"ward of their Virtue; that if a proper Ufe were made of "this happy Conjuncture, this Reward might be obtained; "that the total Rout of the Minifterial Party was what they "had a Right to expect; and that this would make Room for "all. But that there was too much Reason to fear, that "this Ufe would not be made of the happy Opportunity; "that a few Men had prefumed, without communicating their "Proceedings to that Affembly, to take this Work upon them"felves; that by their Manner of doing it, they had fufficient "Cause to apprehend they did not mean the general Ad- "vantage; that they had been now eight Days in this Em"ployment; and by the few Offices they had as yet bestowed, "they were justly to be accused of not acting with the Vigour "that was expected of them by the whole People.-That "among other things, what administered Matter of great "Jealoufy was the Choice of those already preferred; that this " Choice having fallen principally upon Whigs, it was an ill "Omen for the Tories; and that if they were not to be "provided for, the happy Effects of the Coalition of Parties "must be destroyed, and Parties again revived to the great "Prejudice of the Nation; that it was therefore highly ne"ceffary to unite closely, to keep firmly together, and to "continue to oppofe, with the fame Vehemence as ever, till "Juftice was done the Tories, and till the Administration was "founded upon the broad Bottom of both Parties."

A Right Honourable Gentleman, fince advanced into another House of Parliament, with whom the Management of this Change was chiefly entrusted, together with fome of those, who were lately taken into Employment, anfwered thefe Objections to their Conduct with great Temper.-"They first ob"ferved, how hard a Treatment they had met with in return "for the long Services they had done their Country, and the "Share they had confeffedly had in bringing the Oppofition to "the Point at which it was arrived, now upon frivolous Pre"tences, and a Jealoufy, in the Nature of Things, not yet "poffibly grounded upon any folid Foundation, to be brought "before fuch a Tribunal, accufed publickly in the Face of the "whole World, of that, which no fingle Man dare in pri"vate, to their Faces, charge them with; loaded with Sufpi"cions, which once raised are hardly ever to be wiped off by any "Conduct; and branded with the Imputation of an ima"ginary Crime, fo eafily to be believed in the then Temper "of the Nation ;-that they deserved a very different Ufage, "by the Integrity, with which they had hitherto proceeded, "and with which they were determined to proceed :-That

as

66

*as to the taking the Management of this Affair into their "own Hands, the Overtures having been made to them, it "was their Duty, and it would have been the Duty of "any Man, to whom they had been made, to have used his " beft Abilities to have brought about a happy Settlement, "after the Divifions, by which this Country had been fo long "torn; and which could not longer fubfift without the utter "Ruin of the Interests of this Nation abroad, and the Danger "of fatal Disturbances at home:-That the fuperficial Vulgar "might imagine it a more proper and equitable way to refer "this Settlement to the Decifion of the whole Party; but "that no Man of tolerable Understanding and Experience "could cherish an Idea so impracticable and abfurd; that Government was not yet reduced to such a Point, as to fur"render at Discretion, especially to an Enemy, who had de"clared fo publickly they would give no Quarter; that Go"vernment neither could, would nor ought to be taken by "Storm; and that it behoved Gentlemen to confider what "muft inevitably be the Confequence of fuch an Attempt; "that the great Points were to change the Minifter, and to "change the Measures: That the one was vifibly already done, "and they would engage to perform the other. That, as to the "Diftribution of Employments, there was neither Juftice, "Decency, Duty or Moderation, in dictating to the King, "how to dispose of every Preferment in the State; that his "Majefty had fhewed a Difpofition to comply with the De"fires of his People in the most effectual manner; for he had "already fupplied the principal Minifterial Pofts with Men, "who had hitherto been moft confided in by the People, and "fuch as could not have given Occafion to the People to have "changed their Opinion of them; because, though nominated, "they had none of them yet done any fingle Act of Office : "That as to the Changes already made, they were as nume66 Fous as the Importance of the Matter, and the Nature of "the Thing could poffibly admit so foon, and that it might "have been more to the Credit of their Party, if their Pa"tience had extended a little longer than the few Days, that "had paffed fince the Time of their Adjournment.As to the partial Diftribution of Employments to the Whigs, "that fo far as their Intereft fhould hereafter extend, they "would use it faithfully to his Majefty, and their Country, "by recommending fuch to serve him, whofe Principles they "knew had been mifrepresented, and who were true to his "Family, let their Appellations be what they would: But that it might be well fuppofed a Work of fome Time, to

66 remove

remove Sufpicions inculcated long, and long credited, with "Regard to a Denomination of Men, who had formerly been "thought not heartily attached to the Intereft of the Prince "upon the Throne; that fome Inftances, of this Intention, "had been already given in the late Removals, and there "would be many more, but that it must depend upon the "prudent Conduct of the Tories themfelves, wholly to abo"lish these unhappy Diftinctions of Party. In fine, they "begged of them to confider how falfe a Step they had already "made, and that this paffionate and groundless Divifion "would infallibly give new Courage to the Party they had

juft fubdued; that it difcovered a Weakness, of which Ad"vantage would be certainly taken; that it muft inevitably "leffen the Power of those who were employed, and, if perfifted in, would in a great meafure prevent the Succefs of their Views, both for the Publick, and their Friends."

It is not to be fuppofed, that any of thefe Reasons had much weight on the different fides of the Queftion.-The Abuse and Indecency, with which the Gentlemen newly taken into the Adminiftration were treated, upon this Occafion, plainly convinced them, and every intelligent Man, that the Defign of this Meeting was to throw them off, that the Tories might now difengage themfelves from the Direction of the Whigs, under whofe Conduct they had been reftrained, and with whom they could never expect to carry the Point they had in view.They could never have taken a better Opportunity, than that of the National Ferment of the Time, nor have done it with lefs Sufpicion, or encreafed their Numbers more than by doing it, when the Sufpicions of Men were, as they always are in fuch Conjunctures, diverted anotherWay, and when the Fears, Difappointments and Difgufts of many of different Principles, naturally led them all to join with any Set of Men that still continued to oppose.-We have already obferved how far thefe Paffions had mifled fome Whigs, that, infenfible of the foolish Part they play'd, they lent their Names to colour the Defigns of the Tories, and became the Tools to prefs publickly for their Admiffion into Employments, which they could not, with any Decency, nor without difgracing themselves with the People, have fo glaringly infifted upon themselves.

The Publick quickly found the Effect of this wicked Conduct, for it deferves no better Name.-It was no fmall Aftonifhment to many, who had hitherto concurred in the Oppofition, and gave no fmall Difguft to obferve it.No Man of Senfe and Honefty thought he could juftify adhering longer to a Set of Men, whofe Party-View-was now fo openly avowed,

and

and who, like a Band of Huffars, had abandoned themselves to the Plunder, even before the Battle was half done; they knew the Confequence muft be, at least, that this mercenary Conduct would fuffer the Minifter to escape uncenfured. All therefore they could hope farther to do, was to prevent his Return into his former Station, and to procure a Change in his Syftem of Politicks, to get the beft Laws they could, to prevent the like Abufe of Power, and at least to secure it in the Hands of those, who they thought least likely to abuse it in their own Time.-It is true, they never intended to have given the Tories the Lead in the Government, or to have made a Tory Adminiftration; from the Nature of that Party which I have fufficiently explained already, they had been falfe both to their King and Country, if they had done it.→→→ But they honeftly did intend to have promoted the most moderate of that Party, defirous of uniting, by this Experiment, as many as they could, in Affection to his Majefty, and his Royal Family; to which the Gratification of private Expectations is with fome a very neceffary Step.-But their Conduct was fuch, as difabled them from carrying their Views much farther for them, and had they preffed it after this, their own Principles must have come into Sufpicion.-They had therefore juft Grounds to have made a total Separation from them; but from a Regard to their Country, they ftifled their Refentments; they advanced feveral Tories fhortly after, and fome into very great Pofts fince that Time. They united to promote an Enquiry into the Conduct of the late Minifter, which they pufhed as far as the Strength of the oppofite Party, who were now rallied upon these Divifions, could poffibly admit, and far enough to fhew fuch Errors in his Adminiftration, as rendered it impoffible for him to be employ'd again.-They engaged the Government to purfue Measures entirely oppofite to the pacific Plan fo long fatally pursued; they maintained their Principle of fupporting the House of Auftria, and furnifhed her with effectual Supplies; and they carried a Place Bill to leffen the Minifterial Influence in Parliament.-In Foreign Affairs they did every thing that could be wifhed, and much more than could have been expected; in Domeftic, they went, if not quite as far, as perhaps they might have fafely gone, yet as far as they could go fafely in fuch a Ferment; or indeed, as they were able to go, when thus deferted and weakened by the Madness of these Men.

We have now fhewn the Commencement of the prefent Oppofition, which from its Origin may be eafily judged what is is-Its Origin plainly was, not from any wrong Meafures,

in the Leaders of the late Oppofition, for (as they juftly ob ferved themselves) they had as yet done nothing when they were thus deferted; no more than eight Days had paffed fince the Retreat of the Minifter; and the Parliament had not yet met ;' fo that it was impoffible the Faction could have done it from any Obfervation of their wrong Behaviour there.-Had the Tories been as wholly profcribed, as it was falfely fuggefted they were intended to be, was the late Oppofition began upon the Principle of bringing them into Employment, or was it the Right, or the Concern of the People to infift who fhould have the most beneficial Places ?--The Principle of the late Oppofition was, as it has been fully fhewn, to bring back this Nation to its true Politicks with Regard to the Houfe of Auftria, and the Balance of Power.-Was the Pursuit of Places ever avowed to be the Grounds of Oppofition? it has been-indeed fatirically imputed to be fo upon all Occafions, but it was never fupported by the Publick upon that footing, nor ever avowedly confeffed to be fo, by any Oppofition, before this which now diftracts this Country; and which I therefore juftly and truly call by no other than its proper Name, and shall farther prove, by its fubfequent Proceedings, to be a Faction, it ever a Faction did or can exift in Britain.-And as the Tree is best known by its Fruits, we fhall be particular in tracing its Conduct ever fince.

As it was too foon to ftile themselves a new Oppofition, because the Parliament had not yet met, and they knew not what Meafures would be purfued; they therefore formed themselves, for the present, under the Title of the Broad-Bottom; a Cant Word, which correfponding equally with the Perfonal Figure of fome of their Leaders, and the Nature of their Pretenfions, was understood to imply, a Party united to force the Tories into the Adminiftration.

Thus intitled, they laid their general Plan of Action, reducible to the following Heads, which were the known Eftablishment of their Predeceffors in the fame Faction.

it, To villify and abufe, without Meafure, Mercy, or Referve, all, who in any one fingle Vote fhould differ from them.

2dly, To advance or infinuate any Falfhood, or mifrepresent any Measure, however grofsly, to the better fort of Men, if they could propofe to delude or inflame the People by it.

3dly, To fpirit up the People against the Re-election of any Member into Parliament, who fhould accept of any Employ anent.