me from the duties which I owe to the service of my king and country, but that, with a true English heart, I shall discharge myself as faithfully, and as really, to the extent of my poor power, as any man whose honours or whose offices most strictly oblige him."

With admirable self-possession, Eliot then resumed his speech at the very point of interruption, and continued to urge the madness of breaking peace with France at a time so emphatically unfortunate. "You know," he said, "the dangers Denmark was in, and how much they concerned us; what in respect of our alliance and the country; what in the importance of the Sound; (what an advantage to our enemies the gain thereof would be!) What loss then, what prejudice to us, by this disunion! we breaking upon France, France enraged by us, and the Netherlands at amazement between both! no longer could we intend to aid that luckless king, whose loss is our disaster." Here Eliot, having, as it appears to me, reduced the matter ad absurdum, suddenly turned round to the ministerial bench. "Can those, now, that express their troubles at the hearing of these things, and have so often told us, in this place, of their knowledge in the conjunctures and disjunctures of affairs, say, they advised in this? Was this an act of council, Mr. Speaker? I have more charity than to think it; and, unless they make a confession of themselves, I cannot believe it.”

The orator now, under cover of a discussion of a third division of his argument, "the insufficiency and unfaithfulness of our generals," dragged Buckingham personally upon the scene. For a moment, however, before doing this, he paused. "What shall I say? I wish there were not cause to mention it; and, but out of apprehension of the danger that is to come, if the like choice hereafter be not prevented, I could willingly be silent. But my duty to my sovereign, my service to this house, and the safety and honour of my country, are above all respects; - and what so nearly trenches to the prejudice of this, must not, shall not, be forborne."

Then followed this bitter and searching exposure of the incapacity of Buckingham in his various actions. How much its effect is increased by the ominous omission of his name!

"At Cadiz, then, in that first expedition we made, when we arrived and found a conquest ready, - (the Spanish ships I mean, which were fit for the satisfaction of a voyage; and of which some of the chiefest then there themselves, have since assured me, that the satisfaction would have been sufficient, either in point of honour, or in point of profit,) - why was it neglected ? why was it not achieved ? it being of all hands granted, how feasible it was?

"After, when with the destruction of some of our men, and with the exposition of some others, who (though their fortunes since have not been such) by chance came off, - when, I say with the loss of our serviceable men, that unserviceable fort was gained, and the whole army landed; - why was there nothing done? - why was there nothing attempted? If nothing was intended, wherefore did they land? If there was a service, wherefore were they shipped again?

"Mr. Speaker, it satisfies me too much in this, when I think of their dry and hungry march into that drunken quarter (for so the soldiers termed it), where was the period of their journey, that divers of our men, being left as a sacrifice to the enemy, the general's labour was at an end!"

"For the next undertaking at Rhée I will not trouble you much, - only this in short. Was not that whole action carried against the judgment and opinion of those officers that were of the council? Was not the first, was not the last, was not all, in the landing, in

the intrenching, in the continuance there, in the assault, in the retreat, without their assent? Did any advice take place of such as were of the council? If there should be made a particular inquisition thereof, these things will be manifest, and more! - I will not instance the manifesto that was made for the reason of these arms; nor by whom, nor in what manner, nor on what grounds, it was published; nor what effects it hath wrought, drawing, as it were, almost the whole world into league against us; - nor will I mention the leaving of the wines, or the leaving of the salt, which were in our possession, and of a value, as it is said, to answer much of our expense ; - nor that great wonder which no Alexander or Cæsar ever did, the enriching of the enemy by courtesies when our soldiers wanted help 1; nor the private intercourses and parleys with the fort, which continually were held; - what all these intended may be read in the success, and upon due examination thereof, they would not want their proofs!"

Eliot passed to the consideration of "the ignorance and corruption of our ministers." "Where, he asked, "can you miss of instances? If you survey the court, if you survey the country; if the church, if the city be examined; if you observe the bar, if the bench; if the ports, if the shipping; if the land, if the seas, - all these will render you variety of proofs, and that in such measure and proportion as shows the greatness of our disease to be such, that, if there be not some speedy application for remedy, our case is almost desperate."

Eliot here paused for a few moments. "Mr. Speaker," he said, "I fear I have been too long in these particulars that are passed, and am unwilling to offend you; therefore in the rest I shall be shorter." As he condenses his statements, it will be seen he becomes more terrible.

" In that which concerns the impoverishing of the king, no other arguments will I use than such as all men grant. The exchequer, you know, is empty, and the reputation thereof gone; the ancient lands are sold; the jewels pawned; the plate engaged; the debt still great; almost all charges, both ordinary and extraordinary, borne up by projects. What poverty can be greater? What necessity so great? What perfect English heart is not almost dissolved into sorrow for this truth!

2

"Fo the oppression of the subject, which, as I remember is the next particular I proposed, it needs no demonstration: the whole kingdom is a proof. And for the exhausting of our treasury, that very oppression speaks it. What waste of our provisions, what consumption of our ships, what destruction of our men, have been! Witness that journey to Argiers. Witness that with Mansfield. Witness that to Cadiz. Witness the next. Witness that to Rhée. Witness the last. (I pray God we may never have more such witnesses !) Witness likewise the Palatinate. Witness Denmark. Witness the Turks. Witness the Dunkirkers. WITNESS ALL! What losses we have sustained! how we are impaired in munition, in ships, in men! It is beyond contradiction, that we were never so much weakened, nor ever had less hope how to be restored."

Eliot concluded thus, with a proposition for a remonstrance to the king.

"These, Mr. Speaker, are our dangers; these are they which do threaten us; and they are like the Trojan horse, brought in cunningly to surprise us. In these do lurk the strongest of our enemies, ready to issue on us; and if we do not speedily expel them, these are the signs, these the invitations to others. These will so prepare their entrance, that we shall have no means left of refuge, or defence. For if we have these enemies at home, how can we strive with those that are abroad? If we be free from these, no other can impeach us! Our ancient English virtue, like the old Spartan valour, cleared from these disorders, - a return to sincerity in religion, once more friends with heaven, having maturity of councils, sufficiency of generals, incorruption of officers, opulency in the king, liberty in the people, repletion in treasure, plenty of provisions, reparation of ships, preservation of men - our ancient English virtue, I say, thus rectified, will secure us; but unless there be a speedy reformation in these, I know not what hopes or expectations we can have.

"These are the things, sir, I shall desire to have taken into consideration; that as we are the great council of the kingdom, and have the apprehension of these dangers, we may truly represent them unto the king: whereto, I conceive, we are bound by a treble obligation -- of duty to God, of duty to his majesty, and of duty to our country.

"And therefore I wish it may so stand with the wisdom and judgment of the house, that they may be drawn into the body of a remonstrance, and in all humility expressed; with a prayer unto his majesty, that, for the safety of himself, for the safety of the kingdom, and for the safety of religion, he will be pleased to give us time to make perfect inquisition thereof; or to take them into his own wisdom, and there give them such timely reformation as the necessity and justice of the case doth import.

"And thus, sir, with a large affection and loyalty to his majesty, and with a firm duty and service to my country, I have suddenly (and it may be with some disorder) expressed the weak apprehensions I have; wherein if I have erred, I humbly crave your