historical Account of Affairs and Events in England" for about an hundred Years paft.

THIS Converfation was not ended under five Audiences, each of feveral Hours; and the King heard the whole with great Attention; frequently taking Notes of what I fpoke, as well as Memorandums of what Queftions he intended to ask me.

vancements.

WHEN I had put an end to these long Difcourfes, i his Majefty, in a fixth Audience, confulting his Notes, propofed many Doubts, Queries, and Objections, upon every Article. He asked, what Methods were used to cultivate the Minds and Bodies of our young Nobility; and in what kind of Bufinefs they commonly spent the firft and teachable Part of their Lives. What Courfe was taken to fupply that Affembly, when any noble Family became extinct. What Qualifications o = were neceffary in those who are to be created new Lords: Whether the Humour of the Prince, a Sum of Money to a Court-Lady, or a Prime Minister; or a Defign of ftrengthening a Party oppofite to the publick Intereft, ever happened to be Motives in thofe AdWhat Share of Knowledge those Lords! had in the Laws of their Country, and how they came by it, fo as to enable them to decide the Properties of their Fellow-Subjects in the laft Refort. Whether they were always fo free from Avarice, Partialities, or Want, that a Bribe, or fome other finifter View could have no Place among them. Whether thofe holy. Lords I fpoke of, were conftantly promoted to that Rank upon account of their Knowledge in religious" Matters, and the Sanctity of their Lives, had never been Compliers with the Times, while they were common Priefts; or flavish proftitute Chaplains to fome Nobleman, whofe Opinions, they continued fervilely to follow after they were admitted into that Assembly. He then defired to know, what Arts were practised in electing those whom I call Commoners, Whether a Stranger with a strong Purfe might not influence the vulgar Voters to chufe him before their own Landlords, or the most confiderable Gentleman in the Neighbourhood.

hood. How it came to pass, that the People were fo. violently bent upon getting into this Affembly, which I allowed to be a great Trouble and Expence, often to the Ruin of their Families, without any Salary or Penfion: Because this appeared fuch an exalted Strain of Virtue and publick Spirit, that his Majefty feemed to doubt it might poffibly not be always fincere: And he defired to know, whether fuch zealous Gentlemen could have any Views of refunding themfelves for the Charges and Trouble they were at, by facrificing the publick Good to the Defigns of a weak and vitious Prince, in conjunction with a corrupted Ministry. He multiplied his Queftions, and fifted me thoroughly upon every Part of this Head; propofing numberless Inquiries and Objections which I think it not prudent or convenient to repeat.

UPON what I faid in relation to our Courts of Justice, his Majefty defired to be fatisfied in feveral Points: And this I was the better able to do, having been formerly almoft ruined by a long Suit in Chancery, which was decreed for me with Cofts. He afked, what Time was usually spent in determining between Right and Wrong and what Degree of Expence. Whether Advocates and Orators had Liberty to plead in Caufes manifeftly known to be unjuft, vexatious, or oppreffive. Whether Party in Religion or Politicks were obferved to be of any Weight in the Scale of Juftice. Whether those pleading Orators were Perfons educated in the general Knowledge of Equity; or only in provincial, national, and other local Cuftoms. Whether they or their Judges had any Part in penning thofe Laws, which they affumed the Liberty of interpreting and gloffing upon at their Pleasure. Whether they had ever at different Times pleaded for and against the fame Caufe and cited Precedents to prove contrary Opinions, Whether they were a rich or a poor Corporation. Whether they received any pecuniary Reward for pleading or delivering their Opinions. And particularly whether they were ever admitted as Members in the lower Senate.

HE

He fell next upon the Management of our Treafury; and faid, he thought my Memory had failed me, because I computed our Taxes at about five or fix Millions a Year; and when I came to mention the Iffues, he found they fometimes amounted to more than double; for the Notes he had taken were very particular in this Point; because he hoped, as he told me, that the Knowledge of our Conduct might be useful to him; and he could not be deceived in his Calculations. But, if what I told him were true, he was still at a Lofs how a Kingdom could run out of its Estate like a private Perfon. He asked me, who were our Creditors? and where we found Money to pay them? He wondered to hear me talk of fuch chargeable and extensive Wars; that certainly we must be a quarrelfome People, or live among very bad Neighbours ; and that our Generals must needs be richer than our Kings. He asked, what Business we had out of our own Iflands, unlefs upon the Score of Trade or Treaty, or to defend the Coafts with our Fleet. Above all, he was amazed to hear me talk of a mercenary ftanding Army in the Midft of Peace, and among a free People. He faid, if we were governed by our own Confent in the Perfons of our Reprefentatives, he could not imagine of whom we were afraid, or against whom we were to fight; and would hear my Opinion, whether a private Man's Houfe might not better be defended by himfelf, his Children, and Family, than by half a dozen Rafcals picked up at a Venture in the Streets, for fmall Wages, who might get an hundred times more by cutting their Throats.

He laughed at my odd Kind of Arithmetic, (as he was pleased to call it) in reckoning the Numbers of our People by a Computation drawn from the feveral Sects among us in Religion and Politicks. He faid, he knew no Reason, why those who entertain Opinions prejudicial to the Publick, fhould be obliged to change, or fhould not be obliged to conceal them. And as it was Tyranny in any Government to require the firft, fo it was a Weaknefs not to enforce the feVOL. III.

M

cond:

cond: For a Man may be allowed to keep Poisons in his Clofet, but not to vend them about as Cordials.

HE obferved, that among the Diverfions of our Nobility and Gentry, I had mentioned Gaming. He defired to know at what Age this Entertainment was ufually taken up, and when it was laid down. How much of their Time it employed; whether it ever went fo high as to affect their Fortunes. Whether mean vitious People, by their Dexterity in that Art, might not arrive at great Riches, and fometimes keep our very Nobles in Dependence, as well as habituate them to vile Companions; wholly take them from the Improvement of their Minds, and force them, by the Loffes they received, to learn and practise that infamous Dexterity upon others.

He was perfectly aftonished with the hiftorical Account I gave him of our Affairs during the laft Century; protefting it was only an Heap of Confpiracies, Rebellions, Murders, Maffacres, Revolutions, Banishments; the very worft Effects that Avarice, Faction, Hypocrify, Perfidioufnefs, Cruelty, Rage, Madness, Hatred, Envy, Luft, Malice, and Ambition could produce.

His Majefty, in another Audience, was at the Point to recapitulate the Sum of all I had spoken; compared the Queftions he made with the Answers I had given; then taking me into his Hands, and froaking me gently, delivered himself in thefe Words, which I fhall never forget, nor the Manner he spoke them in. My little Friend Grildrig, you have made a most admirable Panegyrick upon your Country. You have clearly proved that Ignorance, Idlenefs and Vice are the proper Ingredients for qualifying a Legiflator. That Laws are beft explained, interpreted, and applied by thofe whofe Intereft and Abilities ly in perverting, confounding, and eluding them. I obferve among you fome Lines of an Inftitution, which in its Original might have been tolerable; but thefe half erafed, and the reft wholly blurred and blotted by Corruptions. It doth not appear from all you have

faid, how any one Perfection is required towards the Procurement of any one Station among you; much less that Men are ennobled on account of their Virtue, that Priefts are advanced for their Piety or Learning, Soldiers for their Conduct or Valour, Judges for their Integrity, Senators for the Love of their Country, or Counsellors for their Wisdom. As for yourself, (continued the King) who have spent the greatest Part of your Life in travelling, I am well difpofed to hope you may hitherto have efcaped many Vices of your Country. But, by what I have ga thered from your own Relation, and the Anfwers I have with much Pains wringed and extorted from you, I cannot but conclude the Bulk of your Natives, to be the moft pernicious Race of little odious Vermin, that Nature ever fuffered to crawl upon the Surface of the Earth.

The Author's Love of his Country. He makes a Propofal of much Advantage to the King, which is rejected. The King's great Ignorance in Politicks. The Learn ing of that Country very imperfect and confined. The Laws and military Affairs, and Pärties in the State.

TOTHING but an extreme Love of Truth could have hindered me from concealing this Part of my Story. It was in vain to discover my Refentments, which were always turned into Ridicule : And I was forced to rest with Patience, while my noble and most beloved Country was fo injurioufly treated. I am as heartily forry as any of my Readers can poffibly be, that fuch an Occafion was given: But this Prince happened to be fo curious and inquifitive upon every Particular, that it could not confift either with Gratitude or good Manners, to refuse giving him what Satisfaction I was able. Yet thus much I may be allowed to fay in my own Vindication, that I artfully M 2eluded