Wharton then Lord Lieutenant, was extremely offended at the conduct and difcourfe of the Chief Managers here: He told me they were a fort of people who feemed to think, that the principles of a Whig confifted in nothing elfe but damning the Church, reviling the Clergy, abetting the Diffenters, and speaking contemptibly of revealed Religion.

I was difcourfing fome years ago with a certain Minister about that whiggish or fanatical Genius, fo prevalent among the English of this kingdom! his Lordship accounted for it by that number of Cromwell's Soldiers, adventurers eftablished here, who were all of the fourest leven, and the meanest birth, and whofe pofterity are now in poffeffion of their lands and their principles. However, it must be confeffed, that of late fome people in this country are grown weary of quarrelling, because intereft, the great motive of quarrelling, is at an end; for, it is hardly worth contending who fhall be an Exciseman, a Country-Vicar, a Cryer in the Courts, or an Under-Clerk.

You will perhaps be inclined to think, that a perfon fo ill treated as I have been, must at some time or other have difcovered very dangerous opinions in government; in anfwer to which, I will tell you what my Political principles were in the time of her late glorious Majefty, which I never contradicted by any action, writing, or discourse,

First, I always declared myself against a Popish Succeffor to the Crown, whatever Title he might have by the próximity of blood: Neither did I ever regard the right line, except upon two accounts: first, as it was established by law; and fecondly, as it hath much weight in the opinions of the people. For neceffity may abolish any Law, but cannot alter the fentiments of the vulgar; Right of inheritance being perhaps the most popular of. С 2

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all topics and therefore in great Changes when that is broke, there will remain much heart-burne ing and difcontent among the meaner people; which (under a weak Prince and corrupt Admini. ftration) may have the worst copsequences upon the peace of any ftate.

As to what is called a Revolution-principle, my opinion was this; That whenever thofe evils, which ufually attend and follow a violent change of Government, were not in probability fo pernicious as the grievance we fuffer under a prefent power, then the public good will justify fuch a Revolution. And this I took to have been the case in the Prince of Orange's Expedition, although in the confequences it produced fome very bad effects, which are likely to stick long enough by us.

I had likewife in thofe days a mortal antipathy against Standing Armies in times of Peace: Becaufe I always took Standing Armies to be only fervants hired by the Master of the family for keeping his own children in slavery; and because I conceived, that a Prince, who could not think himfelf fecure without Mercenary Troops, muft needs have a separate intereft from that of his Subjects. Although I am not ignorant of those artificial Neceffities which a corrupted Miniftry can create, for keeping up Forces to fupport a Faction against the publick Interest.

As to Parliaments, I adored the wisdom of that Gothic Inftitution, which made them annual: and I was confident our Liberty could never be placed upon a firm foundation until that ancient law were restored among us. For, who fees not, that, while fuch Affemblies are permitted to have a longer duration, there grows up a commerce of corruption between the Miniftry and the Deputies, wherein they both find their accounts, to the manifeft danger of Liberty? which Traffic would neither an

fwer

fwer the defign nor expence, if Parliaments met once a year.

I ever abominated that scheme of Politics, (now about thirty years old) of fetting up a monied Interest in oppofition to the landed. For I conceived, there could not be a truer maxim in our Government than this, That the Poffeffors of the foil are the best Judges of what is for the advantage of the kingdom. If others had thought the fame way, Funds of Credit and South-fea Projects would neither have been felt nor heard of.

I could never difcover the neceffity of fufpending any Law upon which the Liberty of the moft innocent perfons depended; neither do I think this Practice hath made the taste of Arbitrary Power fo agreeable, as that we should defire to fee it repeated. Every Rebellion fubdued and Plot difcovered, contribute to the firmer establishment of the Prince: In the latter cafe, the knot of Confpirators is entirely broke, and they are to begin their work anew under a thoufand difadvantages; fo that those diligent enquiries into remote and problematical guilt, with a new power of enforcing them by chains and dungeons to every person whose face a Minifter thinks fit to diflike, are not only oppofite to that Maxim, which declareth it better that ten guilty men fhould efcape, than one innocent fuffer; but 1kewife leave a gate wide open to the whole Tribe of Informers, the moft accurfed, and prostitute, and abandoned race, that God ever permitted to plague mankind.

It is true the Romans had a custom of chufing a Dictator, during whofe adminiftration the Power of other Magiftrates was fufpended; but this was done upon the greatest emergencies; a War near their doors, or fome civil Diffention: For Armies must be governed by arbitrary power. But when the Virtue of that Commonwealth gave place to

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luxury

luxury and ambition, this very office of Dictator became perpetual in the perfons of the Cæfars and their Succeffors, the most infamous Tyrants that have any where appeared in ftory.

These are fome of the fentiments I had, relating to publick affairs, while I was in the world: what they are at prefent, is of little importance either to that or myfelf; neither can I truly fay I have any at all, or, if I had, I dare not venture to publifh them: For however orthodox they may be while I am now writing, they may become criminal enough to bring me into trouble before-midfummer. And indeed I have often wifhed for fome time paft, that a political Catechism might be publifhed by authority four times a year, in order to inftruct us how we are to speak, write, and act dur ing the current quarter. I have by experience felt the want of fuch an inftructer: For, intending to make my court to fome people on the prevailing fide, by advancing certain old whiggifh principles, which, it feems, had been exploded about a month before, I have paffed for a difaffected perfon. I am not ignorant how idle a thing it is, for a man in obfcurity to attempt defending his reputation as a Writer, while the spirit of Faction hath fo univerfally poffeffed the minds of men, that they are not at leisure to attend to any thing elfe.... They will just give themselves time to libel and accufe me, but cannot spare a minute to hear my defence. So in a plot-difcovering age, I have often known an innocent man feized and imprisoned, and forced to lie feveral months in chains, while the Minifters were not at leisure to hear his petition, until they had profecuted and hanged the number they propofed.

All I can reasonably hope for by this letter, is to convince my friends, and others who are pleased: to wifh me well, that I have neither been fa ill a

Subject

Subject nor fo ftupid an Author, as I have been reprefented by the virulence of Libellers, whofe malice hath taken the fame train in both, by fathering dangerous Principles in government upon me, which I never maintained, and infipid Productions, which I am not capable of writing. For, however I may have been foured by perfonal ill treatment, or by melancholy prospects for the public, I am too much a politician to expose my own fafety by offenfive words. And, if my genius and spirit be funk by encreafing years, I have at least enough difcretion left, not to mistake the measure of my own abilities, by attempting fubjects where thofe Talents are neceffary, which perhaps I may have loft with my. youth.

LETTER VI.

Dr. SWIFT to Mr. GAY.

Dublin, Jan. 8, 1722-3.

OMING home after a fhort Chriftmas ram

Cble, I found a letter upon my table, and little

expected when I opened it to read your name at the bottom. The best and greatest part of my life, until these last eight years, I spent in England; there I made my friendships, and there I left my defires. I am condemned for ever to another country; what is in prudence to be done? I think, to be oblitufque meorum, oblivifcendus illis. What can be the defign of your letter but malice, to wake me out! of a fcurvy fleep, which however is better than none? I am towards nine years older fince I left you, yet that is the left of my alterations; my bufinefs, my diverfions, my converfations, are all entirely changed for the worfe, and fo are my ftudies

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