miniftration, and the particular revolutions at court, which had introduced the Earl of Oxford, and had displaced the Earl of Godolphin and his friends. Many of Swift's Examiners are perfonally aimed at the Genera! [the Duke of Marlborough]. In a free country, the power of a general is always to be feared. The greater his military capacity, or the more fuccefsful his arms, in the greater danger are the liberties of the people. On this maxim Swift proceeded; and while he was writing in defence of the commonwealth, he had an opportunity of giving a loofe to his own severity; of which the house of Pride, and several other allegorical eslays, are very fpirited examples. But I am fettered in my animadverfions on these papers. The prefent times, and the honour which I bear to many noble families, defcended from perfons mentioned in the Examiners, make me willing to take as flight notice as poffible even of the wittieft paffages in thofe papers, because many of those paffages arife from perfonal reflections, or party-farcafms. In general, the feveral points relating to the national debt, (alas! how increased fince the year 1710!), the too long continuance of the war, and other public topics of complaint, are melancholy truths, justly becoming the pen of a man who loves his country. Within these last forty years, the political treatises have been fo numerous, fo various, fo local, and fo-temporary, that each new pamphlet has fucceeded its predeceffor, like a youthful fon to an ancient father, amidst a multiplicity of followers, admi. rers, and dependents; whilft the antiquated fire having frutted and foamed his hour upon the fage, is heard no more, but lies filent, and almost entirely forgotten, except by a few friends and cotemporaries, who accidentally remember fome of his just obfervations, or prophetical aphorifms, which they have lived to fee accomplished. Thus has it fared, even in my time, with the Ecaminers, the Freeholders, and the Craftsman. And the fame fate will attend moft writings of that fort; which being framed to ferve particular views, fulfil the purport of their creation, and then perifh: while works of a more liberal and diffufive kind are acceptable to all perfons, and all times; and may affine to themselves a certain profpect of furviving to the lateft pofterity. But when a young gentleman enters into the commerce of life, he will be obliged, in his own defence, to look into every thing that has been written upon political fubjects. In England, a man cannot keep up a converfation without being well verfed in politics. In whatever other point of learning he may be deficient, he certainly muft not appear fuperficial in flate-affairs. He muft chufe his party; and he must stick to the choice. revacare gradum, must be his motto; and Heaven forgive fuch an one, if the gradus now and then enforces him to act against felf-conviction. Non If party, and the confequences of it, had arifen to that height among the Romans and Grecians, as it has rifen of late years years among the English, their poets would probably have added her to the three furies, and would have placed her in hell, as a fit companion for Tifiphone, Megara, and Alecto; from whence, according to their defcription, the might have made excurfions upon earth, only with an intention to destroy, confound, mislead, and difunite mankind, It is true, that all countries have their parties and their factions. But there is a certain contagious diftemper of this fort, fo peculiar to the British iflands, that, I believe, it is unknown to every other part of the world. It increases our natural gloom, and it makes us fo averse to each other, that it keeps men of the best morals, and most social inclinations, in one continual state of warfare and oppofition. Muft not the fource of this malady arife rather from the heart, than from the head? from the different operations of our paffions, than of our reason? Swift, a man of violent paffions, was, in confequence of thofe paffions, violent in his party. But as his capacity and genius were fo extraordinary and extenfive, even his party-writings carry with them dignity and instruction. And in that light one should read the Examiners, where he will find a nervous ftyle, a clear diction, and great knowledge of the true landed interest of England. Orrery. The houfe of Pride, in the Examiner, No 49. was not the production of Dr Swift; but was one of the vifions of Mrs Manley, who wrote the Atalantis. Swift. The laft fix Examiners were not wrote by Dr Swift, as appears from the notes at No 13. But as they had got a place in all former editions of the Dean's works, Hawkefworth's excepted, we were advised to retain them in the present edition. Some ADVICE humbly offered to the Mcm bers of the OCTOBER CLUB. In a Letter from a Person of Honour. Written in the year 1711. The PUBLISHER'S PREFACE. A Bout the year, when her late Majefty of bleffed memory thought proper to change her miniftry, and brought in Mr Harley, Mr St John, Sir Sinion Harcourt, and fome others; the firft of thefe being made an Earl and Lord Treasurer, he was foon after blamed by his friends for not making a general fweep of all the Whigs, as the latter did of their adverfaries upon her Majefty's death, when they came into power. At that time a great num. ber of parliament-men, amounting to above two hundred, grew fo warm upon the flowness of the Treasurer in this part, that they formed themfelves into a body under the name of the October Club, and had many meetings to confult fome methods that might fpur on those in power, fo that they might make a quicker difpatch in removing all of the Whig leaven from the employments they ftill poffeffed. To prevent the ill confequences of this discontent among fo many worthy members, the rest of the miniftry joined with the Treasurer partly to pacify, and partly to divide thofe, who were in greater hafte than moderate men thought convenient. It was well known, that the fuppofed author met a confiderable number of this club in a public houfe, where he convinced them very plainly of the Treasurer's fincerity, with many of those very reasons which are urged in the following discourse, befides fome others, which were not fo proper to appear at that time in print. upon The The Treasurer alledged in his defence, that fuch a treatment would not confist with prudence, because there were many employments to be bestowed, which required skill and practice; that feveral gentlemen who poffeffed them, had been long verfed, very loyal to Her Majesty, had never been violent party-men, and were ready to fall into all honeft measures for the fervice of their Queen and country. But however, as offices became vacant, he would humbly recommend to her Majefty fuch gentlemen, whose principles with regard both to church and ftate his friends would approve of, and he would be ready to accept their recommendations. Thus the Earl proceeded in procuring employments for thofe who deferved them by their hone fty and abilities to execute them; which I confefs to have been a fingularity not very likely to be imitated. How ever, the gentlemen of this club still continued uneafy that no quicker progrefs was made in removals, until those who were leaft violent began to foften a little, or by dividing them the whole affair dropped. During this difficulty we have been affured, that the following difcourfe was very feasonably published with great fuccefs, fhewing the diffi culties that the Earl of Oxford lay under, and his real defire, that all perfons in employment should be truly loyal churchmen, zealous for her Majefty's honour and fafety, as well as for the fucceffion in the house of Hanover, if the Queen fhould happen to die without iflue. This dif courfe having been published about the year 1711, and many of the facts forgotten, would not have been generally understood without fome explanation, which we have now endeavoured to give, because it seems a point of hi story too material to be loft. We owe this piece of intelligence to an intimate of the fuppofed author. Some Some ADVICE humbly offered to the Mem bers of the OCTOBER CLUB*. S GENTLEMEN, INCE the first institution of your fociety, I have always thought you capable of the greatest things, Such a number of perfons, members of parliament, true lovers of our conftitution in church and state, meet, ing at certain times, and mixing bufinefs and converfation together, without the forms and conftraint neceffary to be obferved in public affemblies, muft very much improve each other's understanding, correct and fix your judgment, and prepare yourselves against any defigns, of the oppofite par ty. Upon the opening of this feffion an incident hath hap pened, * This pamphlet was written in the year 1711, and is fo applicable to that particular time, that i fhall not make any animadverfions upon it. From political tracts, the true history of England is to be deduced and if foreigners were to enter into that branch of reading, they might frame a more diftinct notion of our legislature, and of our manners, than from more laboured and connected accounts of our conftitution. In fuch a view, I am apt to think, that, at first fight, they must behold us a difunited, difcontented, and feemingly an unfteady people. But I am certain, that, upon a more minute difquifition, they must find in us a fixed, and, I may fay, an innate love of liberty, variegated, and perhaps fometimes erroneous in its progrefs, but conftant and unwearied in the purfuit of that glorious end. What people upon earth can defire a more exalted, or a more distinguished cha racter? To speak in the dialect of the Heathen world, our errors are the errors of men, our principles are the principles of gods. Orrery. Perhaps that clear, impartial account of the indigested schemes of the October club, as it fell accidentally from the pen of Dr Swift, may throw fome additional light upon the hiftory of that era, which, it must be confeffed, is very greatly wanted; and at the fame time be a caution to all worthy and fober men, who principally intend the good of their country, in all their reason |