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LETTER

ΤΟ

Sir Miles Wharton,

CONCERNING

OCCASIONAL PEERS.

Written in the YEAR 1713.

Printed in the YEAR MDCCXV..

[9]

SIR,

I

Have not the Happiness to be in the leaft known to you, but have, with all England, Obligations to you for the Greatness of Mind which you exerted in refufing, not long ago, to be made a Peer of this Realm in an hafty and furreptitious Manner: It was not fo much as pretended, that the dozen of Nobles were then introduced for any other Purpose, but to gain a Question of the highest Importance, no less than a Queftion of Peace and War. Were the Point obtained by it never fo much conducive to our Good, the Novelty, if not obviated for the future, cannot but tend to the apparent Danger of the Queen and all her Subjects. It is from a Report that there are another half dozen to be made within few Days, that I am engaged to give you this Trouble.

You, Sir, who are adorned with more than Title, a Superiority to it, from the Refufal of it when you thought it inconfiftent with Honour, are the propereft Man to be addreffed, when I confider the Danger of making occafi onal Lords, and lay before the World this fatal Novelty, as it affects the Queen's moft Excellent Majefty, the Houfe of Peers, and the whole People of England.

Honour is the Confcience of doing just and laudable Actions, independent of the Succefs of thofe Actions. God is the Fountain of this Honour, and animates and fupports all who are actuated by it; he is an inexhaustible FounB 5 tain)

tain, and cannot be impaired by his Creations. But if it be not Prophane to mention, fo near after his Omnipotence, any Distinctions we give one another here, I would proceed to say that it is not fo with Sovereigns upon Earth, whom we phrafe Fountains of Honour. They, alas! are themselves diminished in Proportion to what they grant out of themselves. An unguarded and lavish Hand, in Grants of this Kind, would very foon make the Honour, flowing from a Prince, of no Value and Confideration tothofe on whom it is beftowed, and take away any Power of giving more from the Giver. To come immediately to the Point; I affert, that the numerous Creation of Peers is the greatest Wound that can be given to the Prerogative. A Peer and his Heirs are Checks in the Legiflature to the Queen and her Heirs; that Part of the Legiflature which is in the Queen, is apparently diminished by fo much as the gives out of it, from her own into other Families. This is equally deftructive with relation to the Merit of the Perfons on whom Honour is conferred; if they happen to be Men who are barely unblamable, without Talents or high Qualifications, they do but crowd that illuftrious Affembly, and like all other Crowds, they are ferviceable and hurtful but just as they are infpired by those who have Skill to lead them. Thus the Crown is no way fure of their Concurrence any farther than by Promife of their firft Vote; and they may ever after turn Patriots on the fide of the People, to the conftant Interruption of Affairs; for it generally happens that those who are confcious of an InabiHity to promote Bufinefs, give themselves a Fi

gure,

gure, and fancy they are confiderable, from the Power of retarding it. Thus much as to what regards the Queen's moft Excellent Majesty.

As to the House of Peers, It is vifible to any thing above a natural Fool, that the Power of each Lord is fo much lefs confiderable as it is repeated in other Perfons; but the great Hardfhip to that Great and Awful Body, whofe Privileges have fo often been a Safety and Protection to the Rights of us below them, I fay the great Hardfhip to thefe noble Patriots is, that when they are prepared with the most ftrict Honour and Integrity to do their Duty in relation to their Prince and Country, all their Determinations may be avoided by a Sett of People brought in the Moment before they come to a Question. This has been done once, as I am credibly informed, in fo frank a way, that there have been above fix at a time brought into that Place, without any further Preamble than, This Gentleman's Name is fo, do not call him Mr. from this time forward, but My Lord, for he is now one of you: Sit clofe there, let the Gentleman fit down; I beg Pardon, make way for his Lordship.

Now when we come to confider the Introduction of Occafional Lords with Regard to the People, what can be more plain, than that it is doing all that is neceffary to take from them both Liberty and Property at once. If there were nothing in being a Lord, but the Advantage of being received with more Diftin&tion and Ceremony, let it be given to any who are delighted with it; they may be well pleased, and we not hurt: But the Cafe is much otherwife; for from the very Moment a Man hes

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