nature, and affuming or granting a difcretionary power of taking it quite away.

Because though we think it expedient and agreeable to the dictates of reason, that minors 'fhould not marry without the confent of their parents or guardians, and that such consent fhould be neceffary to render their marriage good and valid, as it likewife is in the exercife of all their other rights during the term of their nonage, it can no more be inferred from thence that we acknowledge a right to continue fuch reftraint throughout their whole lives, then we acknowledge a right to keep men or women in a state of endless nonage which, unless in the cafe of idiots or incurable lunatics would be abfurd, unjust and a manifeft violation of the law of

nature.

Because, if a perpetual reftraint upon marriage, or power given to reftrain it, without limitation of time or age, be contrary to the natural divine laws, (as we apprehend it to be) a law authorising such restraint, on conferring fuch a power must be null and void in itself.

Because, in any cafe where the right of fucceeding to the crown of these realms may come to depend on the force or invalidity of the power given by this Bill, an appeal made against it would probably bring upon the Royal Family and the nation all the miferies and horrors of civil war.

Because though the placing fuch a power in the King, with the interpofition of both Houfes of Parliament, is a better fecurity against the abuse of it, than if it had been entrufted to the King alone, yet it may be foufed, in corrupt or violent times, as to be made, in fome cafes, a perpetual negative on the freedom of marriage.

Because, if the power be grevious, and contrary to the inherent rights of mankind, the grievance is increafed by the infinite number of perfons over whom, in the course of time it is likely to extend.

Because we are convinced, that all the good purpofes and objects of the Bill, which we have greatly at heart, might have been anfwered without giving that perpetuity of reftraint over the freedom of marriage, which we think ourfelves bound in confcience to oppose.

TEMPLE
RADNOR

CLIFTON,

LYTTLETON

ABINGDON
CRAVEN

And, Because the Bill is effentially wanting to its avowed purpofe, in having provided no guard against the greater evil, the improper marriages of the Princes on the throne.

RADNOR.

To

I

My Lord,

To LORD

NORTH.

HAVE waited with a degree of impatience natural to a man, who wishes well to his country, for your lordship's minifterial interpofition in behalf of an injured princefs of England, the Queen Confort of Denmark.

As I have fome opportunity of being acquainted with the difpofition of Lord North, it is, I candidly confefs, with regret that I refume the task of cenfuring a man, who has, at leaft, this negative virtue, that he wants the will to do a signal mischief to the state. I defire, however, to be well understood: I intend no compliment to your Lordship's heart; I am yet to learn that it merits any. If, therefore, our prime minifter is not anxiously bufied in adopting measures, and pursuing schemes to plunge this country into irretrievable ruin, we may thank the daftardly pufilanimity of his nature; we may rejoice at this weakness, as by that alone our fafety is infured; and we ought to exult in the fuperintending care of providence which hath dealt out its gifts to Lord North with fo fparing an hand, that he does not poffefs a single talent neceffary to render him a formidable adverfary to public virtue.

There is, however, a certain dignity in office, which ever will have weight with the vulgar: your brother, the bishop, my Lord, fees this truth daily verified within the precincts of his own diocefe; and it cannot be conftrued into an ill-natured reflection to fay, that there are few families in Great Britain more indebted for confequence to the drapery of externals, than the prefent iffue of the Right Hon. Lord Guildford.

The late revolution in Denmark, my Lord, will produce, in all human probability, an entire alteration in the whole fyftem of Europe. Your neutrality during that dark, and, as you have managed matters, myfterious tranfaction, is culpable in the extreme: I want words wherewith to delineate the abfurdity of your conduct; the occafion calls for a species of envenomed fatire mortals may conceive, but which, to Lord North's unspeakable comfort, they can never attain.

The fituation of the kingdom of Denmark is fuch, that its exiftence depends upon cultivating a lafting and firm very friendship with the maritime powers of Europe. Befides the ties of intereft and of treaties, there are other political motives which ever would incline Great Britain to support, protect, and defend the Danes, againft any combinations which might be entered into for their deftruction. But at the fame time that' we fhould fnatch an handful of people from impending ruin, tho' we might condefcend to interpofe in their behalf, if their fituHh 2

ation

ation called aloud for pity and compaffion, is this, in the name of goodness and common fenfe, any thing like a reafon, why we fhould tamely bear their ignominious infults, or fuffer the difgrace they have caft upon the English Nation, to pafs uncenfured or unchaftifed? I fay the English Nation; because, as for our minifters, the term difgrace, when applied to them, lofes altogether its poignancy, and the most fuperlative contempt becomes the highest compliment you can poffibly pay to their daftardly Measures.

An infignificant northern potentate, is honoured by a matrimonial alliance with the king of England's fifter. A confused rumour prevails, that fhe has been falfe to his bed; the tale fpreads, a particular man is pointed out as the object of her licentious affections: our hopeful miniftry are, however quite filent; difpaches indeed are fent off to Copenhagen, but the contents of thofe difpatches are so profound a fecret, that with me it almost amounts to a queftion, whether you yourself know any thing of the matter; the D. of Cumberland can keep a secret; Lord Mansfield therefore has entrusted him with a most precious one; you, my worthy Premier, have a strong propensity to loquacity, on which account it might be prudent therefore, in the court, not to place too great a confidence in a man, who loves fpeaking fo much, that he will talk nonfenfe for hours, rather than be filent even on a fubject which he does not understand ; for a different reason, Lord Sandwich, perhaps can develope the minifterial proceedings with regard to Denmark; he is a man of tried veracity, his lips are fealed, and he seldom opens his mouth to any purpose, unless when he is about to betray the caufe of fome perfon weak enough to be his friend.

As I am not one of the cabal, I pretend not to dive into the motives for this cautious fecrefy: I dare be anfwerable they are of the extraordinary kind; but that confidered in a political light, your Lordship's whole procedure with regard to Denmark is abfurd, and with refpect to the public, highly criminal. This is a propofition to which every independant man of fenfe, throughout the kingdom, muft readily affent. In private life the honour of a fifter is deemed an affair of infinite confequence to a brother. A man of fentiment is anxious to convince his friends and neighbours, that the breath of flander hath traduced her virtue, and he feizes with avidity every alleviating circumftance that can contribute to extenuate her offence, or demonftrate her innocence, beyond the poffibility of cavil.

Is our pious monarch caft in a different mould from one of his people? or is he taught to believe that the opinion of his fubjects has no manner of relation to his own felicity? are you, my lord, quite void of feeling ? have you no warm blood that

flows

flows around your heart, that gives your frame a thrilling foft fenfation, and makes your bofom glow with affections, ornamental to man as a focial creature? for fhame, my Lord, however wrong you act, you must know better; you must be conscious that the people have a right to be informed of every tranfaction which concerns the welfare of the ftate: They are part of a mighty empire, which flourishes only as their happinefs is promoted; they have a kind of claim in every perfon belonging to the royal lineage; how can they peaceably remain neuter, and fee their princefs imprifoned by a banditti of northern Vandals? with what crime is the charged? what are the proofs of her guilt? a revolution brought about by the artifices of an intriguing woman, is no new thing in Denmark, the very fuperftruction of the Danish monarchy is raised upon fuch a foundation. Margaret, in right of her fon Olaus VI. affumed the reins of government in that kindom; but not content with her juft portion of power, the formed a scheme to depofe Albert the lawful king of Sweden: fucceeding in her ftratagem, the condemned him to perpetual imprisonment, and thus obtained the fovereignty of Sweden alfo.

There is a barbarous ferocity which ftill clings to the inhabitants of the North, and renders their government fubject to perpetual convulfions; but the Danes, I fancy, will be found the only people in our times who have dared to proceed to extremities, that alarm all Europe, nay, dared to imprison an English princefs, without giving even the fhadow of a public reafon for their conduct.

The Empress of Ruffia, on a fomewhat fimilar occafion, was politenefs itfelf; when the condefcended to difpatch her. hufband, the caused a manifefto to be publifhed, wherein the juftified her conduct to God, her confcience, and the world. The prefent Machiavelian Dowager Julia may fend the young Queen's foul to heaven in a night, and through the fhameful remiffness of you, Lord North, the Prime Minifter of this unhappy country, the public may remain ignorant of every circumftance relative to the murder. Be not however deceived; the blood of our fovereign's fifter fhall not be fuffered to cry in vain for vengeance, it fhall be heard, it fhall be revenged, and what is ftill more, it fhall befprinkle Lord North, and thus affix a ftigma upon his forehead, which fhall make him wander like another Cain, accurfed through the world.

Is it thus a Cecil, thus a Burleigh, thus a Waifingham would have acted in the days of the Protectorate? Would Cromwell have permitted fuch an indignity to have paffed unnoticed? That illuftrious character would have difpatched a Blake with all imaginable speed to fcour the feas, and chaftife the infolence

of

of thofe northern uncivilized free-booters, had they prefumed even to imprifon a common English subject, much lefs an Englifh princels; and as an holtage for her liberty and her life, he would have confined the Danith Ambaffador until an exprefs had arrived, proclaiming her release.

With the generality of perfons example has a most powerful effect. You, Lord North, foar above the common herd; neither precept nor example can touch your foul, or work a reformation in your conduct; you are proof againft conviction, and when public or private virtue is in queftion, you have nothing of humanity about you. Contrafts, however, like pictures well difpofed, form that agreeable diverfity of light and hade which conveys pleafure and inftruction to the moft indifferent fpectator. When therefore I mention Lord Chatham's name, there is no neceffity for a comment to elucidate my meaning; his bold, his penetrating, his powerful genius, refcued this nation from defpair and ruin, when an epidemic languor feized our frame, he, like fome demi-god, revived our drooping fpirits; you, my Lord, have again plunged us into all the gloomy horrors of defpondency. He-but I defift; when the crawling emmet, or the groveling worm, fhall claim a fuperiority over mankind, then, and not untill then, will I confefs that there is the fainteft fimilitude between the Earl of Chatham and the man commonly called Lord North.

I anticipate the jargon of your party, I know the steps taken, and the artifices practifed to depreciate a man in the eftimation of the world, the foree of whofe abilities aftonifhed, and kept for a feries of years, all Europe in fubjection. Continental connections, millions expended, and English blood fpilt in Germany; these are ftale, these are hackneyed to pieces; I grant, indeed, there is vet sality in the man.-I grant, indeed, he has his flights, but they are fo many daring excellencies; he is not merely a meteor in the political fky, he is a conftellation of a fuperior order, which fheds its benign influence on this our lower world, infufes a genial vivifying heat into our atmofphere, and this contributes to exhilerate our fpecies, and enhance the felicity of human nature.

Thefe praises are not calculated to obtain applaufes from the giddy multitude; they are not beftowed, because they may happen to fall within the current of the times; they are not defigned to render you, my Lord, lefs beloved or more detefted, than at prefent, fince that is a tafk beyond any pen to accomplifh, but they flow with an honeft-hearted fincerity from my inmoft foul, and was it poffible to conceive, that this paper should outlive the other trifles of thy day, it would be my ut

moft