"not produced, or that there wanted an ❝orator to accufe him. This man, my «lords, hath publickly faid, that thofe "ought to be afraid of accufations, who have only robbed enough for their own "fupport and maintenance: but that he hath

plundered fufficient to bribe numbers; "and that nothing is fo high or fo holy, "which money cannot corrupt. Take that "fupport from him, and he can have no "other left: for what eloquence will be able "to defend a man, whofe life hath been "tainted with so many scandalous vices, and "who hath been fo long condemned by the "univerfal opinion of the world? To pafs "over the foul stains and ignominy of his "youth, his corrupt management in all em"ployments he hath borne, his treachery and "irreligion, his injuftice and oppreffion; he "hath left of late fuch monuments of his "villanies in Sicily,`made such havock and "confufion there, during his government, "that the province cannot by any means be "reftored to its former ftate, and hardly re66 cover itself at all under many years, and "by a long fucceffion of good governors. "While this man governed in that illand, the "Sicilians had neither the benefit of our "laws nor their own, nor even of common

❝right. In Sicily no man now poffeffes

more, than what the governor's luft and "avarice have overlooked, or what he was "forced to neglect out of mere weariness

and fatiety of oppreffion. Every thing,

"where

"where he prefided, was determined by his "arbitrary will; and the beft fubjects he ❝ treated as enemies. To recount his abo"minable debaucheries would offend any "modeft ear, fince fo many could not pre“ferve 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 [b], 66 an enemy of religion, and of all that is facred. In Sicily he fold all employments "of judicature, magiftracy, and truft, places "in the council, and the priesthood itself,

to the highest bidder; and has plundered "that ifland of forty millions of fefterces. "And here I cannot but obferve to your

lordships, in what manner Verres paffed "the day: the morning was spent in taking "bribes and felling employments; the reft "of it in drunkennefs and luft. His dif"courfe at table was fcandaloufly unbecom66 ing the dignity of his ftation; noife, bru

tality, and obsceneness. One particular "I cannot omit; that, in the high character " of governor of Sicily, upon a folemn day, a day fet apart for publick prayer for the fafety of the commonwealth, he stole at 66 evening in a chair to a married woman of

66

་་

[b] The ftory of the lord Wharton is true; who, with fome other wretches, went into a pulpit, and defiled it in the moft filthy manner,

Ꭰ Ꮞ

❝ infa

"infamous character, against all decency "and prudence, as well as against all laws "both human and divine. Didst 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 men's fortunes thine, and leave no house free from any rapine and luft?”

of

etc.

This extract, to deal ingenuoufly, hath coft me more pains, than I think it is worth; having only ferved to convince me, that modern corruptions are not to be paralleled by ancient examples, without having recourfe to poetry or fable. For inftance, I never read in ftory of a law enacted to take away the force of all laws whatsoever; by which a man may fafely commit, upon the last of June, what he would infallibly be hanged for, if he committed it on the first of July; by which the greatest criminals may escape, provided they continue long enough in power. to antiquate their crimes, and by ftifling them a while can deceive the legislature into an amnefty, 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 those,

who

who contrived a parliamentary Sponge for their crimes, are now afraid of a new revolution fponge for their money: and if it were poffible to contrive a sponge, that could only affect those who, had need of the other, perhaps it would not be ill employed.

NUMBER XVIII.

Thursday, December 9, 1710.

Quippe ubi fas verfum atque nefas; tot bella per orbem; Tam multae fcelerum facies? IAM 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 sometimes 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 adverfaries in print, they give me but very little pain. The paper, I hold, lies at my mercy, and I can govern it as I pleafe; therefore, when I be gin to find the wit too bright, the learning too deep, and the fatyr too keen for me to 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 aside, 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,