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[1] THE obliging Manner in which you received my former Letter, has encouraged me to trouble you again. A Correspondence with a Gentleman so heartily engag'd in his Country's Interest, is highly agreeable to me.
[2] YOU have touch'd upon the great Increase of our National Debts, and have observ'd, that Two visible Causes of it, have been the Mediterranean and Baltick Squadrons.
[3] BUT after all, Sir, what a glorious and happy Way of spending our Money is this, if compar'd with what I have just read in an admir'd Author?
[4] “A STRANGER having publickly said, that he could teach Dionysius the Tyrant of Syracuse, an infallible Way to find out and discover all the Conspiracies which his Subjects should contrive against him; Dionysius hearing of it, caus'd the Man to be brought to him, that he might learn an Art so necessary to his Preservation; and having ask'd him, By what Art he might make such Discoveries? the Fellow made Answer, That he should give him a Talent, and afterwards boast that he had obtain'd some mighty Secret from him.”[8]
[5] TO what a miserable Condition were the Syracusian Subjects reduc'd, to have their Treasure lavish'd out in Sham-Contrivances against themselves?
[6] BUT this generally used to be the last Contrivance of such Powers, as were too tyrannical and hated to support themselves by any other means.
[7] NO one can be so Malicious or Weak as to imagine, here is any Reflection intended upon any Gentleman who has the Honour to be intrusted with the Care of the National Revenue. It would be injurious to suppose,
[8] AS to the 300 l. indeed, which is said to have been given to Neyno, with a Promise of 2000 more, if it was true, that may serve for a Warning to all others, How they receive any Money of that Kind, since Neyno lost his Life so soon after it.
[9] AS to the Proposal which Mr. Kelly declared to the Lords, was made to him by an Under-Secretary, by Order of his Superior, that casts no Reflection upon the Exchequer, it not appearing that he was to have any Present of the Nation's Money; for the Proposal being general, no one can say, but that it might be some Place, and not any Money, that was intended to be the Reward of his telling Truth.
[10] THE Lady who was depriv'd of her Liberty on Suspicion of aiding and abetting a Nurse of the Pretender's Child, was not loaded with Irons, nor committed to Newgate: She was only deliver'd over to Buggs in a Messenger's House, and was allow'd to speak to her Children thro' a Window, for some Months together. She has since been admitted to Bail, and her Friends hope she will not be try'd for Milk-Treason.
[11] IF any one should be so Fantastical[9] as to suspect that the 200,000 l. which the Bishop of Rochester is said to have receiv'd, and the 50,000 l. which an Alderman is reported to have carry'd Abroad, must, by the Greatness of the Sums, have had Assistance from the Exchequer, I shall only reply to such imaginary Heads, That such conjectural Circumstances cannot be allow'd as any Evidence of the Thing, unless they had been declared so, by a Vote of Parliament.
[12] EVERY one's General Character is his best Defence.[10] A Gentleman who has been known to be too honourable to take a Bribe, [11] at a Time when it was very convenient, may very well be suppos'd to be neither subject to the Power of Money himself, nor inclin'd to corrupt other People with it.
[13] BUT after all, the highest and even undeniable Evidence of the Integrity of all our Ministers, is, The Exemplary Punishments they have lately set on foot.—Every Bill of Pains and Penalties is to me a plain Proof, that there is neither Bribery, nor Corruption, nor Abuse of Power, nor Breach of Trust,[12] nor any Ill-Conduct, that can ever be charg'd upon any of our Ministers. These are a Sort of Death's Head, that must appear at all
[14] NAY, by the Bills that have lately passed, it seems not sufficient for any Minister to be innocent himself, unless all those who are employed with him be so likewise.—For if the Corruption and Villainy of any Minister, should raise an Odium [14] against them all, and put them all in one Bill, without suffering any one to excuse or defend himself, such a Bill need go no farther back for an exact Precedent for such Justice in the Lump, than to the South-Sea Directors Act.
[15] EVERY Vote in either House of Parliament to make any Hear- say [15] Accusation, or other Circumstance, be received as Evidence, is a sufficient Declaration to the Kingdom, that those at the Helm, never intend to be subject to any Hear-say Crime, or to come near the smallest Circumstances of Guilt.
[16] THESE Bills, as they declare the Innocency of the Ministry, so do they give a convincing Proof of the happy Union between the Court and Parliament, there having never been seen a more general Concurrence in full Parliament, than on that Occasion.
[17] THE Persons that opposed these Bills, being only such as have neither Places nor Pensions, may be easily supposed to be out of Temper, and through such Resentment not be able to see so clearly as those who, by their favourable Situation, have their Minds more at Ease.
[18] IT is a ridiculous Thing, to suppose, that Justice and Honour are less regarded by those who have Places or Pensions, than those that have them not. On the contrary, we ought to believe those most Just and Honourable, who have receiv'd such Marks of Royal Favour; and that it is their Justice and Integrity that have intitled them to such Rewards. As Gentlemen in the Army, have Commissions given, and are made Generals, not to teach them Courage and Bravery, but because they are known to be Brave and Courageous; so Pensions are conferr'd, not to Bribe Men to be Just and Honourable, but because they are so of themselves.
[19] THAT this is true, not only appears from the Persons who have Pensions, but also from this, That as soon as they seem but to swerve from the smallest Instances of Truth and Integrity, their Pensions are withdrawn.
[20] SO that though it may have some Appearance of Hardship for a
[21] THE Pretender's late Secretary is just arrived in England, where he has both his Estate and Honour to seek; and if, in such a Case, He should be allowed a small Pension for the Encouragement of Integrity, what True Briton would think much of the Expence? Or, suppose his Falseness should intitle him to a Reward, we may be sure, it is such a Falseness, as is as useful as Truth, or else it will not be rewarded.
[22] THAT Gentleman has nothing but an Attainder by Parliament to get off, in Order to be in Statu Quo; [16] and I suppose there is one who can prove it to be the Blackest [17] of Crimes, for any Gentleman to vote against it. —I long to hear some Court-Orators set forth this Gentleman's Merit!
[23] I HAVE but one Argument against the Necessity of Pensions even for the Reward of Virtue, and that is taken from the Behaviour of the Scotch M—bers, and the English B—ps: The Unanimity of these Gentlemen in all the late Bills, is to me a convincing Argument, That Truth is the same in all Nations, and that People of different Northern Latitude may be equally Lovers of it.
[24] THE Roman Catholick Bill for raising 100,000l. upon their Estates, is another Instance of the Equity and Moderation of some Gentlemen: That Bill put the Statesman upon all his Methods, and was carry'd with much Difficulty: If it was any way expensive; if any Part of our National Trade was barter'd away for it; the Money which is to be raised by it, will be some Recompence.
[25] THE Gentleman to whose Care the Passing of that Bill is owing, being too modest to receive Honour himself at present, the Thanks will not be returned for it, 'till it can be done without any Appearance of Flattery.
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