To be continued every SATURDAY. Price Two Pence. Juftum, & tenacem propofiti virum, SIR, defign. R SATURDAY, July the 2d, 1757. To the MONITOR. HOR.' ESOLUTIONS are not to be taken without due confideration of their rectitude, and of the means for carrying them into execution: neither ought they to be dropped, when formed upon equitable and neceffary principles to detect and correct fome evil, or to procure and support fome laudable and just FOR, according to Horace, neither the petulancy of a disgusted people, nor the influence or obftinacy of a king, should be able to engage any one to yield to bad measures, or to affociate with bad men men in the management of a trust; if he be thoroughly convinced of their incapacity or negligence. How fufpicious! how mercenary! how contemptible would be the pen, employed to deceive the inadvertent and ignorant reader into an opinion of a perfon, whofe general conduct has brought him under the cenfure of every intelligent, impartial and obfervant fpectator. What credit could be given to a writer, who attempts to corrupt the ftream of public intelligence with a weekly panageric on the fuperior abilities of a prime minister, whofe neceffities rendered him the dupe of a faction, afpiring to a power unknown to, and deftructive of the conftitution of his country, and prompted him to adopt every measure they propofed for enflaving the people; and reduceing the king to a neceffity of submitting to their new form of government? or a board of admiralty whofe direction was influenced by a lord abandoned to the perplexing monopoly of his time and thoughts at the gaming-table; when our trade, navigation, and property were fuffering continual encroachments, and lofs for want of the protection, and defence, which was entrusted to his care, and poftponed to the gratification of his paffions? or on a fecretary at war whose orders or letters, at a time the nation had need of the most distinct, confiftent and preremptory inftructions to their officers, appeared obfcure, inconfiftent and contradictory? To study weakly arguments to exculpate these objects of public difguft and refentment, and to perfuade the people to acquiefce in a coalition with fuch statesmen as have brought Great Britain to diftrefs, under the ftale pretence of acting upon whiggish principles, when fuch a compromife would be the most effectual means of destroying that liberty, upon which those principles are grounded, could be the intention of no well wifher to Britain; or of any but a shameless mercenary fcribler. An orator, that affumes the liberty either by fpeech or writing to harangue the public in a political capacity, fhould always keep the conftitution of his country in view, and never, by favour, be prevailed upon to plead the cause of Rebellion, faction or arbitraty power; nor by fear be deterred from detecting and purfuing the authors of those meafures, which threaten the conftitution with deftruction. THAT fuch was the view of the MONITOR, there can be no queftion. Your patriotic conftitutional fyftem was not only af ferted, but explained in the second number: where you engaged with the public to fupport his prefent majefty, family and a good adminiftration, and to oppose bad government, frauds, abufes, and faction. And hitherto having acted confiftent with this engagement, by offering the proper incenfe of praise to able and honest men, who have prefided at the head of affairs; by avoiding all peevish oppofitions to the measures of an administration, and by detecting weak and wicked ministers: should a coalition take place; should the gentlemen, fo lately idolized by the nation for the rectitude of their actions, be overcome by the intrigues of a court to join with the heads of that administration, to whose misconduct all the world has placed the loffes, and disgrace of Great Britain; then will be the time to convince your readers that no power, nor intereft is capable of shaking your honest resolution to give the people alarm in time; that, if possible, they may prevent their final ruin. Such a firmness in a writer will clear him from the fufpicion of being the hireling of a miniftry, or the hungry genius of an avaricious bookfeller. LET this be the chief object of your labours; to adhere strictly to the constitution of your country; to avoid all party, and to regard no man's perfon, who enters into measures, which by long experience have been found destructive of its liberty, ruinous to its commerce, and inglorious to its fovereign. ALL the world have read your encomiums on those able statesmen, whom the corporations of these kingdoms distinguished for their virtues and the hopeful prospect of better measures under their short administration, while they made the interest of Britain the bafis of their actions and councils: but, should those honourable gentlemen be led away by ambition or avarice; fhould either of them confess. Video meliora, proboque deteriora fequor. The good that I would, I do not: but the evil, which I would not, that I do. Should it be found that they are brought into captivity by uniting with members, who will not permit them to do good, but compel them to join in measures, which they in their own minds condemn; your impartiality and firmness must be proved by an abhorrence of such an unnatural union, and by laying their faults before the people. WHAT good could be expected from the eloquence and upright intentions of those patriots, who purchased the love of their country by declaiming against corruption in high places? by their occonomy oeconomy of the public money? by their oppofition to foreign forces, fubfidiary and continential interefts? by promoting a more natural and effectual, lefs burthenfome, and lefs hazardous defence than a standing army against invasions and rebellions? by enquiring into the lofs of Minorca? and by providing for the fecurity of all the British dominions? should they unite in council with men, whofe power is formed on a faction, fupported at the expence of the public treasure, which is wanted to defeat the fchemes of our enemies: whose system for more than thirty years has been to fecure a majority of the peoples reprefentatives, either by force or corruption, and to multiply places and penfions, which now amount to little lefs, than has been neceffary to defray the whole expence of a war with France. Whofe attachments to the German policy was putting them upon every invention to impoverish Britain to pay large fubfidies for the support of foreign armies either to eat the bread of idleness, or to be ready for importation into this ifland, fhould the people express diffatisfaction at their diftreffes: who, on all occafions, oppofed a general militia and declared in favour of an unconftitutional standing army: and who were deemed the certain cause of the lofs of Minorca and of the miseries to which our plantations have been exposed. any MIGHT not fuch a coalition induce a belief that he, who was adored for his upright profeffions, had veered about; deserted the cause of his country; adopted the German measures, was never fincere in his enquiry after the authors of our misfortunes, and only attentive to serve some private paffion or interest in preference to his country? WHERE is the equity of fuch a change? where is the wisdom? if his conduct was juft: if his refolution was well grounded, not to act with men obnoxious for their measures; if he breaks that resolution, his country must condemn him: his popularity will be loft: and, as on the like occafions; will not fuch Machiavillian affociates know how to remove him from their cabals with contempt? THUS, Mr. MONITOR, if you remain refolved, to stick close to your original plan, in these great revolutions of state, you are likely to find work enough, should a late list of a new ministry take place. And your publication of these will convince your readers, that you are not wafted about with every minifterial wind: and and that the people are always to expect your affiftance to detect bad men and bad measures. In the mean time let me indulge myself with a few reflections on the late unfettled pofture of the ftate; where the Contest. seems to have been, not who fhall ferve their king and country, but who fhall get the most power; when every true friend of Britain was full of hopes, that merit would have been the only means of rifing. WHAT must become of a nation already diftreffed for money at home, and infulted by her enemies abroad, fhould we find these hopes frustrated? We rejoiced to hear that it had been proclaimed in the fenate and in the cabinet, that every thing fhould be refused to party and ambition: that men fhould be chofe for places, and not places feized upon and ufurped by men, whose fortunes, principles, or capacities had rendered them terrible or despicable to the nation: that every thing should be useless but honour and probity: that corruption should cease; folicitations, calumny and mifrepresentations fhould lose their effect: and that the royal wifdom would fhine in the appointment of such servants, who would fuffer no injury nor do no wrong. BUT should it be our misfortune to hear that the management of any department is depofited with men, who are enemies to the virtues of others; who are jealous of, and endeavour to calumniate their good qualities: who make themselves judges of every bodys merit, and cannot bear that the prince should esteem and protect any but themselves and their creatures; what must become of the liberties of Britain, and the ancient glory of this nation! How happy would it be for princes on fuch occafions to take advice from impartial history, rather than from the intrigues of his courtiers. It is found amongst the commendations of Trajan, that he in all his promotions, firft caft his eye upon his nobles, particularly thofe of ancient families: because it is a fhameful conduct, and argues great weakness to study to keep those under, who ought to be the honour of the state, and to diminish their courage, who ought to be the firft in its defence: and in the panegyrics of other emperors They are recorded to have been most attentive to do justice to those, who executed their duty right in war; never to have advanced any one out of mere favour; nor lavished upon the unworthy the marks of honour, reserved for |