my heart, for the many disadvantages they lie under. My book did a world of mischief (as he calls it) before his first part could poffibly come out ; and fo went on through the kingdom, while his limped flowly after; and, if it arrived at all, it was too late; for people's opinions were already fixed. His manner of answering me is thus: of those facts which he pretends to examine, fome he refolutely denies, others he endeavours to extenuate, and the reft he distorts with fuch unnatural turns, that I would engage, by the fame method, to difprove any history either ancient or modern. Then the whole is interlarded with a thousand injurious epithets and appellations, which heavy writers are forced to make ufe of, as a fupply for that want of spirit and genius they are not born to: yet, after all, he allows a very great point for which I contend, confeffing in plain words, that the burthen of the war hath chiefly lain upon us; and thinks it fufficient for the Dutch, that, next to England, they have borne the greatest fhare. And is not this the great grievance of which the whole kingdom complains? I am inclined to think that my intelligence was at least as good as his; and fome of it, I can affure him, came from perfons of his own party, although, perhaps, not altogether fo inflamed. Hitherto therefore the matter is pretty equal, and the world may believe him or me as they please. But, I think, the great point of controversy between us is, whether the effects and confequences of things follow better from his premises or mine?

And there I will not be fatisfied, unless he will allow the whole advantage to be on my fide. Here is a flourishing kingdom brought to the brink of ruin by a moft fuccefsful and glorious war of ten years, under an able, diligent, and loyal miniftry; a moft faithful, juft, and generous commander, and in conjunction with the most hearty, reasonable, and fincere allies. This is the cafe, as that author reprefents it. I have heard a ftory, I think it was of the duke of ***, who playing at hazard at the groom-porters in much company, held in a great many hands together, and drew a huge heap of gold; but, in the heat of play, never obferved a fharper, who came once or twice under his arm, and fwept a great deal of it into his hat; the company thought it had been one of his fervants, When the duke's hand was out, they were talking how much he had won. Yes, faid he, I held in very long; yet, methinks I have won but very little. They told him his SERVANT had got the reft in his hat; and then he found he was cheated.

It hath been my good fortune to see the most important facts that I have advanced juftified by the public voice; which, let this author do what he can, will incline the world to believe, that I may be right in the reft. And I folemnly declare, that I have not wilfully committed the leaft miftake. I ftopt the fecond edition, and made all poffible enquiries among those who I thought could best inform me, in order to correct any error I could hear of; I did the fame to the third and fourth

fourth editions, and then left the printer to his liberty. This I take for a more effectual answer to all cavils, than an hundred pages of controverfy.

But what difgufts me from having any thing to do with the race of answer-jobbers, is, that they have no fort of confcience in their dealings: to give one inftance in this gentleman's third part, which I have been lately looking into. When I talk of the most petty princes, he says, that I mean crowned heads; when I fay the foldiers of those petty princes are ready to rob or starve at home, he fays, I call kings and crowned heads robbers and highwaymen. This is what the whigs call anfwering a book.

I cannot omit one particular concerning this author, who is fo pofitive in afferting his own facts, and contradicting mine; he affirms, that the bufinefs of Toulon was discovered by the clerk of a certain great man, who was then fecretary of state. It is neither wife, nor for the credit of his party, to put us in mind of that secretary, or of that clerk; however, so it happens, that nothing relating to the affair of Toulon did ever pass through that fecretary's office: which I here affirm with great phlegm, leaving the epithets of falfe, fcandalous, villainous, and the reft, to the author and his fellows.

But to leave this author; let us confider the confequence of our triumphs, upon which some set fo great a value, as to think that nothing less than the crown can be a fufficient reward for the merit

of

of the general. We have not enlarged our dominions by one foot of land: our trade, which made us confiderable in the world, is either given up by treaties, or clogged with duties, which interrupt and daily leffen it. We fee the whole nation groaning under exceffive taxes of all forts, to raise three millions of money for payment of the intereft of those debts we have contracted. Let us look upon the reverse of the medal; we fhall fee our neighbours, who, in their utmost diftrefs, called for our affistance, become, by this treaty, even in time of peace, masters of a more confiderable country than their own; in a condition to ftrike terror into us, with fifty thousand veterans ready to invade us from that country which we have conquered for them ; and to commit infolent hoftilities upon us in all other parts, as they have lately done in the EaftIndies.

THE

THE

BARRIER TREATY

BETWEEN

Her MAJESTY and the STATESGENERAL.

HER majesty the QUEEN of Great-Britain and the lords the States-general of the United provinces, having confidered how much it concerns the quiet and fecurity of their kingdoms and flates, and the public tranquillity, to maintain and to secure on one fide, the fucceffion to the crown of Great-Britain in fuch manner as it is now established by the laws of the kingdom; and on the other fide, that the States-general of the United provinces should have a firong and fufficient barrier against France, and others who would furprize or attack them: and her majesty and the States-general apprehending, with just reason, the troubles and the mischiefs which may happen in relation to this fucceffion, if at any time there should be any perfon, or any power, who should call it in queftion; and that the countries and fates of the faid lords the States-general were not furnished with such a barrier: For thefe faid reafons her faid majesty the QUEEN of Great-Britain, although in the vigour of ber age, and enjoying perfect health (in which may God preferve her many years) out of an effect of her ufual prudence and piety, has thought fit to enter with the States-general of the United provinces into a par

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