zens by his weekly lucubrations. He had then much to think of, and much to do at a distance: and he foon after gave fome fupport to Lord Oxford's South-fea project, by publishing An Effay on the South-fea Trade, with an inquiry into the reafons of the prefent complaint against the fettlement of the South-fea Company. In the fame year he published An Effay at a plain Expofition of that difficult phrafe — A GOOD PEACE. He obviously intended to abate the national ardour for war, and to incite a national defire of quiet. The Ministers, by the courfe of events, were engaged ere long in one of the hardest tasks which can be affigned to British statesmen-the re-establishment of tranquillity after a glorious war. The treaty at Utrecht furnishes a memorable example of this. The furious debates which enfued within the walls of Parliament and without, are fufficiently remem bered. About this time, fays Boyer, in May 1713, a paper, entitled MERCATOR, Or Commerce Retrieved, was published on Tuesdays, Thurfdays, and Saturdays *. This was first fathered on Arthur Moore, affifted * The first Mercator was published on the 26th of May, 1713; the laft on the 20th of July 1714 and they were written by Wil, liam Brown and his affiftants, with great knowledge, great ftrength, and great fweetnefs, confidering how much party then embittered every compofition. The British Merchant, which oppofed The Mercator, and which was compiled by Henry Martyn and his affociates, has fewer facts, lefs argument, and more factioufness. It began on the 1st of Auguft 1713, and ended the 27th of July, 1714. I have fpoken of both from my own convictions, without regarding the declamations which have continued to pervert the public opinion from that epoch to the prefent times. De Foe was ftruck at in the third number of the British Merchant, and affifted by Doctor D'Avenant; but the latter folemnly denied it and it foon after appeared to be the production of Daniel De Foe, an ambidextrous hireling, who for this dirty work received a large weekly allowance from the Treasury. That he wrote in the Mercator, De Foe admits; but he expressly denies" that he either was the Author of it, had the property of it, the printing of it, the profit of it, or had the power to put any thing into it, if he would." And, by his Appeal, he affirms before GOD and the world, "that he never had any payment, or reward, for writing any part of it." Yet, that he was ready to defend those papers of the Mercator which were really his, if men would anfwer with arguments, rather than abuse; though not thofe things which he had never written, but for which he had received fuch ufage. He adds, with the noble fpirit of a true-born Englishman, "The press was open to me as well as to others; and how, or when I loft my English liberty of speaking my mind, I know not: neither how my fpeaking my opinions, without fee or reward, could authorise any one to call me villain, rascal, traitor, and fuch opprobrious names." Of the imputed connexion with his first benefactor, Harley, during that memorable period, our Author fpeaks with equal firmnefs, at a moment when firm plainly mentioned in the fourth. Mr. Daniel Foe may change his name from Review to Mercator, from Mercator to any other title, yet ftill his fingular genius shall be distinguished by his inimitable way of writing. Thus perfonal farcafm was introduced. to fupply deficience of facts, or weakness of reasoning. When Charles King republished The British Merchant in volumes, among various changes, he expunged, with other perfonalities, the name of De Foe. nefs nefs was neceffary. "I folemnly proteft," fays he, by his Appeal, "in the prefence of Him who fhall judge us all, that I have received no inftructions, orders, or directions for writing any thing, or materials from Lord Oxford, fince Lord Godolphin was Treasurer, or that I have ever fhewn to Lord Oxford any thing I had written or printed." He challenges the world to prove the contrary; and he affirms, that he always capitulated for liberty to speak, according to his own judgment of things. As to consideration, penfion, or reward, he declares most folemnly that he had none, except his old appointment made him long before by Lord Godolphin. What is extremely probable we may eafily credit, without fuch strong affeverations. However Lord Oxford may have been gratified by the voluntary writings of De Foe, he had doubtless other persons who shared his confidence, and wrote his Examiners*. But De Foe published that, which by no means promoted Lord Oxford's views, and which, therefore, gained little of his favour. Our Author wrote * It is now fufficiently known, That Lord Oxford had relinquifhed the Treaty of Commerce to its fate, before it was finally debated in Parliament. See much curious matter on this fubject in Macpherson's State Papers, vol. ii. p. 421-23. It is there faid, that he gave up the commercial treaty, in compliment to Sir Thomas Hanmer, as he would by no means be an occafion of a breach among friends. The Treasurer had other reafons: The treaty had been made by Bolingbroke, whom he did not love; the Lords Anglesea and Abingdon had made extravagant demands for their fupport; and, like a wife man, he thought it idle to drive a nail that would not go. Yet Lord Halifax boasted to the Hanoverian minifter, That he alone had been the occafion of the treaty being rejected. Same papers, p. 509-47, Dd 4 against against the peace of Utrecht, because he approved of it as little as he had done the treaty at Gertruydenburgh, under very different influences, a few years before. The peace he was for, as he himself fays, was fuch as fhould neither have given the Spanish monarchy to the House of Bourbon, nor to the House of Auftria; but that this bone of contention fhould have been fo broken to pieces, as that it fhould not have been dangerous to Europe; and that England and Holland should have fo ftrengthened themselves, by fharing its commerce, as fhould have made them no more afraid of France, or the Emperor; and that all that we fhould conquer in the Spanish West Indies fhould be our own, But it is equally true, he affirms, that when the peace was eftablished, "I thought our bufinefs was to make the best of it; and rather to inquire what improvements could be made of it, than to be continually exclaiming against thofe who procured it." He manfully avowed his opinion in 1715, when it was both difgraceful and dangerous, that the 9th article of the Treaty of Commerce was calculated for the advantage of our trade; "Let who will make it, that," fays he, "is nothing to me. My reafons are, because it tied up the French to open the door to our manufactures, at a certain duty of importation there, and left the Parliament of Britain at liberty to fhut their's out, by as high duties as they pleafed here, there being no limitation upon us, as to duties on French goods, but that other nations fhould pay the fame. While the French were thus bound, and the British free, I always thought we must be in a condition to trade to advantage, or it must be our own fault this was my opinion, and is fo ftill; and I would I would engage to maintain it against any man, on a public ftage, before a jury of fifty merchants, and venture my life upon the caufe, if I were affured of fair play in the difpute. But, that it was my opinion, we might carry on a trade with France to our great advantage, and that we ought for that reafon to trade with them, appears in the third, fourth, fifth, and fixth volumes of The Reviews, above nine years before The Mercator was thought of." Experience has decided in favour of De Foe against his opponents, with regard both to the theory and the practice of commerce. In May 1713, our Author relinquished the Review, after nine years continuance in Newgate it began, and in Newgate it ended. Whether we confider the frequency of the publication, or the power of his difquifitions, the pertinacity of his opponents, or the addrefs of his defences, amid other ftudies, without affiftants, this must be allowed to be fuch a work, as few of our writers have equalled. Yet, of this great performance, faid Gay; The poor Review is quite exhaufted, and grown fo very contemptible, that though he has provoked all his brothers of the quill, none will enter into a controverfy with him. The fellow, who had excellent natural parts, but wanted a small foundation of learning, is a lively inftance of thofe wits, who, as an ingenious author fays, will endure but one fkimming." Poor Gay had learned this cant in the Scriblerus Club, who thought themselves the wisest, the wittieft, and virtuoufeft men, that ever were, or * State of Wit, 1711, which is re-printed in the Supplement to Swift's Works. |