rather be well than fick, and am not sturdy enough to keep my temper in Phalaris's bull, I have gone through fome very fevere trials with becoming patience and refignation. This I take to be as far as human nature can go; and in a fcene fo chequer'd as life is, with numberless evils, croffes, and disappointments, happy the man who can encounter them with a proper degree of firmness and refolution.

BUT while I am indulging these reflections upon perfonal misfortunes, I am infenfibly deviating from my principal aim, which is, to animadvert a little upon our behaviour under national disasters; and to cheer up the spirits of my drooping countrymen, who feem much more depreffed with the melancholy news they have lately received from America, than Britons ought to be: I wish, Mr. MONITOR, I could fay, than they ufually are. Nothing is more remarkable than the damp with which we are ftruck at the news of fome unexpected defeat, unless it be our extravagant exultations at every little fuccefs. Whether this is wrought into our very natures, and is fome how or other the characteristic of an Englishman, I know not; but fure I am, 'tis our difgrace, and argues a littleness of mind that ill becomes the defcendants of those, who triumphed at Blenheim and Ramilies; whofe ancestors reaped the bloody harveft of Creffy and Agincourt. I have heard of a gentleman, who I am fatisfied wishes as well to his country, as any man in it, that was fo

exafperated at the infamous behaviour of our troops in the West Indies, as to threaten to fell his eftate, (which it feems is a very confiderable one) and fettle himself in France. A worthy friend of mine, who used to carry his notions of British courage as high as any-body, fwears that the English fpirit is quite funk, and that we shall never look our enemy in the face any more. When I remind him of Dettingen and Culloden, and the rapid conquefts of John Duke of Marlborough, he shakes his head and talks of nothing but Preston-Pans, Falkirk, and Fort Duquesne. Upon the whole; for I would not engross too much of your paper, what I would have you impress upon my countrymen is this; That we may reap advantages, if rightly improved, even from our misfortunes: That it is equally abfurd to conclude, that because in fome late inftances we have proved ourselves not to be invincible, we are never more to gain a victory; as it would have been to infer from a ten years uninterrupted fuccefs in Queen Anne's time, that we were never to lofe a battle. Inftead of flackening our diligence, after fo ignominious a defeat, what have we to do, but to ftand our ground with the more firmness another time, and face our enemy with redoubled ardor. Non fi male nunc, & olim fic erit.-Nil defperandum, was the Roman motto, and ought to be ours. The mistress of the world was once ftopp'd in her career of glory, and fubmitted her neck to the yoke in the

Caudian

Caudian forks, but Romans were Romans ftill; and the foon made her enemies pay very dear for this difgrace. Thank God, we have infinite refources, both at home and abroad: nurtured in principles of liberty, and fenfible of our happiness, beyond that of any other people; what have we to fear? long, very long muft it be, e're French policy or force can reduce us to our ne plus ultra. We have been, we are a brave people; and if I may venture to prophefy, fhall foon recover that reproach we at present labour under, from the daftardly behaviour of a handful of mifcreants, who have bafely betrayed their country, and rendered themselves infamous to all posterity.

Auguft 30, 1755

I am,

Sir, Yours,

BRITANNICUS.

I shall make no apology for inferting the above letter, as I believe my readers will agree with me, that there never was a time when the exertion of that noble and manly virtue, fo ingenioufly and seasonably recommended by Britannicus, was fo loudly called for from Britons.

To what malevolent cause can we ascribe the decay of British courage; and the increase of Gallic bravery? We value ourselves upon high notions of freedom, to which we are justly intitled by our national conftitution. They are born flaves, and fight under a falfe and fictitious paf

the very idea of it out of their minds, must fooner or later, and in proportion to the lofs of their liberty, expose the nation to contempt and ruin.'

THE man that carries a mufket, if he retains no fenfe of liberty, nor has any expectations of preferment, is not much to be depended on in the hour of danger. But if he has been taught, and is convinced that the most valuable bleffing of life is liberty, and that by fighting for his country, he is fighting for the happinefs of himfelf and his pofterity, an Englishman will always act up to the fpirit of his illuftrious ancestors: provided he be led to battle by a general, of whofe abilities he has a good opinion, and on whofe juftice and benevolence he has reafon to think he can confide. As foldiers, this is an additional motive, befides the love of their country, to fire their courage in the time of action.

BUT whether thefe particulars have been maturely confidered and fufficiently adverted to by the prefent wife and magnanimous adminiftration, the public will judge. And thus far I will fay, that if military preferments are beftowed on motives extrinfic of military duty; on men, who have no other merit than an inte→ reft in a borough or in a member of parliament, fubfervient to a minifterial nod; and are denied to the brave and experienced foldier, who has faved his country from rapine, murder,' and ty

ranny;

ranny; and if our armies are animated by no higher motive than to fight for a groat or five pence per day, we cannot expect to revenge the late difhonour: nor to retrieve a lofs, which reproaches us with turning our backs on a nation of flaves, more than once conquered by our progenitors.

THEREFORE it highly concerns the guardians of our liberties to enquire into the causes of this miscarriage; and with the greatest impartiality endeavour to find out, whether it ought to be afcribed to the cowardice of the common men, or to the mifconduct, neglect, or want of ability in the officers; or to their ill ufage or severity towards the foldiers? for fhould any of thofe complaints be justly founded, it will be in vain to rifque another armament in the wild woods of America, before

proper care be taken for the encouragement of the foldiery; and to fend them under fuch commanders as shall treat them like free-born fubjects of Britain; and not only be witneffes of every man's courage, but promote him according to his

merit.

HAD this been the conduct of the officers in the late expedition; had this been the expectation of the foldiers, there would have been no occafion of this mourning and defpondency; the colonies would not have been exposed to the malice of the French, nor to the barbarity of Indians. And I had almost faid, that a great part of the charge of our prefent armament E might