they know not better; but you, Mr. Whifton, you know before the half of that term is expired, all people will live in common, and each man's property will not be worth fixpence."-Whifton after a few minutes paufe, embraced the purchaser, and made over to him the estate for what he chose to give for it.

Political Hypothefis, concerning a Cafe, which, though it has not yet happened, may possibly happen.

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ET us fuppofe a man abandoned to all notions of real virtue or honour; of no great, or of noble family; of a mean, or of opulent fortune; adopted in quality of a prince's favourite by the arts of fervile adulation, or raised to be the chief minifter of state, by the concurrence of many whimsical events; afraid or unwilling to truft any but creatures of his own making, and most of them equally abandoned to all notions of integrity or honour; ignorant or regardless of the true interest of his country, and ftudying nothing but the means of enriching and aggrandizing himself, his affociates, and partizans; in foreign affairs, trusting none but fuch whofe education makes it impoffible for them to have such knowledge or fuch qualifications, as can either be of service to their country, or give any weight or credit to their negociations. Let us fuppofe the true intereft of the nation, by fuch means, neglected, flighted, or misunderstood, her honour and credit loft, or expofed to humiliations and indignities, her trade infulted, and her feamen unjustly detained, by foreigners, in prifon; and all these things overlooked, only for fear his favouritifm or adminiftration, fhould be endangered. Suppofe him, next, poffeffed of great wealth, accumulated by finifter arts, and for the most part the plunder of the nation, with a council or fenate, the majority of his own chufing, and most of their votes purchased at the expence of the public treafure: In fuch a council, or fenate, let us fuppofe attempts made to inquire into his conduct, or to relieve the nation from the diftrefs he has brought upon it; and when lights proper for attaining thofe ends are called for, not perhaps for the information of the particular persons who call for them, but because nothing can be done in a legal way, till these things be in a proper way laid before the fenate; fuppose these lights refufe, thefe reasonable requests rejected by a corrupt majority of his creatures, whom he retains in daily pay, or engages in his particular intereft, by granting them thofe pofts and places, which ought never to be given to any

but for the good of the public: upon this fcandalous victory, let us fuppofe this favourite, or this chief minifter pluming himfelf in defiances, because he finds he has got a fenate at his devotion, ready to acquit him at all adventures: Let us farther fuppofe him arrived to that degree of infolence and arrogance, as to domineer over all the men of ancient families, all the men of fenfe, figure, or fortune in the nation; and as he has no virtue of his own, ridiculing it in others, and endeavouring to deftroy or corrupt it in all.

With fuch a favourite or minifter, and fuch a fenate, let us fuppofe a prince upon the throne, either for want of true information, or for fome other reason, ignorant and unacquainted with the inclinations and the intereft of his people, weak, and hurried away by the fuggestions of arbitrary power and infatiable avarice. This cafe has never yet happened to this nation; but as it is poffible it may, could there be a greater curfe happen, than fuch a prince on the throne, advifed, and folely advised by fuch a favourite or minister, and his creatures, and that favourite or minifter, supported by fuch a fenate.

TH

HE difference that arose between Queen Mary of England and the Princess of Denmark, lafted till the death of the former. During this time all the ladies of the court, and the principal lords were forbid to pay their refpects to the princess. She was deprived of her guards, and every opportuni ty was taken to mortify her in the moft fignal manner. When the Queen died, King William perceived it would be indecent for him to remain longer at variance with the prefumtive heir of the crown, and accordingly himself made the firft advances for a reconciliation, which were accepted. Immediately after the whole court appeared very affiduous in their devoirs to her. Lord Caernarvon, who had never discontinued his refpectful vifits to the princefs, whofe appartment had been fo long deferted, obferving it one evening full of company, faid to her quite loud in prefence of the affembly. I hope your Royal Highness will remember, that I have often had the honour to be here alone with you.". These words fpread confufion and blushes on every face present.

Character

Character of Titus Vefpafian, the Eleventh Roman Emperor, and Cæfar, propofed as a Model to all Princes.

ITUS VESPASIAN was endued with all the quali

TT

ties, which could be defired in a Prince destined for a throne generofity, mildness, affability, and a popular way of behaviour, which, without defcending from his dignity inspired confidence; and made him, at the fame time, beloved and refpected. Eloquence, poetry, and the philosophy then in vogue, confifting chiefly of an acquaintance with the moral obligations of life, were the occupations of his youth. Hiftorians highly commend many poems, which he composed in Greek and Latin. He understood the military art extremely well; and though he was active, vigilant, robuft, and coura geous he had nothing of that hard-heartedness or ferocity, fo often contracted by continually feeing blood-fhed. He made his firft campaigns in Germany, and accompanied his father, in quality of his lieutenant, in the war against the Jews. Vefpafian having been elected Emperor, Titus was employed to continue his war, which he ended by the destruction of Jeru falem. On his return to Rome, he triumphed with his father, who admitted him into the principal functions of government, and declared him by his will fole heir of the empire.

Titus being informed that the Romans murmured at his attachment to Berenice, the daughter of the great. Agrippa, he fent her away from Rome, notwithstanding their mutual affection. He then gave his whole attention to the making of his people happy. He was liberal, acceffible, and held it for a maxim, that no perfon ought to go away fad from the prefence of his prince; and one night recollecting that he had done nothing that day in the way of beneficence, he faid to thofe at table with him, "My friends, I have loft this day!" He was not rigorous against any but informers, whom he punished with feverity, to fecure the repofe of families. The feveral misfortunes which afflicted Italy during his reign, made his tenderness, and his attention to comfort his people to shine forth more confpicuously. The eruption of Mount Vefuvius ruined a great part of Campania, a fire at Rome lafted three days and three nights; and this accident was followed by the most dreadful plague that Rome had ever felt. Titus had recourfe to all remedies, divine and human, and afforded the people all the relief he was able. He enjoyed that fatisfaction which accompanies the conftant practice of virtue. He fell ill in the country of the Sabines, where he died after a reign of little more than two years, in the 43d

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of his age, and 81ft of Jefus Chrift. He was bitterly lamented by ftrangers, as well as the Romans, who gave him the title of Delicia humani generis," the delight of mankind,' and confecrated temples, and offered facrifices to his me

mory.

He used to fay, "That it was a great error to think that it is enough for princes to have a fuperficial tincture of learning; for being established by God for the government of their people, they are obliged to learn perfectly every thing that is neceffary for that end, that they may be capable of judging of things by their own knowledge, and not depend on the information of others; that it is better to be altogether ignorant, than half learned, because ignorance makes one distrust himself, and take counfel of others; whereas an imperfect and fuperficial knowledge fills a man with vain prefumption, which is the cause, that imagining that he knows what he is ignorant of, he is perpetually falling into mistakes."

He ufed alfo to fay, "That men in elevated ftations of life, ought to hazard their poffeffions, their fortune, their places, and whatever was dearest to them, rather than be guilty or participate of the leaft injuftice; rather than omit the leaft part of their duty; rather than be filent when they are obliged to speak, rather than fpeak, when they are obliged to be filent; rather than act, when they are obliged notto act, and rather than not to act, when there is an obligation to act."

Some Seafonable Reflections on State Penfioners, and the Legality of the Irish Penfions.

F we look back to what is recorded in the hiftory of England towards the latter part of the reign of king Charles II. we shall find that the house of Commons being fenfible how narrowly this nation had escaped being ruined by a fort of monfters called penfioners, which fat in the long Parliament, had entered into a confideration how to prevent the like from coming into future parliaments; and in order thereto refolved, that they would feverely chaftife fome of those that had been guilty, and make the best laws they could to prevent the like for the future: And for that purpose a committee was appointed, of which Mr. Serjeant Gregory, afterwards judge Gregory, was chairman; by which many papers relating to that affair came into his hands.

We

We cannot date from hence the era of political corruption ; we find ftrong fymptoms of it fo far back as the reign of Richard II. when the mode of packing parliaments was introduced. Who fhould think, that foon after the revolution, when a line was drawn between the prerogatives of the king, and the liberties of the people, when our conftitution feemed to have acquired full confiftence, vigour and stabili ty, that the very men, who laboured to perfect this glorious work, could procure the nation to be delivered over to plunder to them? And who fhould think, that a Walpole could imagine that a family adopted to support that constitution, wanted, for their own fupport on the throne, to pack and debauch a parliament by places, penfions, and all the fervile arts of venality and corruption? The bare-faced practice is now arrived to a pitch, in the highest degree equally shameful and deteftable; and it is fo pernicious in its confequences to the well-being of the ftate, that it ought never to be palliated, much less forgotten, or the profecution of it deferred.

It has been often faid, that England can never be destroyed but by itself. To have placemen and penfioners in parliament, was the most likely way that ever was yet invented. Some of our great lawyers, when this matter was debated towards the clofe of king Charles IId's long parliament, were of opinion that it was treafon, and they gave many learned arguments to make it out. Whether fo or not, may now be unneceffary for difcuffion, but it may be thought that the legiflators of the nation for taking bribes, and fo undermining the laws and government of this nation, ought to be chastised as traitors.

It has been commonly obferved of all penfioners and placemen in parliament, that they vote of a fide as directed by fome great officer, and as exactly as if their bufinefs in the houfe had been to preferve their pentions and offices, and not to make laws for the good of them that fent them there. How fuch perfons can any way be ufeful for the fupport of government, by preferving a fair understanding between the king and his people, but on the contrary how dangerous to bring in arbitrary power, is left to every man's judgment. So far are they from being the true reprefentatives of the people, that they are a diftinct middle intereft between the king and the people; and their chief bufinefs is to ferve the end of fome minifter, whether occult or oftenfible, though never fo oppofite to the true intereft of the nation. Reproaches and invectives against a conduct of this kind, ought never to fall, and it is the intereft of the nation it fhould be profecuted

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