And write about it, Goddess, and about it.
Such fhameless men we have; and yet 'tis true,
There are as mad, abandon'd critics too.

Some judge of authors names, not works, and then
Nor praise, nor blame the writings, but the men.
The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read,
With loads of learned lumber in his head;
With his own tongue, ftill edifies his ears,
And always lift`ning to himself appears. POPE.

GENTLEMEN,

POLITICAL

OLITICAL writers of fenfe and ingenuity, when unable to defend their cause,

VOL. II.

generally give it up with a good grace. This is honourable, and only fhews a man to be wifer than when he took the wrong fide of the queftion. Our dogmatical fmatterers, whofe weak, exhaufted powers have for fome time been on the tenter-hooks of invention to defend their Paymafter, will, I verily believe, be filenced by nothing but death. They feem to think, that giving the last word will revive their lost caufe, and keep up their literary credit with the public. There being nothing left to answer, we thall, like them, ramble about, but not to do mischief. The attack was begun by themselves: They have not only received a general answer, but the merits of every particular have been tried; the account fairly stated and fettled, and witneffed to by the public. The objections of Brutus to the Townfbend administration, all made good, and fupported article by article. The five new Commissioners have been shewn by Search, to be unneceffary and burthenfome, and he has called on the officers of the revenue (not the mercenary caftle affertors of any thing) to fhew the contrary. The political principles of the Proteftant Diffenters, which (by authority) were unprovokedly called into question, have been defended by authorities from Parliament; by the teftimonies of the most unexceptionable writers, who have been friends to truth and liberty, as well as by reason and historical facts.

The

The evils and difturbances that have happened in the state; the dangers to which the freedom of the conftitution and our privileges have been exposed, were fhewn, from irrefiftable evidence, to have arifen from the ecclefiaftical hierarchy, which, under the influence of the prerogative, hath ever proved unfavourable to liberty. The writers on the other fide have been repeatedly called on for a reply, founded on authorities and evidence equally refpectable; nay, to offer any thing that had the appearance of reason and ar÷ gument. They were bankrupts in every thing of this fort. A victory, full and compleat on the fide of liberty was acknowledged by the public. The literary campaign was thought to have been over, and the forces had declared their intentions to quit the field of battle, and part was drawn off: In this unguarded ftate, when they thought they might march and bully with impunity, like the Pretender's forces, they rallied, either through fhame, reproaches from the general, the defire of pillage, or to give a cowardly back-ftroke to liberty herfelf: They pretended to ftand again on the defenfive, and faid they had a something, a manifefto to iffue out: The frothy thing was at laft fpit forth with as much gall and venom as they had left, but not a fingle word to the point,-or authority produced; no argument invalidated, nor the merits of the question once touched upon. Their scouts had been

B 2

been out gleaning up fome scraps of old rhetoric, thefe, with the jingle of the following words compofed the chief of their reply, viz. mirror, mafqued battery, apoftrophes, metaphors, allufions,

c. &c. and though every objection to the prefent administration ftands in full force, the mulifb fit, which I thought I had cured them of, returned: They commenced wholefale dealers; would not be confined to weigh the articles fingly, but lumped the Townshend measures all together, and declared they were very good: They even apologized not, for dishonouring the late King's memory, and threw a glance of reproach on Lord Chesterfield's adminiftration, infinuating, that no laws were then passed for the improvement of the conftitution. How wretched an obfervation is this? The enemy was then at our doors: Inftead of framing new laws, we were much better employed, in preparing to preferve our old ones, or to defend our conftitution, instead of improving it. There would have been fine work in this kingdom had the coarfe, military arm of Lord Townshend been ftretched over us at that critical jun&ture. thefe miferable defenders of government will fay any thing. Some time ago Lord Chesterfield was every thing. In one of their hotch-potch collections when they made a quotation from Hume, he was then, the penetrating philofophic Hume: When quoted againft them, he was

But

brought