befieged in Barcelona, they chufe rather, like their Countrymen the famous Saguntines of old, to perish with their Wives and Children, than live in Slavery. Did the French King with a conquering Sword in his Hand, ever abandon the leaft and moft inconfiderable of all his Allies? No. When thefe very Cataloni⚫ans had affifted him against the King of Spain, ⚫ he did not give up his Power of treating, 'till ⚫he had made the most honourable Conditions for them: Not a fingle Man amongst them was then hurt, either in his Perfon or Privi• leges; but now-Poor unhappy Cataloni ans, worthy of a better Fate!Good and gracious God! To whom fhall be attributed the Lofs of this brave People? Dreadful the Doom of thofe who fall in thy Sight be esteemed their • Destroyers!

I am at a lofs with my felf whether the Genileman marked out this Paragraph for taking Pity on the poor Catalonians, or for having fpoken honourably of the French King. Common Humanity will, I hope, be my Excufe for the firft; and i fhall truft to that Gentleman's known Good-nature to pardon me for the Jatter.

But here the Gentleman finds another Inuendo, and has mark'd out a Seditious Blank: That is in reality, he is very angry with me, not for any thing I have faid, but for fomething I have not faid: Or rather, becaufe I have not written what he would have had me write. But if he finds both my Silence and my Words Criminal, I muft confefs I don't know how to please him.

Sir,

Sir, I am afraid I have tired out the Patience. of this Honourable Houfe, in explaining chefe Particulars, especially fince I think they do fufficiently explain themfelves to any impartial and unprejudiced Reader. As for the remaining part of the Crifis which has been marked, I have examined it very carefully, and am very much perplexed to find out the Paffages in it which can have given any Manner of Offence. The greatest part of it confifts of faithful Quotations out of Hiftory, that may give us an Abhorrence of Popery, and of a Popish Succeffor, with feveral Additional Arguments drawn from the Nature of the Roman Catholick Religion, which are the fame which have ever been made ufe of against it fince the Reformation. There are alfo feveral Confiderations from the prefent Situation of Affairs in Europe, that may contribute to ftrengthen our Refolutions in the Defence of the Proteftant Succeffion as established by our Laws. I have declared again and again in this Part of the Book, as well as in feveral of the foregoing Parts of it, that [ wou'd inculcate nothing but a due Obfervance to the Laws of the Land, and a vigorous Exertion of our selves in the Defence and Prefervation of them. Whatever Warmth or Spirit I have endeavoured to infpire my Readers with, I have declared over and over, that it is for the Maintenance of thofe Points which are establifhed by Acts of Parliament and the Laws of their Country. I muft confefs, Sir, that I am very much at a Lofs, to imagine why iny Accufer has laid his Finger upon thefe Pallages which are fo manifeftly written in Favour of our Conftitution, and in Oppofition to Popery

NS

and

and the Pretender. He must have entertain'd a very mean Opinion of a British Houfe of Commons, if he could think that fuch Paffages would bring their Difpleasure upon me: And I am verily perfwaded that if Gentlemen will be pleased to hear them with Attention, they will be more apt to conceive an Indignation against that Perfon, who has charged them as Criminal, than against him who writ them. I fhall only beg Leave to take Notice of one particular Paffage in them, because it is a full Answer to an Infinuation made against me by one who spoke in a former Debate relating to this Subject. That Honourable Member was pleafed to fay, that I wou'd infinuate the Gentlemen of England were against the Proteftant Succeffion in the Houfe of Hanover. Were this my Thought, Sir, I wou'd give up that Caufe as defperate. I fay, Sir, if the Gentlemen of England were against it, all that he or any Body elfe could do for it, would be ineffectual. But, Sir, to fhow you that I could not be fo weak and unjuft as to make this wicked Suggeftion, I beg Leave only to read thefe following Words As divided a People as we are, thofe who are for the House of Hanover 6 are infinitely Superior in Number, Wealth, Courage, and all Arts Military and Civil, to thofe in the contrary Intereft. Will that honourable Perfon fay, that the Gentlemen of England do not fall within this Defcription? Sir, my greateft Hope this Day is in the Gentlemen of England, who are, above being prejudiced by any falfe Reports which are made of me, or by any fordid Motives that might have an Influence upon Men of bafe and merce

nary

nary Minds. But Sir, I was going to read to you the remaining Part of the Crifis, as I find it marked upon your Table; but after having fpoke thus much of it, I fhall leave it to its own Juftification.

7

But to bring thefe feveral Facts and Circumftances home, we muft obferve, that the Perfon who feems to be the most favour'd by the French King in the late Treaties is the Duke of Savoy, who is made King of Sicily; and confidering alfo

This is inferted because marked as Criminal, but not defended read or farther fpoken to by the accused Mernber.

the Enlargement of his Territories on the Continent, by Ceffion from the Emperor, is become the most powerful Prince in Italy. This Prince put in his Ciaim to the Crown of England, in the Right of his Wife, a Daughter of the late Dutchefs of Orleans, Sifter to our late King Charles the Second, at the time of fettling the Crown of England on the House of Hanover. This Prince, a Man of as great Addrefs and Capacity as any now living, is fuppofed to have entered into a Secret and Strict Alliance with the Houfe. of Bourbon, and may therefore very well add to our Fears of a Popish Succeffor,

و

Things ftanding thus, and the Houfe of Bourbon being in the Actual Poffeffion of France and Spain, bidding fair for the Con-. queft of Germany, or in Peace and good Un-. derstanding with it; what have Great Britain and Holland to hope from, but the Mer.. cy of France? What elfe have we to prevent. the Pretender's being impofed on us, when France fhall think fit; nay, in failure of one • Pretender,

6

Pretender he has in his Quiver a Succeffion of them; the Dutchefs of Savoy, or Her Sons, or the Dauphin Her Grandfon. The last named cannot be many Years from the Throne of France.

In the next Place how are we difpofed at Home for the Reception of fuch an Attempt? The Paffions of many, which were raised fo high by an Impudent Suggeftion of the Church's Danger, feem to have fubfided into a Lethargick Unconcern for every thing else; Harmlefs Men are afhamed to own, how grofly they have been impofed upon; and intead of refenting the Abufe, are willing to overlook it, with a certain Reluctance against being moved at any thing else; leaft they fhould fall into the Mortification of being mif-led a Second time. Many who are above being blinded by Popular Noife and Outcry, yet feem to think the Warmth and Zeal of a Publick Spirit to be little better than a Romantick Heat of Brain. Treafonable Books lately difperfed amongst us, that have apparently. ftruck at the Proteftant Succeffion in the Houfe of Hanover, have paffed almost without Obfervation from the Generality of the People; Subtile Queries have been Publifhed, about the Birth of a certain Perfon, which certain Perfon every Body knows to be intended for the Pretender; The Author ⚫ of the Conduct of the Allies has dared to drop Infinuations about altering the Succeffion; and a late Treafonable Book, on the Subject of Hereditary Right, has published: the Will of King Henry the Eighth, which - feems to be intended as a Pattern for the like. @ccafion.

• The