Moft certain it is, whatever the ignorant Vulgar may think, or wicked Men pretend, that the domeftick Peace was at this Conjuncture in the utmoft Hazard, and that at this Hour we had been involved in horrible Confufion, if his Majefty's Prudence had not dictated, and affifted us in the middle Way of Moderation, in which all Safety confifts, by yielding to a Change of the Minifter, and yet refolving to defend (as far as in him conftitutionally lay) the Perfon of the Man removed, from the Rage and Fury of the Time. By this Meafure, that intire Victory of Party, which must have produced infufferable Infolence, and raised unforeseen, extravagant and irrefiftable Expectations, was awarded with its Confequences, which, like a Torrent, would have broke in upon us, and in a merciless manner fwept away both good and bad who had given Oppofition to it, and probably carried before it, in its Tide of Reformation, all the Guards and Securities of this happy Conftitution.-Had the Government been taken by Storm, had the People been once blooded, who can fay where he would have stopt, or who could have had Authority to caft down the Bar before them.-In fuch Conjunctures, Reason and Experience fhew us, that the private Soldier drives his Officer before him-all Order and Difcipline are at an end-and whoever endeavours to restrain the Violence, is looked upon as an Enemy divested of his Command, and new Leaders chofen out of those, who with most Fury and least Remorfe will carry Devastation furtheft.-By this Measure therefore, Time was given for many to reflect, who in the Heat of fuch an Event, would have been hurried Lengths they never intended to have gone, and plunged into Precipices, which many, who have efcaped already, confider with Horror, that they lately ftood fo near, and which many more, as they confider and cool, will every day look back upon with equal Terror.-This Conduct likewife afforded opportunity to make the proper Alterations by degrees, and with a deliberate Choice, to put the publick Affairs into the hands of Men, who were distinguished, rather by their Abilities and Integrity, than by their Heat and Paffion, or popular Accomplishments.-It gave room to weaken Faction, by the Gratification of fome warm Men, but to do it fo as not to encourage its hafty Growth again.-It prepared a way for a lafting Change of Measures, and fecured an Intereft to fupport them at the fame time; as it enabled those who had acted under the former Administration upon wrong Principles of Policy without Fear of Ruin, or Shame of Tergiverfation, tacitly to reclaim their Conduct, and prevented that fatal Evil, (which was otherwise inevitable, and muft have brought our Affairs

into a worfe Condition than ever,) the raifing a new Oppofition out of the defeated Party, whofe Number, though defeated, were at this very Conjuncture equal to thofe by whom they had been compelled to yield. Thus this prudent Firmness on the one hand, and prudent Condescension on the other, manifeftly faved this Nation from Perdition - the beft, the most able, the most confiderable Men, and thofe of the true Whig Principle, were separated from a wicked Party, with whom Neceffity had obliged them formerly to unite, and who were upon the point of getting the Direction of the Publick into their hands, under the pretence of delivering it from another Danger, which, great as it was, could not be worse than that. -And thus the Government now ftands upon the Foundation of a true Whig Intereft, upon which alone it can fafely ftand, fupported by Men, united by the manifeft Revival of that Principle, which would bring them both to Ruin.

We are now come to that Period of Time, when the late Oppofition ceafed, and a Separation was made between the Whigs and the Tories; they had travelled on in the fame Road to this Point of a Change of the Minister; and the Power to change the Measures was in their own hand.-This, as I have very fufficiently fhewn, was the first and fole Intention of the Whigs, fo that their Journey was at an end; but the others were to travel further, and we fhall fhortly fee through what miry Paths they went.--It was almoft a Miracle they had kept company fo long. -The Tories had plainly fhewn, upon the late Motion, how little they were to be depended upon, even in the Profecution of their common View; and for the Whigs, they had never pretended, never given any encouragement to think, that they fhould continue Oppofition longer than till they had carried these Points.-Nay, till this Event, the prefent Leaders of the Faction themfelves affected to intend no more.- All Men of Senfe, who knew them well, knew, that this was only Colour, to take away Sufpicion of their dangerous Defigns. What happened was therefore no Surprize to them, and, to fay the truth, their Principles and Views being thus widely different, they must both have been inconfiftent with themselves, if they had not both done as they did.

A Change of the Administration being now become absolutely neceffary, the Equality of Parties being fuch, that no Bufinefs could be carried on, this Change was refolved.-In order to effect it, it was neceffary to adjourn the House.—It required fome Time to deliberate upon the first Changes, and for thofe Members of the Oppofition, who were to be first taken in, to be rechofen.

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To this Adjournment (which was for 15 Days) all the House agreed, the Whigs knowing the Neceffity of it, and that a Change could not be safely made without it, and with these concurring, all those who had private Views, and expected to reap a perfonal Benefit from this Change.-The Leaders of the Tories, who have fince treated this Measure as iniquitous in the highest Degree, made no Objection to it then; they had one or other of the two Reasons before-mentioned to induce them to it. The Reader may affign that which he thinks most probable, upon a Confideration of their subsequent Behaviour.

In this Conjuncture, these Gentlemen thought it highly neceffary to make their appearance at the Court, to which fome had never gone fince the Acceffion of the present Royal Family upon the Throne; and many had abfented themselves fo long, that they feared they might be forgotten, which was by no means convenient, when so many great Employments were to be conferred in a few days. It was neceffary to convince the Prince, that their only Reason for abftaining from this Demonstration of Respect before, was their ill Opinion of the late Minifter, and that they were now ready to fupport his Majesty's Measures, as warmly as the best Friends he had: But alas! the Sincerity of their Reconciliation, and the secret Condition of it, unhappily for them, were both as well understood at that time, in the Place to which they went, as they have fince been clearly manifefted in the Nation.

Thus far all Things proceeded well and quietly-not a Word was utter'd of any farther Reformation. The People were then fuffered to think as they were naturally difpofed to do. A Change of the Minifter, and the Introduction of honeft Men into the chief Employments, was thought the utmost Object of the People's Wish, and muft in the end enfure whatever elfe was wanting.

Tranquility continued till an Honourable Gentleman, who had been confiderable in the Oppofition, was made Chancellor of the Exchequer.--This began to clafh with the Expectations of others; but ftill, as there were many great Employments left, they were not yet tranfported far enough to declare a new Breach-fo that they fuffered this Gentleman to be re-elected without any Oppofition.-The next Thing done, was the Appointment of the new Treafury, which when they found compofed of that Set of Men called Whigs, and but one Tory admitted upon that Bench, they began to murmur openly.-It was however ftill too foon to take their final Refolution-the Boards of Admiralty, and Trade, were not yet actually fettled, and they waited the Event of the Difpofition there. But when that of the Admiralty was takan into confideration, for which fome of the leading Tories were defigned (and F 2 which

which all were willing to accept) His Majefty having refufed to admit one particular Perfon, and they thinking that the Reafon affigned for that Exception might be a dangerous Precedent, which muft equally affect great Numbers of their Body, it was refolved to exert themselves upon that Occafion.-They accordingly infifted strongly for this Perfon, and for fome others, and in fine, for fucha Difpofition there, as was impoffible to be complied with-which as foon as they found, and that the other Offices were not yet propofed to be changed, they refolved to keep no further Measures. Nothing was to be left to the Difpofal of the Sovereign, as foon as it appeared that he would not wholly refign himself into the Hands of Tories, and that he prefumed to make Difficulties in admitting, even any one of those, who had been ever marked, by their Friends as well as Enemies, as the Leaders of a Party, entitled to a stronger Denomination.

Some few Men of a different Principle, who deferve a better Fate, by the Heat of Paffion, the Effects of Ambition, and the common Fear of not being provided for to their Wishes upon this Occafion, unhappily fell at this Time into the Views of these People; upon whofe Shoulders they vainly imagined they might lift themselves to what they now began to fear they fhould never reach; and among thefe, a Man, whofe Merits, Abilities and Weight entitled him to the highest Efteem of all Parties, whofe Error (of which he has been fince too late convinced) is repaired to his own Confcience, by his retiring from them; but can never be repaired to his Country, by his having retired from its Service in Confequence of it. This Appearance of a few Whigs on their Side had a very ill Effect: Under this Colour, they paffed for what they have fince fhewn they were not :-Many young and undiftinguishing Men, and many of the People, having no Apprehenfions to engage with an Opposition, which they at firft ignorantly think directed by Whig Principles, because they fee a few Whigs among them: And the Difficulty of breaking from fuch Engagements of Party, being so great, that few have Honesty or Spirit to do it afterwards, when convinced of their Miftake.-But as we have already obferved in the Beginning of this Paper, All Oppofitions are compofed of Individuals of all Denominations: And an Oppofitions is not lefs a Whig Oppofition, because it is joined by Jacobites and Tories; nor a Jacobite or Tory Oppofition lefs a Faction, because it is joined by Whigs: But the Difference lies in the Spirit, that predominates, and in the Men that direct.For, if the Whigs have the Afcendant and can force the Reft into their Meafures, Methods fafe and honest are pursued.—But,

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if the Jacobites or Tories have the Lead, or Whigs only bear the Name of Leaders, and are in Reality driven, by the Spirit of thofe with whom they are connected, the Measures of Oppofition are then equally carried on upon the Jacobite or Tory Views, as we shall prove it to be the Cafe at this Time; and fuch an Oppofition is, to all Intents and Purposes, a Jacobite or Tory Faction.

Thus hurried by Impatience, heated by Defpair, the Faction, with thefe unnatural Allies, after a vain and tedious Expectation of eight Days (for fo much of the fifteen Days of the Adjournment had already paffed, and they were not yet provided for) upon the 11th of February, 1741-2, a Day, which perhaps this Nation may have Reafon never to forget, they came to a final Breach.-From this exact Period may be dated the Death of the late memorable Opposition, and the Birth of a fatal Faction, who have already laid the Foundation of Calamities, which will require much Wifdom and Virtue to avert; and which, only that Providence, that has fo often remarkably interpofed to fave this Nation, can entirely preserve it from.

It was given out in dark Whispers, that the Whig Leaders of the Oppofition, who, by their Abilities and Services had obtained the foremost Rank, in whofe Hands the Settlement of this great Affair therefore naturally lay, and with whom, from the Knowledge of their Principles, the Government could only treat, had betray'd their Party; that the Circumstances of this Treason were fuch as to require a Conjunction of all honeft Men to refift and to defeat it; that the Proof was undeniable, and that it was neceffary the Matter should be laid open before the whole Oppofition: The Members of the Oppofition were all fummoned, and the Expectation of Mankind raised to the highest Pitch As well they, who understood the Nature of this Meeting, as they, who understood it not, out of equal Curiosity concurred to attend it: And among the reft, the Gentlemen, who conducted the new Settlement, and thofe, who had been already taken into Employment, were defired to be present to defend themselves against this formidable Accufation.

The Charge was introduced with great Solemnity; "Gen"tlemen were reminded of the dangerous Situation to which "the Nation had been brought by the late Administration; "how glorioufly and fteadily they had perfevered in the Op"pofition; how happily at length their honeft Endeavours, " and the juft Spirit of the People, had brought them in fight "of the long wifh'd-for Port; that as every Set of Men had "contributed to bring this important Point to bear, it was 66 juft all Denominations of Men fhould receive an equal Re

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