occafionally a party-affair. In ENGLAND, we divide not only about important national concerns; but if a cook-maid tells a lamentable ftory of her being dragged. feveral miles, and kept fafting feveral days; or if animpoftor fets up 'a parchment goblin [f], the nationprefently splits into two oppofite factions on the mat-ter, and we go to battling it, as if pro aris et focis.

WHEN We get a few years beyond a period of na-tional commotion, we can command a fufficient mea. fure of tranquillity, to look back with wonder on our own weakness, in fuffering ourselves to be worked. up to fuch a tempeft, about a matter fo frivolous.

WHO does not now ftand astonished at the violence of popular diffenfion on occafion of fo foolish a business as SACHEVEREL's controverfy?" The church," they cried," is in danger!" The only connexion I know of between a church and danger, is, the danger of a church's getting too much power into her hands, and. turning religion into a mere ftate-engine [g].

WHO does not now wonder at the zeal of the good. people of England, on occafion of the conteft betweenSir R. W. and Mr. P. afterwards E. of B. Did the latter give any affurance that he would redress one: B 4 grievance

[f] This refers to the histories of ELIZABETH CAN-NING, and the Cock-lane GHOST. CRITO MINOR. [g] I wonder the author fhould not think of the danger of an old church's being blown down in a high wind. CRITO MINOR,

grievance of the former administration? When he got into power, did he depart one step from the path, in which his predeceffor had walked? And yet were we not, upon the expulfion of the former party, and the establishment of the latter, as happy as if all our complaints had been redreffed? And this ftale dog-trick, (I ask the reader's pardon for ufing fo genteel a word on fo dirty a fubject) has been with fuccefs played over and over, both before and fince. We fee ourselves repeatedly gulled by the falfe pretences of a fet of ambitious or avaritious men, who fet us a-raving for their profit; and we go on from age to age, quarrelling we know not about what, and agreeing again we know not how; wafting our blood and treasure in windmill wars, and our ink in party-pamphlets, the paper of which would, if unftained, have bottomed goofe-pies, or wrapped fpice, with equal fuccefs; in calling one another nick-names [b], with as much zeal, as if names changed natures; in hating one another for judging differently of what tends moft to the general advantage; and, in short, in doing every thing, but growing wifer. For my part, I am determined not to make to myself a graven image, or the likeness of any thing in the court above, or in the minority beneath, to bow down to it, or worship it.

In phyfics, it is found, that bodies heated to a great degree are proportionably long in cooling. It is not

fo

[b] Whig, Tory, Majority, Minority, Jacobite, Difaffected, Outs, Ins, Courtiers, Patriots, Rogues all. Vide fifty thousand pamphlets, and fifty millions of news papers. CRITO MINOR,

1

fo in politics. A free people are fometimes obferved to be very fuddenly heated to an extreme degree, and as fuddenly cooled. How long it may be before the good people of England will be cool enough to look back on the tranfactions of the last decad of years, with the fame eye of tranquillity, as we now do on those I have referred to, page 7, it is impoffible to determine. But whenever they do, I am inclinable to think, it will not be without the fame wonder, as we now review the Sacheverelian, and Walpolio-Pultneian controverfies..

It is pity, the independent people do not judge more confiftently. If they did, they would throw thẻ whole blame of political misconduct upon the miniftry, and cut off all recrimination. It is likewife pity, on the other hand, that ministers do not shew themselves unbiaffed by indirect views. They would by that means roll over, upon the broad shoulders of the people, the whole charge of every miscarriage As matters are now managed between minifters and people, the former screen their mal-adminiftration under the plaufible defence of their being forced, by the inconfiftent clamours of the latter, into measures, which their better judgment difapproves of; and the latter juftly accufe the former of worming themfelves into power and place, with the view of aggrandizing themselves and their families, much more than of ferving their country. There is this difference however, between minifters and people, that minifters may be actuated by wrong motives, and are, befides, as liable to be mifled

B 5

mifled, as other men, even when difpofed, which, in christian charity, I fincerely believe happens very rarely, to be faithful to their truft. The independent people, on the contrary, are only liable to be deceived. They have no indirect view in stickling for or againft a miniftry. There may, therefore, be more hope of fetting the judgment of the undefigning people right, than of reforming the bad difpofitions of crafty ministers.

It would be a confiderable advance toward helping the well-meaning, but misled people, to a founder way of judging in political matters, if they could be brought to fee their former inconfiftencies. For example,

ONE would imagine, on hearing the loud complaints. we have of late been used to, of inadequate treaties, excises, and secretary's warrants (fore evils under the fun, no doubt) that we fhould be equally fevere on all, who ever had any hand in fuch mal-administrations; that is, on all miniftries. But, no fuch matter. The good people of England confider it as a part of their birth-right privilege, that they fhall not be confined to blame, or commend, uniformly ; but shall be free to execrate in one miniftry the very measures they allowed in another. They infift that they shall be at liberty to celebrate a noble duke for refusing a penfion, and to approve of a great c- ·r for accepting one; to own the juftness of CROMWELL'S maxime, "Hang well, "and pay well, and you fhall be well ferved;" and yet to approve of the endeavours of a popular gentleman in

favour

favour of a cowardly admiral [i]; to pour contempt on a noble peer, who had very justly loft his popularity, and a few months afterwards approve of his being joined in the administration with one, who has always been, with great reafon, fupremely popular; to call one minister a white horse, and the other a black, and then infift on their being yoked together; to execrate the Tories for mal-administration, and think themselves well ruined, if they are ruined by Whigs. The confiftency of these arbitrary approbations and difapprobations, is, I muft confefs, beyond the reach of my fathoming line.

WILL it not be, hereafter, when the party-fever comes to cool, thought a little unfteady, that we should celebrate the fame perfon for violently oppofing continental connexions, and for violently promoting them. The reader is defired to take notice, that none of these : remarks are intended as any reflexion on a character, which, in fpite of frailty, infeparable from all human : characters, will ever command admiration. I only mean to fuggeft, that we should better fhew our wifdom by laying down certain well-founded principles, and uniformly keeping to them; than by making, as we too commonly do in this country, a god of one man, and a devil of another; and then promifcoufly B 6 applaud

[i] WHOSE exemplary punishment was precifely what firft gave fpirit to the late war; the fuccefs of which, but for that salutary measure, might have proved very different from what it did: and this measure Mr. P. opposed.

CRITO MINOR.'.