tance of it. For I infifted upon the Demolition of the Mole and Harbour; and instead of that, they have, as exactly as if Mr. • Tuggbe's Memorial had been the Direction in this Cafe, demolished the Works, and left the Harbour, its Sluices, and all its Acceffes that concern us, our Safety and our Trade, in good Condition. That is, they have destroy'd the Works in Poffeffion of the Britich Garrifon, to make that Garrifon useless, and put off the Demolition of the Harbour 'till Time 'fhall ferve.

The three next Paragraphs are taken out of Page 17; and are only Matters of Fac, which may be proved out of feveral Books and Addreffes, as well as from common Difcourfe, to which I dare fay every Gentleman in this House has been a Witnefs. 1 fhall therefore appeal from any little Sophiftical Cavils which may be made against them, to the Honour and Veracity of thofe Gentlemen before whom I have now the Happiness to vindicate my felf. I will only read them, and appeal to every Gentleman's own Confcience for the Truth of them.

'This is not all; for before this Run upon the Bank,a Man was thought to argue very well that would fay, that for the better Confumption and Exportation of British Manufactures, it was • abfolutely neceffary to give both Spains to the 'friendly House of Bourbon: But left a great Monarch fhould be tempted by Ambition, to use that Truft for his own, rather than our Intereft, it would be expedient to keep a Check upon him by difmiffing all our Allies. 6 For our further Security within our felves

and

' and to prevent all Invafions on Liberty and 6 Property, one might very lately have faid, the Dignity and Authority of Parliaments could not be better ftrengthened, than by ' placing a defpotick Power in the Sovereign. We have fo little Publick Spirit amongst us, that these Things paffed like Mathematical Truths, 'till each Man grew afraid for 'his own Pocket.

A Man who was uneafie before this Accident, for the Publick Welfare; and has ob"ferved nothing fince that puts us in a better 'Condition; a Man, I fay, who from only

hearing the News contradicted, that the Pre'tender was a coming, cannot infer that he · may not still come, ought to be excufed for ' writing as I have and do, to raise in his Fellow-Subjects a juft Concern for thofe Civil and Religious Rights, which they at present 6 enjoy above all other Nations.

The next Paragraph is taken out of the 18th and 19th Pages of the fame Book: And as it relates to Dunkirk has been already explained. Here it is.

6

The Queen's Garrifon is expofed by levelling the Works to the Mercy of the French: And the Mole and Harbour, which were first to be demolished, ftand as they did, The Terror of the British Nation. Thus, Sir, as the Interest of her Majefty and her People are infeparable, I think I have behaved my felf like a dutiful Subject, in complaining of this open Violation of her Treaty in the most Important Article of it.

I am now come to the laft Paragraph, in the a2d Page of the fame Book, as follows.

'I with, Thirdly, That his Electoral High• nefs of Hanover would be fo grateful as to fignifie to all the World, the perfect good Understanding he has with the Court of England, in as plain Terms as her Majesty was pleased to declare fhe had with that Houfe on her Part. This laft Circumftance, Dear Fack, would be very pleafing to all of us who are Churchmen, because if the Elector fhould be any way difobliged, I am confident her 6 Majefty has given no Caufe for it; and I 'cannot but attribute any Misunderstanding, 'if fuch there should be, to the Artifices of 'fome new Converts, who, for ought I know, 'may ftill be Presbyterians in their Hearts,

I do not know whether I have been more troubled or furprized, to hear a Gentleman affirm that thefe Words, by an Inuendo, contradict what her Majefty had affirmed from the Throne. This Accufation may be put in fuch very hard Words, as may incline those to be difpleafed with me, who attend more to the Accufation it felf, than to the Grounds I have given for it. The Gentleman who brought it against me, would artificially have stopped in the Middle of the Paragraph, had not he been put upon hearing the whole read out; wherein I pofitively affert that if the Elector should be any way difobliged, I am confident her Majefty has given no Caufe for it. I fay, Sir, I have pofitively afferted in the Words which immediately follow thofe which were objected to me, That if the Elector of Hanover thould be any way difobliged, I am confident her Majefty has given no Occafion for it. And the Reafonwhy I was fo pofitive in this Affertion,

is

is, because her Majefty, as I before said, was pleafed to declare in plain Terms, that the had a perfect good Understanding with the Houfe of Hanover.

And now, Sir, is there a Fault, after this, in wishing that his Electoral Highness would be fo grateful as to fignifie to all the World, the perfect good Understanding he has with the Court of England. It is certain fuch a Declaration as this would quiet the Minds of all her Majefty's Subjects upon this important Article; and why fhould it be Criminal in me to with for that, which would fo manifeftly redound to > the Peace of our Country? Let every Gentleman ask his own Heart, whether he would not be glad that the Elector made fuch a Declaration as is here mentioned. And shall any Man be efteemed an Offender for,wifhing that which every Man would be glad of? If there be any Reflection in this Paffage, it is plain that it does not fall upon her Majefty; and I question not but that in a Point of this Nature, Gentlemen will be fo juft as to keep my plain and express Words, and not to force a guilty Interpretation upon a Paffage which has a natural Interpretation that is innocent.

I have now explained those several Paragraphs which have been laid to my Charge, and that in the shortest Manner I was able; referv. ing to my felf the Liberty of producing any further Reasons, for the Defence of any parti- cular Paffage, as the Objections of my Accufers and my own Juftification fhall further require.

I must declare, Sir, that upon the Perufal of thofe Paragraphs which have been marked a

gainst

gainst me, I have been more puzzled to know why I ought to defend them, than how they ought to be defended? And I dare appeal to any Gentleman who is used to read Pamphlets, whether he has feen any of either fide for fome Years paft, that have been written with more Caution, or more thoroughly guarded against giving any Occafion of just Offence.

Upon the whole Matter, I do humbly conceive that no Words which I have made use of can be cenfured as Criminal, in the Candid and natural Interpretation of them, and can only be conftrued as fuch by diftant_Implications and far-fetch'd Inuendoes. I fhall therefore beg Leave to produce the Authority of a very great Man, with Reference to Accufations of this Nature: Since it is impoffible for me to express my felf with fo much Judgment and Learning upon this Subject, as I find it already done to my Hand. The Paffages [ mention, are in the Speech of the now Lord Chancellor of England, as I find them in Do&or Sacheverell's Tryal, in the following Words.

My Lords, if there be a double Sense, in either of which thefe Words are equally capable of being understood; if in one Senfe the Doctor's Affertion be undeniably clear, but in the other fome Doubt might arife whether • his Words be Criminal or not, the Law of • England is more merciful than to make any Man a Criminal, by conftruing his Words against the natural Import of them, in the worft Senfe. This is the great Juftice and ⚫ Clemency of our Law in every Man's Cafe.