Faction Detected, BY THE EVIDENCE OF FACT S. CONTAINING An Impartial VIEW of PARTIES at Home, and AFFAIRS Abroad. Quo quò fcelefti ruitis? Aut cur dexteris Non ut fuperbas invidæ Carthaginis Romanus arces ureret : Sed ut, fecundum vota Parthorum, fuâ Tacent, & ora pallor albus inficit, Mentefque perculfæ stupent. Hor. Epod. Od. VII. The SECOND EDITION. LONDON: Printed for J. ROBERTS, in Warwick-Lane. M.DCC.XLIII. PA ERRATA. Age 147. line 35. inftead of Influence upon the Legislature read Influence upon the other Members of the Legiflature ; p. 171. 1. 42. inftead of by read thro'; p. 173. 1. 6. dele late; p. 174. 1. 43. inftead of fomented read inflamed. Faction Detected, BY THE EVIDENCE of FACTS. O PPOSITION to the Meafures of Government, whether good or bad, is no new thing in this or any other Country, where the People have any Share in the Legiflature. For wherever that Circumftance is found, the Materials for the Advancement of private Views abundantly occur: And in proportion to the Importance of fuch a Country, Subjects ambitious of Preferment have more Incentives to urge them on to Purfuits of this Nature, more Inftruments to affift them in their Undertaking, and more Pretexts to delude and to impose upon the Multitude. The Employments in fuch a Country muft of Neceffity be numerous and lucrative, the Engagements of the Publick frequent and expenfive, the Dangers from its Neighbours. greater, their Jealoufy and Ill-will more to be apprehended, and confequently with more Privacy and Caution counteracted. This enables artful Men to raife Murmurs against the most neceffary Charges of the State, and to quarrel with the best Means of Publick Security with a manifeft Advantage, because it is easy to difpute the Wifdom of Meafures, which can never be intirely difclofed, till they are fully executed; and the Poifon infufed into the People has performed its Operation before the Nature of the thing can poffibly admit a Detection of the Falfities and Mifreprefentations employed against them; while the Publick, already prejudiced, never give themselves the Trouble to examine what is paft; either taking more Delight in the Discovery of Error, than in the Purfuit of Truth; or not having the Means furnished with equal Induftry, or being diverted by fome fresh Objection, ftarted to fome new Conduct. In proportion to the Riches of any Country, Poverty becomes more preffing upon many by a natural Contrast. In all fuch Countries the Wretched are certainly more wretched than in others which flourish lefs; becaufe the Neceffaries of Life are dear, and not to be had without that Industry, which Numbers Numbers will be found to want, in all Places, however opportune the Means of Employment may be; and Men of this kind may be industrious in a Faction, which is carried on by Noife, Drunkenness and Riot, when they can be fo in nothing elfe. In all trading Countries the Profpect of Gain allures many to adventurous Undertakings above their Abilities, by which fome must be undone, and these never fail to attribute to Mifinanagements of Government, thofe Evils which arife from their own Sloth, Incapacity or Avarice.--Again, in fuch Countries, the Luxury of fome induces others to follow them in the fame Expence, to the Ruin of themselves and of their Families, and the Generality of these unite in Views of a like Nature.As in all populous Countries, from a Variety of Diftrefs, fuch Objects must be very numerous; fo from the very Numbers of a People alone, Faction always derives a great Advantage, fince from the Difference of Difpofitions, with which Men are born into the World, fome will infallibly arife from time to time, framed by Nature itself of a restlefs and difcontented Temper; form'd, whether they have Caufe for it or not, to be as well a Torment to themselves, as a Plague to the Society in which they live.Nor can Oppofition, right or wrong, want even Property to gild it over and to grace it; for Men arifing from the loweft Level of the People, and advancing into confiderable and eafy Fortunes, are by a natural Confequence, too often led to confpire against that very Felicity, Peace, Quiet and Profperity, to which alone they have owed their Existence.--Arrogance and Pride, without a more than common Share of Understanding, are the univerfal Product of all hafty Advancement. Thefe Men repine at what they never before had Leifure to confider; that there is ftill a certain Difference between their Condition and that of another Rank, which they cannot remedy by all their Efforts to exceed them in Expence.This fomething, which they find ftill wanting, fours them with their own State, and inclines them to fall in with any popular Difcontent; partly, to gratify their Vanity in infulting those above them; and partly, to create a Chaos, out of which they hope to emerge upon a Level with thofe they envy. From whence the Obfervation holds moft true, That all Nations, in proportion to their Increase, grow turbulent and factious, and from this Quarter arife thofe levelling Schemes, in the Contention for which, fooner or later, Anarchy enfues; and in procefs of time, the Lofs of that real Liberty, whofe facred Name is so often fpeciously prophaned by Malice and Ambition. Even Liberty itfelf, the more perfect it is, produces thefe Effects more strongly; for 1 for Wantonnefs and Licentiousness, which are its evil Genii, tempt all depraved Tempers to abuse it, and expofe many to the Lafh of the Laws, and to the juft Indignation of Power; which none, who feel, forgive, however they deferve it. At the fame time, the natural Tendancy in all Mankind to expect more Favour than they merit, provokes unjuft Refentments against Government, and a certain Infirmity (of which we all in fome Degree partake) to be uneafy with what we have, and to endeavour after more, inclines Multitudes, either out of Views of private Benefit to themselves, or general Views of Encrease of Privilege to the Order in which they ftand, to follow any Set of Men, who take the Lead in Oppofition of any kind. All these move by a fecret Principle to that Quarter where it erects its Standard, be it just or unjuft, be it to fave or to deftroy their Country. It is obvious from hence, and it is a Truth that cannot be difputed, however it may affect the Credit of many pretended Patriots, that the difcontented Party of all Denominations confift in general of Men of no Principle, and of very unworthy Character. Its Root is always the fame ;-but indeed its Effects are very different. It becomes in fome Conjunctures of very beneficial Confequence, when it is led by Men of honeft Views; and equally pernicious in others, when conducted by Men of a different Character.-In the firft Cafe, it is an Oppofition; in the fecond it is a Faction. Faction is of two kinds in this Country.Oppofition led by Republicans; and Oppofition led by Jacobites Of the two great Parties into which this Nation has been long divided--the Whigs (though not Republicans) have formerly joined the firft the Tories (though not Jacobites) do conftantly abet the last.——They who know the Nature of this Country, who are acquainted with our Hiftory, need no Definition or Description of these two Parties, and all who are capable of Obfervation and Reflection can easily trace the Reasons of their respective Conduct. It is therefore fufficient for us in this Place, that this is a Fact, which cannot be denied; and without a zealous Attachment of one or other of these two Parties, Faction is incapable of doing much Prejudice to Britain. A Faction of the former kind once deftroyed the Liberties and Conftitution of this Nation. It grew up unobferved with the great Improvements of its Commerce, and was nourished in the uncommon Measure of Prosperity, which arose from a long Tranquillity, and a wonderful Encrease of Wealth after the Discovery of the West-Indies, which diffused itself through |