give the Sn no reft till he hath caft Lord for ever out of his presence.

C

Thus a writer, who makes no fcruple of advancing the most abfolute falfhoods, may ring the changes from week to week, by only taking care that one of them exceed the other in magnitude, juft to fuch a degree as will make a tolerable harmony. I appeal to the public, whether Lord C-'s enemies do not write as pofitively of his abominable conduct, as if they had it from a member of the PC? And let any fenfible man declare to me whether he can find any folid conviction from arguments fupported by no chimerical a bafis? Men may affirm without truth, reason without confcience, and throw dirt enough without remorfe; yet an honest man will be an honeft man in the fight of God and common sense, till by fome FACT, he PROVES HIMSELF a v——!

By the above fiction, I hope it will appear, that I could invent a plaufible lie to be-praife or difpraife any man I should think proper; but what a world must we live in, if truth fhould be entirely banished? And I appeal to confcience, that whoever tells, and argues from, a deliberate falfhood to afperfe his greatest enemy, is as much afhamed of his conduct in the fight of God, as he would be in the fight of man, was he publicly known. That unhappy mafter of fiction, Anti-Sejanus, has too bafely lead

the way for ingenuity, without confcience, to dif play itself for fome finifter end. Beware, my country, of these artful enemies to virtue; and till they can pofitively point out a fact, directed immediately by Lord C, that is infamous in itself, and a difgrace to morality, let us pay no credit to their malevolence, however elegantly expreffed. In fhort, from the whole conduct of Mr. P I think no man was ever more worthy of our esteem and veneration; and I must believe him to be the

fame

fame man in Lord Ctill by fome notorious alteration of principles and conduct, he is guilty of fuch tranfactions as muft convince me to the conTRANQUILIUS.

trary.

A

Ironical Defence of the Earl of Ch―m. LTHOUGH I am engaged in the cause of our great minifter, yet hope that the public does me the juftice to perceive how little I am fwayed by partiality, how entirely I am free from prejudice. I have already very openly, and with a becoming boldnefs, pointed out one grofs defect in the conftruction of the prefent political fabric. I have avowed my diflike of one man, who formerly made a part of that proud connection, which it is the glory of our great minifter to have broken, or at least to have done his best to break in pieces. It is in vain that we are affured that there is no power delegated to him, and no confidence reposed in him. He is an eye-fore to all our friends, and until he is removed I fhall not cease to complain, and to acknowledge to the whole world, that all is not right.

I fuppofe that my reputation for candour, (a reputation very feldom the lot of a political writer) will be established beyond the power of envy or malice, when I confefs to the public, that there is one fault more, and that of a very alarming nature, which must alfo be corrected, before we can arrive at that perfection which is our aim, and which the nation expects from us. It is want of concert amongst ourselves.

To this it will be answered, and with no fmall appearance of plaufibility, that concert amongst us is not neceffary; that it is fufficient that each individual fhould obey the orders he receives, without looking to the right or left, to fee what his fellowfervants are about-that the very intention of acting in concert, is apt to beget reafoning, and breed

debate,

debate, two of the worst qualities ever known in fervants, and fufficient to confound the schemes, and defeat the intentions, of the wifeft and moft abfolute mafter that ever lived.

If this reasoning be confined to the inferior executive parts to the mere office-clerks of adminiftration-fuch as firft Ld of the T— -Y, Sts of St, and Cr of the Er, I allow its force and validity. Indeed every day's experience abundantly juftifies it; for if concert among fuch as these were neceffary, how could the national bufinefs go on, in the orderly, decent, confiftent, and effectual manner in which it has proceeded, ever fince L-d Chm has had the reins (and the whip too) of goverment committed into his hands. If concert were neceffary, we fhould find fome two of thofe, who fit on a certain bench, of the fame difpofition, character, and defign. They would not then appear like lawyers feed in a hurry in court, without briefs, and trufting for the defence of their client to what fcraps of knowledge they may chance to pick up from their adverfaries arguments. What can display at once their abilities and their obedience more fully, than a judicious defence of a fyftem, which they do not even pretend to understand?

Want of communication and concert, would, in thefe cafes, I confefs, afford no matter of complaint. The want of concert, of which I complain, is of a more alarming nature: A want of concert amongst us political writers, whofe bufinefs it is to fatisfy the nation of the wisdom, integrity, and ability of the minifter. If we do not write in concert, all is loft.

You must perceive, Sir, that I am induced to make these reflections, by fome late productions of my fellow labourer, and almost namefake, who figns himself Tranquilius. This worthy gentleman, not being acquainted with the task affigned me, nor

inftructed

inftructed in the manner in which I have been ordered to perform it, miftakes me for an enemy, and, as fuch, endeavours to leffen my credit with the public. Now, I am equally ignorant of the particular walk affigned to him, and yet I can plainly fee, by his style and manner, that wit, humour and raillery, are the weapons which he is ordered to ufe for the annoyance of our foes. Ought not he, in like manner to perceive, that the shield of folid and impenetrable argument, close reasoning, and strong judgment, is lifted high upon my arm for the common defence?

I did not wonder that he should affure the public, much lefs did I blame him for it, that he and I were not the fame perfon. The rights of authors are not, in general, very valuable. Their liberty is but precarious, their property (God knows) far from ineftimable. But every author has certainly a right to his own identity. This I would have facred in all common cafes of state neceffity: no proclamation fhould affect it-no enquiry fhake it. It will, I dare fay, be inviolable until the E. I. C- -y, the B―k, and other funds, the landed and trading intereft are fqueezed until they can yield no more. And this will, I hope, make Tranquilius eafy on this head.

Now I must beg of my friend Tranquilius to confider what incredible mifchief he may do, though with the best intentions in the world, fhould he mistake the meaning of other gentlemen, as he has done mine. The writer who is charged with the care of inferting proper articles of intelligence, and apprizing the public in due time of L-d Ch-m's great and extenfive fchemes, has lately told us, "that orders are iffued by that great minifter, for improving America to its utmost value." A defign worthy of him who formed it, and of too great confequence to leave the means, as he does

in other cafes, to his underlings and drudges. He has condefcended to point them out himself, and they too are worthy of him, and of him alone; as I will be bold to affirm, that they would not have entered the head of any other ftatefman who lived before him, who now lives, or who fhall live hereafter. They are fhort, clear, effectual, plausible in theory, and easy in practice.

He has refolved that America fhall be improved to its full value; that is the defign; the quomodo follows." He has ordered both the Floridas and the mild region of Labrador to be cleared, cultivated, and (as our panegyrift has well expreffed it) fully peopled."

-Nimium vobis romana propago S; Vifa potens fuperif!

What a minifter! who can at once exterminate gloomy forests, and cover a country with fmiling harvests who can make the howling defart bloffom like a rofe-who can cultivate, plant, build, and even people-all by his creative fiat, without the uncertain, flow, progreffive methods of vulgar statesmen and lawgivers!

But whilst we are, from the highest to the lowest, exulting in the wisdom and abilities of our glorious minifter whilft Ld Cm is fecuring reverfions in that happy country, and weaving, for their use, his favourite web of linfey-woolfey goverment (three threads of licentioufnefs and one of fervitude)-whilft L-d N

is

buried (in his hours of fobriety) in devifing schemes for fixing the morals of, and promoting piety and virtue in that infant and yet mature colony whilft C▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬T▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ is flourishing a speech upon that wisdom which took away fterility from barrenness and gave population to defolation-whilft our great minifter himself is meditating a consistent talk, to prove to the Hof L that the peace