who will undertake to hold a pen in their defence. And the behaviour of these patrons is yet the more laudable, because the benefits they confer are almost gratis. If any of their labourers can scratch out a pamphlet, they defire no more; there is no question offered about the wit, the ftyle, the argument. Let a pamphlet come out upon demand in a proper juncture, you fhall be well and certainly paid; you fhall be paid beforehand; every one of the party who is able to read, and can spare a fhilling, fhall be a fubfcriber; several thousands of each production fhall be fent among their friends through the kingdom; the work fhall be reported admirable, fublime, unanswerable; shall serve to raise the finking clamours, and confirm the fcandal of introducing Popery and the pretender upon the Queen and her minifters.

Among the prefent writers on that fide I can recollect but three of any great diftinction, which are the Flying Poft, Mr Dunton, and the author of the Crifis*. The firft of these feems to have been much funk in reputation, fince the fudden retreat of the only true genuine original author, Mr Ridpath, who is celebrated by the Dutch gazetteer as one of the best pens in England. Mr Dunton hath been longer and more converfant in books than any of the three, as well as more voluminous in his productions: however, having employed his ftudies in fo great a variety of other fubjects, he hath, I think, but lately turned his genius to politics. Hie famous tract,

first publication, was made.the ad of March 1713-14, and the pamphlet, according to the custom of printers, was dated 1714. Hawkef.

In the ftyle and conduct, this is one of the boldest, as well as one of the most masterly tracts that Swift -ever wrote. And I cannot help obferving, that on whatever topic he employs his pen, the fubject which he treats of is always fo excellently managed, as to feem to have been the whole study and application of his life: fo that he appears the greatest master, through a greater variety of meterials, than perhaps have been difcuffed by any other author. Orrery.

Mr. Steele, was expelled the house of Commons for this pamphlet, at the very fame time that the houfe of Lords was moved against the Dean for the repky. Hawkef.

intitled,

mtitled, Neck or nothing, must be allowed to be the fhrewdeft piece, and written with the most spirit of any, which hath appeared from that fide fince the change of the miniftry it is indeed a moft cutting fatire upon the Lord Treasurer and Lord Bolingbroke, and I wonder none of our friends ever undertook to anfwer it. I confefs I was at first of the fame opinion with feveral good judges, who, from the ftyle and manner, fuppofe it to have iffued from the fharp pen of the Earl of Nottingham; and I an ftill apt to think it might receive his Lordship's last hand. The third and principal of this triumvirate is the author of the Crifis; who, although he muft yield to the Flying Poft in knowledge of the world, and skill in politics, and to Mr Dunton in keennels of fatire and variety of reading, hath yet other qualities enough to denominate him a writer of a fuperior class to either; provided he would a little regard the propriety and difpofition of his words, confult the grammatical part, and get fome information in the fubject he intends to handle.

Omitting the generous countenance and encouragement that have been fhewn to the perfons and productions of the two former authors, I fhall here only confider the great favour conferred upon the laft. It hath been advertised for several months in the Englishman*, and other papers, that a pamphlet, called the Crifis, fhould be published at a proper time in order to open the eyes of the nation. It was propofed to be printed by fubfcription, price a fhilling. This was a little out of form; becaufe fubfcriptions are ufually begged only for books of great price, and fuch as are not likely to have a general· fale. Notice was likewife given of what this pamphlet should contain; only an extract from certain acts of parliament relating to the fucceffion, which at least must fink nine pence in the fhilling, and leave but three pence for the author's political reflections; fo that nothing very wonderful or decifive could be reasonably expected from this performance. But a work was to be done, a hearty writer to be encouraged, and accordingly many thoufand

* A paper written by the fame author in favour of the preceding administration. Hawkef.

copies were befpoke. Neither could this be fufficient; for when we expected to have our bundles delivered us, all was ftopt; the friends to the caufe fprang a new project; and it was advertised that the Crifis could not ap pear, till the ladies had fhewn their zcal against the pretender, as well as the men; against the pretender in the bloom of his youth, reported to be handfome, and endued with an underftanding exactly of a fize to pleafe the fex. I fhould be glad to have feen a printed lift of the fair fubfcribers prefixed to this pamphlet; by which the Chevalier might know, he was fo far from pretending to a monarchy here, that he could not fo much as pretend to a miftrefs.

At the defined period, the first news we hear, is of a huge train of dukes, earls, viscounts, baroùs, knights, efquires, gentlemen, and others, going to Sam. Buckley's. the publisher of the Crifis to fetch home their cargoes, in order to tranfmit them by dozens, scores, and hundreds into the feveral counties, and thereby to prepare the wills and understandings of their friends against the approaching feffions. Afk any of them, whether they have read it they will anfwer, No; but they have fent it every where, and it will do a world of good. It is a pamphlet, and a pamphlet, they hear, against the miniftry; talks of flavery, France, and the pretender: they defire nomore; it will settle the wavering, confirm the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, inflame the clamorous, although it never be once looked into. I am told by those who are expert in the trade, that the author and bookfeller of this twelve-penny treatife will be greater gainers, than from one edition of any folio that hath been published thefe twenty years. What needy writer would not folicit to work under fuch mafters, who will pay us be-. forehand, take off as much of our ware as we please at our own rates, and trouble not themselves to examine either before or after they have bought it, whether it be ftaple or no?

But, in order to illustrate the implicit munificence of thefe noble patrons, I cannot take a more effectual method than by examining the production itself; by which we shall eafily find that it was never intended, further than from the noife, the bulk, and the title of Grifis, to

do

do any fervice to the factious caufe. The entire piece confifts of a title-page, a dedication to the clergy, a preface, an extract from certain acts of parliament, and about ten pages of dry reflections on the proceedings of the Queen and her fervants; which his coadjutors, the Earl of Nottingham, Mr Dunton, and the Flying Poft, had long ago fet before us in a much clearer light

In Popifh countries, when fome impoftor cries out, Д miracle! a miracle! it is not done with a hope or intention of converting heretics, but confirming the deluded vulgar in their errors: and fo the cry goes round without examining into the clieat. Thus the Whigs among us give about the cry, A pamphlet! a pamphlet ! The Grifis! the Crifis! not with a view of convincing their adverfaries, but to raise the fpirits of their friends, recall their ftragglers, and unite their numbers by found and impudence; as bees affemble and cling together by the noise of brass.

That no other effect could be imagined or hoped for by the publication of this timely treatise, will be inanifest from fome obvious reflections upon the feveral parts of it; wherein the follies, the falsehoods, or the abfurdities, appear fo frequent, that they may boldly contend for number with the lines.

When the hawker holds this pamphlet towards you, the first words you perceive are, The Crifis ; or, Adif courfe, &c. The interpreter of Suidas gives four tran lations of the word Crifis; any of which may be.as properly applied to this author's letter to the bailiff of Stockbridge. Next, what he calls a difcourfe, confifts only of two pages, prefixed to twenty-two more, which contain extracts from acts of parliament; for as to the twelve last pages, they are provided for by themfelves in the title, under the name of Some feasonable remarks ou the danger of a Popish fucceffor. Another circumstance worthy of our information in the title-page, is, that the crown hath been settled by previous acts. I never heard of any act of parliament that was not previous to what

Steele addreffed a letter to the Bailiff of Stockbridge, who appears to have been returning officer for this borough, whichSteele reprefented in parliament. Hawkef.

it enacted, unless thofe two, by which the Earl of Strafford and Sir John Fenwick loft their heads, may pafs for exceptions. A discourse, representing from the most authentic records, &c. He hath borrowed this expreffion from fome writer, who probably understood the words; but this gentleman hath altogether mifapplied them; and, under favour, he is wholly mistaken; for a heap of extracts from several acts of parliament cannot be called a difcourfe; neither do I believe he copied them from the moft authentic records, which, as I take it, are lodged in the Tower, but out of fome common printed copy. I grant there is nothing material in all this, further than to fhew the generofity of our adversaries in encouraging a writer, who cannot furnish out so much as a title-page with propriety or common fenfe.

Next follows the dedication to the clergy of the church of England, wherein the modefty and the meaning of the first paragraphs are hardly to be matched. He tells them, he hath made a comment upon the acts of fettle, ment, which he lays before them, and conjures them to recommend in their writings and difcourfes to their fellow-fubjects: and he doth all this, out of a just deference to their great power and influence. This is the right Whig fcheme of directing the clergy what to preach. The Archbishop of Canterbury's jurifdiction extends no further than over his own province; but the author of the Crisis conftitutes himfelf vicar-general over the whole clergy of the church of England. The bifhops in their letters or fpeeches to their own clergy proceed no further than to exhortation; but this writer conjures the whole clergy of the church to recommend his comment upon the laws of the land, in their writings and difcourfes. I would fain know, who made him a commentator upon the laws of the land after which it will be time enough to aik him, by what authority he directs the clergy to recommend his comments from the pulpit or the prefs?

He tells the clergy there are two circumstances which place the minds of the people under their direction; the firft circumftance is their education; the fecond circumftance is the tenths of our lands. This laft, according to the Latin phrase, is spoken ad invidiam; for he knows well enough, they have not a twentieth: but if you take it in his own way, the landlord has nine parts in ten of

the