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dy'd Men, a greater Number than the new Subjects he had acquired.

But this Lofs is not all: Providence feems to have equally divided the whole Mafs of Mankind into different Sexes, that every Woman may have her Hufband, and that both may equally contribute to the Con'tinuance of the Species. It follows then, that for all the Men that have been loft, as many Women must have lived fingle, and it were but Charity to believe they have not done all the Service they were capable of doing in their Generation. In fo long a Course of Years great part of them must have died, and all the reft must go off at laft without leaving any Repre⚫ fentatives behind. By this Account he must have loft not only 800000 Subjects but double that Number, and all the Increase that was reasonably to be expected from it.

IT is faid in the laft War there was a Famine in his Kingdom, which swept away two Millions of his People. This is hardly credible: if the Lofs was only of one fifth Part of that Sum, it was very great. But 'tis no wonder there fhould be Famine, where so much of the People's Subftance is taken away for the King's • Ufe, that they have not fufficient left to provide against 'Accidents; where fo many of the Men are taken from the Plough to ferve the King in his Wars, and a great part of the Tillage is left to the weaker Hands of fo many Women and Children. Whatever was the Lofs, it muft undoubtedly be placed to the Account of his Am:bition.

' AND fo must also the Destruction or Banishment of 3 or 400000 of his reformed Subjects; he could have no other Reasons for valuing thofe Lives fo very cheap, ⚫ but only to recommend himself to the Bigotry of the Spanish Nation.

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HOW fhould there be Induftry in a Country where all Property is precarious? What Subject will fow his Land that his Prince may reap the whole Harveft? Parfimony and Frugality, muft be Strangers to fuch a People; for will any Man fave to Day what he has Realon to fear will be taken from him to Morrow?

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No 180. And where is the Encouragement for marrying? Will any Man think of raifing Children without any Affu⚫rance of Cloathing for their Backs, or fo much as Food ⚫ for their Bellies? And thus by his fatal Ambition he must have leffened the Number of his Subjects not only by • Slaughter and Destruction, but by preventing their very Births, he has done as much as was poffible towards deftroying Pofterity itself.

IS this then the great, the invincible Lewis? This the immortal Man, the tout-puiffant, or the Almighty, · as his Flatterers have called him? Is this the Man that is fo celebrated for his Conquefts? For every Subject he has acquired, has he not loft three that were his Inheritance? Are not his Troops fewer, and those neither fo well fed, or cloathed, or paid, as they were formerly, • tho' he has now fo much greater Caufe to exert himself? • And what can be the Reason of all this, but that his Revenue is a great deal lefs, his Subjects are either poorer, · or not fo many to be plundered by conftant Taxes for his Ufe?

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IT is well for him he had found out a Way to steal a Kingdom; if he had gone on conquering as he did before, his Ruin had been long fince finished. This brings to my Mind a Saying of King Pyrrhus, after he had a fecond Time beat the Romans in a pitched Battle, and was complimented by his Generals; Yes, fays he, fuch another Victory and I am quite undone. And fince I have mentioned Pyrrhus, I will end with a very good, though known Story of this ambitious mad Man. When he had fhewn the utmoft Fondness for his Expedition against the Romans, Cyneas his chief Minifter asked him, what he propofed to himself by this War? Why, fays Pyrrhus, to conquer the Romans, and reduce all Italy to my Obedience. What then, fays Cyneas? To país over into Sicily, fays Pyrrhus, and then all the Sicilians must be our Subjects. And what does your Majefty intend next? Why truly, fays the King, to conquer Carthage, and make my felf Mafter of all Africa. And what, Sir, fays the Minister, is to be the End of all your Expeditions? Why then, fays the King, for the reft of our Lives we'll fit down to good Wine.

How,

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How, Sir, replyed Cyneas, to better than we have now before us? Have we not already as much as we can drink?

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RIOT and Excefs are not the becoming Characters of Princes; but if Pyrrhus and Lewis had debauched like Vitellius, they had been lefs hurtful to their People. Your humble Servant,

PHILARITHMUS.

N° 181. Thursday, September 27.

His lacrymis vitam damus, & miferefcimus ultrò.

I

Virg.

Am more pleafed with a Letter that is filled with Touches of Nature than of Wit. The following one is of this Kind.

SIR,

'AMONG all the Diftreffes which happen in Fami

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lies, I do not remember that you have touched upon the Marriage of Children without the Confent ' of their Parents. I am one of these unfortunate Perfons. I was about Fifteen when I took the Liberty to chufe for my felf; and have ever fince languifhed under the Displeasure of an inexorable Father, who, though he fees me happy in the best of Husbands, and • bleffed with very fine Children, can never be prevailed upon to forgive me. He was fo kind to me before this unhappy Accident, that indeed it makes my Breach of Duty, in fome measure, inexcufable; and at the fame Time creates in me fuch a Tenderness towards him, that I love him above all things, and would die to be reconciled to him. I have thrown my felf at his • Feet, and befought him with Tears to pardon me; but ⚫he always pushes me away, and fpurns me from him: I have written feveral Letters to him, but he will nei

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ther open nor receive them. About two Years ago I fent my little Boy to him, dreffed in a new Apparel; but the Child returned to me crying, because he said his Grand-father would not fee him, and had ordered him to be put out of his Houfe. My Mother is won over to my Side, but dares not mention me to my Father for fear of provoking him. About a Month ago he lay fick upon his Bed, and in great Danger of his Life: I was pierced to the Heart at the News, and could not forbear going to enquire after his Health. My Mother took this Opportunity of fpeaking in my Behalf: She told him with abundance of Tears, that I was come to fee him, that I could not speak to her for weeping, and that I fhould certainly break my Heart if he refus'd at that Time to give me his Bleffing, and be reconciled He was fo far from relenting towards me, that he bid her fpeak no more of me, unless fhe had a Mind to difturb him in his laft Moments; for, Sir, you must know that he has the Reputation of an honeft and religious Man, which makes my Misfortune fo much the greater. God be thanked he is fince recovered: But his fevere Ufage has given me fuch a Blow, that I fhall foon fink under it, unlefs I may be relieved by any Impreffions which the reading of this in your Paper may make s upon him.

to me.

I am, &c.

OF all Hardneffes of Heart, there is none fo inexcufable as that of Parents towards their Children. An obftinate, inflexible, unforgiving Temper is odious upon all Occafions, but here it is unnatural. The Love, Tendernefs, and Compaffion which are apt to arife in us, towards those who depend upon us, is that by which the whole World of Life is upheld. The Supreme Being by the tranfcendent Excellence and Goodness of his Nature, extends his Mercy towards all his Works; and because his Creatures have not fuch a fpontaneous Benevolence and Compaffion towards thofe who are under their Care and Protection, he has implanted in them an Inftinct, that fupplies the Place of this inherent Good

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nefs. I have illustrated this kind of Instinct in former Papers, and have fhewn how it runs thro' all the Species of brute Creatures, as indeed the whole Animal Creation subfifts by it.

THIS Inftinct in Man is more general and uncircumfcribed than in Brutes, as being enlarged by the Dictates of Reafon and Duty. For if we confider our felves attentively, we fhall find that we are not only enclined to love those who defcend from us, but that we bear a kind of sogn, or natural Affection, to every Thing which relies upon us for its Good and Preservation. Dependance is a perpetual Call upon Humanity, and a greater Incitement to Tenderness and Pity than any other Motive whatsoever.

THE Man therefore who, notwithstanding any Paffion or Refentment, can overcome this powerful Inftinct, and extinguish natural Affection, debafes his Mind even below Brutality, fruftrates, as much as in him lies, the great Defign of Providence, and ftrikes out of his Nature one of the most Divine Principles that is planted

in it.

AMONG innumerable Arguments which, might be brought against fuch an unreasonable Proceeding, I fhall only infift on one. We make it the Condition of our Forgivenefs that we forgive others. In our very Prayers we defire no more than to be treated by this kind of Retaliation. The Cafe therefore before us feems to be what they call a Cafe in Point; the Relation between the Child and Father being what comes nearest to that between a Creature and its Creator. If the Father is inexorable to the Child who has offended, let the Offence be of never fo high a Nature, how will he addrefs himself to the Supreme Being, under the tender Appellation of a Father, and defire of him fuch a Forgiveness as he himself refuses to grant?

TO this I might add many other religious, as well as many prudential Confiderations; but if the laft mentioned Motive does not prevail, I defpair of fucceeding by any other, and fhall therefore conclude my Paper with a very remarkable Story, which is recorded in an VOL. III.

D

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