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terate Jacobites and prejudiced republicans, it never came into their heads, that they were ruining their own importance, and, confequently, rendering the crown ftrong enough to fet all parties at defiance, to put them on their good behaviour, and to treat them with that contempt which is natural to a sovereign in the plenitude of independent power.

To argue mankind into hazardous exertions of oppofition for particular interefts alone, is a confummate piece of indifcretion, which nothing could make us believe practical politicians to be guilty of, had we not been convinced to the contrary by the obvious tendency of the work intitled, "Thoughts on the Caufe of "the prefent Difcontents," fuppofed to be written by a man whom we may juftly efteem the mouth of the faction.

In a work, where all the fetters laid upon public liberty are not only regarded with indifference, but treated as neceffary evils, ra, ther to be fupported than abolished; we cannot help fmiling to hear the author with all the power of eloquence pathetically lamenting, as a man who had remotely felt fomething of the humiliation, the dependent, invidious, and mortifying ftate of that very immediate flave to an abfolute monarch, a minifter of state: we cannot, I fay, help fmiling to hear a philofopher and a politician lament the natural confequence of those very circumstances which he esteems neceffary in government.

The lucrative profpect which a feat in parliament, in the prefent mode of corruption, gives for the enriching the reprefentative, at the expence of his country and conftituents, is the great root of political evil. Take away the caufe, and the effect will ceafe; take away from the representative, by a quick and thorough circulating round of rotation, every fuch lucrative and corrupt profpect of private intereft, and the warm contention for feats in parliament, both on the fide of government and individuals, will fink into a coolnefs which will reduce fuch elections to the quiet calmness of a nomination for parifh-officers. If triennial parliaments will not ferve the turn, change the half, or the whole of your parliament yearly, and deprive your representatives of a corrupt and standing intereft in the legiflature, by debarring every member of parliament of the capacity of re-election under a certain term of years.

Equally averfe is the author of the Caufe of the prefent Discontents against every other conftitutional propofition for remedying the growing evils of our government, as against the orthodox principle of rotation; a place-bill would fet the executive power at variance with the legislative, and hazard the forms of our excellent conftitution.

To correct evils which are allowed to be exceffive, this mighty champion of the whig faction, the author of the Thoughts on the Caufe of the prefent Difcontents, propofes that the people fhould meet in counties and in corporations to fcan the conduct of their reprefentatives, and to fend, I prefume, difregarded petitions to the throne for the diffolution of a body of men, whom the very nature of their trust muft render corrupt, and whofe fucceffors in office, fuch a trust continuing, must, from the very conftitution of human characters, be equally treacherous and equally formidable.

Our author does not forget to flatter his fovereign with the hopes, that were his party once taken into favour, the parfe of the people would be as prodigally facrificed to every luft of capricious

grandeur

grandeur and expence, as it is at prefent fuppofed to be, to the venal machinations of ftate policy. Such infamous flattery, could it have any effect on a wife and juft fovereign, was fitter for the royal ear than for public criticism.

The difappointments produced by the treachery of leaders, after any sharp, obftinate, or dangerous oppofition to government, are very pernicious to the freedom of fociety, by the langour which the want of confidence must neceffarily introduce in popular exertions. I would warn my countrymen from entering into any dangerous or even vigorous measures against the conduct of their prefent governours, without exacting a political creed from leaders, who, under the fpecious pretenfions of public zeal, are to all appearances only planning fchemes of private emolument and private.

ambition.'

Mrs. Macaulay, we perceive, comes, in the clofe of her work, to call for a political creed from all candidates for office. The writer, whom the criticifes, has given his, and the female politician has advanced her own. The public will judge between them, and will be able to decide whether they are both UTOPIAN; and, on the other hand, if both are practicable, which is the fitteft to be adopted: Non noftrum inter vos tantas componere lites. The lady will excuse a scrap of Latin, when we

affure her that no offence is intended.

Mrs. Macaulay's performance, upon the whole, is fpirited and well written; and the public are obliged to her for taking the field against fo formidable an antagonist as she has had to cope with; whofe arguments fhe has frequently refuted, and whofe fecret intentions fhe has often pointed out. We are convinced that Mrs. Macaulay, whether right in her reasonings of not, writes from principle; and this is a compliment which cannot be paid to many political writers.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.

14. The Conflitution defended, and Penfioner expofed; in Remarks on the Falfe Alarm. 8vo. Pr. 1s.

Dilly.

THIS "HIS political adversary makes his attack with, a fhew of respect and moderation: but tho' his remarks are sometimes plaufible and ingenious, they are feldom juft or conclufive. 15. Eolus: or the Conflitutional Politician; with Remarks of a Briton on the Trial of the Irish Chairmen ; a gentle Reproof to the Monthly Reviewers; and a free Conversation between an Elector and his Representative. 8vo. Pr. 35. ferved. Bladon.

The hero of this burlesque performance is Mr. Wilkes, who is represented in the attitude of Æolus, in Virgil Traveftie. ¿The ridicule, it may be imagined, is not of the most delicate kind: in the more argumentative parts, however, this letter is not deftitute of many juft and rational obfervations,

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16. An Oration delivered by the Rev. Mr. Horne, at a numeroUS Meeting of the Freeholders of Middlesex, assemblea at Mile-End Aembly-Room, March 30, 1770. to confider of an Address, Remonftrance, and Petition, to his Majefly, &c. 8vo. 8vo. Pr. 6d.

Wheeble.

This oration, with an account of the proceedings at the time of delivering it, having already appeared in many of the news papers, as well as in fome monthly publications, little need be faid of it here. Mr. Horne has difplayed no inconfi-. derable share of abilities as an orator; and, in fome inftances, a degree of candor and moderation, which fome people would hardly expect from him. We wish he had been confiftent throughout, and difplayed the fame impartiality in his long account of the affair of St. George's Fields, and particularly of the confequent trials. He is very fevere in his remarks upon a certain eminent perfonage of the law. But we confider these as invectives proceeding from the mifguided zeal of party-rage; and doubt not but our readers will be of the fame opinion.

17. A fhort Narrative of the horrid Massacre in Bofton, perpetrated in the Evening of the fifth Day of March, 1770. By Soldiers of the XXIXth Regiment, which with the XIVth Regiment were then quartered there: with fome Observations on the State of Things prior to that Catastrophe. To which is added, an Appendix, containing the feveral Depofitions referred to in the preceding Narrative; and also other Depositions relative to the Subject of it. 8vo. Pr. 2. Bingley.

The design of this narrative, originally published at Boston, and of the every-way difnal print in the front, is evidently to enflame, and keep up prejudices to their utmost extent. That unlucky affair, as if it had been a preconcerted conspiracy, like the flaughter of the Huguenots in France, and of the Proteftants in Ireland, is dignified with the appellation of a maffcre.—As far as we are able to judge, amidst the mist and darkness in which it is involved by the heated paffions of both fides, it appears to have been purely accidental; and to have been the confequence of the ill humour which had been long increafing between the townfimen of Boston, and the two regiments quartered there. But if credit can be given to a great majority of affidavits, which are no fewer than ninety-fix in number, there can be no doubt that captain P——— and his party were guilty of wilful and premeditated murder: though it must be remembered, that when people are inflamed to a certain degree, there is no difficulty in procuring evidences who will, even bona fide, prove any thing conformable to the prevailing difpofition of the times.

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1.8. Innocent Blood crying to God from the Streets of Boston. A Sermon occafioned by the borrid Murder of Meffieurs Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, and Crifpus Attucks, with Patrick Carr, fince dead, and Chriftopher Monk, judged irrecoverable, and feveral others badly wounded, by a Party of Troops under the Command of Captain Prefton: On the fifth of March, 1770, and preached the Lord's Day following. By John Lathrop, A. M. Pafter of the Second Church in Boston. 410. Pr. 1. Dilly.

• In

In confequence of a ridiculous fray, wherein both parties were blameable, a general tumult enfues; and in the midst of confufion, fear, and paffion, feveral people are killed. On the Sunday following, Mr. Lathrop preaches this discourse, which bears all the marks of a furious and intemperate zeal. nocent blood, fays he, in the title, cries to God from the ftreets of Boston.' In the motto, Curfed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel :' and in the Sermon, he exclaims in the following strain :

If any one by defign flay another, or any way cause an innocent perfon to be put to death, that innocent blood crieth unto God from the ground: it crieth for vengeance. It crieth to all who fee it, or hear of its being shed. It crieth to the murderer himself, and requires him to fubmit to justice, and receive his punishment. It crieth to those that are witnesses, and requires them to give faithful teltimony of what they know. Whoever knows of murder, and does not give information thereof, that the guilty may be brought to juftice, will have innocent blood crying for vengeance to fall upon him. Innocent blood crieth to the magiftrate, that the murderer be fecured and brought to trial; it crieth to the judges, and requires that they fee it avenged. And if innocent blood is not heard and avenged according to the ftriat requirements of the law of God and the laws of every good fyftem of civil government, it will continue to cry, not only against the murderer, but the government and land, which fuffers murderers to go unpunished.'

This language can only be paralleled by the harangues of the fanatical preachers in the days of Hudibras,

When gospel-trumpeter, furrounded
With long ear'd rout, to battle founded,

The town-clerk of Ephesus *, by his conduct in a popular tumult, feems to have been a much wifer man, and more worthy of the character of a preacher of peace, than this pastor of the fecond church in Boston.

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19. The Release of Barabbas; or, the Causes of popular Clamour and Difcontent confidered, in a Difcourfe on St. John, Ch. xviii. ver. 40. 410. Pr. 15. Baldwin.

The defign of this difcourfe is to exemplify the pernicious effects of popular faction, by the conduct of the Jews, when they furiously infifted on the crucifixion of Chrift, and the releafe of Barabbas. The ftile of this writer is animated; and his reflections feem to be the refult of real philanthropy. 20. Four Letters, from John Philips of Liverpool, to Sir William Meredith, on a very recent Occafion, 8vo. Pr. 1s. Wheeble. This publication arifes from a private quarrel between these gentlemen. A challenge is implied, and the lie direct given to the bt; but the world is left entirely in the dark, with respect to the nature of the offence, though it feems to have. been given in a certain affembly.

21. Ufage of holding Parliaments, and of preparing and passing Bills of Supply, in Ireland, flated from Record, Published by Authority. To which is added, Annotations, together with an Addrefs to bis Excellency George Lord Viscount Townshend, Lord Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland. By C. Lucas, M. D. One of the Reprefentatives of the City of Dublin in Parlement. 8vo. Pr. 15. Robinson and Roberts. This publication relates to a difpute of the greatest confequence, in Ireland, ftill undetermined, and about which the minds of men are extremely agitated. It would therefore be impertinent in us to pretend to determine. We fhall only mention one circumftance, which Dr. Lucas afferts to be true, leaving the reader to draw his own inferences from it.

The pamphlet, on account of which doctor Lucas addreffes lord Townshend, and to which he writes annotations, was originally advertised to be printed by the king's printer, and to be published by authority. It was actually printed, but never, properly speaking, publifhed; for it appears to have been with difficulty that Dr. Lucas procured a copy of it, which he has reprinted and publifhed-(with what view may be easily conjectured) in the manner fet forth in the above title.

22. The Summons for the 18th of April, 1770. A Poem. 4to. ́ Pr. 1s. 6d. Steidel.

A fatirical fummons for celebrating the enlargement of Mr. Wilkes; well aimed, indeed, but not iffued from the court of Parnaffus.

23. Hector. A dramatic Poem. 410. Pr. 21. 6d. Flexney.

This performance, confidered merely as a poem, has many beauties; but viewed in the light of a dramatic poem, may

be

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