and of confequence, he would not have difturb'd the World as he has fince done; for tho' it might have coft the People of England eight or ten Millions more, to have brought this to país, fure they would not have grudg'd it, in order to aggrandize his Imperial Majefty. But this was not the worft; for, no fooner was there a general Tranquility fettled in Europe, but thefe wicked Minifters difbanded the Army; and why did they disband it? Mr. Osborn tell us, very well, it was with a Defign of overturning the Laws and Liberties of their Country.

Here the Fact is undeniable, that is, the Army was disbanded; and fure, the Inference is as plain, that it was done to overturn our Liberties; for take Notice, Friends, when ever Minifters intend to do fuch Things as they know will provoke the People, whenever they refolve to opprefs the Subject, and make the Government Arbitrary, the first Thing they do is to disband the Army, that the poor People may not have a Band of Red Coat Patriots to beard him, and keep him within his Duty; for, you know, that Armies are always under the Command of the People, and a Checque upon the Minifters. This Reasoning of Mr. Osborn is what the Italians call ben trouvato, well hit upon, and fhew him to be as prodigious a Politician even as his Patron.

This Gentleman finifhes his Catalogue of Grievances with fomething very fignificant; for he fays, but we forbear.

and then

and then

I am forry I have not Leifure to write a Differtation upon that beautiful Break for I could prove there is fomething as material couch'd under it, as is exprefs'd in all the Writings of this Author befides; but I muft hafte towards his Conclufion.

"Thefe, fays he, were the Signs, the plain and "evident Signs of Attempts upon our Laws and

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"Liberties, and of an Intention to overturn the Conftitution.

That Repetition, the Signs, the plain and evident Signs, is very moving, and fure the Man must be born in Flintshire, nurfed in Stony-Stratford, and fuckled. by the Wife of fome Tinker, or Hard-ware-Man, whofe Heart is not melted at this pathetick Defcription of the Miseries of Queen Anne's Reign --What! Diffenters, and Quakers, discouraged!

No Standing-Army! and (pour Comble des Malheurs another Thing which he has forgot) SOMEBODY nabb'd for Bribery!

. He immediately after challenges the Gentlemen concern'd in the Craftsman, to fhew as real Signs, or any Signs, or Attempts upon our Liberties now.-And, I find, the faid Gentlemen have not anfwer'd this Challenge; the Reafon, I take to be, because they are not able, and indeed, if they should attempt it, we can stop their Mouths with their own Writings, for they have already own'd, that we have a Standing Army, and a Riot-At, two Things we had not in thofe Days, and fure they will not have the Impudence to deny but that we have more Wealth amongst the People, and a more extenfive Trade than under that wicked Tory Miniftry.

When I confider with how much good Senfe the Actions of that Tory Miniftry have been expos'd, and the Measures of the prefent defended, by thofe two ingenious Gentlemen Mr. Osborn and Mr. Walfingham, I am furpriz'd there fhould be a difaffected Perfon left in the Kingdom, but fure, there will not be long, and Men muft read themselves into an Affection for a certain Great Minifter, if these Gentlemen continue to write with the fame Spirit.Go on, then, ye Pair of worthy Wights, affert the Caufe of him that pays you, and may the fame Reafon, the fame Wit, the fame Good Breeding, the M 2

fame

fame Veracity fhine forth in your future, as have made your paft Writings fo confpicuous, is the fincere Wish of

Your great Admirer,

OLD FOG.

Τ

SATURDAY, Jan. 23, 1731.

HE Prefs, for about a Month past, has fwarm'd with Pamphlets on the Side of our prefent wife and able Minifters. They are all fo excellent, it is hard to fay which deferves the Preference, and I wou'd fain do Juftice to them all, but that must be the Work of more Papers than one. I fhall therefore begin with one which has for Title, The Defence of the Measures of the prefent Adminiftration, which is not only the fhorteft, but much the better for being fo.

This Author tells us, at his firft fetting out, that "Complaints and Outcries are not fo much as a "good Foundation for fuppofing there have been

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any Defects whatfoever in the publick Counfels, "for, in a Frame of Government like ours, there "is one Circumftance will always leffen the Po"pularity of a Miniftry, if not their Authority, "which is the Continuance of the fame Admi"niftration.

The good Senfe of this wife Obfervation is fufficient to fatisfy all reasonable Men, that our Affairs have been wifely managed, especially, when

it is confider'd, how often it has been repeated.-The Reverend Author of the Enquiry first started it, fome Years ago; we have had it in all the anniversary Pamphlets ever fince; Mr. Osborn has been fo good to give it to us about seventy five Times, and Mr. Walfingham twice as many; nor, indeed, is there any thing in this well-meaning Pamphlet that has not the Authority of, at leaf, fifty Repetitions.

This Practice, of giving us the fame Arguments over and over again, puts me in Mind of the Story of the Cook, who happened to have a Piece of Beef that was none of the beft, which he boyled, but Nobody would deal with him for it; next Day he roasted it, but ftill it ftuck upon his Hands; the third Day he bak'd it, but with no better Succefs; the fourth Day he turn'd it into a Hab, and then he put it off to a poor Fellow who was purblind, and who had loft his Smelling. Now, if a Party cook up their political Maxims in the fame Manner this Fellow did his Beef, who knows but Somebody may fwallow them, at laft?

But to quit this hungry Simile, and to return to our Author, who tells us immediately after that, thefe Complaints and Outcries will always happen, whether Things are well conducted or not. Here I cannot altogether fubfcribe to his Opinion; for, tho' I fhou'd grant the firft, I think, an Example can be given, to prove the contrary of the laft, and that is, in Relation to the Miniftry of the laft four Years of Queen Anne. I believe this

Author will allow, that Things were ill conducted in thofe Days, nor can it be forgot, that the worfe they were conducted (in his Senfe) the more po¬ pular the Ministers grew, infomuch, that the removing them put the People's Allegiance to a Tryal. I appeal to all who remember thofe M 3

Times,

Times, whether this Infinuation be true or false, if the latter, let them ftand up and reprove me.

Suppofe then, we should allow Half of what our Author has here advanced, that is, in other Words, that, whenever we fee an univerfal Clamour against a Minifter, we must take it for a fure Sign that Affairs are well conducted; but if the Contempt of all Men of Senfe be added to this Clamour, Oh then we may pronounce him an ANGEL. This, I think, will be a good general Rule for judging, according to the new political Syftem, laid down by the Writers of one

Side.

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Indeed, in his next Paragraph he affigns fome further Reasons for the prefent Prejudice, which manifefts itself fo publickly, against our wife and able Ministers ; one, the Malice and Mifreprefentation of Writers against them; the other, the weak and unskilful Defences of fome who have appear'd for This laft Reflection, methinks, seems to glance a little unkindly at those two great Perfonages Osborn and Walfingham, whofe Parts I reverence. I fhall make no Remark upon it, but, that I am forry to fee Gentlemen on the fame Side treat one another with fo much Contempt.

them.

Our Author now begins to be a little more particular; for he tells us, the "Peace of Utrecht,

exceptionable as it was in the whole, provided, "however, for the Intereft of England fo far, that "it left us in good Terms of Tranquility with "Spain, the People whom of all others it is most << our Intercft to be well with; nor could we "have fail'd to find our Advantage in the Temper they were then in towards us, had our Af"fairs been conducted with the Wifdom they might have been; but this was not our good Fortune; Opportunities the most favourable for ftrengthning this Amity were neglected, and

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