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giment cheated of its Cloathing? or fraudulent Bargains driven for Bread or Forage? when the Profit of a fingle Contract, may be greater than the Value of the Poft that may be loft by it.

T

LETTER IX.

1694.

HE Public Bufinefs has been at a Stand while we have been opening a new Scene, tracing the fecret Methods which are fometimes pursued in procuring Bills to pass in Parliament. It feems the East-India Company have been placing Sums in proper Hands. The Speaker and Mr. Hungerford are expelled; the Speaker's Bribe was One Thousand Pounds, Mr. Hungerford's but poor Thirty Guineas. Surely he thought, he was taking a Fee in Westminster-Hall! It is unhappy for us that fuch Inftances are found in our Senate. Venalis Populus, Venalis Curia Patrum, was the State of Rome finking into Slavery; it is a Symptom of a diftempered Conftitution, and threatens our Destruction, if we do not aid ourfelves with brisk Remedies. It cafts the feverest Blemish on the Age we live in, that even a reasonable Bill fhall meet with Rubs, and perhaps mifcarry, if it do not purchase its Paffage.

I believe it was never doubted, but the Corruption of Bribery alone, has always been fufficient to ruin any free People among whom it grew predominant; unless you will chufe to fay, that it never came alone. It is attended with falfe Friendfhip, Breach of Faith, Perjury, Neglect of the public Intereft, infatiable Avarice, public' Poverty, private Wealth, boundless Luxury, endless

Extortion, Fraud in all Offices, Rapine, and Oppreffion in all the Provinces. It is no Wonder in fuch a Situation, that the People fhould wifh for a Change of any Sort; for like a fick Perfon in grie-vous bodily Pain, they flatter themselves, that any Alteration must happen for the better.

And yet, to get rid of this Army of Monsters, I never can think it neceffary to have Recourfe to Lycurgus's Scheme, to banish Gold and Silver, and leave no better Money than Iron. This Expedient might fuit a Tract of Land about the Size of one of our Counties, inhabited by ten or twenty thousand Families who lived upon their Labour and the Fruits of their own Soil; but the World is not thus divided at this Day. We could not fet forth a British Fleet on fuch a Fund, to keep what we have got abroad, or even to maintain us in. Poffeffion of our Home.

We need only go to Holland to obferve that a People may love Money very well, without having an Opportunity to fell Juftice, or their Country. There will always be found a fufficient Number of honeft Men to ferve the State, if you reduce the Value of the great Employments Ninety per Cent. from Thousands to Hundreds per Ann. A good Man will only defire to be indemnified as to the Expences of his Attendance (Moderate Expences I mean.) Thus may the most confiderable. Offices be filled with the worthieft Patriots unri valled by the Mercenaries. But inftead of redu cing great Employments to the Value of a competent Subfiftence for the Poffeffors; we can fhew a fingle Poft, which half a dozen People may enjoy at once, and every one of them make a Fortune by it.

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LETTER X.

1695-6.

THE exorbitant Grants which have been made to fome Favourites, have juftly roufed the Spirit of the Commons of England. The Earl of Portland particularly has fo far exceeded all Bounds of Modesty, that he has got little less than the Principality of Wales, and the Lands and Lordships that fhould fupport the Heir-Apparent of England, are given to this Lord. The Houfe has this Day unanimoufly addreffed against this Grant, and had a gracious Answer, that it should be refumed. They came into this Temper chiefly in Confequence of an incomparable Speech which Mr. Price the Lawyer made on the Occafion: It has that Eloquence and strong Reasoning in it, which are worthy the Character of a Man of Learning and Understanding, and that bold Freedom which becomes an English Patriot in his Place in Parliament. When great Men obtain Grants like these, it is well they do not ask the Kingdom alfo. I fend you an Extract of Mr. Price's Speech, viz. This Petition, fays he, tho' fubfcribed only by a few Hands, has the Approbation of many Thoufands who are not influenced by their own Intereft, but act for the Honour of the Crown and Welfare of the British Nation.

If I could conceive how the Glory and Grandeur of England is, or can be upheld by a poor landlefs Crown, and a miserable neceffitous People, I might then be eafily perfuaded to believe, that his Majefty is well advised to grant away all the Revenues of the Crown; and that his Govern

ment

ment will thereby be well fecured, and his People beft protected, when they have little or nothing left; but I am sure they are not English, but Foreign Politicians, who can revere the King, and yet hate his People. The Kings of England always reign beft, when they have the Affections of their Subjects, of which they are secure when the People are fenfible, the King is entirely in their Intereft, and loves the English Soil as well as the People's Money.

I must needs confefs, that my Thoughts are troubled with ftrange Apprehenfions of our deplorable State: We are in a Confederacy in War; and fome of thofe Confederates our Enemies in Trade, tho' planted amongst us, fome in the King's Council; fome in the Army; and the Common Traders have poffeffed themselves of the Outskirts of this great City. We find some of them Naturalized, and others made Denizens: In every Parliament we find Endeavours for a general Naturalization, and that warmly follicited from Court.

We fee our good Coin all gone, and our Confederates openly coining Dutch Money of a base Alloy for us. We fee moft Places of Power and Profit given to Foreigners. We fee our Confederates in Conjunction with the Scots to ruin our English Trade. We see the Revenues of the Crown daily given away to one or other, who make Sale of them, and tranfmit their Eftates elsewhere. We do not find any of them buy Lands or Estates amongst us; but what they can get from us, they fecure in their own Country. How can we hope for happy Days in England, when This great Lord, and the Other, Foreigners (tho' Naturalized) are in the English, and alfo in the Dutch Councils?

If

If thefe Strangers (tho' now Confederates) fhould be of different Interefts (as moft plainly they are in Point of Trade) to which Intereft is it to be fuppofed thofe great Foreign Counsellors and Favourites would adhere? So that I forefee, that when we are reduced to extreme Poverty (as now we are very near it) we are to be fupplanted by our Neighbours, and become a Colony to the Dutch.

I fhall make no fevere Remarks on this great Man, for his Greatness makes us Little, and will make the Crown both poor and precarious; and when GOD fhall please to fend us a Prince of Wales, he may have fuch a Prefent of a Crown made him as a Pope did to King John, who was Sur-named Sans-Terre, and was by his Father, King Henry the Second, made Lord of Ireland: Which Grant was confirmed by the Pope, who fent him a Crown of Peacock's Feathers, in Derifion of his Power, and the Poverty of his Re

venue.

I would have us to confider that we are Englishmen; and muft (like good Patriots) ftand by our Country, and not fuffer it to become tributary to Strangers. We have rejoiced that we have beat out of this Kingdom Popery and Slavery, and do now with as great Joy entertain Socinianism and Poverty, and yet we fee our Properties daily given away, and our Liberties muft foon follow.

I defire Redrefs rather than Punishment; therefore I fhall neither move for an Impeachment against this noble Lord, nor for the Banishment of Him; but fhall only beg that he may have no Power over us, nor we any Dependance upon Him.

Then he concluded with a Motion for the Ad

drefs.

LET

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