his crown and life; they opened the eyes of the friends of liberty. When death approached that magnanimous Prince, he haftened. the weighty bills then depending in parliament, particularly that (on which his heroic mind was fet) for fettling the fucceffion of the crown, with the confent of the PEOPLE, in the present Royal Family; and when he faw thofe acts compleated, with his ufual calmnefs of mind and chriftian fortitude, he patiently fubmitted to the order of nature, and the irreverfible decrees of Providence. To him fucceeded ANNE, the glories of the early part of whofe reign rife thick as the beauties of a conftellation. The plains of Blenheim and the fields of Ramilies, bear lafting teftimony of that era. Had the continued fteady in the caufe of religion, virtue and truth, fhe would have been recorded in the faithful page of history, as another ELIZABETH. But her unlucky ftars induced her to tarnish all her former glory, by four years of folly and mifconduct. Towards the end of her reign, she began to overthrow the glorious fabrick fhe had raised. The friends of liberty were alarmed, they met in council together, to fave themselves and pofterity. The public writings and spirited fpeeches in both houfes of parliament, prevented 'the introduction of the WARMING-PAN bera. By attending to the freedom of debate, the timid were convinced, and the wavering Exed, and the intended addrefs was overthrown. Providence, in commiferation to these nations, ftretched forth his benevolent hand, and took her from us, in a critical hour. The first of the HANOVERIAN family, GEORGE I. fucceeded her, though born and educated in a country, whofe laws and cuftoms were totally different from the form adopted by those who had chofen him; yet being blessed with a steadiness (not a modern obftinacy) of temper, and affable and condescending in his behaviour, he gained the hearts of thofe who invited him to defend them. He maturely confidered the genius of the British nation: He confulted the most fenfible he appointed the most experienced and honest men to places of truft; he filled the judges bench with upright and fkilful lawyers; the greateft as well as the loweft dignities in the church, were given to moral men. By fuch wife arrangements, he was enabled to stem the torrent of rebellion. By his conduct he juftly merited the name of STEADY. Our late chief magistrate, GEORGE II. ruled with moderation, juftice and fenfe; he fupported the effence of the laws with an impartial hand. Attentive to the minutest circumftance of public affairs, he daily arofe at an early hour, and read the productions of various writers, both for and against the weasures of his government; by which rule he was enabled to chufe faithful ministers, minifters, brave commanders, and wife counfel lors. He appointed minifters able to direct, commanders ready to obey, and his grateful fubjects were ever ready to fell their lives in defence of him, in whom they confided. The execution of Lord FERRERS and Admiral BYNG, were substantial acts of justice, and proved his regard for the laws, and the fense he had for the honour of the British nation. His perfeverance in justice, and constantly rewarding merit, (whether as Lord Chatham elegantly expreffed it) "it was rocked on this or the other fide of the TWEED," infpired the brave with double ardour: Merit and courage exerted themselves in their proper departments, when fare of being fupported and rewarded equal to their fervices. Under his aufpices the power of France was nearly annihilated; Spain was humbled, and the ungenerous Portuguese received fuch relief, as faved the tottering crown of their wretched King; Poland then lived happy under its CHOSEN King; America was not inflamed by a BERNARD, nor Ireland oppressed by a TOWNSHEND.. Thefe. and their attendant confequences were referved to compofe the an nals of the chief magiftracy of GEORGE III. There. There is an anecdote re lated of a certain very high dignitary in our church, who is now living; upon the decease of his wife, he raised a moft fuperb monument to her memory, whereon.her many virtues and character were fully difplayed. The haughty prelate, imagining that pofterity would be as much addicted to flattery, (as his Grace's brethren in the Upper Houfe of Parliament,) left a large blank for a Courtney or a Dennis, to draw his character. A witty gentleman, viewing the monument, and reflecting on the vanity of the owner, wrote the following lines on the blank. Vaineft of mortals, 'hadft thou wit or grace, This well known truth by every tongue confefs't, SHOULD We now fill up the above blank, that mighty chafm, what fhall we peruse there ? But narratives of the proftitution of honours-the general decay of virtue-the lethargic ftate of a divided and cowardly miniftry-the, infults the profperity of the conqueror changes with hi manners, and empire will go over to such as are more worthy. BRUTUS. LETTER XXXVI. To the PEOPLE.' Multa me dehortantur a vobis, QUIRITES, ni ftudium reipublicæ omnia fuperet; opes factionis, veftra patientia, jus nullum, ac maxume, quod innocentia plus periculi, quam honoris, eft. If the great concern I bad for the public did not outweigh all confiderations, I have things enough, my countrymen, to deter ME from Randing up in defence of your cause; as the firength of faction, your onun tameness, no juftice, and above all, the EXPERIENCE that honesty is attended with more danger than credit. SALLUST. IHEARTILY congratulate ye on the cor tainty of your prefent Viceroy's being speedily recalled. Let that determination in the Ministry proceed from what motive it may, you have fome reafon to hope for a relaxation, if not a redress, |