from ferving their prince and country, in a juncture when we ought to have all hands up against the common enemy? and why should they be forced to take the facrament from our clergy's hands, and in our polture; or, indeed, why compelled to receive it at all, when they take an employment which has uothing to do with religion?

Thefe are the notions which moft of that party avow, and which they do not endeavour to difguife or fet off with falfe colours, or complain of being mifreprefented about. I have here placed them, on purpose, in the fame light, which themselves do in the very apologies they make for what we accufe them of; and how inviting even these doctrines are for fuch a monarch to clofe with, as our law, both ftatute and common, understands a king of England to be, let others decide. But then, if to thefe we fhould add other opinions, which most of their own writers juftify, and which their univerfal practice hath given a fanction to; they are no more than what a prince might reafonably expect, as the natural confequence of thofe avowed principles. For when fuch perfons are at the head of affairs, the low opinion they have of princes will certainly lead them to violate that refpect they ought to bear; and, at the fame time, their own want of duty to their fovereign is largely made up, by exacting greater fubmiffions to themfelves from their fellow fubjects it being indifputably true, that the N 2 fame

fame principle of pride and ambition makes a man treat his equals with infolence, in the fame proportion as he affronts his fuperiors; as both prince and people have fufficiently felt from the late ministry.

Then, from their confeffed notions of religion as above related, I fee no reason to wonder, why they countenanced not only all forts of diffenters, but the feveral gradations of free-thinkers among us (all which are openly enrolled in their party); nor why they were fo very averfe from the prefent established form of worship, which, by preferibing obedience. to princes from the topick of confcience, would be fure to thwart all their fchemes of innovation.

One thing I might add, as another acknowledged maxim in that party, and, in my opinion, as dangerous to the constitution as any I have mentioned; I mean, that of preferring, on all occafions, the monied intereft before the landed; which they were fo far from denying, that they would gravely debate the reasonableness and juftice of it; and, at the rate they went on, might, in a little time, have found a majority of reprefentatives fitly qualified to lay thofe heavy burdens on the reft of the nation, which themselves would not touch with one of their fingers.

However, to deal impartially, there are fome motives, which might compel a prince under the neceffity of affairs to deliver himfelf over to that party. They were faid to poffefs

himself and the publick, truft his perfon and his affairs; and whether it were rafhnefs or prudence, in her majefty to make those changes in the ministry, which have been fo highly extolled by fome, and condemned by others.

NUM.

I

NUMBER XXXVI.

Thursday, April 12, 1711.

Tres fpecies tam diffimiles, tria talia texta,
Una dies dedit exitio.

Write this for the fake of diffenters, paper whom I take to be the moft fpreading branch of the whig party, that profeffeth christianity; and the only one that feems to be zealous for any particular system of it; the bulk of those we call the low-church being generally indifferent and undetermined in that point; and the other subdivisions having not yet taken either the Old or New Teftament into their fcheme. By the diffenters therefore it will include the fects of anabaptifts, independents, and others, which have been melted down into them fince the restoration. This fect, in order to make itself national, having gone fo far as to raise a rebellion, murder their king, deftroy monarchy and the church, was afterwards broken in pieces by its own divifions; which made way for the king's return from his exile. However the zealous among them did still entertain hopes of recovering the dominion of grace; whereof I have read a remarkable paffage in a book published about the year 1661, and written by one of their own fide. As one of the regicides was going to his execution, a

poffefs the great bulk of cash, and confequently of credit in the nation; and the heads of them had the reputation of prefiding over those focieties, who have the great direction of both; fo that all application for loans to the publick service, upon any emergency, must be made through them; and it might prove highly dangerous to difoblige. them, because, in that cafe, it was not to be doubted, that they would be obftinate and malicious, ready to obftruct all affairs, not only by fhutting their own purfes, but by endeavouring to fink credit, although with fome prefent imaginary lofs to themselves, only to fhew it was a creature of their own.

From this fummary of whig principles and difpofitions we find, what a prince may reafonably fear and hope from that party. Let us now very briefly confider the doctrines of the tories, which their adverfaries will not difpute. As they prefer a well-regulated monarchy before all other forms of government, fo they think it next to impoffible to alter that inftitution here, without involving our whole ifland in blood and defolation. They believe, that the prerogative of a fovereign ought at least to be held as facred and inviolable as the rights of his people; if only for this reafon, becaufe without a due fhare of power he will not be able to protect them. They think, that, by many known laws of this realm, both ftatute and common, neither the perfon nor lawful authority of the prince ought, upon any pretence whatsoever,