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vantage and intereft? It certainly will. But what will be particularly unfortunate for you is, that they will for your fake commit the crime, and have the difgrace of bafeness and perjury, without your being profited by it. For you have already fufficient reafon to be affured, that the number of independent freeholders in the county of Middlefex is greatly fuperior to those who are fwayed by fuch unworthy motives.

Our glorious Milton, whofe fmalleft merit was to be the moft fublime poet in the world. has remarked, that "it goes not ill with that nation, where there is public virtue enough ftill left to form even a party." How happy then, and honourable is it for the county of Middlesex to find that party the majority.

In most other contefted election the ftruggle has generally been whether this or that noble family fhould carry a county; it is left for our days, and for our county, to gain a victory, when the conteft is carried on by the independent and unconnected frecholders against the intereft of the court, the miniftry, and the nobility united.

What your friends reproach us with, Sir William, and on which they ground their hopes, is the chief theme of our glory and our confidence-that though there are many honeft and noble fouls, there is not one great or over-grown rich man amongst us, each of us acts on his own principle, and like the Romans of old, as if the victory depended on each fingle arm. So far are we from being bought, that we spend our money, and neglect our intereft, to fupport our candidate. And there is not one of us but is proud of that title which is given him with contempt, the title of

A plain common Freeholder.

P. S. In my next I fhall confider your abilities, and after that your public conduct. 1 fhall examine them freely, but without ill-nature. I am as far as any one of your friends from entertaining the leaft ill-will to you as a private man, but have very great public objections to your being the reprefentative of the county. Confcious of my own honeft motives, I do not wifh to be concealed from you, but will tell you a ftory by which you alone may may difcover your anonymous correfpondent. On the day that the writ for Newcastle-underline was moved for in the house of commons, and when the writ for Middlefex was talked of, but not iffued, I went to wards your houfe with another freeholder, intending to requeft your explicit answer whether you would petition against the laft election or not; becaufe your different declarations, at

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different times, might have been made a ground for refusing

the writ.

I met you going into the duke of Grafton's, the first lord of the treafury. I waited two hours expecting your coming out, and then not finding an opportunity to speak to you, returned to the houfe of commons, where I was informed that the writ for Middlefex would not be iffued-for reafons which my fafety will not permit me to mention you fav me at the door of the duke of Grafton, and therefore will know who I am.

I mention this circumftance to avoid the imputation of attacking you in the dark; for of what fhould I need to be afhamed, tho' my name were, as my motives, public?

To Sir William Beauchamp Proctor, Baronet and Knight of the Bath.

SIR.

IN

LETTER II.

laft I confidered the intereft that fupports you, my come now to your abilities. I would have it underftood that I mean only your abilities as a fenator,

As the subject is extremely confined, fo fhall be my ani madverfions. If I chofe to deal in ill-natured ridicule, it might, perhaps afford an ample field for diverfion to the public, and pain to you; but I entirely disclaim either of those intentions. The times we live in are ferious, and the subject I write upon important. The perfonal enquiry is by no means pleafing to me: For however tenderly I may enter into it, I hall not escape your difpleasure nor the abufe of your party.

When a fervant offers himself to any one, it is ufual and proper to enquire into his qualifications; and if he is found deficient, a good-natured man contents himself with saying that the perfon fo applying will not do for him, without mortifying the poor fellow by an enumeration of his defects and faults-efpecially if they are natural defects for which there is no remedy. But if a company of men are to appoint a fervant, or a fuperintendant, or a steward to manage their common business, and to whom they are to entrust their most important concerns, it becomes the duty of every one of them to inform his patrons why he rejects this man, and why he prefers another. He may fhew them that the one is the creature of fome of their rivals, whose interest is directly contrary to theirs: He may demonftrate to them that He has neither abilities nor inclination to do their bufinefs;

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and if he has been in their fervice before, he may fairly point out to them his mifcarriage and mifconduct, and make them perceive where he has failed through weakness and incapacity ; and where he has been guided by intereft, bad connections, or other blåmeable motives.

Such is the fituation of a county in the choice of their reprefentatives. And fuch is my apology.

To promote good and to oppofe bad measures is ihe fole purpofe for which members of parliament are appointed. This purpose they cannot answer unless they have a head to plan and project, a tongue to enforce and to perfuade, or at least apen to explain. Now in all thefe particulars you are fo notoriouflydeficient, that you will not be able even among the best of your friends to find one fo little jealous of his own understanding Justo compliment yours. Thole who have feen you chairman fome unimportant committee of (for of no fother was you chairman) muft have been difgufted, as I have been, to find you after twenty years practice fo totally unacquainted even with the common forms of the house.

"Sir William, you must do this."

"No, Sir William you must do that.".

Whilft each direction has been implicitly followed-unlefs contradicted by a second; and the fecond-till over-ruled by a third. The projecting head therefore I believe is entirely out of the queftion; and I may fafely spare myself that difagreeable enquiry, because none of your advocates will be indifcreet enough to call upon me for it.

Utterly incapable of projecting, let us fee how far you are enabled by your elocution to affift in carrying into execution the plans that may be formed by others. It has been

hinted in the papers, that in the course of twenty years you have never once opened your mouth.. Now this is not abfolutely and literally true; for you did once utter fome words in the house; but as I have disclaimed all ridicule, I will not, unless called upon to do it, repeat the words, and their trifling occafion.

Your eloquence out of the house has been equally unfortunate; for we cannot but remember the diftrefs and confufion you were in at the last nomination; when after you had been propofed by lord Bute's fon in law, for our member, and recommended by Sir Thomas Robinfon, Sir George Colebrooke, the Paymafter, &c. and it was your turn to fpeak, though furrounded by your friends, and prepared for the occafion, you could only get out," Gentlemen-a

I thank you agentlemen" and then loud enough to be heard by many near you, you beat your hands on

the

the partition before you, crying-"What muft I say next? -what muft I fay next?"-Soine other inarticulate and unconnected words did follow; but your friends, to cover your infufficiency and relieve your diftrefs, fet up a loud huzza, and fo concluded your addrefs--Now, Sir, let me ask you, would any man that is really your friend, and faw then what you fuffered, wifh to put you to the fame, or a more painful fituation? for if it is fo difficult for you, even when prepa red to fay to fome few of your friends-" Gentlemen, I "thank you for the honour you have done me, and hope for the continuance of your favour and fupport"what must it be to harangue and argue in the houfe of commons unprepared, and perhaps unfupported, against the learned and artful dependants of a court or miniftry? If indeed any fuch perfons could ever by bribery and corruption find their way into a British houfe of commons; and yet that such a thing may poffibly happen, the laws against bribery and corruption fufficiently prove; for laws are never made againft impoffibilities, but are generally intended as remedies for what has already happened, and to prevent fuch practices for the future. How ever, I must acquit your friends of any unkind intentions of diftreffing you by getting you into the house of commons. They know very well, by an experience of twenty years, that you can fit by very calmly and contentedly, and hear queftions of the utmost importance to this kingdom dif cuffed and decided, without once being put to the neceffity of explaining-"What must I fay next?-What must I say

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But neither need I dwell long on this topic. The talent. of speaking is given up both by yourself and friends.

But what, fay they, is fpeaking then the only qualification to be required in a member of parliament ?

No, we do not pretend that it is. And yet if we pay any regard to the bufinefs of the place, and the meaning of the word, we fhall not think it altogether fo infignificant.

The word parliament, in its original fignification, means no more than what the Indians call-A TALK. Now it fhould feem very extraordinary that a man fhould be one of the members of a TALK, who cannot speak a word.

However, we will give up to you this qualification, and fuppofe, if you please (what yet it will be very difficult to prove), that even a dumb man may be an useful member of the house of commons. But pray what will you give us in lieu of it? Will your friends please to inform us of any one talent that you have, to make amends for all thofe talents which you confeffedly have not? VOL. III.

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Is the power of the PEN to fupply the place of the power of fpeech? From which of your productions, then, are we to discover your LITERARY ABILITIES? Are your advertisement and your circular letter given as fpecimens? He must be a hardy and adventurous 'fquire, indeed, who will undertake to defend the purity of his knight's English, when two such performances ftare him in the face. In which, though you have CHOSE to be very affiduous OF fhewing your duty, and OF preferving liberties, you have taken no care at all to preferve the rules of grammar. But it is not my intention to turn word-catcher,,aud to go a hunting after your concords. Your advertisement may be feen in all the papers, and I here fubjoin a copy of your circular letter. He that wants a criticism on either of them, will do well to go to fchool again with their compofer.

SIR,

Bruton-Areet.

• HAVING met with great encouragement from numbers of freeholders of the county of Middlefex, to offer myself a candidate at the next election, in the room of George < Cooke, Efq; lately deceafed; and having had the honour to reprefent you in parliament for thefe twenty years paft free and independently, imboldens me again to folicit the favour of your vote and intereft, which, if I am so happy to obtain, will lay a lafting obligation on, Sir,

Your moft faithful and obedient fervant,

"W. BEAUCHAMP PROCTOR.'

But enough has been faid on the fcore of your ABILITIES. I fhall conclude my prefent letter with a dialogue that paffed between you and a worthy old freeholder in my neighbourhood, on your application to him for his vote; because it is the sharpeft rebuke for your long inattention to the freeholders, and the flight you have put upon them for twenty years; as well as the strongest declaration of the no-business for which you have been famous.

Sir W. Ha! my old friend, how do you do? I am very glad to fee you look fo well.

Free. Sir, I am much obliged to you; but really you have the advantage of me: I cannot say I have the honour to know

you.

Sir IV. Not know me! Why you voted for me twenty

years ago.

Free. That may be; but indeed I do not remember you. Sir IV. That's ftrange! My name is Sir William Beauchamp Proctor.

Free

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