"an Answer to what I declared to you. I never " mentioned a Word of going between the S-r and the Lord L- -t, nor had it in my

..

Thoughts. It is indeed the laft Thing I would "undertake.'

Mr. Gr went immediately back to the S- -r, and repeated thofe Words from the Pe, and there was an End of the Proceeding.

Your Lordship will be furprized, I believe, when you compare the two Accounts of this Matter: But I believe my Lord Pe and Mr. Gr will have fo much Credit with you, that you will be at no Lofs to determine where the Truth lies; and you will have Pleasure, I dare fay, in communicating this Account to your Friends, as Opportunity offers.ro 3 rd find

It is, indeed, but doing Juftice to a very worthy Perfon extreamly injured, but for whom your Lordship has a true Value and Efteemid my Lord, di sgod lau

I

I am, my Lord,

Confiderations on

Percontatorem fugito.

mond tonHOR. and ger Am, by no Means, of Opinion with fome modern Authors, that Query-writing is either an agreeable or useful Form, in which to make up the wholesome Precepts we adminifter to the Public; and have been confidering what the Motives might be, which induced fo many ingenious Perfons to give their Pen that Turn, and forfake the

Method

Method of Effay-writing fo long established among us. If it be intended for the Eafe and Inftruction of the Reader, it is unimaginable to me how it can conduce to either. The very Word implies a Doubt, than which nothing is more uneafy to the Mind, and there is no being inftructed without being refolved by another, and not by ourselves. It is, in fhort, neither more or less, than throwing before us the Materials of an inverted Syllogifm, and leaving us to put them together as well as we can; fo that at best we are but felf-taught, which is a Method of acquiring Knowlege I would not recommend for many Reafons. First, it is next to impoffible any two People should give the fame Answer, or make the fame Inference, if they were ever fo well inclined to answer categorically; and again, it leaves Room for ill-difpofed People to make Conclufions to the Difadvantage of the Perfons, who are oftentimes the Subject of these Queries.

This Method of writing appears clearly to me, to have been introduced purely for the Ease of the Writer, as it requires no more than (to use an apropos Phrase) throwing out his Thoughts upon Paper, and rendering it impoffible for any one to convict him of Falfhood or Malice. Whatever Hints are given, he's fafe as a Thief in a Mill, till fome Law be made to make Hints actionable; therefore, I muft needs think it was an unwife Precedent for certain Gentlemen to begin this Way of Writing, as it opened a Field for their Adverfaries to out-bint and out-innuendo them, in spite of all the Power their Patrons are invested with.

The Printer of the Craftsman was tried for libelling the Government this Way, but acquitted against the Senfe of the Court, and all the Learning of Sir Philip York, the Attorney-General; and all the Endeavours to convict him of

1

1

1

the most powerful Miniftry we remember, produced nothing memorable but an ingenious Song on the Occafion, to the Tune of Packington's Pound.

Sir Philip well knows,
That Innuendoes,

Will ferve him no longer in Verse or in Profe; For twelve honest Men have determin'd the Cause, And are Judges alike of the Facts, and the Laws.

I fhould be glad I could perfwade my Countrymen to quit this Method by mutual Confent, or at least fo to contrive their Queries (which indeed one of them has already fet a good Example of, Vid. Letters to Pub.) as to admit of five or fix different Answers, and let every Reader chuse one, and please himself.

To illuftrate what I mean, take an Example or

two.

Query I. What brought the D- of D to Ireland, Anno 1751-1753? Now, every one will answer this Question according to the Train of his thinking. A Politician will run into a thousand ridiculous Conjectures. A Placeman will answer one Way, and a displaced Man another. I should chufe to answer on the Foot of the Letter, (as the French say) and avoid perplexing myself, by faying, The Yatch.

Query II. To what Purpofe did he come here? Here again there is a fufficient Latitude for Reply without either Scandal or Invective to no Purpose:

Query III. What has LG
Ireland? Anfwer. Undoing.

been doing in

Query IV. What? Himfelf, and his future Hopes of Advancement as a Politician.

By a prudent Method, like this, both Writer and Reader are inoffenfive; but when People, by.

clofe

clofe Queftions one after another, drive us, as it were, into a Corner, it is exceffively difobliging, as no Reader cares to be difarmed, and forced to furrender at Difcretion; and the infallible Confequence is, that People will be the more in their own Opinion, for having it demonftratively dif proved.

In Confirmation of this, only read the latter Papers and Pamphlets written on one Side in this City, and fee how they all agree, and will abide by it to Death, That no Man can be honest who lofes bis Place rather than comply with the Court. Try, fay they, thefe Mock Patriots by this infallible Teft, are they not governed by Self-intereft alone? Now, a filly Fellow will answer No, and rivet them fafter than ever to their Opinion, as they are only convinced against their Will. Can a Man be fufpected of confulting his private Intereft before that of the Public, who gets a Place or a Pension for serving the Court? Here again a blockheadly Fellow will be apt to fay, he is governed by private Intereft alone, especially if he bargained for faid Place or Penfion; and, by that Means, he will fet the Querift a madding, and put him to the Expence of a great many hard Names, which had all been fpared, if either he had left a Latitude in the Queftion; or the Answer had been shaped with Difcretion: or, in the Grand-Jury Stile, returned Ignoramus.

Then it must be obferved, Abundance of thefe Queries cannot be answered at all, unless People dealt with the D-1; as Query, Whether People who are popular now will be as popular two Months hence? Query, Whether a certain Book will not be printed next Week? Query, Whether a certain Printer will not be fent to Newgate? The first of these depends on the Steadiness of the popular Men, which no one can answer for but themselves; the fecond on the Pleasure of the Printers;

F4

Printers; and the third on that of my L-d C-f Je, who is remarkable for keeping his Mind to himself.

In King Harry the feventh's Time, a ridiculous Querift and crack-brain'd Prophet, made it a Query in his Almanack, whether the King would live till Eafter? To whom his Majefty, in great Good-nature, as well as Pleasantry, put another Query, "Mafter Student, where will you keep 66 your Chriftmas ?” "I don't know," said the Fellow, "nor can any one foretel a Thing of "that Kind, not falling within the Rules of Art." "By St Mary," reply'd the King, "I can tell you, in Newgate;" and accordingly it fell out. I fhall conclude with a Query, which I leave to every one to anfwer as he lifts. Whether the Ct Writers have done moft Good or Hurt to their Employers?

Conftitutional QUERIES relating to Ireland.

I. Na Clergyman's qualifying himself for a Living, doth Affent and Confent fignify a different Thing, or is it Tautology?

II. Tiberius never minded Libels, and despised Afperfions, faying, That, in a free City, Men's Tongues and Thoughts were to be free. Query then, if fome D-s are not greater Tyrants than Tiberius ?

III. If fuppreffing the Prefs be not a Sign of a bad Cause?

IV. If retrenching the Stage was not the Ruin of Sir Robert?!

V. If