Paul, that he hath been in perils by his own countrymen, and in perils by ftrangers.

In the midft of fo melancholy a fubject, I cannot but congratulate with our own country, that fuch a favage monster as the marquis de Guifcard is none of her production: a wretch perhaps more detestable in his own nature, than even this barbarous act has been yet able to represent him to the world. For there are good reafons to believe from feveral circumstances, that he had intentions of a deeper dye than those he happened to execute; I mean fuch as every good fubject must tremble to think on. He hath of late been frequently feen going up the back-stairs at court, and walking alone in an outer room adjoining to her majesty's bed-chamber. He hath often, and earnestly preffed for fome time, to have access to the queen, even fince his correfpondence with France. And he has now given fuch a proof of his disposition, as leaves it easy to guess what was before in his thoughts, and what he was capable of attempting.

It is humbly to be hoped, that the legiflature will interpofe on fo extraordinary

an

an occafion as this, and direct a punishment* fome way proportionable to fo

execrable a crime.

Et quicunque tuum violavit vulnere corpus, Morte luat merita

NUMBER XXXIII.

Thursday, March 22, 1710.

De libertate retinenda, qua certe nihil eft dulcius, tibi affentior.

THE apologies of the ancient fathers

are reckoned to have been the moft useful parts of their writings, and to have done greatest service to the chriftian religion; because they removed those mifrepresentations which had done it most injury. The methods these writers took, were openly and freely to discover every point of their faith, to detect the falfhood of their accufers, and to charge nothing upon their adversaries but what they were fure to make good. This example hath

been ill followed of later times: the papifts fince the reformation ufing all arts to palliate the abfurdities of their tenets, and loading the reformers with a thousand calumnies; the confequence of which hath been only a more various, wide, and inveterate feparation. It is the fame thing in civil fchifms: a whig forms an image of a tory just after the thing he most abhors, and that image ferveth to represent the whole body,

I am not fenfible of any material difference there is between thofe, who call themselves the old whigs, and a great majority of the prefent tories, at least by all I could ever find from examining feveral perfons of each denomination. But it must be confeffed, that the prefent body of whigs, as they now conftitute that party, is a very odd mixture of mankind, being forced to enlarge their bottom by taking in every heterodox profeffor either in religion or government, whofe opinions they were obliged to encourage for fear of leffening their number; while the bulk of the landed men and people were entirely of the old fentiments. However, they ftill pretended

:

tended a due regard to the monarchy and the church, even at the time when they were making the largest steps towards the ruin of both but not being able to wipe off the many accufations laid to their charge, they endeavoured by throwing of fcandal to make the tories appear blacker than themselves; that fo the people might join with them, as the fmaller evil of the

two.

But among all the reproaches which the whigs have flung upon their adverfaries, there is none hath done them more fervice than that of paffive obedience, as they represent it with the confequences of nonrefifiance, arbitrary power, indefeafible right, tyranny, popery, and what not. There is no accufation, which hath paffed with more plaufibility than this; nor any that is fupported with lefs juftice. In order therefore to undeceive thofe, who have been misled by false representations, I thought it would be no improper undertaking to fet this matter in a fair light, which I think hath not yet been done. A whig afks, whether you hold paffive obedience? You affirm it: he then immediately cries out, you are a

jacobite,

jacobite, a friend of France and the pretender! because he makes you answerable for the definition he hath formed of that term, however different it be from what you underftand. I will therefore give two defcriptions of paffive obedience; the firft as it is falfly charged by the whigs, the other as it is really profeffed by the tories, at least by nineteen in twenty of all I ever converfed with.

Paffive obedience, as charged by the WHIGS.

THE doctrine of paffive obedience is to believe, that a king, even in a limited monarchy, holding his power only from God, is only answerable to him: that fuch a king is above all law; that the cruelleft tyrant must be submitted to in all things; and if his commands be ever fo unlawful, you must neither fly nor refift, nor use any other weapons than prayers and tears. Although he should force your wife or daughter, murder your children before your face, or cut off five hundred heads in a morning for his diverfion; you are ftill to wish him a long, profperous reign, and to be patient under all his cruelties