children, I appeal to any man, what fort of figure we should have been able to make these twenty years paft. Befides, neither our enemies nor allies are upon the fame foot with us in this particular. France and Holland, our nearest neighbours, and the fartheft engaged, will much fooner recover themselves after a war: the firft by the abfolute power of the prince, who being master of the lives and fortunes of his fubjects, will quickly find expedients to pay his debts; and fo will the other, by their prudent adminiftration, the greatnefs of their trade, their wonderful parfimony, the willingness of their people to undergo all kind of taxes, and their justice in applying as well as collecting them. But above all we are to confider, that France and Holland fight on the continent, either upon or near their own territories, and the greatest part of the money circulates among themfelves; whereas ours croffes the fea, either to Flanders, Spain, or Portugal, and every penny of it, whether in fpecie or returns, is fo much loft to the nation for ever. Upon Upon these confiderations alone, it was the most prudent courfe imaginable in the QUEEN, to lay hold of the difpofition of the people for changing the parliament and miniftry at this juncture, and extricating herself as foon as poffible out of the pupillage of thofe, who found their accounts only in perpetuating the war. Neither have we the leaft reafon to doubt, but the enfuing parliament will affist her MAJESTY with the utmoft vigour, until her enemies again be brought to fue for peace, and again offer fuch terms as will make it both honourable and lafting; only with this difference, that the ministry perhaps will not again refuse them. Audiet pugnas vitio parentum THE NUMBER XIV. Thursday, November 9, 1710. E quibus hi vacuas implent fermonibus aures, Hi narrata ferunt alio: menfuraque ficti Crefcit, et auditis aliquid novus adjicit autor. Illic Credulitas, illic temerarius Error, Vanaque Laetitia eft, confternatiqueTimores, Seditioque recens, dubioque autore Sufurri. I A M prevailed on, through the imporportunity of friends, to interrupt the scheme I had begun in my last paper, by an Effay upon the art of Political Lying. We are told the devil is the father of lyes, and was a lyar from the beginning; so that beyond contradiction the invention is old: and, which is more, his first Essay of it was purely political, employed in undermining the authority of his prince, and feducing a third part of the fubjects from their obedience; for which he was driven down from Heaven, where (as Milton expreffeth it) he had been VICEROY of a great western province; and forced to exercise his talent in inferior regions among other fallen fallen fpirits, or poor deluded men, whom he ftill daily tempts to his own fin, and will ever do fo, till he be chained in the bottomlefs pit. But although the devil be the father of lyes, he feems, like other great inventors, to have loft much of his reputation by the continual improvements, that have been made upon him. Who firft reduced lying into an art, and adapted it to politicks, is not fo clear from history; although I have made fome diligent enquiries. I fhall therefore confider it only according to the modern fyftem, as it hath been cultivated these twenty years paft in the southern part of our own ifland. The poets tell us, that after the giants were overthrown by the gods, the earth in revenge produced her laft offspring, which was Fame. And the fable is thus interpreted; That when tumults and feditions are quieted, rumours and false reports are plentifully fpread through a nation. So that by this account lying is the last relief of a routed, earth-born, rebellious party in a ftate. But here the moderns have made great additions, applying this art to the the gaining of power and preserving it, as well as revenging themselves after they have loft it; as the fame inftruments are made use of by animals to feed themselves when they are hungry, and to bite those that tread them. upon But the fame genealogy cannot always be admitted for political lying; I fhall therefore defire to refine upon it, by adding fome circumstances of its birth and parents. A political lye is fometimes born out of a difcarded statesman's head, and thence delivered to be nurfed and dandled by the rabble. Sometimes it is produced a monfter, and licked into fhape: at other times it comes into the world completely formed, and is fpoiled in the licking. It is often born an infant in the regular way, and requires time to mature it; and often it fees the light in its full growth, but dwindles away by degrees. Sometimes it is of noble birth; and fometimes the spawn of a ftock-jobber. Here it fcreams aloud at the opening of the womb; and there it is delivered with a whisper. I know a lye, that now disturbs half the kingdom with its noife, which, although too proud and great at |