conceal her dependent state no longer. Neither Richard II. nor James II. could depend upon their standing army; and it was the army under Cromwell which purged a corrupt House of Commons, and dissolved the Parliament.

The old Hag therefore cannot sleep secure upon this pillow it is all up with her, in spite of holy leagues, and petticoatweaving allies. You remember what a deadly wound she received in her late attempt to depose that jacobin Madison;" what! a Transatlantic Republic, where there are neither taxes nor tythes, nor poor, nor corn-bills; where English salt is sold for 2s. 6d. per bushel, and strong beer for 2d. a quart; where the labourer receives 4s. 6d. for his day's work; where there are no rotten boroughs, no haughty parasites, nor pampered pensioners; where peace, plenty, and happiness, reign triumphant!* Oh! all this is a shocking sight for corruption. Then again another rising republic in South America, where the petticoatweaving gentleman is receiving every now and then one of Cribb's best doublers. Why does not the old Hag assist her forlorn ally, and fit out some twenty sail of the line, freighted with German mercenaries, for as to English soldiers she knows a good reason for not making that attempt ? It must be quite shocking to her legitimate nerves to see another example of " successful rebellion. Why then not send assistance? Answer in one word because she dares not. Her beggared finances, which she has not the courage to look in the face; her twelve millions of poor rates; her outrageous and savage taxes; and the universal and just demand for reform, do not correspond with her despotic oligarchical malice. The flag of freedom waves proudly in the western hemisphere; and from the west that freedom will assuredly travel eastward, in spite of holy alliances, green-bag-plotters, inflammatory spies, property-stealing paper, oligarchical plunderers, conviction-hunting crown lawyers, or seat-selling boroughmongers. Dungeons, bayonets, and halters, all won't do, we shall have no war with the freedom of America; and the seat-sellers may console themselves with the old Italian proverb→→→

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A lean peace is better than a fat war."

It is the debt, I mean the old Hag's debt, for you, gentlemen, never consented to such prodigal extravagance, it is this which is the best friend of freedom; this mill-stone teazes the old jade See Cobbett, 11th April, 1818

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day and night; already has she given a broad hint, that the interest must be lessened. Yes! you will hardly believe that the select committee on finance (4th report, 5th June, 1817, p. ciii.) have directed the attention of the honourable house to the pro"bability of a reduction, at no distant period, of the interest on a part of the funded debt." Hear this, ye infatuated fundholders! Don't stand with your mouths open; depend upon it that the next parliament will be another wonder working parliament. Fellow Citizens! keep your eyes steadily fixed upon all its proceedings; keep an exact and regular account of its acts and deeds. Such a register will be a treasure to your chil dren's children.

The moment that the borough faction, and the fundholders, who now so lovingly cling to each other, shall, like many other loving couples, fall together by the ears, then will the system receive its doom; and from the great deficiency of the revenue, and the difficulty of raising the taxes, I suspect their set-to is shortly to take place. Corruption will stagger under the first blow, and it is not impossible that this will be the last election under the influence of the oligarchy. Fourteen millions, the whole of the sinking fund, borrowed in the third year of peace! The income available to the public service, not one third of the expenditure! The darling sinking fund, that prince of humbugs, made applicable to the discharge of the interest! and the bank, the all-grasping bank, fattening on rich bonuses, with a profit of 20 millions for transactions with the public! Nothing but the continued issue of paper can, even for one week, keep the bubble from bursting. In fact it is all paper. Paper rents, paper taxes, paper bubbles. The next parliament, I repeat,will be a wonder working parliament. No more wars with jacobin Madison; reform is at hand, corruption, with all her boroughs, must fall to the ground. The convicted prostitution of Helstones the litigated monopoly of Saltash; the contemptible Lostwithiel; the wave swallowed Dunwich and St. Mawes; the squared stones of Midhurst; the painted posts of Gatton; the farce of Grampound; the servile dependence and unpunished usurpations of the twin Looes, with all the hideous forms, and mummeries of a mis-shapen, unwieldy oligarchy, all, all shake to their foundations.

But it is not the fundholders only who are just beginning to see, even the country gentlemen, whom Mr. Bentham, I trust

with too high a colouring, regards as a character compounded of mental indolence, mental vacuity, and mental weakness,"" begin to rub their eyelids. Another property tax, which the minister formerly told them "was absolutely necessary to the "well-being of the state-the only means of saving the country" —is preparing for their well-laden backs, and this tax with the aid of a future redemption act, and a little paper-legerdemain, will enable the tax-eaters to purchase another, and still larger slice of their old hereditary property. The poor-rates also are doubly contributing to the diminution of that property, it being a known fact that the manufacturers,-the weavers of Manchester, and the nailers of Birmingham. &c, &c. receive part of their wages from the poor rates, and are thus paid by the land. The country gentlemen don't like all this; nor do they like to be shoved out of their rank, and station, by upstart baronets, and mushroom knights. To be sure, it is somewhat provoking to see fiddlers, accoucheurs, country bankers, newspaper scribblers, police spies, and tools, green-bag carriers, &c. dubbed Sir Johns, and Sir Richards, and even my Lords. So is it to see the old mansions of the angry dead passing into the hands of some arrogant commissary, some luxurious Nabob, some cunning Clerk of a war office, whose flaming liveries, and high var nished equipages, glitter like meteors to the abashed sun. But the most provoking thing of all is, that they may thank themselves for all this. When instead of the manly opposition of their forefathers, they can cringe, and fawn at a levee; when they can strive to get some rotten borough, for the vile purpose of relief from taxation; when they can placidly permit themselves to be supplanted in county meetings, and sessions, by smooth tongued lawyers, and pliant agents of government; when they can see the rights of the people, which it was their duty to protect, and for which their ancestors spilt their best blood, gradually betrayed into the hands of a rapacious oligar chy, and its saintly minions, who show their claim to their holy titles by breach of law, and oppression of the people; what, I ask, ought such men to expect but ultimate depression, and humiliation! When the watch dogs sleep, thieves will take that opportunity to plunder.. Are they so incorrigibly weak as *Bentham's parliamentary reform, ccviii

I have received information that nine millions out of the fourteen of the property tax, were paid by persons assessed for less than £100 per annum. It is, therefore, a tax upon the poor, who were thereby deeply affected.

to imagine that when the prop of the people is withdrawn from them, they can long stand their ground? Let them study the causes of the grandeur and declension of the Roman Empire, by Montesquieu: and there learn the progress of tyranny. It first

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began by sapping the people, and then fell to work upon the aristocracy. Let them mark well the fate of Ireland; the proceedings in that ill-used country are pregnant with instruction. There was torture, and arbitrary imprisonment; there were sus pensions of justice, and military law; there were scenes of cruelty" (as Sir J. Newport said)" and atrocity protected by "acts of indemnity" The Irish parliament "sealed its death"warrant the people fell from them;" their minds and hearts were alienated, and their constitution was annihilated. Beware then of similar consequences in this country; if the people find not that protection from arbitrary taxation, to which they would naturally look," they will look to it elsewhere."

Some of the country gentlemen however are beginning to reflect, I hope not too late; they suspect that all is not right with the funds, and prudence is suggesting the means of accordant practice. Before I conclude this part of my address, let me place before your eyes an example, or two, of the spirit and energy of our former gentry.

HENRY ROLLE, member for the county, A. D. 1733, in the debate concerning the land forces, then only 18,000 men, observed among other things, that-"to him it appeared in order "to preserve ourselves against one who might perhaps prove a "tyrant, we were going to establish 18,000 tyrants (not "150,000) and to make their establishment in some measure a

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part of our constitution"-and he concluded his speech with this patriotic recommendation" let us do as our forefathers "used to do; let us, Mr. Speaker, remove the wicked from "before the king, that so his throne may be established in "righteousness." Bravo! Henry Rolle! I wish I had thy portrait! yes! let us do as our forefathers did, let us remove the wicked, the boroughmongers, the seat sellers, the whig and tory plunderers, from before the king, whom they shackle equally with the people; let us not offer our prayers to shield him from the madness of a patient, and an oppressed nation, but from an insane, and desperate oligarchy.

Parliamentary history, viii. p. 1187.-This patriot voted against Walpole's Excise Law.

SIR FRANCIS DRAKE, member for Berealston, A. D. 1678, observed, on the King's demand for additional allowance, “our "Saviour was followed by a great many for the loaves, and so "was the King's father; great sums asked-(a pittance only "to what is asked now)-is it from without us, or within us? "-Let us however get these men removed from the throne, "that have endeavoured to break trust and confidence betwixt "the king and us, &c."-Again, "It is generally reported, and "he believed that the parliament sold the nation-gave money "to betray their trust, &c.*",

HUMPHREY SYDENHAM, member for Exeter, A. D. 1745; "The danger our constitution is in from corruption-is so evi"dent that if there be a gentleman-void of any apprehensions "of that kind, I shall freely pronounce him void of all concern "for the liberties of his country-we must lessen the effect of "ministerial corruption both at elections, and in parliament"and annual parliaments will be the most effectual for this pur46 pose.

"The betraying of our country to the will of a minister, began "to be the only channel through which a man could expect any ❝ honor, or preferment.

"In elections for annual parliaments there could be no vio"lent opposition, and much less any bribery, or corruption. "Therefore if we have a mind to restore the practice of those "virtues, for which our ancestors were so conspicuous, and by "which they handed down to us riches, glory, renown, and "liberty, we must restore the custom of having parliaments not "only annually held, but annually chosen."+

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THOMAS CAREW, A. D. 1745. "The liberties of this country, could not be preserved, unless some proper methods "should speedily be taken for preventing the effect of ministe"rial corruption and the most effectual was, to make elections 66 as frequent as possible. This is a right way of thinking, "and therefore I shall conclude with a motion for returning to our ancient method of having a new parliament every year "chosen. In all countries, and in this as much as any other, "ministers have an interest separate from that of the people: "they are for enriching themselves, their families, tools and Parliamentary History, iv. 998, 1136.

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See the whole speech of this patriotic member. Parliament History, xiii, 1064.