taught it me; and that is, because I have my livelihood here, and these foreign trefpaffers would be apt to take it from me; fo that I too, without pretending to be a Hero, would rather die generously in defence of my Country, than ftarve infamously after the lofs of it. Therefore, whenever the TRIMMER can perfuade the Parliament to give money enough for a Fleet against France, the TORY will engage to go a voluntier in it, rather than command the Kitchin Tatcht to any grand Louis of them all: fo I hope we are agreed as to that point. But whereas our TRIMMER infinuates a little artificially, that our fettlement at home is flighted only in order to affift the French defigns abroad; I must confefs that our divifions on this fide of the fea, contribute fufficiently to those on the other; but who can help it? Tis certain, these two misfortunes go together; and England cannot be embroil'd, without Flanders being almoft conquered; but is this divifion here the effect, or rather the cause of that Monarch's ambition? To fay 'tis the effect, is fo fharp a cenfure on our nation, that I dare not be fo bold as our TRIMMER is, only to hint at it; and my blood rises at the very thought: But this I

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dare

dare fay, because 'tis manifeft, that if the ambition of France has caufed our disorders; a Kingdom cannot be fo betrayed, unless its King be fo too. Which of his fubjects ought most to be fufpected in fuch a cafe, I will not determine; but whoever they are, may they be thrown out, like JONAS, to allay the ftorm, and be forced to feek a shelter with that great Leviathan. The TORY is content, nay defirous to fearch every corner, even of the Court it felf, where fure he cannot long be hid, because the Prince is a thousand times more concern'd to find him out, than any of his moft fufpicious fubjects can be but pray let us have fair play to search other places too, and not believe this French Monarch fo extravagantly aspiring, as to scorn the bribing any body below a Minister of State; he is very well bred; and we know his condefcenfion fuch, that the meanest member of the House of Commons need not despair of being acceptable in his fight.

THE Conclufion of our TRIMMER's dif cafe is very properly called fo, because it seems impoffible to carry a fallacy further, or disguise it better; and therefore I hope it will not put him out of his so much boast

ed

ed moderation, if I ftrip it of all thofe artificial colours, and expose it to the World in its mishapen nakedness: Then we shall quickly fee the difference between the homeliness of Error, and that amiable Truth fo much celebrated by our TRIMMER, who alas mistakes deformity for her, and feems in his rapture as extravagantly doting as the humorous Lieutenant, when he took his old King for a plump girl of fifteen.

WHAT do men ail, cries our TRIMMER, thus to rail at moderation, and to fay TRIMMERS are even worse than rebels? It looks, fays he, as if they were aiming at some violent extream, incompatible with all discretion and moderation. This now has an appearance of reason, and feems fair at a diftance; but, well confider'd, is but a cloud of fallacy, without any substantial force of argument. Suppose a father or master finds himself opprefs'd by any fort of ill usage, and accordingly implores the help of his children or fervants, who yet all the while stand careless by with a most provoking indifference, rather feeming to infult over his need of their affistance, than eager to relieve him by it: They, ftill unconcerned, behold their parent or master ftruggling with his adver

faries,

faries, and extreamly fuffering either by fuits of Law or perfonal Violence, or by any other way you can fuppofe a man abused: The good man himself, nay, all the world, accufes thefe luke-warm friends, thofe infamous fervants, these unnatural children, of being fo fhamefully unconcerned in all these quarrels. May not they as well answer for themselves, what does this man ail? What does the world mean to find fault with our moderation, is it not a vertue? is it not a fign of fenfe as well as juftice to be ever impartial? Let us leave this parent, this mafter to his own ftrength, and let that help him out of all his troubles: why should we take part on either fide? O but then the good man is enraged more against them than all his enemies. And can we blame him? what can they say for themselves? Why only this; Is he driving, fay they, at any strange extream? does he design to beggar all his neighbours, to affault his acquaintance, to abuse all the world, that he expects we fhould affift him on all occafions?

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Now let any man judge if this be a laudable moderation in thefe cold friends? A bleffed ferene temper above the clouds of paffion and partiality? Or rather, an unworthy

worthy and unnatural coldness, for those whom they ought to be inclined to believe in the right, and to protect, tho' never fo much in the wrong? Suppofe the quarrel began on our parents fide; fuppofe he was contentious; (which is laying the objection ás hard as can be) yet are we at liberty either to help or hurt him, as our fancy leads us? Are we not tied to his affiftance more firmly than foldiers are to their General by a little pay; and not to examine the cause fo much as the kindred; fince our reason and our reverence ought to conclude the best of such things which we cannot be able to judge of, fo well, as he whom God and Nature have set over us?

ANOTHER Fallacy is endeavoured to be put on us, by fhewing the great limitation à King lies under, and the extraordinary leffening of his authority, when once it engages for one party of his people, towards the deftruction of another; which our TRIMMER calls, fhrinking from a great Monarch, into the Head of a Faction; and therefore he is extreamly troubled for fuch a diminution of his Prince's power. Now I confefs, this appears to nie just as if a highway-man, overtaken by a hue and cry, should stand VOL. II. F

at