both by their fuperior Abilities and Experience, and by the Turn of the Nation, to fuch a Degree, that they kept down all Efforts of the Jacobites. They directed the Means of Oppofition; and the Tendency was therefore to Points wholly free from any Symptoms of that kind. The Tories and Jacobites fullenly worked on under thefe Leaders, and could never attain any Degree of Influence over Men of better Parts, and better Principles; they knew not directly whither they were going, but they hoped towards Confufion, and that they might have a Chance to work out fomething if that Confufion should arife. The People at the Beginning of that Oppofition, which lafted near twenty Years, were living in great Numbers, who remembered the Conduct of this Faction in the Reign of King William and Queen Anne.-They remembered how, after King William was feated upon the Throne, and after being grown deteftable by various Attempts of Plots and Affaffinations, they had been obliged to foften their true Name into that of Tory; how under that Title they had difclaimed their fecret Tenet, and profeffed cnly to maintain certain Opinions as to Church and State, which had been plaufibly introduced among the People in the great Rebellion by the Clergy, and inculcated from the Pulpit, to make a Party against the violent Doctrines of the Republicans of that Time. The wrong Opinions of the one begot those wrong Opinions of the other: And though the Paffion of the first had been difgraced by the Iffue of that Rebellion, the Nonfenfe of the other had not yet difgraced itself fo far.-The Prefbyterians had ruined both the Church and Monarchy; but the High Churchmen had not brought in Popery and arbitrary Power, they had even affifted (at laft) in fome Degree at the Revolution to keep it out-The Publick in general were not able to judge but of what they faw; and they did not see how near they were to have done both before they had the Sense to stop, nor how they were puzzled to reconcile their Nonfenfe with that Conduct. Thefe therefore were the favourite Party of that Time.-Of these the Jacobites laid hold :—All this the People, during the late Oppofition, faw very clearly; (for many, as I have obferved, were at the Commencement of it living, when the Jacobites, thus under the Name of Tories, led the Oppofition of that Time ;) how the People were deJuded by it; whither they were carried, and what Pretences they had ufed. They remembered that this Faction fet out with a furious pretended Zeal for Monarchy, Non-Refiftance, and Hereditary Right; they remembered how they stirred up the People B 2 with with imaginary Dangers about the Church; they remembered above all the infamous Endeavours used to diftrefs the Government in its Attempt to reduce the Power of France, and to prevent the Exertion of our own Weight to maintain the Ballance of Europe.-The various Means exercised by different Perfons at the fame time according to their different Capacities to effect this End, and according to the different Capacities of thofe upon whom they practifed-fometimes pretending that we had nothing to do with Affairs upon the Continent-fometimes that the View of reducing France was impracticable, that the Expence was not poffible to be borne, that our Trade was ruined-fometimes that France was really not dangerous-equally magnifying every Succefs of that Power to terrify, equally mifreprefenting every Defeat to betray their Countrymen into a falfe Security-ridiculing every Measure that was taken for that End→→→ infinuating, that the King was a Dutchman, and had only the Intereft of Holland at Heart-that every Alliance was made for the Interest of the Dutch alone-that the Nation was beggared for a Foreign View-that the King delighted in War, because it afforded a Pretext to maintain great Armies-that Holland was not yet attacked, and the French King, whatever he propofed, could never be rafh enough to attempt that at least that till he did attempt it, this Nation had no Reason to ftir, nor any thing to fear. They remembered this Conduct, and they remembered how by poifoning the People by thefe and an Infinity of other falfe Infinuations, and by Mifreprefentations of the Expence which they themselves rendered infinitely more grievous, by the Obftruction given to the Supplies, and the Neceffity, which proceeded from thence, of borrowing large Sums at high Intereft, they laid the first Foundation for the Debt under which the Nation yet labours-That by thefe Means they at length reduced the King to the Neceffity of confenting to the Partition Treaty, for which they reviled and abufed him, and raised the Ferment of the People upon him, though it was the Infant of their own Faction-That by this means they preferved France in the Zenith of her Power, at leifure to prepare against the Death of the King of Spain, an Event which was expected every Day-That though the Profpect of a new War was fo immediate and fo certain, they forced the Reduction of the Army to seven thousand Men; fo that when the War of 1702 broke out, before the Grand Alliance could take place, by the Management of thefe faithful and steady Friends of France, that Prince was enabled to make an entire Seizure of the Spanish Monarchy, and to ftrengthen himself to such a Point, as to carry on a War against moft moft of the Powers of Europe for twelve fucceffive Years, to which England alone contributed above Seventy Millions. They remembered farther, (though this pernicious Conduct had estranged the Nation from them for a time, and had caft the Adminiftration of Affairs into the Hands of the Whigs; during which whole Period, this Nation was attended with the most amazing Series of Succeffes ever read of in Hiftory;) that the fame Men continued the fame Practices, till by low Arts, they had frightned, and by infamous Infinuations gained both upon her and upon the People, ftill concealing their grand View till they had got into the Administration. They remembered farther (though it seems to be forgotten now) what they did when they came there.That they betrayed the Faith of this Nation and deferted their Allies. That they did it with Circumftances, which clearly proved their Intention to yield them up a Sacrifice to France.That they made a separate and an infamous Peace, by which they faved France from inevitable and immediate Ruin, and caft away that immenfe Treasure, which had been expended in the War, entailing a future Expence ftill greater even than that they had thus iniquitously thrown away; expofing us to greater Danger than we had even then escaped, laying a Foundation for her Advancement to a much higher Point of Power, and preventing at the fame time, by their Perfidy to the Confederates, as far as in them lay, all Probability of the fame Union to obftruct her Views again. They remembered how clearly and how fteadily this Plan of ferving France, had been purfued, and how it was brought to its full Effect.And they remembered how near their Grand View, to which this was fecondary, was brought to an Iffue too.- -In what manner before the Death of the Queen, they had deeply laid the Plot of abufing her Authority to bring the Pretender to the Throne.-How notwithstanding their affected Loyalty to their Royal Miftrefs, by which they had not only duped her, but deceived the Nation; they basely meditated her Ruin, to whose Weakness they owed their Advancement. How by their dark Intrigues they broke her declining Conftitution and caufed her Death.-The only Service they ever did her; fending that unhappy Princess, by this Precipitation of her Fate, to a better World, before she had experienced in this, far worse Calamities, which they were preparing for her; the Lofs of her Crown and Dignity, perhaps a violent End, at least Imprisonment for Life. They remembered the Deliverance of this Nation by the Acceffion of his late Majesty in the most critical Conjuncture. -They They remembered the Confidence of this Confpiracy, which. had ripened fo far in four Years Tory Administration, that they thought themselves able to effect that by Force, when they had loft all Power, which could not have been defeated had they continued a few Months longer in it.-They remembered the late Rebellion, which broke out immediately after, and which was fuppreffed, more by the Interpofition of Divine Providence, than by human Means. Remembring all this, the laft Scene of which happened not eleven Years before the Commencement of the late Oppofition, which may be properly dated from the Hanover Treaty in 1725.-The People could not entertain a Fear of a Tory Faction. This Scene of Wickednefs had fo fully detected thofe, who fet themselves in the Front of fuch a Faction, that. even the Tories themselves blushed to fee the Tools they had been made; and trembled equally with the Whigs, at the Hazards which their Folly had brought upon the Nation; fuch as, to do them equal Juftice, their Heads had never comprehended, nor their Hearts ever intended to promote.-The fhameless Conduct of that Adminiftration, with regard to France, and the Pretender, caufed an universal Averfion to the Tories; and many of them, fenfible of the Errors of their former Conduct, retained nothing of what they were but the Name.---The whole Nation appeared united in a warm Attachment to the present Royal Family.---The Faction of which we speak, fenfible of their wounded Intereft, hardly fhewed themselves in any Shape, for fome Years.---Any new Oppofition avowedly begun by them in that Conjuncture, would have ruined them for ever. -Their Arts and their falfe Pretences were too recent to impose upon Mankind. And their Converfion, had they pretended any, would have been too fudden and unnatural to have gained Belief. - As Security rarely fails to be the Mother of Danger, fo it was with us,-This feeming Security deceived both the Minifter, and the Publick. I fhall speak frankly and without Partiality to either. It tempted him to act with too much Wantonness, and Negligence in Power.-It tempted others too much to indulge their Refentment and private Views.-The Faction was no longer dreaded but defpifed.-When that has been the Cafe, it has been always found, at length The Minister, void at first of all Apprehenfion of this latent Danger, gratified his ill Humour to, or took no Pains to manage the the ill Humours of, thofe he happened to diflike, neglected Popularity too much, and ftudied only how to avoid War, as the Means to procure the Continuance and the Eafe of his Adminiftration. He knew that in War, if not successful, the ill Success is always attributed to the Minifter. If fortunate, that it was unavoidably attended with great Expence, at which, in the long run, the People murmur.-He likewise faw, that in War, military Men, and active Spirits must, by degrees, obtain fome Share of Power; which he was determined to engrofs. All Europe quickly faw this Foible, and the two Powers, from whom we have to fear the most, the French and Spaniards, play'd him off unmercifully.-Their Methods were different, but both tending to the fame End. -The French flattered him with an infidious Friendship, and the Affectation of a Pacifick Difpofition.-The Spaniards bullied him upon every Turn. It must be candidly confeffed that the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, and the Difficulties unadjusted then, had greatly embarraffed all the Affairs of Europe.France and the Emperor had agreed by the Treaties of Raftadt, and Baden the following Year; but great Differences between the Emperor and Spain fubfifted till long after this Minifter was taken into that Employment. His Predeceffors had been puzzled with these Differences. And in endeavouring to appease them, had already, by the Quadruple Alliance, and feveral fubfequent Treaties and Proceedings, in a great Degree difgufted both those Powers. At the Time therefore, when the Reins of this Government were put into his Hands, it required greater Abilities for Foreign Affairs, and another Turn to extricate this Nation out of thefe difficult Circumftances. Inftead of adhering firmly to the Emperor, this Minister yielded to the Views of Spain, who infulted us till fhe had carried one Point, and then infulted us again, till she had obtained another. The Minister still vainly flattering himself with gaining that Power by conftant Obligations.-But the Queen, who governed there, knew neither any Sentiment of Gratitude, nor any Limits to her Ambition.-By this Conduct he ftill provoked the Emperor to a higher Degree, which Spain obferving, took that Opportunity to accommodate her own Affairs with the Imperial Court. This fudden Friendship between the Courts of Vienna and Madrid alarmed the Minifter, who knew he had not the Friendship of the one Court, whatever he had done and fuffered for it; and that he had juftly incurred the Refentments of the other. He therefore grew jealous of this Union, and dreaded fome Effect from it, though he knew not what.- |