fubjects, and who feeks no aid but in their affections, and the natural strength of his navy.

But if a King of Great Britain could fo much debase his wisdom, as to admit into his favour and fecret counfels those bewitching tongues that recommend their service by a pleasing falfhood, inftead of fincerity; he will tarnish his crown and endanger the happiness of his subjects. Flatterers tread in the foft paths of corruption: and while they speak piece to their master, involve his fubjects in mifery and ruin by neglecting the power of the fea, which is the only means of preferving our interest abroad, and our welfare at home.

It is no doubt, the royal prerogative to chuse the fervants of the crown: but the wifdom of the King and safety of the people are then only confpicuous, when the choice falls upon men of integrity, as well as ability. The British diadem never appeared fo like the crown of Solomon, as when its glory and fafety were fupported by a multitude of able counsellors: nor fo like a crown of thorns as in those reigns, when majesty had divested itself of all authority, and given both himself and his people up management and power of a minifter and

to the

his hirelings.

THE Courageous British Prince, stampt on the coin, referred to by my motto, preferred his fubjects happiness to every other confideration; guarded the throne against evil council, and thought it not beneath the dignity of his crown

to

to fail in queft of the disturbers of the public peace, and in perfon exacted full fatisfaction for the depredations on his merchants.

A good King naturally inclines to protect and to cherish his people: he places his own fafety in their affections: glories in their prefervation; and appears with the greateft luftre in the midst of their riches and freedom. But how often has it been found, that a minister has given such a loofe to his paffions, as to act with a vain imagination of being above the law? how often has private intereft, which cannot be supposed in a King, driven a minifter into a multiplicity of deftructive schemes, to fcreen himself from the refentments of an abused nation, and even to support his power against majesty itself? fuch a minifter would be found fo far from exerting the naval power, when the dominion of the sea is attacked, that he, placing his security in the weakness and poverty of the people, would rather drain the riches of the nation to pay foreign auxiliary armies, that could be of no fervice, except to affift him to introduce arbitrary power. Grievances, which a wife King could never connive at, and no people, who had tafted of liberty would bear!

THOSE unhappy misguided Kings, Henry the II. Edward the II. and Richard the II. who loft the affections of their fubjects, and drew upon themselves mifery and forrow, by placing too great a trust in their fervants, and neglecting the navy and the interior government of their nation,

fhould

should deter their fucceffors from giving into the fame bad policy. The King is the fountain of wisdom as well as juftice; and whenever that fpring is choaked up with flattery and infincerity, the councils of his government cannot be wholesome to the body politic.

WHO can injure a wife British King, if he is poffeffed of a fuperior force by fea? who can pretend to dictate or give laws to his navigation: or limit the commerce of his fubjects? the fhip is an emblem of our natural ftrength and experience proves, that no King of this island ever made a figure in the annals of his own or other nations, that neglected his fleet. No invader or ufurper ever carried their point in Britain without a fuperiority by fea: and every war, detached from our naval force, always left us in. a worse state than before its commencement. Our navy carries terror with it into every climate and is able to stop the whole ftate of commerce throughout the known world; and thereby cut off the nourishment of that body, which is too powerful for us by land. The daily captures, which fill our ports, will evince the fact. Thus it is, their trade is cut off: the fource of their riches, and the ftrength of their arms are blocked up. Where now is their boafting of mighty armies? where are now those battles and fieges that drained our purfes and led our men to death and flaughter? while the power of the fea was neglected, and Britons were transported into Flanders, the French were able to bid us

defiance

defiance with a fuperior force, and not only carry on their own, but to interrupt our trade and navigation: but, behold! no fooner has Neptune reared his trident; no fooner has the fovereigns of the feas bid them defiance on the ocean, but they couch before the lion; and with an abjectness that resembles the groveling of an animal*, which was their original arms, they skulk in their holes, and waste their fubftance by spitting their venom at the power they are afraid to encounter with those weapons, which nature has ordained for our defence: and which are fo natural to Britons, that we don't want frequent and very late examples, that our very women are more than a match for them at fea.

BUT it is not in the number of our ships, nor in the weight of our metal, nor yet in the experienced courage and dexterity of our feamen, we are to put our whole truft. They must be commanded, animated, and led to the ftation of honour, where the best service can be done for the nation, by men of knowledge, conduct and integrity as well as courage. When it has happened otherwife, the nation has always fuffered: the enemy triumphed. It was a complaint in our wars with Holland, that our loffes were owing to the stallions and bastards of lewd women, who had intereft at court; and to other mean and diffolute perfons, who could advance a fum of money for a commiffion on board the British fleet.

K

WHAT

*A TOAD.

WHAT could be expected from fuch a fleet, where those upftarts valued themselves, not upon their fervice for their King and country, but on their recommendation, and the intereft of courtiers and debauched ladies? where neither virtue, good understanding, nor courage is to be found in the officers? or where an alliance with a noble family, or a fecret intrigue with a corrupt minifter, fhall fkreen the coward and the traitor from the hand of justice, with all the formality and expence of a court martial.

THE fword that is trufted to the hand of an hireling; whofe arm is enervated with idleness, and debaucheries: whofe heart is under the dominion of avarice, covetoufnefs, and a tyrannical difpofition; and whose mind is abfent from his duty, and taken up with the wars of Venus and the pleafures of Adonis, is not the weapon, with which Edward triumphed over his enemies. His fleets and his armies were not left to the command of Pimps and Panders. His of ficers were eminent for their birth, virtues, and martial bravery; and not for their obfequious férvices to a minifter in parliament. How can the man, who with his voice is always ready to aflift the wicked in fpoiling their country of its riches and privileges, be expected to fight, as he ought to do, for their liberty and property? and what wonder is it for common men to degenerate in their courage and obedience, when their leaders are corrupt, and are esteem'd by thofe in power, for their art in evading that fervice,

on