ear, fince fo many could not preferve "their daughters and wives from his luft. "I believe there is no man, who ever heard "his name, that cannot relate his enor"mities. We bring before you in judg"ment, my lords, a publick robber, an adulterer, a DEFILER OF ALTARS *, an

enemy of religion and of all that is fa"cred. In Sicily he fold all employments "of judicature, magiftracy, and trust, places in the council, and the priesthood "itself, to the highest bidder; and hath

plundered that island of forty millions "of fefterces. And here I cannot but ob"ferve to your lordships, in what man"ner Verres paffed the day: the morning was spent in taking bribes and felling

66

employments; the reft of it in drunken"nefs and luft. His difcourfe at table was "fcandaloufly unbecoming the dignity of "his ftation; noise, brutality, and ob"fceneness. One particular I cannot omit; "that in the high character of governor "of Sicily, upon a folemn day, a day fet

The ftory of the lord Wharton is true; who, with fome other wretches, went in

to a pulpit, and defiled it in the most filthy manner.

E 4

apart

apart for publick prayer for the fafety "of the commonwealth, he ftole at even

.

ing in a chair to a married woman of "infamous character, against all decency "and prudence, as well as against all laws "both human and divine. Didft thou "think, O Verres! the government of "Sicily was given thee with fo large a "commiffion, only, by the power of that, “to break all the bars of law, modefty, "and duty; to fuppofe all mens fortunes “ thine, and leave no house free from thy “ rapine and lust ?” etc.

This extract, to deal ingenuously, hath coft me more pains, than I think it is worth; having only ferved to convince me, that modern corruptions are not to be parallelled by ancient examples, without having recourse to poetry or fable. For instance, I never read in story of a law enacted to take away the force of all laws whatsoever; by which a man may fafely commit upon the laft of June, what he would infallibly be hanged for if he committed on the first of July; by which the greatest criminals may escape, provided

they

they continue long enough in power to antiquate their crimes, and by ftifling them a while can deceive the legiflature into an amnesty, of which the enactors do not at that time foresee the confequence. A cautious merchant will be apt to fufpect, when he finds a man who has the repute of a cunning dealer, and with whom he hath old accounts, urging for a general release. When I reflect on this proceeding, I am not surprised that thofe, who contrived a parliamentary Sponge for their crimes, are now afraid of a new revolution Sponge for their money: and if it were poffible to contrive a sponge, that could only affect thofe who had need of the other, perhaps it would not be ill employed,

NUM

NUMBER XVIII.

Thursday, December 9, 1710.

Quippe ubi fas verfum atque nefas; tot bella per orbem;

Tam multae Scelerum facies

A M often violently tempted to let the world freely know, who the author of this paper is; to tell them my name and titles at length; which would prevent abundance of inconfiftent criticisms I daily hear upon it. Those who are enemies to the notions and opinions I would advance, are fometimes apt to quarrel with the Examiner as defective in point of wit, and fometimes of truth. At other times they are fo generous and candid to allow, it is written by a club, and that very great hands have fingers in it. As for those who only appear its adversaries in print, they give me but very little pain. The paper I hold, lies at my mercy, and I can govern it as I please; therefore, when I begin to find the wit too bright, the learning too deep, and the fatyr too keen for me to

deal

deal with, (a very frequent cafe, no doubt, where a man is constantly attacked by fuch fhrewd adverfaries) I peaceably fold it up, or fling it afide, and read no more. It would be happy for me to have the fame power over people's tongues, and not be forced to hear my own work railed at, and commended, fifty times a day; affecting all the while a countenance wholly unconcerned, and joining out of policy or good manners with the judgment of both parties: this, I confefs, is too great a hardship for fo bafhful and unexperienced

a writer.

But, alas, I lie under another difcouragement of much more weight. I was very unfortunate in the choice of my party, when I fet up to be a writer. Where is the merit, or what opportunity to difcover our wit, our courage, or our learning, in drawing our pens for the defence of a cause, which the QUEEN and both houfes of parliament, and nine parts in ten of the kingdom, have fo unanimoufly embraced? I am cruelly afraid, we politick authors must begin to leffen our expences, and lie for the future at the mercy of

Our