duce, which are still fubfifting in fome of our colonies, and which give both the French and Dutch colonies a great advantage over them at every foreign market. Such a tax would have been attended with this further advantage, that we might have exempted our new eftablifhed colonies, and all new planted lands upon the frontiers of the old, from the payment of this tax, for a certain term of years, after their being first established or planted; whereas, by the taxes we have impofed, the new colonies and plantations will be affected proportionably with the old, which will very much difcourage the extenfion of the British empire in that part of the world, as fuch colonies and plantations require, and ought to be for fome years supported at the public expence, rather than to be loaded with a tax of any kind whatsoever.

I must therefore humbly think, that the extending of the land-tax to the Britif dominions in America was, in many refpects, preferable to the taxes that have been lately impofed upon them; and as to what determined our choice in favour of the latter, the chief reafon I can fuggeft to myself is this: If any bill had been brought in for extending our land tax to, or for impofing any fort of landtax upon, the people of the British dominions in America,, it must have contained feveral claufes for directing and regulating a general affeffment of the eftates in that country: This might have made us confider, and the agents for our people in America would have infifted upon its being just and neceffary, that as their eftates were to be rated at their prefent improved value, a new affeffiment ought to be made of the estates in Great Britain, as they are now of much greater value than they were rated at when the laft affeffment was made; and this confideration many gentlemen in this ifland had reafon to be afraid of, which would have made them oppofe any ftep towards ettablishing a land tax of any kind in America: This is perhaps the chief reafon why no tax of this kind has, upon this occafion, been thought of; for I hope the choice of our minifters was not directed by any view of extending the corruptive power of the minitters of the crown, which is already by far too extenfive, as it is certain, that the taxes they have chosen to patronize will be attended

with a much greater increase of revenue officers in America, than a land tax of any kind could have been; and as these officers are to be appointed by, and to be removeable at the pleasure of the minifters of the crown, it must greatly increafe their corruptive power in all time to come.

[To be continued in our next.]

In fome preceding Magazines we have given fome Pieces of the great SWIFT, which have much elucidated a Period in Hiftory, always confidered interefting; and in order to accomplish it, we muft lay before our Readers the following Tract, in which the Characters of the Actors, are fully delineated, by that great Mafter.

An Enquiry into the Behaviour of Queen ANNE'S LAST MINISTRY, with Relation to their Quarrels among themfelves, and the Defign charged upon them of altering the Succeffion of the Crown. June 1715.

INCE the death of the Queen, it was

SINCE

reasonable enough for me to conclude that I had done with all public affairs and fpeculations: Befides, the fcene and station I am in have reduced my thoughts into a narrow compafs: And being wholly excluded from any view of favour under the prefent adminiftration, upon that invincible reason of having been in fome degree of truft and confidence with the former; I have not found the transition very difficult into a private life, for which I am better qualified both by nature and education.

The reading and enquiring after news not being one of my diverfions, having always difliked a mixed and general converfation, which, however it fell to my lot, is now, in my power to avoid; and being placed by the duties of my function at a great diftance from the feat of bufinefs; I am altogether ignorant of many common events which happen in the world: Only, from the little I know and hear, it is manifeft that the hearts of moft men are filled with doubts, fears, and jealousies, or else with hatred and rage, to a degree that there feems to be an end of all amicable commerce between people of different parties; and what the confequences of this may be, let those confider

who

who have been the caufe: which, I thank God, is no concern of mine.

There are two points, with reference to the conduct of the late Miniftry, much insisted on, and little understood by thofe who write or talk upon that fubject; wherein I am fufficiently qualified to give fatisfaction; and would gladly do it, because I see very much weight laid upon each, and most mens opinions of perfons and things regulated accordingly.

About two months before the Queen's death, having loft all hopes of any reconcilement between the Treasurer and the rest of the miniftry; I retired into the country, to await the iffue of that conflict, which ended, as every one had reafon to forefec, in the Earl of Oxford's difgrace; to whom the Lord Bolingbroke immediately fucceeded as firit minifter: And I was told, that an Earldom and the Garter were intended for him in a fortnight, and the Treasurer's ftaff against the next feffion of parliament; of which I can fay nothing certain, being then in Berkshire, and receiving this account from fome of his friends; but all thefe fchemes, became foon abortive, by the death of the Queen, which happened in three days after the Earl of Oxford's removal.

Upon this great event, I took the first opportunity of withdrawing to my place of refidence; and rejoiced as much as any man for his Majesty's quiet acceffion to the throne, to which I then thought, and it has fince appeared indifputable, that the peace procured by the late miniftry had, among other good effects, been highly inftrumental. And I thank God, I have been ever fince a loyal humble fpectator, during all the changes that have happened, although it were no fecret to any man of common fagacity, that his prefent Majefty's choice of his fervants, whenever he thould happen to fucceed, would be determined to thofe who most oppofed the proceedings during the four laft years of his predeceffor's reign: And, I think, there hath not fince happened one particular of any moment, which the minitters did not often mention at their tables, as what they certainly expected, from the difpotitions of the court at Hanover in conjunction with the party at home, which, upon all occafions, publicly difapproved their proceedings, excepting only the attainder of the Duke of Ormond; which, indeed neither they nor I,

nor, I believe, any one perfon in the three kingdoms, did ever pretend to foresee; and, now, it is done, it looks like a dream to thofe, who will confider the noblenefs of his birth, the great merits of his ancestors, and his own; his long unfpotted loyalty, his affablity, generofity, and fweetness of nature. I knew him long and well, and, excepting the frailties of his youth, which had been for fome years over, and that eafinefs of temper, which did fometimes lead him to follow the judgment of thofe who had by many degrees, lefs understanding than himself; I have not converfed with a more faultless perfon; of great juftice and charity; a true fenfe of religion, without oftentati on; of undoubted valour, thoroughly fkilled in his trade of a foldier; a quick and ready apprehenfion, with a good share of understanding, and a general knowledge in men and history, although under fome difadvantage by an invincible modefty, which however could not but render him yet more amiable to those who had the honour and happiness of being. thoroughly acquainted with him. This is a fhort imperfect character of that great perfon the Duke of Ormond, who is now attainted for high treafon; and, therefore, I shall not prefume to offer one fyllable in his vindication, upon that head, a gainit the decifion of parliament. Yet this, I think, may be allowed me to believe, or at lealt to hope, that when, by the direct and repeated commands of the Queen, his miftrefs, he committed thos faults for which he hath now forfeited his country, his titles, and his fortune; he no more conceived himfelf to be acting high-treafon, than he did when he was wounded and a prifoner at London, for his fovereign King William, or when he took and burned the enemy's fleet at Vigo.

Upon this occafion, although I am fentible it is an old precept of wildo to admire at nothing in human life, yet I confider, at the fame time, how cafly fome men arrive to the practice of this maxim, by the help of plain ftupidity or ill-nature, without any Brain of philofophy; and although the uncertainty of human things be one of the mott obvious reflections in morality; yet, fuch unexpected, fudden, and figual initances of it, as have lately happened among us, are fo much out of the ufual form, t

a wife man may, perhaps be allowed to ftart and look afide, as at a fudden and violent clap of thunder, which is much more frequent, and more natural.

And here I cannot but lament my own particular misfortune; who having fingled out three perfons from among the rest of mankind, on whofe friendship and protection I might depend; whofe converfation I most valued, and chiefly confined myfelf to; fhould live to fee them all, within the compafs of a year, accused of high treafon; two of them attainted and in exile, and the third under his trial, whereof God knows what may be the iffue. As my own heart was free from all treasonable thoughts, fo I did little imagine myself to be perpetually in the company of traitors. But the fashion of this world paeth away. Having already faid fomething of the Duke of Ormond, I fhall add a little towards the characters of the other two. It happens to very few men, in any age or country, to come into the world with fo many advantages of nature and fortune, as the late Secretary Bolingbroke: Defcended from the belt families in England, heir to a great patrimonial eftate, of a found conftitution, and a moft graceful amiable perfon: But all thefe, had they been of equal value, were infinitely below in degree, to the accomplishments of his mind, which was adorned with the choiceft gifts that God hath yet thought fit to beltow upon the children of men; a ftrong me. mory, a clear judgment, a vast range of wit and fancy, a thorough comprehenfion, an invincible eloquence, with a most agreeable elocution. He had well culti vated all these talents by travel and study, the latter of which he feldom omitted, even in the midit of his pleafures, of which he had indeed been too great and criminal a purfuer: For, although he was perfuaded to leave off intemperance of wine, which he did for fome time to fuch a degree that he seemed rather abftemions; yet he was faid to allow himself other liberties, which can by no means be reconciled to religion or morals; whereof, I have reafon to believe, he began to be fenfible But he was fond of mixing pleature and bufinels, and of being deemed excellent at both; upon which account he had a great refpect for the characters of Alcibiades and Petronius, efpecially the latter, whom he would gladly

be thought to resemble. His detractors charged him with fome degree of affec tation, and, perhaps, not altogether without grounds; fince it was hardly poffible for a young man, with half the business of the nation upon him, and the applause of the whole, to escape fome tincture of that infirmity. He had been early bred to bufinefs, was a moft artful negotiator, and perfectly understood foreign affairs. But what I have often wondered at in a man of his temper, was his prodigious application, whenever he thought it neceffary; for he would plod whole days and nights, like the lowest clerk in an office. His talent of fpeaking in public, for which he was fo very much celebrated, I know nothing of, except from the informations of others; but understanding men, of both parties, have affured me, that, in this point, in their memory and judgment, he was never equalled.

The Earl of Oxford is a perfon of as much virtue, as can poffibly confift with the love of power; and his love of power is no greater than what is common to men of his fuperior capacities; neither did any man ever appear to value it lefs, after he had obtained it, or exert it with more moderation. He is the only inftance that ever fell within my memory, or obfervation, of a perfon paffing from a private life, through the feveral stages of greatnefs, without any perceivable impreffion upon his temper or behaviour. As his own birth was illustrious, being defcended from the heirs-general of the Veres and the Mortimers, fo he seemed to value that accidental advantage in himfelf, and others, more than it could pretend to deserve. He abounded in good nature, and good-humour; although fubject to paffion, as I have heard it affirmed by others, and owned by himself; which, however, he kept under the strictet government, till towards the end of his miniftry, when he began to grow foured, and to fufpect his friends; and, perhaps, thought it not worth his pains to manage any longer. He was a great favourer of men, of wit and learning, particularly the former, whom he careffed without diftinction of party, and could not endure to think that any of them thould be his enemies; and it was his good fortune that none of them ever appeared to be fo; at least, if one may judge by the libels and pamphlets pub

lished against him, which he frequently read, by way of amufement, with a molt unaffected indifference: Neither do I remember ever to have endangered his good opinion fo much, as by appearing uneafy when the dealers in that kind of writing firft began to pour out their fcurrilities against me; which, he thought, was a weakness altogether inexcufable in a man of virtue and liberal education. He had the greatest variety of knowledge that I have any where met; was perfect mafter of the learned languages, and well skilled in divinity. He had a prodigious memory, and a most exact judgment. In drawing up any state-paper, no man had more proper thoughts, or put them in fo ftrong and clear a light. Although his ftile was not always correct, which, however, he knew how to mend; yet, often, to fave time, he would leave the finaller alterations to others. I have heard that he spoke but feldom in parliament, and then rather with art than eloquence: But no man equalled him in the knowledge of our conftitution; the reputation whereof made him be chofen fpeaker to three fucceffive parliaments; which office I have often heard bis enemies allow him to have executed with univerfal applaufe: His fagacity was fuch, that I could produce very amazing inftances of it, if they were not unfeasonable. In all difficulties, he immediately found the true point that was to be pursued, and adhered to it: And one or two others in the miniftry have confeffed very often to me, that, after having condemned his opinion, they found him in the right, and themselves in the wrong. He was utterly a ftranger to fear; and, confequently, had a prefence of mind upon all emergencies. His liberality, and contempt of money, were fuch, that he almoft ruined his eftate while he was in employment; yet his avarice for the public was fo great, that it neither confifted with the prefent corruptions of the age, nor the circumftances of the time. He was feldom mistaken in his judgment of men, and therefore not apt to change a good or ill opinion by the reprefentations of others; except towards the end of his ministry. He was affable and courteous, extremely eafy and agreeable in convertation, and altogether difengaged; regular in his life, with great appearance of piety; nor ever guilty of any expreffions that could poffibly tend to October, 1765.

what was indecent or prophane. His im-. perfections were, at least, as obvious, although not fo numerous as his virtues. He had an air of secrecy in his manner and countenance, by no means proper for a great minifter, because it warns all men to prepare against it. He often gave no anfwer at all, and very feldom a direct

one And I the rather blame this reservedness of temper, because I have known a very different practice fucceed much better: of which, among others, the late Earl of Sunderland, and the prefent Lord Sommers, perfons of great abilities, are remarkable inftances; who ufed to talk in fo frank a manner, that they feemed to difcover the bottom of their hearts, and, by that appearance of confidence, would easily unlock the breasts of others. But the Earl of Oxford pleads, in excufe of this charge, that he hath feldom or never communicated any thing which was of importance to be concealed, wherein he hath not been deceived by the vanity, treachery, or indiscretion of those he discovered it to. Another of his imperfections, univerfally known and complained of, was procrastination, or delay; which was, doubtless, natural to him, although he often bore the blame without the guilt, and when the remedy was not in his power; for never were prince and minifter better matched than his fovereign and he, upon that article: And, therefore, in the disposal of employments, wherein the Queen was very abfolute, a year would often país before they could come to a determination. I remember he was likewife heavily charged with the common court vice, of promifing very liberally, and feldom performing; of which, although I cannot altogether acquit him, yet, I am confident, his intentions were generally bet ter than his disappointed folicitors would believe. It may be likewife faid of him, that he certainly did not value, or did not understand the art of acquiring friends; having made very few during the time of his power, and contracted a great number of enemies. Some of us ufed to obferve, that those whom he talked well of, or suffered to be often near him, were not in a fituation of much advantage; and that his mentioning others with contempt, or diflike, was, no hindrance at all to their preferment. I have dwelt the longer upon this great man's Ffff

character,

character, because I have obferved it fo often mistaken by the wife reafoners of both parties Befides, having had the honour, for almoft four years, of a nearér acquaintance with him than ufually happens to men of my level, and this without the leaft mercenary obligation; I thought it lay in my power, as I am fure it is in my will, to reprefent him to the world with impartiality and truth. Having often confidered the qualities and difpofitions of these two minifters, I am at a loss to think how it fhould come to pass that men of exalted abilities, when they are called to public affairs, are generally drawn into inconveniencies and misfortunes, which others, of ordinary talents, avoid, whereof there appear so many examples, both ancient and modern, and of our own as well as other countries. I cannot think this to have been altogether the effect of envy, as it is ufually imputed in the cafes of Themifocles, Ariftides and Scipio, and others, and of Sir Walter Raleigh, the Earls of Clarendon and Strafford, here in England. But I look upon it, that God, intending the government of a nation in the feveral branches and fubordinations of power, hath made the science of governing fufficiently obvious to common capacities; otherwife the world would be left in a defolate condition, if great affairs did always require a great genius; whereof the moft fruitful age will hardly produce a bove three or four in a nation, among which, princes, who, of all other mortals, are the worst educated, have twenty millions to one against them that they fhall not be of the number; and proportionable odds, for the fame reafons, are against every one of noble birth, or great cftates. Accordingly we find, that the dulleft nations, ancient and modern, have not wanted good rules of policy, or perfons qualified for administration. But I take the infelicity of fuch extraordinary men to have been caufed by the neglect of common forms, together with the contempt of little helps and little hindrances; which is made by Hobbes the definition of Magnanimity And this contempt, as it certainly difpleafes the people in general, fo it giveth offence to all with whom fuch minitters have to deal: For, I never yet knew a minifter, who was not earnestly fous to have it thought, that the art overnment was a most profound fci

:

ence; whereas it requires no more, in reality, than diligence, honefty, and a moderate share of plain natural sense. And, therefore, men thus qualified may, very reasonably and juftly think that the business of the world is beft brought about by regularity and forms, wherein themselves excel. For I have frequently observed more causes of discontent arife from the practice of fome refined minifters, to act in common bufinefs, out of the common road, than from all the usual topics of difplcafure against men in power. It is the fame thing in other fcenes of life, and among all focieties or communities; where no men are better trufted, or have more fuccefs in business, than those who, with fome honefty and a moderate portion of understanding, are ftrict obfervers of time, place, and method: And, on the contrary, nothing is more apt to expose men to the cenfure and obloquy of their colleagues, and the public, than a contempt, or neglect of these circumftances, however attended with a fuperior genius, and an equal defire of doing good: Which hath made me fometimes fay, to a great perfon of this latter character, that a small infufion of the Alderman was neceffary to those who are employed in public affairs. Upon this occasion, I cannot forget a very trifling inftance: That one day obferving the fame perfon to divide a fheet of paper with a penknife, the fharpness of the inftrument occafioned its moving fo irregularly and crooked, that he spoiled the whole sheet; whereupon I advised him to take example by his clerks, who performed that operation much better, with a blunt piece of ivory, which directed by a little strength and a steady hand, never failed to go right.

But to return from this long digreffion: About a fortnight after the Queen's death, I came to my place of refidence, where I was immediately attacked with heat enough by feveral of my acquaintance of both parties; and foon learned, that what they objected was the general fense of the reft. Thofe of the church fide made me a thoufand reproaches upon the flowness and inactivity of my friends, upon their foolish quarrels with each other, for no vifible caufe, and thereby facrificing the interefts of the church and kingdom to their piques. And that they had neglected to cultivate the favour and good epi