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might have been faved to the nation, and the colonies fufficiently defended from all invaders, had their brave and rough inhabitants by gentle laws and a mild and temperate regimen been convinced of the difference between a free and a defpotic government; and fatisfied in their minds, that whilft they neglect their own fettlements, leave their families, and venture their lives, they not only serve their country, but promote their own happiness: and if by their bravery thofe fettlements, which the French have ufurped, should be retaken; they ought to be fecured and confirm'd in the poffeffion of them by the most facred laws. Fidelity is grounded upon confidence and love; and not upon fufpicion and a flavish fear.

Z.

No. 7. SATURDAY, September 20, 1755.

BY

Ere alieno perditus, & egens.

CIC. II. Philip.

Y all appearances we are once more at the eve of a war: a war with France, on whofe happy iffue muft depend the very exiftence of our colonies in North America, and the trade and navigation of this kingdom. For the support of which, I am perfuaded, no true Briton will grudge to venture his life and fortune. But there will be required a confiderable

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fund to conduct it with advantage, and to crown it with fuccefs.

No one shall be more ready than myself to agree to a fufficient fupply of men and money, to ftrengthen the hands of government, in a juft and neceffary war; to maintain the honour and dignity of the British crown; to defend our poffeffions, and to protect our trade and commerce: but we ought not to run precipitately into all the measures of a ministry: fomething ought to be done towards preventing both the increase of our national debt, and the abuses of public trufts, by which these kingdoms have greatly fuffered under former adminiftrations, and to which the present difficulties in raifing money must be afcribed.

DEBT is the ready way to poverty: a wife people, no more than a wife man, will ever place their fecurity in a load of debts. They, that borrow more than they are able to pay, must fink under the weight: their credit must fail in proportion to their infolvency: and their strength will abfolutely wafte with their credit. This is not mere fpeculation; daily experience in private life, and frequent examples of whole nations, ruined by their debts, will fupport my afsertion, and my care for the well-being of my dear country. No nation ever fubmitted to flavery till its finances were confumed, and till the fubjects vitals were exhausted. Riches are the vital spirits of the body politic, and when they

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they are spent the body can never fupport itself against oppreffion and tyranny.

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He that is in debt, in Cicero's ftile, is loft ; loft to the fociety, of which he is a member ; because they can receive no benefit or affiftance from him; and loft to himself, because he will be no longer trufted, and is expofed by his neceffitous circumftances to the caprice, contempt and power of his enemies, and too often to the ingratitude and flight of thofe, who have lived upon him. And can it be imagined that a nation, which goes to war with money borrowed at a high intereft; which maintains large mies to defend foreign countries; pays extraordinary fubfidies for the friendship of states, that can do them neither good nor harm; and confumes more treasure in penfions and needlefs falaries than would fuffice to defray the ordinary expence of the government; can ever fubfift where these disbursements are always to be made with other people's property? fuch a nation must fooner or later be loft. The poor labourer and manufacturer will be diftreffed; the farmer difabled from paying his rent; the merchant and tradesman will be ruined, and even gentlemen of plentiful estates will be reduced to the greateft difficulties in making a tolerable provifion for their families, in a country where taxes are fo multiplied, as to double the price of the common neceffaries of life. It is much to be feared that a nation oppreffed with debt, will but too much resemble the prodigal child,

who having

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fquandered away his patrimony in luxury and profuseness, gives himself up to corruption and venality. For, as national debts and taxes enable one set of men to corrupt, fo they lay a mul-titude of others under the temptation of being corrupted. And it is well known, that poverty and bad examples will drive men to fell their dearest birthright. Therefore it is the duty of our reprefentatives before they grant fupplies, to confider in what condition their conftituents are to pay them; to be well fatisfied, how they are to be applied, and to whofe care and management they are to be entrusted.

THE granting fupplies, though neceffary, is always laying a burden upon the nation, But to grant them implicitly, without confidering the prefent diftreffes of the people, already subject to the payment of eighty millions; loaded with innumerable taxes, and eat up by penfions, falaries, and stock-jobbing! without enquiring, what men and money will be proper and neceffary to grant; and without due information how we are fituated in regard to our affairs abroad, is unparliamentary, and a breach of truft in the reprefentatives of the nation.

THEREFORE, whatever arguments shall be urged for ftrengthning the crown against a foreign enemy: whatever eftimates fhall be offered to the house by the minister; and whatever fubfidies fhall be reported as neceffary to be paid by Great Britain to princes on the continent; the national debt fhould be first confidered; not

with a view to diftrefs the throne, nor to cramp a ministry, who fhall deferve the character of honeft and true Britons, by their good œconomy and wife conduct; and fhall apply the money intrufted to them, not to the payment of foreign fubfidies, but to a naval armament, which is our natural strength and fecurity; but in order to guard against that profufion and misapplication of the public treasure by those, whofe abilities have been distinguished, both in public and private life, for their bad œconomy and venality: by which so much money has been confumed and the people are still left exposed to their enemies abroad, and groan under debts and taxss, which are the ruin of their trade at home,

We should never placean implicit faith in the wisdom and integrity of minifters of state; because they seldom deserve fo much confidence, Befides, it is inconfiftent with the dignity of parliament to give away the money of their conftituents, without firft taking the utmost care, that what shall be demanded for any branch of the public fervice, fhall, beyond all contradiction, be made appear to be abfolutely neceffary.

SHOULD it be proposed to increase our national debt, by entering into another war on the continent; and it fhall appear, that we are not able to form a confederacy fufficient to maintain the balance of power by land; all motions for fubfidies to pay foreign troops, which can be of no fervice to Great Britain, ought to be rejected: and the money to be raised ought to be applied

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