of being a flave to men in power, but chose my friends by their perfonal merit, without examining how far their notions agreed with the politics then in vogue. I frequently converfed with Mr Addison, and the others I named (except Mr Steel), during all my Lord Oxford's Ministry, and Mr Addifon's friendship to me continued inviolable, with as much kindnefs as when we used to meet at my Lord Sommers * or Hallifax, who were leaders of the oppofite Party.

in.

I would infer from all this, that it is with great justice I have these many years been pelted by your Pamphleteers, merely upon account of fome regard which the Queen's laft Ministers were pleased to have for me and yet in my confcience I think I am a partaker in every ill defign they had against the Protestant Succeffion, or the Liberties and Religion of their Country; and can fay with Cicero, "that I should "be proud to be included with them in all their actions 66 tanquam in equo Trojano." But if I have never difcovered by my words, writings, or actions, any Party virulence, or dangerous defigns against the prefent powers; if my friendship and converfation were equally shewn among those who liked or difapproved the proceedings then at Court, and that I was known to be a common Friend of all deferving perfons of the latter fort, when they were in diftrefs; I cannot but think it hard, that I am not fuffered to run quietly among

* Lord Sommers had very warmly recommended Dr Swift to the favour of Lord Wharton, when he went the Queen's Lieutenant into Ireland in the year 1709.

the common herd of people, whofe opinions unfor tunately differ from thofe which lead to Favour and Preferment.

I ought to let you know, that the Thing we called a Whig in England, is a creature altogether different from thofe of the fame denomination here; at least it was fo during the reign of her late Majefty. Whether those on your fide have changed or no, it hath not been my bufinefs to enquire. I remember my excellent friend Mr Addifon, when he first came over hither Secretary to the Earl of Wharton then Lord Lieutenant, was extremely offended at the conduct and difcourfe of the Chief Managers here: He told me, they were a fort of people who seemed to think, that the principles of a Whig confifted in nothing elfe but damning the Church, reviling the Clergy, abetting the Diffenters, and fpeaking contemptibly of revealed Religion.

I was difcourfing fome years ago with a certain Minifter about that whiggifh or fanatical Genius, fo pre. valent among the English of this kingdom: his LordThip accounted for it by that number of Cromwell's Soldiers, adventurers, established here, who were all of the foureft leven, and the meanest birth, and whose po- fterity are now in poffeffion of their lands and their principles. However, it must be confeffed, that of late fome people in this country are grown weary of quarrelling, becaufe intereft, the great motive of quarrelling, is at an end; for, it is hardly worth contending who fhall be an Excifeman, a Country-Vicar, a Cryer in the Courts, or an Under-Clerk.

You will perhaps be inclined to think, that a perfon fo ill treated as I have been, muft at fome time or other have discovered very dangerous opinions in government; in anfwer to which, I will tell you what my Political principles were in the time of her late glorious Majefty, which I never contradicted by any action, writing, or discous fe.

First, I always declared myself against a Popish Succeffor to the Crown, whatever Title he might have by the proximity of blood: Neither did I ever regard the right line, except upon two accounts: first, as it was eftablished by law; and fecondly, as it hath much weight in the opinions of the people. For neceflity may abolish any Law, but cannot alter the fentiments of the vulgar; Kight of inheritance being perhaps the most popular of all topics: and therefore, in great Changes, when that is broke, there will remain much heart-burning and discontent among the meaner people; which (under a weak Prince and corrupt Adminiftration) may have the worst confequences upon the peace of any state.

As to what is called a Revolution principle, my opinion was this; That whenever those evils, which ufually attend and follow a violent change of Government, were not in probability fo pernicious as the grievance we fuffer under a present power, then the public good will juftify fuch a Revolution. And this I took to have been the cafe in the Prince of Orange's expedition, although in the confequences it produced

fome very bad effects, which are likely to stick long enough by us.

I had likewife in thofe days a mortal antipathy againft Standing Armies in times of Peace: Becaufe I always took Standing Armies to be only fervants hired by the Master of the family for keeping his own children in flavery; and because I conceived, that a Prince who could not think himself fecure without Mercenary Troops, muft needs have a feparate intereft from that of his Subjects. Although I am not ignorant of those artificial Neceffities which a corrupted Miniftry can create, for keeping up Forces to fupport a Faction against the public Intereft.

As to Parliaments, I adored the wifdom of that Gothic inftitution, which made them annual: and T was confident our Liberty could never be placed upon a firm foundation until that ancient law were restored among us. For, who fees not, that, while fuch Affemblies are permitted to have a longer duration, there grows up a commerce of corruption between the Miniftry and the Deputies, wherein they both find their accounts, to the manifeft danger of Liberty? which Traffic would neither anfwer the design nor expence, if Parliaments met once a year.

I ever abominated the fcheme of Politics, (now about thirty years old) of fetting up a monied Interest in oppofition to the landed. For I conceived, there could not be a truer maxim in our Government than this, that the Poffeffors of the foil are the best Judges of what is for the advantage of the kingdom. If

others had thought the fame way, Funds of Credit and South-fea Projects would neither have been felt nor heard of.

I could never discover the neceffity of fufpending any Law upon which the Liberty of the most innocent Perfons depended; neither do I think this Practice hath made the tafte of Arbitary Power fo agreeable, as that we should defire to fee it repeated. Every Rebellion fubdued and Plot difcovered, contribute to the firmer establishment of the Prince: In the latter cafe, the knot of Confpirators is entirely broke, and they are to begin their work anew under a thousand disadvantages; fo that those diligent inquiries into remote and problematical guilt, with a new power of enforcing them by chains and dungeons to every perfon whole face a Minister thinks fit to diflike, are not only op polite to that Maxim, which declareth it better that ten guilty men should escape, than one innocent fuffer; but likewise leave a gate wide open to the whole Tribe of Informers, the most accurfed, and prostitute, and abandoned race, that God ever permitted to plague mankind.

It is true, the Romans had a custom of chufing a Dictator, during whofe adminiftration the Power of other Magistrates was fufpended; but this was done upon the greatest emergencies; a War near their doors, or fome civil Diffention: For Armies must be governed by arbitrary power. But when the Virtue