fect in management, or an arbitrary defpotism in those employed in public affairs; both of which are inconfiftent with the true exercife of good government. In the debates on this occafion, the minifterialists made a poor figure; after ages, when calmly reading the debates in this feffion of parliament, will be filled with astonishment, to find, that in a matter of fo much confequence, there fhould have been any occafion for debate at all; and it will equally amaze them, unless they are equally corrupted, to view the defences of administration, of a caufe, which none, except men of corrupt minds, and deftitute of all fense of honour, fhame, and humanity, would attempt to maintain. The miniftry were on this occafion charged with tergiverfation, and want of fyftem. It was affirmed that they had fent contradictory orders to the governors in the colonies, and made their fervants blunder like themselves, for want of a fettled plan of operation; that they had impofed taxes, and repealed them, impofed them, and repealed them again; diffolved affemblies, and called them again, and fuffered them to fit and proceed to bufinefs, without disavowing or discountenancing the meafures that had procured their diffolution. Promifes had been made to the affemblies, that certain duties fhould be taken off, and repealed, which were unwarrantable; of dangerous confequence, and an high breach of privilege; and that it was equally derogatory from the honour of the crown, and freedom of parliamentary deliberations, to have its faith, pledged to perform such promises. Troops had been fent, driven out with difgrace, and violence and fubmiffion had alternately fucceeded one another; that treafons had been charged and adopted by parliament, which were neither proved, nor attempted to be proved or if they exifted, were Hh they } they attempted to be detected and punished, which was an high reflection upon the dignity of parliament. This fort of reafoning had no influence; the miniftry with a fort of ftoical indifference, bore all with patience, without attempting even to make their ufual defence. A few reflections, for the fake of form, were thrown out against the colonifts, as turbulent, difloyal, and difaffected to the government of this country, and people that wanted to be independent of Great Britain. It was afferted that the crown had a right to fend troops to any part of the empire, and ftation them there according to pleafure; and that there was a neceffity of employing them at that time, for fupporting the progrefs of the laws, against a people that were nearly in a state of rebellion. Thefe reflections were only thrown out as hints, whithout any particular difcuffion, rather to get clear of the debate for the prefent, than as arguments intended to convince the oppofite "party of the propriety of the reafoning. Thofe that are guided by the dictates of common sense, and plain arguments must not expect them from the miniftry at this time. Even their champions, who undertook to defend their meafures in long laboured differtations upon government, and the rights of fupreme powers to rule over all their dominions with abfolute fway, were in great diftrefs to find principles and conclufions which plain men could understand. Many dark and difmal productions teemed from the prefs, fuffed with arbitrary conclufions, void of all poffibility of demonftration. Thefe were echoed by the hirelings of the miniftry as unanfwerable productions, though those who trumpeted their fame moft, did not underftand a word that was in them. They were intended to throw mift in the eyes of the public, to cover defigns designs that could not be decently avowed openly, and this was all that the authors could propofe, except their penfions, which they greedily expected. After all the duft of the schoolmen, and cafuifts had been fwept together, and thrown in the eyes of the people, the majority still preferved their fight, and perceived the defigns of the miniftry. It would be the greatest infult to truth and common fenfe, to affirm that the arguments on both fides were of equal force. There were many abfurd things faid on both fides, as will often happen in the courfe of difputation, but in forming an estimate of the force of the arguments, a man of very plain understanding will be at no lofs fet ting afide private intereft and prejudice, which way to determine. Those who attempt to defend the proceedings of either party in all particulars, will find it a task not eafily to be performed; and it will fhew more of partiality than good fenfe, to affirm that there were not errors on both fides. It is a part of our natural infelicity which has prevailed for fome time paft, that parties in oppofition have been for defending their own proceedings, when they have totally given up the principles by which they only could be defended; and by departing from the true principles of charity, have made no allowances for the prejudices and weakness of their opponents. What has much aggrevated this evil is, that in the various difputes upon this fubject, the moral fide of the queftion has been but little confidered. Syftems of policy, or of government, without morality, are like a body without a fpirit, only dead and beggarly elements, generated by corruption, and fupported by obftinacy. Moral privileges are by the laws of nature as much the right of rational creatures, as thofe that come. under the notion of political; and human policy, with out |