another Wager, or a Quarrel, or perhaps a Duel; but we put a stop to any further Explanation, by declaring one and all, that as we met together purely to be merry, Talking, especially about Religion, did but Spoil Company.

If, on thefe Confiderations, we have any Merit to plead, we have greater yet behind. Politics are our Master-piece: And I will venture to affirm, that our present Posterity, Wealth, and Power, by which we are enabled to hold the Balance, and direct the Counfels of Europe, have been intirely owing to the exquifite Forefight, and dextrous Conduct of our Family. It is true, we have long been out of Play, and are univerfally decried by the late and prefent Poffeffors of Power. But let me tell them, that had we not conducted public Measures when we were in Power, by a Set of Maxims, and Rules of Policy, intirely our own, Great-Britain had never feen fo many Glorious Treaties, Congreffes, Conventions, Negotiations, Alliances, Secret Expeditions, Preventive Meafures, Temporary Expedients, Ways and Means,-&c.— &c.— &c. as are the Glory of the present Age, and will be the Wonder of the next; the bleffed Effects of which are too well feen, felt, heard, and understood, to need any further Explanation. I shall only add, what I am able to prove by authentic Evidence, that whatever Laurels have already been, or shall hereafter be, gathered by us or our Pofterity, on any Part of the Continent, were planted by the Hands of our Illuftrious Predeceffors. And as it is an undeniable Truth, that he who planted the Tree has more Merit than they that gather the Fruit; and they who fow the Seed, than they who reap the Crop;

D 3

Crop; fo the certain Conclufion is this, that whoever wins, or whoever loses, the Merit and Glory will be intirely our own, and that too with fome advantageous Circumftances, which could never have happened in any Hands but ours. It is univerfally agreed, that the Honour of any Action rifes in Proportion to the Difficulty or Danger that attends it; and that a Contempt of Difficulties and Dangers is an Argument of fuperior Courage, Conduct, or both. He who, from a Contempt of his Enemy, and a just Senfe of his own Strength and Courage, gives him unneceffary Advantages, departs from a good Situa tion, that the other may poffefs himself of it, supplies him with Money, Ammunition, and Provisions, and makes him, in every Respect, as powerful and formidable as he can, only to have the Pleafure and Honour of beating him under all thefe Difadvantages, fhews a Greatnefs of Soul, and Excefs of Courage, feldom found but in our Family. I remember when I was at School, there was nothing more common than for a brave Lad to fight a contemptible Enemy with one Hand tied behind him; and I remember one who carried the Point of Heroifm fo far as to challenge one of equal Strength with both his Hands tied behind him; by which he got fo hearty a Drubbing, as I dare fay he will never forget, if he should live to the Age of Methuselah.-There is a Relation of ours, a very honeft Fellow, one John Bull, Grandfon to the famous Man of that Name, whofe Memoirs are written by one of the best Pens in Europe. He was bred a Clothier in the Weft of of England, was in top Bufinefs, and might, if he pleased, have purchafed the whole Country round him: But he had re

ceived fuch a Tincture of Heroifm from his Mother, who was a Welsh Heiress, that, like Hercules, he difcovered an Inclination for kicking and cuffing even in his Cradle. When he was at School, Cock-fighting and Bull-baiting were his chief Delight; there was not a Wake or a Revel round the Country, where there was any Hope of getting a laced Hat or a broken Head, but he was fure to be at it. If any of his School-fellows had a Quarrel upon their Hands, he always put in to be a Second, or rather than fail, to be a Principal; so that for feven Years together he scarce ever slept in a whole Skin, or ever made a public Appearance without a black Eye, or a Plaister or two upon his Face; and yet in all other Refpects he was as honest, a generous, compaffionate, good-natured Fellow as ever trod on fhoe of Leather. What contributed a good deal to this military Turn, was the Accounts that he had heard and read, and the Monuments he had feen of the Heroes of his Family. There were, it seems, no lefs than three or four Dozen of laced Hats hung round the Hall which had been won at different Times at Back-Sword, Wrestling, or Boxing by fome of his Ancestors; and he could not bear the Thoughts of disgracing his Kindred, especially his Welsh Relations, by being lefs brave and intrepid than they. I cannot omit one merry Adventure that befel John in the Beginnings of his Knight-Erranty, which had like to have spoiled him for a Hero ever after: He had been out one Evening a little Pot-valiant, and greatly wanted an Opportunity of fhewing his Manhood, and exerting a little of his military Fury upon fomebody or other; but as it was late, and the few People he met about the Streets seem

ed more inclined to go to Bed than to Loggerheads, he could find no room for Adventures; at last happening to spy a Butcher's Maftiff lying fast asleep at his Master's Door, he kneels down, and taking one of his Ears between his Teeth he gave him fuch a confounded Gripe, that throughly awaked the Dog, who returned the Civility in his way fo heartily, that Poor John was obliged to cry out and alarm the Neighbourhood, who quickly ran to his Affiftance. The rueful Figure he made, covered with Blood and Dirt, and the unfavory Scent that proceeded from a certain Part of his Perfon, produced as much Laughter in fome as Pity in others; but the stinking Hero, whofe Courage was by this Time pretty well cooled, begins a pitiful fnivelling Story of the Dog's falling upon him, as he was paffing quietly through the Streets, and how unjustifiable a Thing it was that fuch a Dog fhould be fuffered to run loose about the Streets in the Night. The fame Thing (quoth John) might have happened to any of you as well as to me. To which they all affented, and the poor Cur was immediately truffed up for a Breach of the Peace, whilst John sneaked Home to get Plaisters and clean Linen.

When he firft came into Trade, he had the fairest Opportunity of making a great Fortune, and raising a great Estate, that any Man of his Circumstances ever had: But his Neighbours, who envied his Profperity, and knew his blind Side, were perpetually blowing up his natural Vanity, and flattering his military Pride, in order to make their own Advantage, by his neglecting the proper Bufinefs of his own Profeffion; which they effectually did, and have been every Day improving, to the Ruin of his Fortune,

and

and the completing of their own. Within a few Years, there was public Notice given in some of the News-Papers, of a great Trial at Back-fword for something about the Value of a Crown, or fome fuch Matter; but it was in a strange Country, a great Way off, where John had no more personal or family Concern, than at Bagdat, or Jerufalem. But when Honour calls, even Love itself (much more the paultry Articles of Trade and Intereft) muft give way. He could not refift the Call; he mortgaged his Eftate, pulled down the greatest Part of his Looms, and discharged the greatest Part of his Workmen, only leaving fome few to keep up the Face of Bufinefs, and prevent any Sufpicions of his being quite gone off, and away goes he. He entered the Ring among the reft; and after many a sore Bang, was fo lucky as to win the Prize; which, with his wonted Generofity, he bestowed upon one of the Combatants, who pronounced him the braveft Lad that ever appeared upon the Field, and made him a Prefent of half a Dozen Silk Handkerchiefs ; which, like the Standards in Weftminster-Hall, are hung round his Bed-chamber, as the Monuments of bis tranfcendent Courage, Generofity, and Wisdom. In his Abfence, you may imagine, all Things went to wreck at home; fome of his Labourers were hanged, fome transported, and a great many taken into the Service of his Neighbours, who had not neg lected so fair an Opportunity of worming him almost out of every Branch of his Trade. Several of his Tenants broke, and the Poor Rates, and other Taxes, and the Interest upon his Mortgage, eat out the whole Income of his Eftate. In fpite of all these