upon the moft ordinary Affairs of Life, and which is fo fuitable to the Delicacy of her Sex, the Politeness of her Education, and the Splendor of her Quality.

It would be vain to think of drawing into the compafs of this Paper the many eminent Virtues which adorn the Character of this Great Princefs: But as it is one chief End of this Undertaking to make the People fenfible of the Bleffings which they enjoy under His Majefty's Reign, I could not but lay hold on this Opportunity to fpeak of That which ought in Juftice to be reckoned among the greatest of them.

N° 22

Monday, March 5.

Studiis rudis, fermone barbarus, impetu ftrenuus, manu promptus, cogitatione celer.

Vell. Paterc.

Unpolitely educated, expressing himself in vulgar Language, boisterous, eager at a Fray, and over-bafty in taking up an Opinion.

OR the Honour of His Majefty, and the Safety of His Government, we cannot but obferve, that thofe, who have appear'd the greatest Enemies to both, are of that Rank of Men, who are commonly diftinguished by the Title of FoxHunters. As feveral of these have had no part of their Education in Cities, Camps, or Courts, it is doubtful whether they are of greater Ornament of Use to the Nation in which they live. It would be an everlasting Reproach to Politicks, hould fuch Men be able to overturn an Establifh

ment

ment which has been formed by the wifeft Laws, and is fupported by the ableft Heads. The wrong Notions and Prejudices which cleave to many of thefe Country-Gentlemen, who have always lived out of the way of being better informed, are not eafy to be conceived by a Person who has never conversed with them.

That I may give my Readers an Image of thefe Rural Statefmen, I fhall, without farther Preface, fet down an Account of a Difcourfe I chanced to have with one of them fome time ago. I was travelling towards one of the remoteft Parts of England, when about three o'Clock in the Afternoon, seeing a Country-Gentleman trotting before me with a Spaniel by his Horfe's Side, I made up to him. Our Converfation opened, as ufual, upon the Weather; in which we were very unanimous, having both agreed that it was too dry for the Seafon of the Year. My FellowTraveller, upon this, obferved to me, there had been no good Weather fince the Revolution. I was a little ftartled at fo extraordinary a Remark, but would not interrupt him till he proceeded to tell me of the fine Weather they used to have in King Charles the Second's Reign. I only answered, that I did not fee how the Badness of the Weather could be the King's Fault; and, without waiting for his Reply, asked him, whose House it was we faw upon a rifing Ground at a little distance from us. He told me it belonged to an old Fanatical Cur, Mr. Such-a-one, You must have heard of him, fays he, He's one of the Rump. I knew the Gentleman's Character upon hearing his Name, but affured him, that to my Knowledge he was a good Churchman: Ay! fays he with a kind of Surprife, We are told in the Country, that he spoke twice in the Queen's Time again

G 2

taking

taking off the Duties upon French Claret. This naturally led us into the Proceedings of late Parliaments, upon which Occafion he affirmed roundly, that there had not been one good Law paffed fince King William's Acceffion to the Throne, except the Act for preferving the Game. I had a mind to fee him out, and therefore did not care for contradicting him. Is it not hard, fays he, that boneft Gentlemen should be taken into Custody of Meffengers to prevent them from acting according to their Confciences? But, fays he, what can we expect when a Parcel of Factious Sons of Whores-He was going on in great Paffion, but chanced to mifs his Dog, who was amufing himself about a Bush that grew at fome diftance behind us. We ftood ftill till he had whistled him up; when he fell into a long Panegyrick upon his Spaniel, who feem'd indeed excellent in his kind: But I found the most remarkable Adventure of his Life was, that he had once like to have worried a Diffenting-Teacher. The Mafter could hardly fit on his Horfe for laughing all the while he was giving me the Particulars of this Story, which I found had mightily endeared his Dog to him, and, as he himself told me, had made him a great Favourite among all the honeft Gentlemen of the Country. We were at length diverted from this Piece of Mirth by a Poft-Boy, who winding his Horn at us, my Companion gave him two or three Curfes, and left the way clear for him. I fancy, faid I, that Poft brings News from Scotland. I fhall long to fee the next Gazette. Sir, fays he, I make it a Rule never to believe any of your printed News. We never fee, Sir, how Things go, except now and then in "Dyer's Letter, and I read that more for the Style than the News. The Man has a clever Pen it

must

must be own'd. But is it not ftrange that we Should be making War upon Church-of England Men, with Dutch and Swifs Soldiers, Men of Antimonarchical Principles? Thefe Foreigners will never be loved in England, Sir; they have not that Wit and Good-breeding that we have. I must confefs, I did not expect to hear my new Acquaintance value himself upon these Qualifications; but finding him fuch a Critick upon Foreigners, I ask'd him, if he had ever travelled? He told me, he did not know what Travelling was good for, but to teach a Man to ride the Great Horse, to jabber French, and to talk against Paffive-Obedience: To which he added, that he fcarce ever knew a Traveller in his Life who had not forfook his Principles, and loft his Hunting-Seat. For my part, fays he, I and my Father before me have always been for Paffive-Obedience, and fhall be always for oppofing a Prince who makes ufe of Minifters that are of another Opinion. But where do you intend to Inn to-night? (for we were now come in fight of the next Town) I can help you to a very good Landlord, if you will go along with me. He's a lufty jolly Fellow, that lives well, at least three Yards in the Girth, and the beft Church-of-England Man upon the Road. I had the Curiofity to fee this High-Church Innkeeper, as well as to enjoy more of the Converfation of my Fellow-Traveller, and therefore readily confented to fet our Horfes together for that Night. As we rode Side by Side through the Town, I was let into the Characters of all the principal Inhabitants whom we met in our way. One was a Dog, another a Whelp, another a Cur, and another the Son of a Bitch, under which feveral Denominations were comprehended all that voted on the Whig-Side in the laft Election

of Burgeffes. As for those of his own Party, he diftinguished them by a Nod of his Head, and asking them, how they did by their Chriftian Names. Upon our Arrival at the Inn, my Companion fetched out the jolly Landlord, who knew him by his Whistle. Many Endearments and private Whispers paffed between them; tho' it was eafy to fee, by the Landlord's scratching his Head, that Things did not go to their Wilhes. The Landlord had fwell'd his Body to a prodigious Size, and work'd up his Complexion to a ftanding Crimson by his Zeal for the Prosperity of the Church, which he exprefs'd every Hour of the Day, as his Customers drop'd in, by repeated Bumbers. He had not time to go to Church himself, but, as my Friend told me in my Ear, had headed a Mob at the pulling down of two or three Meeting-houfes. While Supper was preparing, he enlarged upon the Happiness of the neighbouring Shire; For, fays he, there is fearce a Presbyterian in the whole Country, except the Bishop. In fhort, I found by his Difcourfe that he had learned a great deal of Politicks, but not one Word of Religion, from the Parfon of his Parish; and indeed, that he had scarce any other Notion of Religion, but that it confifted in Hating Presbyterians. I had a remarkable Inftance of his Notions in this Particular. Upon feeing a poor decrepit old Woman pafs under the Window where he fat, he defired me to take notice of her; and afterwards informed me, that The was generally reputed a Witch by the Country People, but that, for his part, he was apt to believe, fhe was a Presbyterian.

Supper was no fooner ferved in, than he took occafion, from a Shoulder of Mutton that lay before us, to cry up the Plenty of England, which

would