Here are other things mentioned of the lyon equally unintelligible, if we fuppofe them to be spoken of our nation, as that he lies fluggish, and depraved with unlawful lufts, while his offspring is trampled and tortured before his eyes. But in that place can the English be faid to be trampled or tortured? Where are they treated with injustice or contempt? What nation is there from pole to pole that does not reverence the nod of the British King? Is not our commerce unreftrained? Are not the riches of the world our own? Do not our fhips fail unmolefted, and our merchants traffic in perfect fecurity? Is not the very name of England treated by foreigners in a manner never known before? Or if fome flight injuries have been offered, if fome of our petty traders have been ftopped, our poffeffions threatened, our effects confifcated, our flag infulted, or our ears cropped, have we lain fluggish and unactive? Have not our fleets been seen in triumph at Spithead? Did not Hofier visit the Baftimentos, and is not Haddock now ftationed at Port Mahon?

En quoque quod mirum,
Quod dicas denique dirum,

Sanguinem equus fugit,

Neque bellua vita remugit,

And, yet more ftrange! his veins a horfe fhall drain,
Nor fhall the paffive coward once complain.

It is farther afferted in the concluding lines, that the horfe fhall fuck the lion's blood. This is ftill more ob

fcure

fcure than any of the reft, and indeed the difficulties I have met with ever fince the first mention of the lion are so many and great, that I had, in utter despair of furmounting them, once defifted from my design of publishing any thing upon this fubject; but was prevailed upon by the importunity of fome friends, to whom I can deny nothing, to refume my defign; and I must own, that nothing animated me fo much as the hope they flattered me with, that my essay might be inferted in the Gazetteer, and fo become of fervice to my country.

That a weaker animal fhould fuck the blood of a u ftronger without refiftance is wholly improbable and inconfiftent with the regard for felf-prefervation, fo observable in every order and species of beings. We must therefore neceffarily endeavour after fome figurative sense not liable to fo infuperable an objection.

Were I to proceed in the fame tenor of interpretation, by which I explained the moon and the lilies, I might obferve that a horfe is the arms of H

But how then does the horfe fuck the lion's blood? Money is the blood of the body politic.But my zeal for the present happy establishment will not fuffer me to pursue a train of thought that leads to fuch fhocking conclufions. The idea is deteftable, and fuch as, it ought to be hoped, can enter into the mind of none but a virulent Republican, or bloody Jacobite. There is not one honest man in the nation unconvinced how weak an attempt it would be to endeavour to confute this infinuation. An infinuation which no party will dare to abet, and of so fatal and deftructive a tendency,

that

49

50

52

that it may prove equally dangerous to the author whether true or false.

As therefore I can form no hypothefis on which a confiftent interpretation may be built, I must leave these loose and unconnected hints entirely to the candour of the reader, and confefs that I do not think my scheme of explication juft, fince I cannot apply it throughout the whole, without involving myself in difficulties, from which the ableft interpreter would find it no eafy matter to get free.

Being therefore convinced upon an attentive and deliberate review of these observations, and a confultation with my friends, of whofe abilities I Have the higheft esteem, and whofe impartiality, fincerity, and probity, I have long known and frequently experienced, that my conjectures are in general very uncertain, often improbable, and fometimes little lefs than apparently falfe, I was long in doubt whether I ought not entirely to fupprefs them, and content myself with publishing in the Gazetteer, the infcription, as it ftands engraven on the ftone, without tranflation or commentary, unless that ingenious and learned fociety, fhould favour the world with their own remarks.

To this scheme, which I thought extremely well calculated for the public good, and therefore very eagerly communicated to my acquaintance and fellow ftudents, fome objections were started, which as I had not forefeen, I was unable to answer.

It was observed first, That the Daily Differtations published by that fraternity, are written with fuch profundity of fentiment, and filled with fuch uncommon modes

of

of expreffion, as to be themfelves fufficiently unintelligible to vulgar readers, and that therefore the venerable obfcurity of this prediction, would much less excite the curiosity and awaken the attention of mankind, than if it were exhibited in any other paper, and placed in oppofition to the clear and easy stile of an author generally understood.

To this argument, formidable as it was, I answered, after a short paufe, that, with all proper deference to the great fagacity and advanced age of the objector, I could not but conceive that his position confuted itself, and that a reader of the Gazetteer, being by his own confeffion accustomed to encounter difficulties, and fearch for meaning where it was not easily to be found, must be better prepared than any other man for the perufal of these ambiguous expreffions. expreffions. And that, besides, the explication of this ftone, being a task, which nothing could furmount but the most acute penetration joined with indefatigable patience, feemed in reality reserved for those who have given proofs of both in the highest degree, by reading and understanding the Gazetteer.

This answer satisfied every one but the objector, whe with an obstinacy, not very uncommon, adhered to his own opinion, though he could not defend it; and not being able to make any reply, attempted to laugh away my argument, but found the rest of my friends fo little difpofed to jeft upon this important queftion, that he was forced to restrain his mirth, and content himself with a fullen and contemptuous filence.

Another of my friends, whom I had assembled on this occafion, having owned the folidity of my answer to the

53

54

55

firft objection, offered a fecond, which in his opinion could not be so easily defeated.

"I have obferved, fays he, that the effays in the Ga"zetteer, though written on very important fubjects by "the ableft hands which ambition can incite, friendship "engage, or money procure, have never, though cir"culated through the kingdom with the utmost appli"cation, had any remarkable influence upon the peo

¢

ple. I know many perfons of no common capacity, "that hold it fufficient to peruse these papers four times a year; and others who receive them regularly, and " without looking upon them, treasure them under ground for the benefit of posterity. So that the in"fcription may, by being inferted there, fink once more "into darkness and oblivion, instead of informing the

age, and affifting our present miniftry in the regula"tion of their measures."

Another observed, that nothing was more unreasonable than my hope, that any remarks or elucidations would be drawn up by that fraternity, fince their own employments do not allow them any leifure for fuch attempts. Every one knows that panegyric is in its own nature no easy task, and that to defend is much more difficult than to attack; confider then, fays he, what industry, what affiduity it must require, to praise and vindicate a ministry like ours.

It was hinted by another, that an infcription which had no relation to any particular set of men amongst us, but was compofed many ages before the parties, which now divide the nation, had a being, could not be fo

pro