mitted to thofe, who declared against it, and amufed us with bubble-negociations.

How can we expect vigor from a cabal, who fo obftinately oppofe a war, not only in contempt of the judgment, but in defiance of the resentment of the whole nation. Peace! peace! upon any terms, has been the cry within doors, and the eccho of their creatures without. And can it be fuppofed that a minister, who has induftriously laboured to ftave off the war, will adopt the child of the people; and thereby con tradict the whole tenor of his conduct, by fuffering it to thrive under his care?

THE fad remembrance of that ministry, which, to give them an opportunity to scourge our merchants for demanding justice against our enemies, difclaimed all care of it; named it the merchants war: and fo managed it, as thereby to exhaust our purfes, confound our men, weary our patience, and expofe our conduct; ought to guard us against the like difafters and therefore as the honour and dignity of the crown; the diftreffes of the subjects in America, and the interruption of trade in Europe have made a war neceffary; let us not regard by what name it fhall be called, fo that it be carried on vigorously and effectually to reduce our enemies to reafon, and to fecure a good and lafting peace. Z.

cret, I can affure you, lies deeper: it is money fights money; and he that has the last guinea may be laft in the field.

THIS maxim is now uncontefted: Will it not then, do you think, infpire our man of power with a sense of frugality, and a care of the Exchequer? will he not, when the calls of the public must be unavoidably great, study every art of good husbandry, that the burthen of the war may lie as light upon the people as poffible? judge, what he probably will do by what is paft. He was fo good an oeconomist in the last war, that, though he continued it at leaft eight years, he only accumulated the national debt with a trifle of thirty millions!

you

O my dear friend, adds Britannicus, taking Ofellus by the hand; be in no pain; do not be fufpicious: all will go, at leaft all will end well, if you have but the patience to wait. ALAS! alas! Sir-what? think me then in jeft: you doubt my prophecy: come Ofellus; I must deal freely with you; (old friendships have a right to it) you private gentlemen, though many of you are very honest, have but narrow views: your ideas are contracted; but I can put you in a way to gather new lights. Have you feen a new political paper, entitled the MONITOR, OF BRITISH FREEHOLDER? who the author is, I know not, nor is it material; but in my humble opinion, it is wrote with an honeft intention; and, without affectation or studied eloquence, delivers maxims,

whereby

whereby every true Briton ought to form his judgment, and fquare his conduct: there you will fee the blunders, the tricks, the iniquities of certain ftate empiricks; who under colour of preferving our conftitution, have notoriously damaged it: and it points out the genuine intereft of this nation; and nobly pleads the cause of liberty; in fo clear, so familiar, so convincing a light; that the meaneft Freeholder in the nation may understand, what is his duty, and what is his right.

SAY you fo, Britannicus: upon my word a very feasonable paper in the prefent crifis: I know nothing more of it, than that I faw it advertized; but I'll write immediately to the publisher to fend it me weekly.

1

WELL Sir, as I have raised your curiofity, I will gratify it in part; for I have a paper in my pocket; and by this fpecimen guefs at the reft. Oh! here it is, N° II. I carry it with me wherever I go, as an epitome of my political bible; nor have I fhewn it any man, nor indeed heard of any body, who has read it, unplaced and unpensioned, I mean, but highly approves it: nay the hot ones exult and cry out; --we will fign and feal every article of it with our blood.

I am obliged to you, Sir; taking the paper: -Hey day; a fhort bufinefs truly; but perchance, multum in parvo; you fee I have not forgot my Latin? all pith, I fuppofe.

F 3

THAT

THAT may, or may not be, Ofellus; as it fhall prove. Doctors, you know, differ; taftes differ: I fpeak chiefly for myself: and I hope you are not fo much a courtier, as to make a compliment of your taste and judgment to mine.

WHAT? I a courtier; not. I, in troth; I love plain dealing, and e-gad, shall speak as I think:

SUPPER being ended, and the family withdrawn; down fits our two heroes, and the MoNITOR Compleated the triumvirate. Britannicus takes him up, and having pledged a bumper to the King's health, and profperity to the war: well, Sir, faid he, will you read, or shall I? he is in good hands, Britannicus; and my ears are at your fervice: fhould any thing stick, as you proceed, you will pardon my freedom, if I ftop you.

BRITANNICUS read the MONITOR quite thro', unchecked, uninterrupted. Ofellus fmiled, his eyes fparkled with joy, and the patriot paffions played in his features: Britannicus was not blind; well, old friend, fays he, what think you ? how do you like it?Like it, he replies; why? I never was fo pleased? fo enlightned in all my life. Why? it is all marrow, all kernel: how fhall I express myself? why; it is the very quinteffence of all our politics at the club: well, here's a bumper to the unknown author: he writes like a man; he writes like an honest man, and a true Briton.

Why;

Why; it is all; it is every thing drawn into a point: it is a fine political picture in miniature: 'ods-heart, what fhall I compare it to? it is like, I think, one of Spencer's charming enamell'd ones; where every thing; lines, complexion, features, air, flesh, fpirit, are all expreffed to the life; and yet in an oval of an inch fquare. Amazing! that the true policy and government of this nation fhould be in fo narrow a compass.

WHAT! but fifteen propofitions; plain, convincing, intelligible to every reader that is not a driveller. 'Odfooks, I think, I could make a ftatesman myself; there feems to be little wanting befides a good heart.

BUT come; talking is, dry ;- -give me your toaft:-conftitution in church and ftate;

with all my heart Britannicus. No man, though I fay it, loves the conftitution better than I do and next to the conftitution I love the king and his family; and I hope they who have been fo long tampering with our old Engglish conftitution, and have fo lamentably damaged it, under the pretence of being its beft friends, have feen their error, and will try no more of their damn'd noftrums.

I am glad, my dear friend, to find you fo loyal; I always thought you a good fubject, and still think you one, notwithstanding fome fad things have been lately rumoured of you.

O Sir; I could easily folve that riddle; you know how high matters have been carried in F 4

this