a Patent, and is introduc'd into the House of Peers, (tho' he was the Day before notoriously ignorant in our Laws) Men appeal to him from the Decree of all the Judges. Besides this, the Lords are perpetual Legislators, and have an hand in the repealing as well as making Laws; by which means the whole Conftitution may be fubverted by this one Innovation. And it is plain, that the Prince who fhould place fo entire a Confidence in his Ministry, as to give Peerage upon their Recommendation, would enable them by that Power in the Legislature, joined to the Execution of the Regal Authority as Ministers, to give that Prince and Nation to the next Potentate who fhould be powerful enough to receive and maintain fo vaft a Prefent.

However well difpofed Mens Minds may be, there are fome things which are not to be com mitted to their Wills.

The whole Conftitution is in Danger, if this Matter is not prevented by fome future Law; and I think I have in my Head a fufficient Expedient, that can no way impair the Prerogative of the Crown, the Power of the Peers, or the Liberty of the People; and that is, that a Bill be brought in to difable any Peer to Vote in any Cafe, till three Years after the Date of his Patent.

You fee, Noble Sir, that without giving the Matter the leaft Aggravation, I have own that if this Avenue to the House of Lords is not fhut, that Houfe must be blown up by it as effectually as it might have been by the combuftible Matter laid under it an Age ago by Guido Faux.

He

He that brings the Torch into the Room to fire it in the midst of the Company, differs from him who undermines it only in Point of Modefty.

It is amazing that fuch Care fhould be taken to prohibit an Occafional Conformist from being a Conftable, and no Body takes it in his Head to prevent an Occafional Lord from being a Judge, nay, Legiflator. I am very willing that a Good and Honourable Peace may expiate this Step, which was made in the Eye of the World without the least Deference to a Good and Gracious Sovereign, to an Illuftrious Nobility, to a Learned and Knowing Gentry, to a Great and Valiant People: I fay, let even this Step be forgiven for a Good Peace; but let not that Peace receive its Sanction from the Repetition of it. If Men cannot carry on the Butinefs of the Nation without fuch Helps, they may as well in plain Terms tell us they cannot maintain the Conftitution, but they will alter it to one which they can. But how is this received with fo much Indifference? Why, Men qualified for Power dire&t Mankind by confulting their Intereft and managing their Af fections; but Pretenders to Administration in. dulge the Paffions of the Multitude at the Expence of their real Intereft and Advantage. It is by this latter Method all the Anarchical Proceedings, which have of late diftracted this unhappy Nation, have been tolerated. When the Minds of Men are prejudiced, wonderful Effects may be wrought against CommonSenfe. One weak Step, in trying a Fool for what he faid in a Pulpit, with all the Pomp that could be used to take down a more dangerous

gerous and powerful Man than ever England yet has feen, coft the most Able Ministry that ever any Prince was honoured with, its Being. The Judgment of the Houfe of Lords was by this means infulted and evaded, and the Anarchical Fury ran fo high, that Harry Sacheverel fwelling, and Jack Huggins laughing, marched through England in a Triumph more than Military. Many extraordinary Things which have happened fince, have been brought about upon a Maxim no deeper than Pax Bello potior, Peace is better than War. A great many Lyes grafted upon this unquestionable Truth, could not but produce Wonders among all who pay Taxes. But Arithmetick is fo common an Art, that the very common People, now their Paffions are fallen, fee their Cafe in one Sheet of Paper call'd A View of the Taxes, Funds and publick Revenues of England; Printed for Tim. Child at the White Hart at the Weft End of St. Pauls.

As for my felf, what I have here suggested is from a very honest Heart, and I have an Armour in my Integrity against all Gainfayers. My Comfort is, that the Laws of England are ftill in Force, and tho' what I have faid may be Unacceptable, I am fure it is not Illegal. While the Laws are in Being I am fafe, and no Man can be fafe who out-lives them; may 1, whenever they expire, die with them.

I wish you the long Poffeffion of the Honour in which your generous Behaviour has placed you in the Minds of all true Englißhmen; and am, with great Refpect,

Your moft Obedient Servant,

Fleetftreet, March 5, 1713.

Francis Hicks.

THE

GUARDIAN

O F

Auguft the 7th, 1713.

Delenda eft Carthage.

I

'T is ufually thought, with great Juftice, a very impertinent thing in a private Man to intermeddle in Matters which regard the State. But the Memorial which is mentioned in the following Letter is fo daring, and fo ap. parently defigned for the moft Traiterous Purpofe imaginable, that I do not care what Mifinterpretation I fuffer, when I expofe it to the Refentment of all Men who value their Country, or have any Regard to the Honour, Safety, or Glory of their Queen. It is certain there is not much Danger in delaying the Demolition of Dunkirk during the Life of his prefent most Chriftian Majefty, who is renowned for the moft inviolable Regard to Treaties; but that Pious Prince is aged, and in cafe of his Deceafe, now the Power of France and Spain is in the fame Family, it is poffible an Ambitious Succeffor, (or his Miniftry in a King's Mino

rity)

rity) might difpute his being bound by the A& of his Predeceffor in fo weighty a Particular.

Mr. IRONSIDE,

YOU employ your important Moments, 'methinks, a little too frivolously, when 6 you confider fo often little Circumftances of • Dress and Behaviour, and never make mention of Matters wherein you and all your Fellow-Subjects in general are concerned. I give you now an Opportunity; not only of manifefting your Loyalty to your Queen, but your Affection to your Country, if you treat ⚫an Infolence done to them both with the Dif dain it deferves. The enclosed Printed Paper in French and English has been handed about the Town, and given gratis to Paffengers in the Streets at Noon-Day. You fee the Title of it is, A most humble Addrefs or Memorial, prefented to her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, by the Deputy of the Magi'ftrates of Dunkirk. The naufeous Memorialift, with the most fulfome Flattery, tells the Queen of her Thunder, and of Wifdom and • Clemency adored by all the Earth, at the fame time that he attempts to undermine her Power, and escape her Wifdom, by befeeching her to do an Act which would give a well-grounded Jealoufie to her People. What the Sycophant defires is, that the Mole and Dikes of Dunkirk may be fpared; and, it seems, the Sieur Tugghe, for fo the Petitioner is called, was Thunder-ftruck by the Denunciation (which he fays) the Lord Viscount Bolinbroke made to him, That her Majefty did not think to make any Alteration in the dreadful Sentence