retained very little of the characters given them in antient history.

By thefe and the like reflexions, I have been often led to confider fome public abfurdities in our own country, moft of which are, in my opinion, directly against the rules of right reason, and are attended with great inconveniences to the ftate. I fhall mention fuch of them as come into memory, without obferving any method; and I shall give my reason why I take them to be abfurd in their nature, and pernicious in their confequence.

It is abfurd that any perfon, who profeffeth a different form of worship from that which is national, fhould be trufted with a vote for electing members in the House of Commons. Becaufe every man is full of zeal for his own religion, although he regards not morality; and, therefore, will endeavour to his utmost to bring in a representative of his own principles, which, if they be popular, may endanger the religion established; which, as it hath formerly happened, may alter the whole frame of government.

A ftanding army in England, whether in time of peace or war, is a direct abfurdity. For, it is no part of our business to be a VOL. XV. warlike

Р

warlike nation, otherwife than by our fleets. In foreign wars we have no concern, further than in conjunction with allics, whom we may either affift by fea, or by foreign troops paid with our money. But mercenary troops in England can be of no ufe, except to awe fenates, and thereby promote arbitrary power in a monarchy or oligarchy.

: That the election of fenators fhould be of any charge to the candidates, is an abfurdity; but, that it fhould be fo to a ministry, is a manifeft acknowledgement of the worst defigns. If a miniftry intended the fervice of their prince and country, or well understood wherein their own fecurity beft confifted, (as it is impoffible that a parliament freely elected, according to the original inftitution, can do any hurt to a tolerable prince, or a tolerable ministry ;) they would use the ftrongeft methods to leave the people to their own free choice: The members would then consist of perfons who had beft eftates in the neighbourhood or county, or at least never of ftrangers. And furely this is at least full as requifite a circumftance to a legislator, as to a juryman, who ought to be, if poffible, ex vicinio; fince fuch perfons must be fuppofed

fuppofed the best judges of the wants and defires of their feveral burroughs and counties. To chufe a reprefentative for Berwick, whofe eftate is at the Land's-End, would have been thought in former times a very great folecifm, how much more as it is at present, where fo many persons are returned for burroughs, who do not poffefs a foot of land in the kingdom.

By the old conftitution, whoever poffeffed a free-hold in land, by which he was a gainer of forty fhillings a year, had the privilege to vote for a knight of the fhire. The good effects of this law are wholly eluded, partly by the courfe of time, and partly by corruption. Forty fhillings in thofe ages were equal to twenty pounds în ours; and therefore it was then a want of fagacity to fix that privilege to a deter minate fum, rather than to a certain quantity of land, arable or pasture, able to produce a certain quantity of corn or hay. And therefore it is highly abfurd, and against the intent of the law, that this defect is not regulated.

But the matter is ftill worfe: For any gentleman can, upon occafion, make as many freeholders as his eftáte' or fettlement will allow, by making leafes for life

of land at a rack rent of forty fhillings, where a tenant, who is not worth one farthing a year, when his rent is paid, fhall be held a legal voter for a person to reprefent his county. Neither do I enter. into half the frauds that are practised upon this occafion.

It is likewife abfurd, that burroughs. decayed are not abfolutely extinguished, because the returned members do in reality reprefent nobody at all, and that feveral large towns are not reprefented, though full of induftrious townfmen, who much advance the trade of the kingdom.

The claim of Senators, to have themselves and fervants exempted from law-fuits and arrefts, is manifeftly abfurd. The proceedings at law are already fo fcandalous a grievance, upon account of the delays, that they little need any addition. Whoever is either not able, or not willing to pay his juft debts, or, to keep other men out of their lands, would evade the decifion of the law, is furely but ill-qualified to be a legislator. A criminal, with as good reafon, might fit on the bench, with a power of condemning men to be hanged for their honefty. By the annual fatting of parliaments, and the days of privilege preceding and fubfequent,

fubfequent, a fenator is one half of the year beyond the reach of common justice.

That the facred perfon of a Senator's footman fhould be free from arreft, although he undoes the poor ale-wife by running on fcore, is a circumftance of equal wisdom and juftice, to avoid the great evil of his mafter's lady wanting her complement of liveries behind the coach.