lar Orator ftood up, and endeavoured to warna the Houfe into an Indignation of treating, with fo much Gentleness, fo high an Offender. It cannot be expected that one can remember every Man's Name; but the Man I mean was of an enormous Stature and Bulk, and had the Appearance, if I may fo fpeak, of a Dwarf-Giant. His Complection Tawny, his Mein disturbed, and the whole Man fomething particularly unfamiliar, difingenuous, and fhocking to an English Conftitution. I fancied, by his exotick Make and Colour, he might be defcended from a Moor, and was fome Purchase of our African, or other trading Company, which was manumifed. This Man, thought I, was certainly bred in Servitude, and being now out of it, exerts all that he knows of Greatnefs in Infolence and Haughtinefs. The untam'd Creature ftood up to turn off the merciful Inclination which he faw grow towards the Member accufed; and with well-chofen Words and perfonated Vehemence, laid before the Houfe, That he, forfooth, was glad to fee the good Difpofition Gentlemen appear'd to be in, and applauded their Tendernefs; but at the fame Time he could not but remark, that the Drift of the Writings before them was to make the greater Number of the Gentlemen of England appear Jacobites and Enemies to their Country. I do not pretend to give exactly what he faid to this unjuft and cruel Purpofe; but it prevailed very much towards the Effe&t he defired, and Toofened all that was obtain'd on the Side of the Defendant in the preceding Part of the Debate, inmuch that Mr. Steele grew in fear he fhould

have no Time at all allotted him; and therefore when the Houfe was going to divide on the Question, Whether he fhould be allowed till Saturday or not, he ftood up and begged till Thursday, in which Requeft Mr. Pitt of Worcestershire had the Humanity to fecond him, and the Affair was appointed for that Day without a Divifion.

On Monday following, the 15th of March, believing a great Part of the Ill-Will which he had brought upon himself was owing to what he had writ about Dunkirk, he thought it would make for his Defence to have what pafs'd relating to the Collufive Demolition appear to the House before his Day came on. Mr. Steele therefore (upon the Suggestion of fome Friend's Voice near him to be very humble) had the Folly to pretend to move their Pity, by a Comparison of the powerful Oppofition against him from those who were numerously related in the House, and in fuch Circumftances as to draw all others to them; and representing his own Condition fo particularly unallied and unaffifted, that there was not one Man living of his Blood, nor he in Circumftances capable of engaging the Friendship of any Man there but from the Merit of his Cause. I have, faid that facetious Perfon, this to thank my Adverfaries for,that their hard Profecution has opened fo good a way to the Breafts of Englishmen as Pity. From this ill judg'd quaint Harangue, which was received with much Coldness, he recovered himself as well as he could, by obferving, That he never knew an unhappy Man fpeak but just enough; and therefore would not wander further, but haften to the Queftion

which

which he had prepared and held in his Hand, as of ufe to his enfuing Defence; which was, That an humble Addrefs be prefented to Her Majefty, that he will be pleased to give Directions, that the feveral Reprefentations of ber Majesty's Ingineers and Officers who have had the Care and Infpection of the Demolition of Dunkirk, and all Orders and Inftructions given thereupon, be laid before this Houfe. It paffed in the Negative. And from that Moment Mr. Steele defpaired of his Caufe. He prepared his Mind as well as he could to meet with his Difgrace; and confidered all that was to follow as a Farce, wherein heedlefs Men were to indulge their Curiosity, Mirth, or Cruelty, without any regard to Justice, or how far what they were doing would affect him or themselves. But Thursday the 18th is now come; and the Order of the Day for taking into Confideration the Printed Pamphlets complain'd of to the Houfe being read, Mr. Foley the Accufer demanded that the Matter appointed for the Day might be entered upon, referring the Method of Proceeding to the Houfe. Mr. Steele chofe to make his Appearance near the Bar of the Houfe; and I will not forget to mention one Circumftance in this Scene that very much fweetened his Affliction, which was, that he had the Honour to ftand between Mr. Stanhope and Mr. Walpole, who condefcended to take upon them the Parts of his Advocates. The first Question proposed to divert the Company, was, Whether the Member accufed owned the Writings or not? Upon which Mr. Steele stood up and faid,

Mr.

"

Mr. Speaker,

W

HEN I was called up the other Day upon the fame Occafion, I fufpended the utter Acknowledgment of the Papers laid on your Table against me. I was advised to do so. What bas hitherto been infifted upon by me was meer Formality, in favour of other innocent Men who may hereafter fall into my Circumstances. I now frankly and ingenuously own all thofe Papers laid to my Charge to be Parts of my Writings. I writ them in Behalf of the House of Hanover, and I own them with the fame Unreservedness with which I abjured the Pretender. I humbly fubmit my felf to this honourable Assembly, and depend upon your Justice.

This occafioned a long Debate, and in the Intervals between the fpeaking of particular Members, the Houfe called out, Mr. Steele, Mr. Steele, to begin his Defence; but his Friends directed him to fit ftill. The Difpute in a little Time ripened into this Queftion, Whether the Member accused should answer Paragraph by Paragraph, and hear what was urged against him to each, and thereupon anfwer; or that, now he knew upon what Heads he was charged, he should proceed to defend himself? It seems it is the Custom on fuch Occafions, that if the Member withdraws without fpeaking for himself in the way the House prescribes to him, he is to have no further Opportunity before the House proceeds to Cenfure: It was therefore intimated to him that now was his Time to ftand up; and making ufe of his Papers he fometimes fpoke, but chiefly read as follows:

Mr.

Mr. Speaker. YOU

will easily believe I have not been in a very fedate. Temper ever fince I cam into this Houfe. When I compofed those Writings of which I am accused, I ftudied carefully to avoid committing any Fault in them, and now on a fudden I am to rack my Invention to find out Guilt in them. I have alfo been forced to apply my self to the making my Defence Paragraph by Paragraph, as well as according to this Method to which you have now been pleased to restrain me. From these Accidents, the different Opinions of Friends, being fufpended between thefe Opinions, want of Sleep, and being preffed in point of Time, I am in a very ill Condition to make a Defence. But if you will forgive my Blundering and Stammering amidst an Huddle of Papers you fee in my Hands, not read over fince tranfcribed, and the References from fome to others of them not fixed in my Mind, you shall have the Truth of my Heart in this Difcompofure, which will I hope with generous Men do more for me, than what I could have produced with -more Meditation. I must therefore, as well as I can, from Papers which, as I faid, I have not so much as read over fince transcribed, obey your Commands; and fall abruptly into the Particulars of my Defence, the Way to which I thought to make in a more gradual and unforced Manner, upon the Views I had before I came into the Houfe.

I have not, I hope, written any thing with an improper Heat, tho' I have not fhewn an Infenfibility; and those who condemn what Heat