68 The HISTORY of the laft Seffion of Parliament. It is very well known, that no minifter can long hold the reins of go. verament in this kingdom without a majority of voices in the house of commons; if his measures are not fupported in that auguft aflembly, he muft foon, like another Phaeton, tumble from the chariot of power, and poffibly, like the fon of Apollo, may perifh in the flime which his imprudence has raifed in this kingdom.As this is the cafe, it mult of courfe follow, that had minifters, when they wanted the ability of bribing, would foon be compelled to a refignation. In the prefent courfe of things they find it extremely difficult to reward the various inftruments who promife to labour for feven years together in their fervice, and we have frequently feen these inftruments commencing patriots from the incapacity of adminiftration to comply with their demands. Were our elections therefore triennial, the whole revenues of the nation would be infufficient to fupport an arbitrary demagogue in place; his band of penfiorers would fcarcely receive orders to perform a fingle job, before he would be reduced to a neceffity of engaging a new fet, and the new fet would fcarcely be trained, with any fhare of generalihip, before they would be wholly without authority. What would the confequence be? why fimply this; that bad minifters finding there was nothing to be got, would fpeedily deliver up their offices; and fuch men would only be appointed to conduct the great business of the ftate, who could maintain their influ ence by the reflitude of their actions. [To be continued in our next.] Feb. king his fortune, he married, and bebecame one of the moit honourable of the effendis. I was the first and favourite offfpring of this union: and as my father took peculiar delight in my education, and retained a kind of natural prepoffeflion in favour of England, and English manners; all my leflons of inftruction, my ideas of whatever was great or amiable, ftill reverted to one and the fame point---England--the center, the fcene of refinement and felicity. With thefe impreffions, you cannot wonder, that on the decease of my father and mother, and the happy eftablishment of two filters, I fought this valued thore, with fuch hopes, and fuch expectations, as can be much better conceived than defcribed. Think, fir, of a man transported from a land, where the most beautiful part of the fpecies are veiled, and inacceffible, difembarking on the Britith coaft-yet thall I confefs to you, that cutlom fo far prevailed, that I was rather fhocked at the bold and inquifitive countenances by which I was furrounded, on my arrival at a houfe of public accommodation. Communicating my diffatisfaction to a friend, it was however foon obliterated ftrict decency or decorum feldom extends to the lowest class of individuals, and my defire of converfing with the more accomplished, was rather increased than diminished by the incident. When I had naturalized my drefs, and in fome degree recovered the fatigue of travelling, I was introduced to a polite private affembly at the west end of the town. My father had made me a complete mafter of the English language, confequently I was fecure from the errors of falfe comprehenfion, and the aukwardness of imperfect pronunciation--but a constraint infenfibly ran through my whole behaviour, on discovering that wives, widows, and virgins, were indifcriminately addreffed by all that approached them: nor to my no little aftonishment (nay, why conceal it, confufion) did the married ladies betray the flightest tokens of difapprobation, at the whisper of gallantry, or the daring, though repeated liberty of prething 1759. Gentle Rebuke of the English Ladies. preffing a hand that was facred to another.. Mided by the fweet vivacity of a lovely young creature, I had actually market her down for the fultana of y foul, when a gentleman fuddenly accosted her, and after a flow of the fofteft profeflions, pronounced her bufband the happieft of men.-Happy in what?—The temporary poffeffion of a finished form, which, without the idea of impropriety, could endure the furvey of a thoufand audacious eyes, and fuffer the breath of unworthy adulation to reach her ear. But whatever difguft I might derive from the levity of the married ladies, the conduct of the widows was ftill more offenfive to me. The very condition that fhould command tendernels and respect, to be the commonplace jet of every foppling, and the butt of rude pleafantry:yet the wis dows, inftead of hiding their blufhing heads, not only braved, but invited the groffeft infults, and by evincing their inclination to renounce their folitary ftate, too ftrongly evinced the depravity that fecured them from every wound. That the characters I have thus at tacked, are the moft peculiarly refpectable, I am fenfible is the general opinion-the honour of the living, and the memory of the dead, fo in tirely at the mercy of the one and the other. But let me afk you, how either that honour, or that memory, can avoid reproach, when intrufted to the care of beings, who from a defect in custom, as well as fenfibility, know nothing of native dignity, or native fanctity. Mortified and difappointed by innumerable violations of decorum, at every renewed vifit, I, nevertheless, at length formed an interefting attachment; youth, beauty, delicacy, all confpired to flatter my imagination, and fix my heart. Momentary delufion!-the beauty and youth indeed remained, but the effential polish, the all-captivating delicacy, would not bear the teft, and I muft ever regret that folly which drew me from Conftantinople. 69 the occafion."I am too refined to be happy "The lady's accidental freedoms with other people ought to be confidered by me as an innocent levity. Our characters however were abfolutely confounded, particularly, when in the language of unutterable fweetnefs the confented to be mine. Yet, fir, though made inconceivably happy by this confent, her frequent violations of what I confidered to be delicacy, foon rendered me the most miferable of mankind-for the scarcely gave me affurances of her hand, and promifed to dedicate her future life to my happiness, when he took freedoms with others that wounded me to the very foul; her connexions were large, and her father's houfe was continually crouded with company. Here while I looked upon her her as my own, and only my own, a thousand coxcombs were occafionally fufer, ed to praife her wit, and compliment her perfon; nay, fir, fhe herfelf feemed no way offended at thefe palpable liberties, on the contrary, they feemed to please her highly: the told one with a fmile, that he was extremely obliged by his good opinion; and informed another, that bis politeness was infinite.This was not all, Mr. Author of the London Magazine, the expreffed a concern when fome of thefe tops refused to dine, or fup, with her father: and once, would you believe it? actually fung a fong at the request of a distant relation! And is this the chastity of the Englith manners, this the purity of the English cuftoms!-Was not my good opinion of more importance than worlds of fpectators? Was it not, I call upon you, fir, to anfwer? O, fir, had this lovely misjudging girl but been uniformly delicate, both her feicity and mine had escaped the severest wound. It is however paft, and shall be forgotten. I have, 'tis true, forfaken her, but let me not leave one point liable to mifconftruction. She is equal, according to the best informations I can obtain, to all the ladies of this once idolized country, in decorum and But, fir, because the evil is not fuf- delicate referve, as it is univerfally conficiently infupportable, I have the rail-ceived to be no breach of the one, or lery of my triends to encounter on the other, even when a favourite lover TH HOUGH the adminiftration, during the earlier periods of the late reign, was frequently embarraЛled by parliamentary oppofition, the clofe of it was, nevertheless, remarkably diftinguished for ferenity; the amazing fuccefs which attended our arms, during the progrefs of the war, had fpread a fpirit of univerfal fatisfaction through the kingdom, and nobody could poffibly find fault with the conduct of a miniftry, whofe measures were in general fo extremely fortunate. On the contrary, the number of our conquefts procured them an unlimited confidence, and it was no lefs unpopular, while Mr. Pitt had the management of our national affairs, to breathe a murmur against the wildom, or in tegrity of government, than it would now be unpopular to offer a fingle fyllable in their defence. Such being the happy temper of the times at the commencement of the prefent reign, it naturally gave general diffatisfaction when the reins of power were taken from the hands of a favourite minifter, and trufted to thofe of a nobleman, who was rather fpeculatively wife than practically able, and who feemed more indebted to his elevation on account of his merits in private life, than on account of any particular capacity which he had ever manifefted in the bufinefs of the public. The national mind being thus foured by the removal of a ftatefman, who had prefided at the helm of government with the highest reputation, it was but reasonable to fuppofe, that the numerous friends of the difcarded premier, if we may fo term a perfonage, who declared himself provoked to a refignation, would feize every opportunity of extolling his adminiftration to the fkies, and condemning the leaft mistake in the conduct of his fucceffor with the utmost severity of execration; this proved to be really the cafe, and the place of the fucceffor's nativity increafing the prejudices every where entertained against him, he became univerfally obnoxious; accidental errors were attributed to a weak head or a worfe heart, and even those fteps which appeared to be directed by fome degree of wisdom, were conftantly fufpected of defign; in short, where he was wrong, he was accufed both of ignorance and tyranny, and where he happened to be right, he was taxed with a cunning intention of conciliating the affections of the kingdom: Yet though the refentment of the people might in fome measure be overftrained, it was upon the whole but grounded too juftly; the peace which this minifter made, though much better than many preceding trea ties, ftili was by no means fo advantage. ous as it might have been; we had reduced the marine of France to the moft wretched fituation, had stripped that power of all her colonies, and brought her to the very verge of an abfolute bankruptcy; yet, when these acquifitions were fortunately in our hands, the government was weak enough to give the most valuable up; and through an abfurd fuppofition, that we fhould not be able to keep thofe conquefts from France in the ruined fituation of her affairs, which we took from her in the zenith of her profperity, we ridiculously ran into the danger to avoid the apprehenfion, and madly confented to lose them, for fear they might be loft. The imprudence, the glaring imprudence of this conduct afforded the enemies of Lord B- but too favourable an occafion to find fault, and as in the number of these enemies he reckoned Mr. Pitt, and many perfons of the greatest reputation for inAluence and abilities, he daily loft ground with the nation, though he was fupported in parliament by a prodigious 17697 During the Prefent Reign. digious majority.Another circumftance, which also tended very much to aggravate the national odium against him, was the haughtiness with which he was reported to treat not only every officer under him in administration, but even the firft nobility, who were wholly independent of the government, and who confequently having nothing to hope, were under no particular neceffity of fubmitting to the minuteft inftance of disrespect. Thefe faults, both in his public and private character, were conveyed to the world through the channel of the NORTH BRITON, a weekly effayift, who boldly hurled defiance at minifterial omnipotence, and, to ufe the language of Shakespeare, "Conftantly gave his thoughts in the worst of words."The effay here fpoken of was generally attributed to John Wilkes, Efq; member in the then parliament for Aylesbury, who was faid to be closely connected with a party headed by Mr. Pitt, Lord Temple, the duke of Newcastle, the duke of Devonshire, and other men of great rank, fortune, and confequence. This party was diftinguished by the name of the MINORITY, and gained daily recruits from the fide of adminiftration; it was every where celebrated as the only palladium of our freedom, and a member of the Houfe of Commons, who did not enlift himself under the banners of its leaders, was confidered by the people as an inftrument of tyranny, and a traitor to the profperity of the kingdom. It is true, indeed, feveral writers were engaged on the fide of government, who endeavoured to give the most favourable complexion to every part of its proceedings, but arguments evidently repugnant to truth were univerfally read with difguft, and ferved much more to encreafe than abate the flame of indignation which blazed every where a gainst it; fo that at length Lord B-, finding his acting publickly in office, with any degree of credit, an utter impoffibility, he withdrew himself apparently from the chief direction of affairs, and was fucceeded at the treafury-board by Mr. G. G. who had filled many employments, and was fuppofed to be one of the ableft financiers in the kingdom. The friends of Lord B that is, 71 the few people who were attached to him from gratitude, on account of the paft favours which they had received at his hands, were now in expectatation that his having publickly religned his employments would quiet the minds of the people, and that the wheels of government would roll in tranquillity under the hands of a fresh minifter.This fuppofition, however was totally void of foundation; the enemies of the late premier, who pretended to fee, and poffibly did fee into the bottom of that nobleman's politics, afferted, that Mr. G. G. was nothing more than the creature of the favourite, and that the latter had only delegated his power to the former, in order to govern the nation in fecret with an undisturbed authority.This report prevailing, the change in office was looked upon as one of thofe ftate tricks by which the people are fometimes deluded, and inftead of restoring fatisfaction to the kingdom, it was attended with very different confequences; but what confirmed the world in an opinion that the favourite, as they commonly termed Lord B-, acted privately, or intended at least to act privately behind the curtain, was a rupture which fhortly happened between him and Mr. G. G.-Mr. G. G. having frequently filled fome of the principal offices in government, and thinking himself, as many befides thought him, perfectly converfant with business, affected to act independently, and not thinking the duty of a minifter, like that of a militia-man, could be executed by a fubftitute, feemed determined to proceed upon a fyftem of his own; this was reported to Lord B-, and gave him, as the Minority loudly proclaim, ed, the highest offence; let this be as it may, Mr. G. G. was foon after difmiffed from his employments, and the idea of the favourite's influence was more than ever adopted by all deno, minations of the people. Hitherto there had been but two parties in the prefent reign, the friends and the enemies of the favourite, but now a third started up, under the aufpices of Mr. G. G. This gentleman, exceedingly irritated at the treatment he had received, declared as loudly as any body against the measures of Lord B- ; at the fame time that he ap peared to difapprove very much of the principles 72 The Hiftory of Party, &c. principles upon which the oppofition of the Minority was conducted. There was another reafon alfo which gave birth to this new party, the refentment of the Minority towards Mr. G. G. -The Minority could by no means forgive Mr. G.'s junction with Lord B, though, in that junction, Mr. G. fhewed a firm refolution to fupport his own independence; befides Mr. G. was above the condefcenfion of acting a fecondary character in the Minority, and was therefore confidered by Mr. P. and Lord T. who were the oracles of that party, as an impracticable man, with whom there was no poffibi lity of carrying on the oppolition heartily.- Neceffity therefore on the one hand, as well as ambition on the other, laid the bafis for a third faction, which talked of the public good as vehemently as the Minority, and poffibly with as much pretension to the veneration of the kingdom. Though at this period there appeared only the three parties which we have mentioned, yet in reality there was a fourth faction, confifting of the duke of B-'s friends, who artfully feemed difpofed to favour any fide that gained an afcendency in the government. This faction affected independence, tho' it generally fupported the fide of power, and talked of moderation at the very 'moment in which it concurred with the moft arbitrary proceedings of the minifty. Yet making no vehement declarations against any of the other three, it was courted by all, and having fome of the most opulent landholders in the kingdom at its head, its influence was confiderable. Yet, notwithstanding this influence, a few only of the fecondary members obtained offices; the chiel's were too proud to engage actually where they were not allowed an actual fuperiority; but they nevertheless allowed their dependents to make the most of the public divifions; and, it must be confeffed, they never appeared inclined to lofe the finalleft opportunity. It is impoffible in this place not to indulge a reflection which must frequently occur to every confiderate reader. A leading man or two in either houfe, has been difmiffed from his place, and he immediately commences patriot, that is, he rails against administration, becaufe he is out of office, and tells the pation, that there can never be a fcruple of honefly amongst a fet of minifters 5 Feb. with whom he is not intimately connected; the nation fuppofing that minifters are in general a molt corrupt fpecies of men, adopt the fentiment readily, and make a quanti, merely private, a matter of public attention; the altercation fpreads, and the chief perfons on both fides are two or three noblemen, who are extremely offended, because they are not all of the fame opinion, or because each is not allowed to manage the concerns of the public as he thinks proper; the public, who generally conclude that every man in power muft naturally be worthless, and that every man out mut'as naturally be deferving, always profefs an attachment for thofe who are difcarded; thus, tho' a paffion for pre-eminence is the grand object on both fides, the people who are in, are most commonly difagreeable to the kingdom. In fhort, we do not recollect, that though this country may have a B- among thofe that never pretended to patriotifm, fill in the lift of its most celebrated patriots it can number a Walpole who was earl of Orford, a Pulteney who was earl of Bath, and a P- who is earl of A modern author, speaking of patriotifm, has the following remarkable paffage: "In reality I know no better friend to the conftitution of this country, was it in any danger, than imaginary patriots-they ftruggle very hearti ly while they are at it, and the moment they are bought off, their preferment infpires others with a view of following their example, in order by the fame means to attain the fame ends; and thus we always find a fucceffion of zealous patriots, who conftantly advance the good of their country, by heing so very trenuous about their own." Notwithstanding this obfervation, the Authors of the London Magazine are no partizans, and the reader must see from the antecedent part of the prefent eflay, that they are the friends of rational argument, not the advocates of a minifterial defpotifm, and feorn as much to be the panders of authority, as to be the flaves of popular prejudice.--Their Quixotifm is of a prudent nature, and they do not combat with giants but with errors, and their intentions in this paper is to hold up no lefs a glafs to the face of minifters, than to the eyes of the hitherto mifled, though well-meaning people. [To be continued.] Infiance |