fearching and feizing papers fhould revive; not that I am in pain of any danger to myfelf, (for they contain nothing of present times or perfons, upon which I fhall never lofe a thought while there is a cat or a spaniel in the house), but to preferve them from being loft among meffengers and clerks. I have written in this kingdom, a discourse to perfuade the wretched people to wear their own manufactures instead of thofe from England *. This treatife. foon spread very fast, being agreeable to the fentiments of the whole nation, except of those gentlemen who had employments, or were expectants. Upon which a perfon in great office here immediately took the alarm. He fent in hafte for the Chief Justice, and informed him of a feditious, factious, and virulent pamphlet, lately published, with a defign of fetting the two kingdoms at variance; directing at the fame time, that the printer fhould be profecuted with the utmoft rigour of law. The Chief Juftice had fo quick an understanding, that he refolved, if poffible, to outdo his orders. The grand juries of the county and city were practifed effectually with, to reprefent the faid pamphlet with all aggravating epithets; for which they had thanks fent them from England, and their prefentments published for feveral weeks in all the news-papers. The printer was seized, and forced to give great bail. After his trial the jury brought him in not guilty, although they had been culled with the utmost industry; the Chief Juftice fent them back nine times, and kept them eleven hours, until being perfectly tired out, they were forced to leave the matter to the mercy of the judge, by what they call a special verdict. During the trial, the Chief Juftice, among other fingularities, laid his hand on his breaft, and protefted folemnly, that the author's defign was to bring in the pretender; although there was not a fingle fyllable of party in the whole treatise, and although it was known, that the most eminent of thofe who profeffed his own principles, publicly difallowed his proceedings. But the caufe being fo very odious and impopular, the trial of the verdict was deferred' from * A propofal for the univerfal use of Irish manufactures, vol. 3. P. 3. Pope.. one one term to another, until, upon the Duke of G-ft-n the Lord Lieutenant's arrival, his Grace, after mature advice, and permission from England, was pleased to grant a, Noli profequi. This is the more remarkable, because it is faid that the man is no ill decider in common cafes of property, where party is out of the question: but when that intervenes, with ambition at heels to push it forward, it must needs confound any man of little fpirit and low. birth, who hath no other endowment than that fort of knowledge, which, however poffeffed in the highest degree, can poffibly give no one good quality to the mind * It is true, I have been much concerned for several years paft, upon account of the public as well as for myfelf, to fee how ill a taste for wit and fense prevails in the world, which politics, and South-fea, and party, and opera's, and mafquerades, have introduced. For, befides many infipid papers which the malice of fome hath intitled me to, there are many perfons appearing to wish me well, and pretending to be judges of my ftyle and manner, who have yet afcribed fome writings to me, of which any man of common sense and literature would be heartily ashamed. I cannot forbear instancing a trea This is a very strange affertion. To suppose that a confummate knowledge of the laws, by which civilized focieties are governed, can give no one good quality to the mind, is making ethics (of which public laws are fo confiderable a part) a very unprofitable study. The best divifion of the fciences is that old one of Plato, into ethics, phyfics, and logic. The feverer philofophers condemn a total application to the two latter, because they have no tendency to mend the heart; and recommend the first as our principal study, for its efficacy in this important service. And, fure, if any human fpeculations can mend the heart, they must be those which have man for their object, as a reasonable, a focial, and a civil being. And thefe are all included under ethics, whether you call the science morality or law. And with regard to the law of England, we must be much prejudiced against it, not to allow, that what Tully affirms concerning the law of the twelve tables, may with more juftice be applied to ours. Fremant omnes licet, dicam quod fentio: bibliothecas mehercule omnium philofophorum, unum mihi videtur Pande&arum volumen, et authoritatis pondere et utilitatis ubertate, fuperare. But the best proof of its moral efficacy, is the manners of its profeffors: and these, in every age, have been such as were the first improved, or the last corrupted. Warb, VOL. VIII. C tife tife called a Dedication upon dedications, which many would have to be mine; although it be as empty, dry, and fervile a compofition, as I remember at any time to have read. But, above all, there is one circumflance which makes it impossible for me to have been author of a treatife, wherein there are feveral pages containing a panegyric on King George; of whofe character and perfon I am utterly ignorant, nor ever had once the curi ofity to inquire into either, living at fo great a distance. as I do, and having long done with whatever can relate to public matters. Indeed, I have formerly delivered my thoughts very freely, whether I were asked or no; but never affected to be a counsellor, to which I had no manner of call. I was humbled enough to see myself so far outdone by the Earl of Oxford in my own trade as a scholar, and too good a courtier not to discover his contempt of those who would be men of importance out of their sphere. Befides, to say the truth, although I have known many great minifters ready enough to hear opinions, yet I have hardly feen one that would ever defcend to take advice and this pedantry arifeth from a maxim themfelves do not believe at the fame time they practife by it, That there is fomething profound in politics, which men of plain honeft fenfe cannot arrive to. I only wish my endeavours had fucceeded better in the great point I had at heart, which was that of reconciling the minifters to each other. This might have been done, if others who had more concern and more influence, would have acted their parts; and if this had fucceeded, the public intereft, both of church and state, would not have been the worse, nor the Proteftant fuc ceffion endangered. But, whatever opportunities a conftant attendance of four years might have given me for endeavouring to do good offices to particular perfons, I deferve at least to find tolerable quarter from thofe of the other party; for many of which I was a conftant advocate with the Earl of Oxford; and for this I appeal to his Lordship. He knows how often I preffed him in favour of Mr Addifon, Mr Congreve, Mr Rowe, and Mr Steele; although I freely confefs, that his Lordship's kindness to them them was altogether owing to his generous notions, and the esteem he had for their wit and parts, of which I could only pretend to be a remembrancer. For I can never forget the answer he gave to the late Lord Halifax, who, upon the firft change of the ministry, interceded with him to fpare Mr Congreve. It was by repeating these two lines of Virgil, Non obtufa adeo geftamus pectora Pani, Nec tam averfus equos Tyria Sol jungit ab urbe. Purfuant to which he always treated Mr Congreve with the greatest perfonal civilities, affuring him of his constant favour and protection; and adding, that he would tudy to do fomething better for him. I remember it was in thofe times a ufual fubject of raillery towards me among the minifters, That I never came to them without a Whig in my fleeve; which I do not fay with any view towards making my court: for the new principles * fixed to thofe of that denomination, I did then, and do now from my heart abhor, deteft, and abjure, as wholly degenerate from their predeceffors. I have converfed in fome freedom with more minifters of state of all parties than ufually hap pens to men of my level; and I confefs, in their capacity as minifters, I look upon them as a race of people whofe acquaintance no man would court, otherwife than upon the fcore of vanity or ambition. The firft quick. ly wears off, (and is the vice of low minds; for a man of spirit is too proud to be vain), and the other was not my cafe. Befides, having never received more than one small favour, I was under no neceffity of being a flave to men in power; but chofe my friends by their perfonal merit, without examining how far their notions agreed with the politics then in vogue. I fre quently converfed with Mr Addifon, and the others I named, (except Mr Steele), during all my Lord Oxford's miniftry; and Mr Addifon's friendship to me continued inviolable, with as much kindness as when we used to He means particularly the principle at that time charged upon them by their enemies, of an intention to profcribe the Tories. Warb. meet at my Lord Sommers * or Halifax, who were leaders of the opposite party. I would infer from all this, that it is with great injuftice I have these many years been pelted by your pamphleteers, merely upon account of fome regard which the Queen's last minifters were pleased to have for me and yet in my confcience I think I am a par. taker in every ill defign they had against the Protestant fucceffion, or the liberties and religion of their country; and can fay with Cicero, “ that I fhould be proud to be "included with them in all their actions, tanquam in "equo Trojano." But if I have never discovered, by my words, writings, or actions, any party-virulence †, or dangerous defigus against the prefent powers; if my friendship and converfation were equally fhewn among thofe who liked or difproved the proceedings then at court, and that I was known to be a common friend of all deferving persons of the latter fort, when they were in diftrefs; I cannot but think it hard, that I am not fuffered to run quietly among the common herd of ple, whofe opinions unfortunately differ from thofe which lead to favour and preferment. peo I ought to let you know, that the thing we called a Whig in England, is a creature altogether different from thofe of the fame denomination here; at least it was fo during the reign of her late Majefty. Whether those on your fide have changed or no, it hath not been my business to inquire. I remember my excellent friend Mr Addison, when he first came over hither fecretary to the Earl of Wharton, then Lord Lieutenant, was extremely offended at the conduct and difcourfe of the chief managers here. He told me, they were a sort of people who seemed 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 mini * Lord Sommers had very warmly recommended Dr Swift to the favour of Lord Wharton, when he went the Queen's Lieutenant into Ireland in the year 1709. Warb. + The Examiners, I fuppofe, were not then published amongst the Dean's works. Warb. fter |