of the Stuart race.

To prevent this, it is incumbent on us, to protest against every part of the old conftitution whenever it is obtruded upon us, and to fhew the utmost abhorrence and deteftation of every set of men acting under the direction of the Judas of the ftate-the falfe friend of the k-, the Winnington of the times, the thane of B-e; and never to admit that the intereft of our fand of our country is really pursuedtill coercive laws and clogs upon trade and industry are actually repealed-till public frugality is obferved in the department of the revenue,-till the liberty of the fubject is confirmed with respect to the grand object of the freedom of elections-till the fwarm of dependants on the minifter are expelled the h of c, and corrupt venal plunderers of the treafures of the nation are brought to condign punishment-till these things are happily effected, be affured, that the lofing game is going on at St. J's-and that our good natured, unless he fhould be graciously pleased to call for a new pack of cards, will never have an honour in his hand, and may finally be reduced to his laft ftake, the That this may appear more fully, let us diffect another branch of lord Oxford's and Sir Robert's politics as recorded by Winnington.

"Another branch of his fcheme was, to corrupt the mo"rals of the people generally, in order to create an in"difference in them towards religion and pofterity. A dif"< regard for the latter would plunge them naturally into "profufion and luxury, which would neceffarily hurry on poverty and despair and a difrelish for religious worship in general would render them lefs averfe to thofe religious tenets, the romifh, which had given the best colour for the "late change in the conftitution, meaning, the revolution." Gracious God! in mercy to this land, avert the ftorm, for he that runneth may read, he that hath eyes to fee, or ears K 2

to hear, must bear a fatal teftimony to the real existence of this branch of the Jacobite fcheme-Were ever the morals of the people fo corrupted? Have they not taken the wages of iniquity in open day, a pitiful bribe, to affaffinate their › fellow fubjects in cool blood? Have not the highest and the loweft of the people been linked together in bonds, for the deftruction of the lives and liberties of their brethren, which the fiends of hell would have trembled at? Have there not been men fo bafe as to facrifice their reputations in their profeffion, to the infamous purpose of screening murderers from condign punishment? Would it not be a folly to attempt to enumerate the inftances of the luxury of the times, or the total difregard for pofterity manifefted not only by public characters, who ftipulate for penfions which muft entail debts on pofterity, but in private families, where an anticipation of the income of years becomes neceffary to support the extravagance, and fupply the refources for the private vices of parents, who will leave their pofterity to fhift for themselves and prey on the public? And that poverty and despair muft be our lot if we do not reform, cannot be doubted. Finally, what ftronger proof can be given of the general corruption of the morals of the people, than the lubricity of our women of birth and education, whom no laws facred or profane, no ties of honour or gratitude can reftrain, or prevent from prefenting to the public, a rifing generation, whose characters may probably hereafter be as doubtful, as their parentage? Begot under the dog-ftar of luft, infidelity, diffimulation and hypocrify, what can Britain expect from fuch an offfpring, but a race of Winningtons, of diffembling courtiers, with refpect to the impotent male animals; and of faithlefs Dalilahs, beautiful indeed, and voluptuous, as Cleopatra,but incontinent and furious as Meffalina.

The total difrelish for religious worship, is prefented to our view, as often as the day appointed for the celebration of it returns. Examine the country houses of the merchants and fhop-keepers, caft an eye on the public roads in the environs of this city, look into the eating houfes, the taverns, private brothels, and pleasure gardens; and in a few moments you may determine to ftamp the character of luxury, profligacy, difregard for pofterity, and difrelifh for religious worfhip, on thoufands and ten thousands. Can a people in fuch circumftances plead for public virtue, and the liberty of their country, while they themselves are fapping the very foundations of a commercial state, by diffipation and riot?

The confequence of a difrelifh for the established, or the tolerated modes of proteftant worship is, an eafy admiffion of

thofe

those religious tenets, which may operate as palliatives to ou vices and follies. And of all others, the Romifh religion is avowedly the best calculated for this purpose. For it holds out numberless indulgences to the back-fliding finner-And they are fo pleniary, that they white-wash all ranks of perfons as well as exculpate from all crimes. Her grace and her chamber maid may make the fame confeffions to the fame holy father, receive the fame abfolution, open the fame account again, and continue it by way of debtor and creditor, now and then throwing in a matrimonial balance to quiet the world, which often is not so easily satisfied as the priest. Befides bribery and corruption, breach of truft and confidence, when confidered in a political light, are not only tolerated, but applauded by the profeffors of the Romish faith. What religion then can be fo proper, so fuitable to the prefent time? Can we be furprized, if those who stand in need of every tenet that promifes a vindication of defpotic enflaving principles, fhould fecretly wifh to reftore the old conftitution which gave fanction to, and openly tolerated thefe tenets? And are not our prefent wife an daily making advances towards this admired conflitution, by conniving at the progrefs of popery at home, and by an open fupport and protection of its worship in all its forms in his majesty's newly acquired dominions, the ceded iflands, to which may be added the fhameful neglect of the proteftant religion in those parts? In a word, are not our proteftant brethren in America discountenanced, harraffed and opprefled, while the principles of the proteftant diffenters at home, and their unquestionable loyalty to the houfe of Hanover, are called in queftion by popish and m -I writers?

The general corruption of the morals of the people is fo alarming, as it threatens a diffolution of this free ftate, that it is hardly poffible to fay too much on the subject, especially fince thofe whofe peculiar office it is to watch over the morals of the people, are totally negligent of their duty, and care not what becomes of the civil or religious rights of their fellow fubjects; perhaps there never was a time when a bench of b- s were fo entirely devoted to the pleasures and interested purfuits of the world, or so absorbed in politics and devotion to the m--y. The dignified c-y of the next class, are fo engaged in intriguing for vacant mitres, and in circulating the defpotic principles of a▬▬▬n, in order to ftrengthen their intereft with the m-r, that they have no time to attend to fpiritual things: the whole body of the beneficed cy lean the fame way, and only a few honeft curates, with large families and pitiful incomes,

can

1

Can be found, who are truly attentive to the duties of their function, as diligent fervants in the temple of the lord of hofts. What is worfe ftill, many of the cy of the higher order fet the example of diffipation and luxury; by gracing with their prefence most places of public amusement; by keeping their feats in companies and focieties composed of loofe diffolute characters of high rank, who circulate with the bottle, fuch obfcenities in toafts and fentiments, as merit the serious reproof of a divine. But what divine can now be found, who will dare to reprimand a drunken fy of ---- would not the generality on the contrary cordially join the revel rout, if a Wh commanded, and they thought a compliance with the vicious inclinations of their patrons, would pave the way to preferment. In fhort, the fashionable elegance of their equipages, the magnificence of their furniture, and the luxury of their tables diftinguish the English dignified cy at prefent from all other; and ecclefiaftical fimplicity of life and conversation must in a short time be fought for, where it was never expected to be found, in the pontifical chair at Rome.

A people become fo corrupt, and void of all fense of religion, cannot poffibly feel the weight of m- oppreffion, the burden must be encreased till their darling vices are attacked, before they will rife from their fupinenefs, or fee the danger of a total ruin of their country. The fources of wealth must be obstructed by a neglect of our commercial interests, the fupplies for luxury, muft fail, and the revenues of the nation be fo exhaufted, that bribes and penfions can no longer adminifter to vice and extravagance, before the nation will be convinced, that if it had not been for a chofen few, who poffeffed the ancient public fpirit, which has fo often rescued this land from inevitable deftruction, the old enflaving conftitution would have been firmly established under the direction of an ambitious favourite, who has given fufficient proofs of his difpofition to carry things to extremity, and of his determination to fubvert the civil rights of free born Englishmen; and this once effected by arbitrary and defpotic meafures, it would have been as easy to monopolize every profitable branch of commerce, as to engrofs the places of honour and emolument. His creatures and dependants once engrafted into our trading companies, and entrusted with the direction of them, his fchemes would have been complete. How greatly then are we indebted to that fellow citizen, who manfully stood forth, and at the repeated hazard of his life, ftopt the bold career of this afpiring man, defeated his projects for enflaving our country, and blafted all his towering hopes? But it is not

enough