Our Conftitution is the main Point ever to be regarded; which, God be praised, hath been preferved through fo many Ages: For though there have been fome Men often found, and of great parts too, who, for their private advantages, are aiding, fometimes the Monarch, and fometimes the Party that would be a Common wealth, under fpecious Pretences for the Publick Good, to exceed the Limits the Conftitution hath prefcribed in this Country; yet the Nation ftill finds, in all Ages, fome truly Publick Spirits, that preferve it from being long impofed upon. There is a craft, and a perpetual fubtilty, that Men of Private Intereft must work with to fupport their own defigns: But the true Intereft of the Kingdom is the plainest thing in the World: It is what every Body in England finds and feels, and knows to be Right, and they are not long a finding it neither. This is that Interest, that is fupported Non tam fama, quam sua vi; it's own weight still keeps it fteddy against all the Storms, that can be brought to beat upon it, either from the Ignorance of Strangers to our Conftitution, or the Violence of any, that project to themselves wild Notions of appealing to the People out of Parliament (a Parliament fitting) as it were to a fourth Eftate of the Realm; and calling upon them to come and take their fhare in the direction of the Publick, and moft Important Confultations. This We conceive to be another way of undermining the Ancient and true Conflitution, but not like to be more effectual than fome others, that have been tried before; fince We have the experience that no violence, nor almoft ruin, bath, hitherto, binder'd it from fettling again upon its old foundation. There hath been, within the compals of few years, much Talk, and, God knows, too many ill effects too, of Factions in this Kingdom; and We have lived, in our days, to fee the Two great Parties, of late known by the Names of Whig and Tory, directly change their ground; and thofe, who were formerly the Anti-Courtiers, become as pliant and obfequious, as ever They were who had been the most found fault with on that score. But We are humbly of opinion, that, at this time of day, neither of thofe Parties have the Game in their bands, as they have formerly perhaps fancied to themfelves. But they who shall be so honest, and fo wife, constantly to prefer the true Interest of England to that of any other Country or People, preferve the Religion and the Laws, protect and promote the Trade of the Nation, thriftily and providently adminifter the publick Treafure, and Study to maintain the Soveraignty of our Seas, fo naturally, fo anciently, and fo justly the true defence of this Kingdom; that Body, whomfoever it shall be compofed of, fhall have the Weight of England on it's fide; and if there can be any of another frame, they must, in the end, prove fo many miferable rotten Reeds. Well may other Princes and States, whofe Situation requires it for their own Security, find it their Intereft, for the prefervation of their Credit and Reputation amongst their Neighbours, to keep conflantly in pay great Numbers of Land Forces; in which they are ftill vying one with the other, and boasting who can raise his Tbou fands, and who his ten Thousands: but they will be found but Young States-men for Our Government, who can think it advisable, that the Strength of this Ifland fhould be measured by Proportions fo unfuitable to it's true Glory, and Greatness. As well might David have thought it requifite, when he was to encounter the great Giant of the Philiftines, that He likewife must have had a Staff to his Spear like a Weavers Beam. But that Man after Gods own heart thought it more expedient to his advantage over the Enemy he was to contend with, to come against him with Arms that he had tried, and that he could weild. When Saul arm'd him with his own Armour, and put an Helmet of Brafs on his head: and arm'd him with a Coat of Mail, David himself Jays, He could not go with thefe, for he had not proved them. Which makes us a little reflect on the circumstances of our own Nation, That whereas the Fleet of England bath been Renown'd, through fo many Ages, for the Honour and Security of this Kingdom, in thefe thefe latter days, by an unaccountable improvidence, our care has been more industriously applied to the raifing great Numbers of Land Forces, than in Maintaining and Supporting the glorious Ancient Bulwarks of our Country; and when We have to do with an Enemy, whom We fo far excel in ftrength at Sea, that, with a little more than ordinary application, We might hope to restrain his Exorbitant Power by our Naval Expeditions, We have imploy'd our greatest Industry, and a vaft Expence, to attack him by Land in that part, where, by the ftrength of his numerous Garrifons, he must be, for many Tears, at least, invulnerable. But it is to be hoped the Great Allies themselves, to whom, We doubt not, the English Nation wishes all Happiness and Profperity, as being bound up with them in the fame Interest, will at last be fenfible, that this Kingdom cannot be useful to the Common Caufe in any other way, so much as at Sea. The Situation of this Country adapts it for Advantages by Sea: The Trade of it enables it to go on with a War by Sea: And neither of them can long bear a great Expence of a War in a Forreign Land: The experience of former Succeffes at Sea makes the Nation ever fond of imploying it's Vigour There and the perpetual jealousy that, fome time or other, Endeavours may be used, by the encreafe of Land Forces, to advance another Greatness, and another Interest, will fix the Genius of the Nation ftill to depend on it's Greatness, and it's Security by Sea. Suadere Principi quod oporteat, magni laboris; affentatio erga Principem quemcunque fine affectu peragitur, was a faying of Tacitus, and one of thofe that is perpetually verified. For We fee, in all times, bow Compliance and Flattery gets the better of Honefly, and plain Dealing. All Men indeed love best thofe that difpute not with them; a Misfortune, whilft it is amongst private Perfons, that is not fo much taken notice of; but it becomes remarkable, and grows a publick Ca lamity, when this uncomely obfequioufness is practifed towards great Princes, who are apt to mistake it for Duty, Duty, and to prefer it before fuch Advice as is really good for their Service; at least till the folly, and vanity of fuch proceedings comes to be feen through; and then the reward of their unfeafonable Courtship frequently overtakes the miferable Authors, though the discovery come to late to preferve from ruin the Mafter, who hath been deluded. An Eminent Poet of our own Nation calls this Flattery the Food of Fools; and yet it is a Plant fo guarded and fenced about, fo cherished and preferved in all Courts, that it never fails of bringing forth much wretched fruit; and will ever do fo, till God Almighty fhall fend fuch a difcerning Spirit into the hearts of Princes, as may enable them to diftinguish between those, that ferve to obtain their own Ends, and thofe, who have only in their View the true Interest, and Honour of their Masters; and to punish, instead of encouraging, thofe bold Corrupters of all right Judgement, Justice, Honefly, and Trutb. If at any time it might be hoped this dangerous Genevation of Men Should be discountenanced, one might be allowed to look for it in an Age, when a Revolution hath been thought necessary to make a Reformation: For where the Foundations of the Earth were taken to be out of Course, more teddinefs, a ftricter Virtue, and a more unblameable Administration will be expected to come in the Room of it. If Princes would bear it, it would be an Advantage to Them, as well as Happiness to their Subjects, to hear plain and bold Truths, when delivered with Duty, and Decency, and Privacy, from their faithful Servants, in their own life time; whilst they might yet redress and correct any mistakes of their Judgement, or Will. But because they generally defend themselves from those Approaches by their Greatness, and the Awe they usually Atrike on thofe that come hear them, the next best way to incline them to reflect duly upon themfelves, is to get them to read the Memorials of Times paft: Where b They and They will fee how those who have once Govern'd the World, are treated, when they are dead and gone; that it is the Privilege, and Practice of all prefent Ages, to speak without restraint of those that are paft: As, We may be confident, the next that comes after this We live in, will not forget to put their Stamp, and their Cenfure, on what they fhall judge good, or bad, in any part. of it. And this truth will be allowed in all times, that a great King, who is known to Govern in his own PerJon, who is not managed by his Ministers, but does Himfelf give the direction, the life, and determination to all his Commands, as he ought to have the Glory, and the Merit of his Conduct and Skill, brought to his own Account without a Rival, Jo he will have the Misfortune of having the errors of his Reign, if any there be, imputed likewife to Himself. We have been led, from one step to another, farther than the fcope of a Preface to this Hiftory might properly. have drawn Us, were it not that the obfervation of the mifcarriages in former Times, continued down by degrees, as we conceive, from the like mistake, and the like root of animofity and difcontent, bad engaged us to make Jome Remarks on the most eminent of them, and to lay them together in one view, for every Man's calm Judgement and Animadverfion, as the best means, in our Opinion, to prevent any fuch for the future. Which makes Us hope the Reader will not be offended with fome Excurfions, upon publishing fuch a Work, that hath fo much of Information and Inftruction in it, that it must furnish to every one great variety of Reflections; and, amongst others, the obfervation of this particular, and almoft continual Misfortune to all Princes, who are apt to think that, out of the great Numbers of their Subjects, and the Crowd of their Courtiers and Flatterers, they can never want a supply of just and faithful Servants; which makes them fo little value, and fo ofien throw away their best and ablest Ministers; whereas there is in truth nothing fo difficult for a Prince, as to find |