frolicks become him, what wit, what humour, what gallantry he difcovers in them. Not that I would be thought an advocate for them neither. Sc. No, no; I hope not, I hope not. Sq. Ah, the wheedling fcoundrel! [Afide. Va. But they are even blended with 1 touch of prudence too. What do you hink now occafions his prefent demand for another hundred ? Sc. No good, I'll lay my foul. Va. Not too faft I beseech you, Sir. There is a young heir juft of age, poffeffed of a confiderable eftate, befides 10,000 1. in the funds, and we Sc. Are to enter him at play I'll warrant. Va. The fame, in spite of the act of parliament. We have appointed to meet him at the tavern this very evening; women and wine the pretence: but when he's half-feas over, as they fay, and he hears the dice rattle, he will leave both; every thing for a merry main; and, if he once begins to lofe Sc. As, I fuppofe, you have taken effectual care he shall. Va. Or this right hand has forgot its cunning. He'll bleed all he is away worth. - I COMMON SENSE, Dec. 8. The Nation united. the present times. I look'd, at first, upon the Gazetteer, as a paper calculated to answer political queftions; but, after my carefulleft endeavours to understand what it would be at, I find it is like an univerfity lecture, fomething must be faid for the falary. I must then have recourfe to you; and as you fatisfy me in anfwering one question, I may, or may not, trouble you with more. My queftion is not upon futurity, for I fuppofe you do not deal with the Devil. I do not ask you, how long the war with Spain will last, nor when we fhall have another convention or two? I only afk, From what caufe this perverfenefs of our merchants can proceed, that, letters of reprifals being offer'd, fo few fhould accept of them? as if nothing but downright war would ferve them, however inconfiftent with the repofe of that indefatigable minifter who, for many years, hath rock'd the publick cradle, and endeavoured to lull that froward babe the nation to rest. I ought not to anticipate an oracle, (for, as fuch, I confult you,) but I must give my exclufion to two answers which I have already confider'd, and which not even the Pythia of Delphi fhould make me believe. The firft is, That our merchants have not that implicit confidence in our unftain'd administration which their prudent and firm councils deferve: And the other, That we are fo miferably torn with party, that we are not in a condition to profecute a war. As to the firft, I cannot attribute our prefent flackness to a want of confidence in our miniftry; which I verily think exceeds, in its kind, any miniftry on hiftorical record. On the contrary; we have ample funds already laid on, and the finking fund at hand: We have a noble fleet, partly at fea, partly getting ready : Admirals we have, and to card fome of the best. The trifle due fpare, fo as to be able to afford to difto this nation from our ancient friends S1R, Have a book at home, called The Athenian Oracle, which is my great fund of inftruction for times paft; for, whenever our Parfon cannot give me a the Spaniards was, by the benevolence folution of any difficulty, ten to one but of our Commiffaries, eftimated only at I find it there. It furprifes me, that fo good a plan has not been continued in 155,000l. Den Benjamin, with as much 4 S com complaifance, gave up his mafters of the S. S. company. But fay, that the Commiffaries condefcenfion (I had almoft called it, prefent) of 45,000 l. for prompt payment, and the Don's tipping the wink for 68,000 l. fhould be disavowed by their ungrateful conftituents; and that to thefe fhould be added the Chriftian article of reftitution for the Spanish fleet at Cape Paffaro; add, if you will, the other 140,000l. which our impartial Commiffaries have ftruck off from our claim, and about 300,000 / more confeffedly due, by the crown of Spain, to the S. S. company; nay, if you please to be fo extravagant, add twice as much, or more, for loffes which our Weft-India dealers have patiently fubmitted to, rather than run the expensive courfe of follicitation and acknowledgment to our difinterested Governors in thofe countries, for letters and memorials never to be opened: All this is lefs than a poor defpicable million and a half of money. His Majefty's fhips (God give them fuccefs) are not put to the trouble of finding high fecurity to do no mifchief: Security for 3000l. may puzzle a trader that has loft the best part of his ftock by depredations; and other claufes may be thrown into his letters of reprifals apt to stumble honeft city fureties. How much more proper is it, therefore, to leave reprisals to the fhips of war? Two or three galleons would do it; and by the behaviour of the King's fhips, in acting vigorously, it will be foon feen, whether we are in earneft or not. It is very hard, if a hundred fail of men of war at fea, properly infructed, cannot levy a paltry million and a half, with as much more as will pay the fiddles. We know, that the hearts of the British fleet, officers and failors, are gallant, found, and keen to be at work. It makes me wonder, therefore, when I hear our jokers fay, that the minifter is diftrufted. I fay, he is trusted: The merchants truft their reprifals to the King's fhips, under the minifter's diretion; and to the minifter himself they truft, that he will foon give them ano ther convention, as good as the hf, &c. &c. So they fave a need pence of laying out money and fi fecurity! If letters of marque had been grame when the Spaniards firft began to play their game, it might, perhaps, have g ven them a check: but the merchants might think they were offer'd fone thing too late now; for the Speriant would have continued taking pa well as we, and as they are twenty years beforehand with us in captures, we could never be even with them this way, confidering that we have ftill more trading veffels to lofe than they. Ther remain'd, therefore, no other way for us to do ourselves juftice, but by a vi gorous war. It was neceflary to touch the Spaniards to the quick: The flotilla, the galleons, as I hinted before, or the taking a rich colony in America, would oblige them to give up the right of fearching, and pay cofts into the bargain; and it was time for our men of war, which the Spaniards, in derifion, called gallinas del mar, (the hens of the fea) to do fomething to recover their former reputation abroad, as well as to fatisfy our people at home, that they were of fome ufe befides eating up the finking fund, and hindering the payment of the publick debts.-The merchants, therefore, might think it beft, to leave reprifals to the fhips of war. As to the other answer which I hear is made, our inteftine divifions, I am in a condition to prove the contrary, and therefore deny the fact. The nation is not divided; it fpeaks, and has long fpoken, one unaltered fenfe.-There is not a thief that goes to Tyburn but has his party. He himself, his brothers, his near kindred, all the gang, are on his fide; and this they would call a powerful declaration: but ask the mind of the crowd of affiftants, and they will tell you, that they came there on purpofe to fee him hang'd. The cries of a few placemen can never infer a divided nation. I think that, without magick, all the parties in this nation might be easily and cordially united in the common de fence fence of their country by a few words, the difmiffion of one placeman from all publick employments whatfoever. Sure I am, fuch difmiffion could be attended with no danger.-The whole people out of employment wish it: fo do fome of thofe in employment, if we may believe what they whisper, for they lare not speak out. Those who have no wifhes beyond themselves will be the first to say they did. If there was any fear of ill-blood upon fuch an event, have we not an army? and a new promotion of General officers, to fupply the laying afide of fome ufelefs theorifts, whom an obftinate adherence to a new principle of fupporting a placeman to the ruin of the nation, had not only corrupted, but has misled, in the most open manner, to corrupt others? Never fear that ftroke may be ftruck without danger. I am not quite fo fure that it is altogether without danger to keep any man in employment, with whom the whole nation is diffatisfied. I do not know any inftance in hiftory of good being got by fuch a measure, but many of harm. I fhall mention but one, from the chronicles of Scotland. K. James V. of that kingdom was led away by a blind attachment to one Oliver Sinclair, a favourite, whofe only merit was, his unbounded compliance with the King's schemes for increafing his power and filling his coffers. The English having invaded that kingdom, a Scots army marched to the borders to meet them, but loudly protefting that the war fhould not be conducted by Sinclair or his creatures. The nomination of General was kept in petto till the very day of battle; when Sinclair was declared of which the refult was, that the whole army, not for love to the English, not for want of bravery, but out of mere fullennefs,furrender'd themfelves without ftriking a stroke. I am, &c. fair fex any weakness or foible for which they are remarkably diftinguished, I muft beg leave that I'may, through your means, attempt to cure a folly which is very prevalent among them. The indifcretion I complain of is, the ridiculous fuperftition and irrational regard which moft women are apt to pay to foreboding omens and fanciful predictions. Though this folly has been often ridiculed, yet one may every day obferve multitudes who are fo infatuated with thefe notions, that they imagine there is a fpirit of prediction in every thing about them, and are put into a concern and amazement with the most common and trifling accidents in life. This fingular weakness in the female fex has been ascribed to the errors of education: but I can imagine it to be owing only to their want of reflection; for if any perfon would but give themselves the leaft trouble to think calmly, they muft know the inconnected accidents, which they call omens and prognofticks, are mere whims and idle chimeras. Such a habit of reafoning would foon put an end to many terrors and uneafineffes which they affright themfelves with; nor would they be alarmed at the glowing of a cheek, the itching of an eye, the howling of a dog, or the chirping of a cricket. Though it moves my pity when I fee fuch fantaftic apprehenfions have a ferious effect, yet I cannot help laughing at the oddity of the whimfies. Mrs. Bridget Forecaft is an old maid, whom this fpecies of madness makes very entertaining. She has nothing befals her, but she has fome forenotice of it: every limb about her prognofticates events; her feet give her a hint when she is to tread upon frange ground, and her elbows, when fhe is to change her bed; her nails demonftrate the approach of gifts and prefents: the bursting of a cinder from the fire will strangely difcompofe or please her, according to the form afcertains death; if of a purfe, it promiThe imagines it bears; if of a coffin, it fes money: her candles bring her letters, frangers and avinding-fheets. Befides thefe acquifitions of knowledge, fhe is 4 S 2 1 a furprising dreamer herself, and an infallible oracle in the interpretation of the dreams of others. With thefe endowments the is followed like a Sibyl by all the foolish weak girls and widows in the neighbourhood, to whom the reads leEtures on coffee-grounds, and beftows fweethearts or bufbands with great folemnity and veneration. There are, Mr Stonecastle, feveral other female characters which I could have sent you as fpecimens of this folly; but as I intended only to give a fhort hint of this weakness, I shall leave it to you to make what comments upon my epiftle you think proper, and am Your conftant reader, LUCIUS. As it is the endeavour of all people of fense to diminish as much as is in their power the too certain troubles of life, fo it is the habit of fools voluntarily to increase them. This obfervation is in no initance more strongly verified than in the fuperftitious regard which is paid to fancied omens, and the fear and defire of knowing future events. Though my correfpondent has laid this charge entirely to the female fex, yet there are not wanting a great number of men who are equally guilty of this prepofterous folly. The character of Forefight in Love for love will fuit many perfons who laugh at the ridiculous old Gentleman upon the stage. Jack Sprightly will be melancholy two or three days on the hearing the ticking of a death-watch; and has laid afide going about any particular bufinefs,if on his going into the ftreets, the firft dog he faw happened to be a black one, The fpilling a little falt, or acci dentally laying two knives across, will have a wonderful effect on a great many men, who would at the fame time be thought to be perfons of a more than common degree of understanding. The inconveniencies, difappointments and miseries of life, will come fo certain and fo quick of themselves, that we need not endeavour to increafs the load of them by their foreknowledge; fince that foreknowledge, even fuppofing it true, cannot prevent them. And as to the apprifal of our future happiness, the lit And fee the revolutions of the times What perils paft, what croffes would en fue, die. A rational regard for our own concerns, and a refolution to meet our happinefs with thankfulness, and our miferies with refignation, will put a stop to all fantastic fancies and enquiries, which are founded on fraud, folly and deceit. To imagine the decrees of providence are reveal'd to a poor ignorant fellow, or a prattling old woman, who are the profeffors of thefe myfteries, is not only ridiculous, but wicked. After having thus moraliz'd in general, I must address a few lines to my fe male readers in particular, as my cor refpondent's letter was calculated for their ufe. There is in the fair fex a certain fear fulness which is extravagant, and which runs them into feveral foibles. If they would exert fo much courage and firmnefs of foul, to think how falfely their fears are grounded, they would become much happier to themfelves than they are at prefent. To this want of recol lection 2 lection is owing the effect that ridiculous prefly affirm and fhow the clean con- To the author of the Remarks, in the Scots Dec. 24. In your remarks upon my late book concerning the Neceffity of Revelation, you are pleased to inform the world that my principles confist in these two articles. 1. You fay, "The Doctor endea, vours to prove, That the bulk of the ancient philofophers could not believe the immortality of the foul, because they did not infer it from right principles, wix. from its immateriality." But pray, Sir, where have you met with this filly propofition? Not in my book, I am confident, In feveral inftances I ex 2. In the next place, you tell us, that "The Doctor attempts to prove, That the faid philofophers could not have any knowledge of an infinite mind, and of morals or natural religion, because of their great ignorance in natural philofophy. This, Sir, is of the fame nature with the former, no where to be found in my book. On the contrary, I have obferv'd, that feveral ancient philofophers, notwithstanding their great ignorance in natural philofophy, profeffed the notion of an infinite mind, And what was to hinder the reft from going along in the fame fentiments? Now, Sir, having had the honesty to confefs to you the interest I have in these two filly propofitions you have had the goodness to father upon me, the world will judge to whofe account that quackery you fpeak of, ought to be placed; and you may be doing the best you can, in the mean time, to fatisfy them as to your other remarks, no leis extraordinary. Let me here only beg you to reflect, that greater charity, fofter words, and fairer treatment might have been expected from one, who feems fo much alarmed at the danger to which, you apprehend, Natural religion is nowa-days expofed. For, befides your publickly impofing upon me thefe filly principles, you further tell the world, that I pretend to reft the whole matter (that is, the truth of these two fundamental articles of religion, the being of God and a future ftate) upon tradition; which, you prefume, I know the Deifts believe nothing of: And therefore, lay you, my ATTEMPT to weaken their principles, and to throw them loose from all fuch obligations, is most unwarrantable, Unwarrantable! a foft word, I confefs, for fo heinous a crime. But from whence 1 |