the pole-ftar, by whom you muft fteer your courfe. When the peace was to be approved, he iffued out of the treasury five and twenty thousand pounds in one day; a greater fum than he could ever have formed an idea of, untill he came to England. It would have required a Lord Napier to reckon it up in Scotch punds and bawbees; and, notwithstanding all the unpenfioned, unrewarded flattery of profeffor Stewart, I do not yet believe him equal to Napier. But, whatever his fkill in mathematics may be, I think this ftroke of political bribery deferves your ferious regard; and I doubt not but you will take care to tread faithfully in the steps of fo great a leader.

As Pultney was bought with the Piccadilly estate, so you may continue to give away Inglewood forefts, and to take off the heads of oppofition, few of them can withstand the temptation of an estate worth above an hundred thousand pounds. Wilkes indeed, and fuch other queer fellows, who do not know the world, may prefer the reputation of honour and honefty, with poverty and prifon, to all your golden offers. But, believe me, you will not often be affronted with fuch rebuffs. Fwill meet with ninety-nine pfeudo-patriots for one Wilkes. An incorrupt patriot is as rare to be feen as a black fwan upon the Thames, or a real maid in the neighbourhood of Windfor lodge. I would be as much furprized to find what is called public virtue among those who fet up for it, as I would be to ftumble upon religion or morality at court. If fuch a phenomenon appears like a comet, in the lower house, be fure to expel, or destroy him, as the ancients did a monstrous birth. You have nothing to do but to iffue out your orders to the guards, or to hire Mac Quirk, and put a bludgeon in his hand. They will prefently filence your babbling patriots, and you may foon fill their places with little fawning fpaniels of courtiers, whofe palms are open to receive bribes, and their mouths to utter falfhoods.

The method of dividing, among the majority, half a million from the civil lift, and then making up the deficiencies by a vote, without any inquiry into the expenditure, I highly approve: it is a new invention, and if you can but fully establish the practice, my empire, as the Laureat fays, will be folid and fure. It will be founded on a rock more firm than that on which Peter's church ftands; and the gates of hell, or heaven either, fhall not prevail against it. For you know, that it is gold that opens the gates of heaven, and fhuts thofe of hell. There is not a Roman catholic prieft, no, nor a proteftant clergyman, that will deny comfort to a dying finner, if he opens his purfe liberally, or leaves a swinging legacy to the church, or to himself. If you had as many devils in you as Mary Magdalen, gold would conjure them aĺt out, and lay you at your eafe in the lap of Abraham. Who then would not be poffeffed of it, even at the expence of his country, his confcience and his friend? Charity begins at home, and it is Vol. VI. wifdom

Q

wifdom to make fure of the one thing needful, of that which in all religious fyftems will fave the foul alive. This is the only point in which Jews and Gentiles, Papifts and proteftants, churchmen and prefbyterians, quakers and anabaptifts agree: go to the 'Change, and you will find, that it does not fignify, whether a perfon be a Banian or a Perfian, a Chinese or Japonese, an adorer of the trinities beyond the Ganges, or a worshipper of the devil. The only queftion afked is, is he poffeffed of money? and if that be the cafe, he is immediately pronounced a good man. What more is neceffary to fecure him a fnug birth among the elect 'with the twelve tribes of Ifrael:

But I forget myself: I preach divinity, when I fhould harangue upon politics. Nothing will be more advantageous to my cause, than ftopping the courfe of justice in the Exchequer, and iffuing warrants to flay procefs, that you may have an opportunity of enriching yourselves, and impoverishing the people, by intercepting the intereft of many millions of the public money. The civil lift alone will not be fufficient to answer the demands of a majority: this ftratagem will be abfolutely neceflary to prop it

If, in the execution of any dirty job, your tools fhould incur any premunire, be fure to indemnify them with the treasury money. But beware, O my children, beware how you write down minutes of the proceedings in the treafury books, or how you fign your names to the warrants for ftaying procefs. Call again and again to mind the perilous fituation of Gn, G -lle, N-th, and others of my favourites, who have fallen into this dilemma. Think of the danger which their necks run, and be cautious. But in the mean while, lie, fwear, wheedle and bribe, open the treafury and spare not, that they may efcape the fangs of juftice, and live to glorify the kingdom of your anxious, yearning

mother,

CORRUPTION.

To the Editor of the POLITICAL REGISTER.
SIR,

YOU may depend upon the following authentic Intelligence from your correfpondent

INVISIBLE,

HE brave Captain Spry has been lately invited by the burgeffes of Penryn in Cornwall to become a candidate for their borough, which offer he cheerfully accepted. Some of his friends perfuading him that being in his majefty's fervice it would be but complaifant to inform his Grace of Grafton of his intentions. The following dialogue was the confequence of his vifit.

Capt. Spry. My Lord, being in his majesty's fervice I think it my duty to acquaint your grace that I intend to offer myfelf for the borough of Penryn.

D. of

D. of Grafton. Sir, there is nobody in the world I should be more happy to oblige, I wish you had informed me of your intentions fooner, that the government might have fupported your election. But, Sir, you are too late. You must not think of going there now, for I have already appointed another candidate.

Capt. Spry. My Lord, I did not come to folicit your grace's affiftance, or to receive your directions. I do not wish to know whom you have fixed upon the FREEMEN have invited me, and I fhall certainly accept the invitation.

E viva Captain Spry.

A mortification of the fame nature has lately happened to his grace in relation to the borough of Saltash, whofe prefent reprefentatives are Mr. Hawke and Mr. Bradthaw. An alderman of that corporation vifiting Sir Edward Hawke, who formerly reprefented that borough, was told by him that the Duke of Grafton was extremely offended at the alderman for having lately, without the duke's orders, admitted ten new freemen who did not belong to the dock-yard at Plymouth. "I thought, Sir," faid the alderman, "that ours was an admiralty borough, and not confidered as belonging to the treasury." For all that," replied Sir Edward, "I affure you the duke is much difpleafed; and I would advise you to wait on him; or, if you find him dificult of accefs, you may apply to your member Mr. Bradshaw his grace's fecretary, which is the fame thing; he will tell you what you must do."

The alderman waited on Mr. Bradshaw, and received from him a confirmation of what Sir Edward Hawke had faid. This worthy reprefentative of a free people commanded his conflituent, in the duke's name, to go back to Saltash and either to disfranchife the ten new freemen, or to make an additional number of fuch as the duke fhould name from the dock-yard. But O grief of griefs! the alderman recollected he was an Englishman, and refused to obey the lordly mandate. Since which the Duke of Grafton has contrived to get his additional freemen illegally made by an alderman who has a confiderable employment in Plymouth dock. The confequence is a law-fuit depending between the little borough of Saltafh and the treafury; which, however unequal the conteft, will most likely finish in the emancipation. of that place, Saltash not feeming, at prefent, altogether fo ready as the firft lord of the admiralty to refign itself, body and foul, to the treasurer.

Eviva the little borough of Saltafh.

To his Grace the DUKE of GRAFTON.

My Lord,

ON the 17th of November 1688, after our Glorious Deliverer, the prince of Orange, had landed in England, the archbishops

of Canterbury and York, with the bishops of Rochester and Ely, prefented a petition to King James the Second, humbly defiring him to call a FREE parliament, to redrefs the people's grievances, &c. To which petition the King returned the following gracious anfwer for even THIS haughty tyrant IN DISTRESS could condefcend to answer the humble petitions of his people.

"My Lords,

"What you afk of me I most paffionately defire; and I pro"mife you on the faith of a king, that I will have a parliament, "and fuch a one as you ask for, as foon as ever the prince of Orange has quitted this realm: for how is it poffible a parlia "ment should be free in all its circumftances as you petition for, "whilft an enemy is in the kingdom, and can make a return for

near an hundred voices ?"

We find by this anfwer that Kings, when they please, know as well as their subjects what parliaments are, and what are not

FREE.

If King James the Second were now alive, I would in my turn ask him, whether that parliament is FREE into which a King, or his minifter, can make a return not only of near an hundred votes, but of the majority of the whole houfe; and confequently by votes of expulfion, and difqualification, return all the rest? Since I cannot ask King JAMES this question, I will propose fome others to one of the fame family, which may do almost as well, I mean his grace the Duke of Grafton.

Does your grace think with the royal outlaw I have quoted, that a parliament cannot be FREE, when there are near an hundred voices in it under undue influence? If fo, tell us, What ought a free people to do when a fet of men, returned by the minifter, ufurp the feats of their reprefentatives, and call themselves a parliament? Should they wait for the bishops to petition for a FREE parliament? Did the bishops in thofe days venture to petition before their deliverer was landed? Is it likely that other bishops will in other days prefent a fimilar petition, except in a fimilar fituation? Shall the people, therefore, without waiting for the bishops, petition for themfelves ?-But how, if no anfwer fhould be returned to their petitions, nor any. regard fhewn to their complaints? Muft they too, in order to have an answer, feek out a deliverer? Would your grace with them to fee fuch a neceffity? Know you not what the fcriptures declare-feek and ye shall find? Does not your grace know that the fame is the ultima ratio regum et populi? And that if Kings have long arms, the people have many.

If you are wife, you will well confider thefe queftions, and give us an answer by your actions. Slight not the voice of dif content. Seek not to life murmur; but appease it. Be thankful to providence who has made you minifter in a country where the people are fashioned, at least in one refpect, like the elements. With us words always come a warning before blows, as the lightening's flash precedes the thunder-bolt.

BRIARUS.

SIR,

To the Editor of the POLITICAL REGISTER.

HE public in general are greatly at a lofs to know who the perfon is who styles himself Sir Richard Perrot, and is faid to have prefented a petition from the town of Flint, in North-Wales, to his Majefty, by the hands of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.The Ancient Britons themselves, and particularly those who are natives of Flintshire, are puzzled to find out who this Baronet is, as neither they, nor their forefathers ever heard of any person of that name honoured with that title in that part of the world.There is indeed an account of one Perrot, a Nova-Scotia Baronet, who (unless very lately) never had taken out his patent; and it is said that the perfon affuming that title, has appeared in fuch a variety of different characters in this metropolis, as to reflect no great honour upon that dignity, and to have been long a member of the honourable order of the Chevaliers de Induftrie, or common fharpers. The fame perfon has been in the capacity of a fubaltern officer in the Pruffian army. There is one Sir Richard Perrot advertised in the London Evening Poft of Tuesday the 16th inft. on account of his having fled from his bail, who lived in Noel-street, and is threatened to have his name published at full length, together with a defcription of his perfon, &c. if he does not by a certain day call upon the party injured, and make fatisfaction; whether it be the above perfon, I do not take upon me to determine, though I am well affured it is the very man. With respect to the town of Flint, which I am perfectly well acquainted with, though no native, having frequently had occafion to pafs that way, I verily believe, without exaggeration, there is not half a score people in that antient barony (as it is termed in the petition) who are capable of figning their names, and they are really fo poor, that I question whether there be the like number worth the fum of one hundred pounds each in the whole town: in short, there is scarce to be found a more despicable corporation in his Majesty's dominions; for the truth of which I appeal to every perfon who is acquainted with that part of the country.

Now fhould the perfon who procured and prefented that petition, prove to answer either of the above defcriptions, I think it will be difcerned by every unprejudiced difpaffionate man to be the highest indignity and impofition that ever was offered to any fovereign prince, even to fuffer one of fuch a ftamp and character to approach his royal perfon.Befides, to pitch upon one of the poorest and most contemptible boroughs in all the principality of Wales, or even the whole kingdom, to petition the throne from, in oppofition to the most extenfive, confiderable, and refpectable counties, the moft flourishing cities, and the most

populous