would have been fuch a life, that must be saved by profituting his confcience. The fame gentleman now lies ftabbed by his other enemy, a popib fpy, whofe treafon he hath dif covered. God preferve the rest of her majefty's minifters from fuch proteßants, and from fuch papifts!

I fhall take occafion to hint at fome particularities in this surprising fact, for the fake of thofe at a distance, or who may not be thoroughly informed. The murderer confeffed in Newgate, that his chief design was against Mr. fecretary St. John, who happened to change feats with Mr. Harley for more convenience of examining the criminal: and being asked what provoked him to stab the chancellor, he faid, that, not being able to come at the fecretary as he intended, it was fome fatisfaction to murder the perfon whom he thought Mr. St. John loved best [k].

And here if Mr. Harley hath ftill any enemies left, whom his blood fpilt in the publick fervice cannot reconcile, I hope they will at leaft admire his magnanimity, which is a quality esteemed even in an enemy: and F think there are few greater inftances of it to be found in ftory. After the wound was given, he was observed neither to change his countenance, nor difcover any concern or diforder in his fpeech. He rofe up and walked along the room, while he was able, with the

[k How much he was mistaken appears by lord Bolingbroke's letter to fir William Wyndham.

greatest

greatest tranquillity, during the heighth of the confufion. When the furgeon came, he took him afide, and defired he would inform him freely whether the wound were mortal, becaufe in that cafe, he faid, he had fome affairs to fettle relating to his family. The blade of the penknife, broken by the violence of the blow against a rib within a quarter of an inch of the handle, was dropt out (I know not whether from the wound, or his cloaths) as the furgeon was going to drefs him: he ordered it to be taken up, and wiping it him felf, gave it fome body to keep, faying, he thought it now properly belonged to him, He fhewed no fort of refentment, nor spoke one violent word against Guiscard, but appeared all the while the leaft concerned of any in the company. A ftate of mind, which in fuch an exigency nothing but innocence can give, and is truly worthy of a chriftian philofopher.

If there be really fo great a difference in principle between the high-flying whigs and the friends of France, I cannot but repeat the question, how came they to join in the deftruction of the fame man? Can his death be poffibly for the intereft of both? or have they both the fame quarrel against him, that he is perpetually difcovering and preventing the treacherous defigns of our enemies? However it be, this great minister may now fay, with St. Paul, that he hath been in perils by his own countrymen, and in perils by Arangers.

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In

: a

In the midst of fo melancholy a fubject, I cannot but congratulate with our own country, that fuch a favage monfter as the marquis de Guifcard is none of her production wretch perhaps more deteftable in his own neture, than even this barbarous act has been yet able to represent him to the world. For there are good reafons to believe, from feveral circumftances, that he had intentions of a deeper dye than thofe 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 majefty's bed-chamber. He hath often and earneftly preffed, for fome time, to have access to the queen, even since his correspondence with France. And he has now given such 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 legisla ture will interpofe on fo extraordinary an occafion as this, and direct a punishment [7] fome way proportionable to fo execrable a

crime.

Et quicunque tuum violavit vulnere corpus, Morte luat merita.

[] An Act was immediately paffed to make an attempt on the life of a privy coufellor in the execution of his office, felony without benefit of clergy.

NUM

NUMBER XXXIII.

Thursday, March 22, 1710-11.

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

THE apologies of the ancient fathers are

reckoned to have been the most useful parts of their writings, and to have done greatest service to the chriftian religion; becaufe they removed thofe mifrepresentations which had done it most injury. The methods these writers took, were openly and freely to difcover every point of their faith, to detect the falfhood of their accufers, and to charge nothing upon their adverfaries but what they were fure to make good. This example hatlı 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 same thing in civil schisms: 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 those who call themfelves the old whigs, and a great majority of the prefent tories, at least by all I could ever find

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from

from examining feveral perfons of each denomination. But it must be confefied, 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 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 still pretended a due regard to the monarchy and the church, even at the time when they were making the largeft fteps towards the ruin of both but, not being able to wipe off the many accufations laid to their charge, they endeavoured, by throwing fcandal, to make the tories appear blacker than themselves; that fo the people might join with them, as the smaller 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 reprefent it with the confequences of non-refiftance, arbitrary power, indefeasible 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 those who have been mifled 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 alks,