effect of Duty and Affection, but only according to the rate that he pays them. But when a King Cannot depend upon one more than another, and is under equal obligations to all the most ufual and trueft reafon of all is, becaufe he has fo far difoblig'd all Parties that he has more cause to be afraid of than to trust any of them; therefore till Men are of the fame mind in every thing elfe; it cannot be expected that these things, or any of them can ever happen: If then fhould a King act as if they were, and the Cafe prove to be otherwife, the confequence of it, would be fatal to him: For though it may be objected, that by a distribution of his favours and imployments equally on all Parties, he thereby gives incouragement to all to ftand by him, and makes none defperate, yet on the other hand, he thereby makes every Party Jealous of him, and none to truft him: For when he inlarges his hand to any Party, it is to the regret and envy of the reft that were not then alfo confider'd, which he cannot repair but by conferring greater things on them, and then this turns to the diffatisfaction of the other Party as much as if nothing had been done for them. So that thence it will follow, that when ever his bounty moves, every one must have a fhare, for if any Party is omitted, he will lofe more on one hand than he gains on the other; and what Prince ever found that his bounty turn'd to account where the Perfons that were the objects of it, had not fomething of affection or duty for him, because all that he can do in that way will ingage them no longer than till they can make a better bargain, or could he winn them by it, yet the cafe of that Prince is much to be lamented who has none to depend on,

but

but fuch as he has gained by his liberality; But could he gain any by fuch a Method which is very uncertain, yet for one that he fo makes his Friend he thereby looses a hundred who are fuch upon principle, and that Prince gives himself very little leafure to think, who does not know that one who is a Friend upon Principle is worth many who are made fuch by bounty, preferments may be outbid, but Principles are permanent: Every Prince will find himself out in his reckoning, when he perceives what conftruction the People do put upon fuch a Method, for they will be apt to conclude, That it is the effect of Fear, want of under lan-ding, or that his heart is not right towards them, and its a dangerous thing to fuffer fuch Notions to get into their heads, it being very difficult to remove them if once they are fixt there Thofe that wifht him well will grow cold and indifferent towards him, when they find that others who don't deferve it are treated as well as themfelves, and it will difcourage the honeft endeavours of others for the future, when neither they nor the Nation is much the better for their fervice, and at laft they will defpife him; and fuch as had no great good will for him will be fure to follow their blow as foon as they find his blind fide, and improve to their utmoft advantage, though to the ruine of him and the Nation; all Parties will flight him, undervalue all his Actions, put the worlt construction. on every thing, and afcribe to chance whatever is well done. When obnoxious Men are made ufe of, it is too evident a fign that the fame work is to be done, because the fame Tools come into play, en and hereby the King in a great meafure becomes Particeps criminis of former ill councels and pra

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ctifes, in allowing fuch to fuck the fat of the Government who ought to be fqueazed if not crushed to satisfie and vindicate the publick Justice,and then well may fuch wipe their mouths and fay, What evil have I done, when in ftead of answering at the Bar, their Treatment is more like a Reward for what they have done, and thereby they are confirmed in their Wickednefs, and all honest and deferving Men difcouraged. When a King calls fuch Perfons near him as ought for ever to be banifht his prefence, every Man elfe that is more deferving will withdraw themselves, because not confiftant with their Honour to herd with any who are unworthy the places they hold, and fo in a fhort time the King will be left destitute of Council or any to defend him, and expofed to his Ene. mies both at home and abroad, and his own People fo prepared, (that when any fair occafion offers it felf) to cry out, Nolumus hunc regnare, and regnare, thereby from a Potent King may become a Nominal Prince and no more.

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Upon the whole matter then: May not that Prince be judged to be born under an untoward Conftellation, who goes out of his way when it lyes fo open and directly before him, or that fplits upon a Rock, which he may more eafily avoid than fall upon it: For that which is neceffary to make him as happy as a King can be, is not more difficult than what was required of the Syrian General to cure his Leprofie, the one was bid to wath and be clean, and the other to keep fair with his People; and what they defire is reafonable and juft in relation to themselves, and honou rable and fafe for him, and is the thing in the

World

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World that can add most to the Excellency of
His Majefty, and the Might of His Power.

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When a Prince miftakes his way for want of experience or a true reprefentation of the State of Affairs, this is an Error on the right hand,and there remains hopes of his return, but when it proceeds from his own inclinations, and it is the dictates of his own breaft, then it is an evil that threatens the Land during his life, because nothing but fome very preffing neceffity can make him alter his courfe How great a Bleffing or a Burden then is a King to the Land, and how ought a good one to be valued, and a bad one to be dreaded, fince there is no Medium betwixt thofe two; and fince fo much of the good or evil depends upon the advices that are given him, how careful does it behave him to be in the choice of his Council, and then how highly ought he and the Nation to value fuch, who fet light by any Imployment when it ftands in Competition with their Duty.

That King then who is inform'd of and fees his miftake and does not rectifie it, will leave no good Character behind him, but he that finds he is out of his way, and returns to the right path is both Wife and Juft, and he that always keeps in the right road is a fortunate Prince.

But to fay that his administration was unblameable, and yet from the firft refolved that if he did flip afide, he could not fooner difcover his Error, than he would fet things to right, is the greatest Character of a King.

REASONS why King JAMES Ran away from Salisbury; In a Letter to a Friend.

SIR,

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Ccording to my promife, when we were laft together, I fend you my further thoughts upon what we then difcourfed.

The first thing (as I remember) that we had under our confideration, was an Inquiry into the true and real caufe of King James's running away from Salisbury.

I then was and am ftill of opinion, that he was acted by Fear more than by any thing elfe, from the firft Notice that he had of the Prince of Orange his defign to the Moment that he got into France; Nothing but fear could make him neglect what is fo expedient upon fuch occafions. That is to clap up every Man of Quality or Intereft that he fulpected; but he was fo far from laying hold of any man, that he courted and even humbled himself to thofe very people whom before he would not admit into his prefence, and with fo much abjectednefs made an offer of their Charter and Franchises to the City of London and other Corporations.

What elfe but Fear could put him upon fo unpolitick a thing, as to fend for fo very many Irish?

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