it has kept from engaging in fo defperate an Enterprise, with the many Lives it has preserved, and the Defolations it has prevented.

For these and many other Reasons the Reprefentatives of Great-Britain in Parliament could never have answered it to the People they reprefent, who have found fuch great Benefits from the Sufpenfion of the Habeas Corpus Act, and without it must have felt fuch fatal Confequences, had they not in a Cafe of such great Neceffity made ufe of this customary, legal, and reafonable Method for fecuring His Majefty on the Throne, and their Country from Misery or Ruin.

N° 17 Friday, February 17.

Hic Niger eft: hunc tu, Romane, caveto.
Hor. Sat. 4. 1. 1. v. 85.

This Man's a Knave; befure, beware of him.

WE

CREECH.

E are told, that in Turkey, when any Man is the Author of notorious Falfhoods, it is ufual to blacken the whole Front of his House. Nay we have fometimes heard that an Ambaffador, whofe Bufinefs it is (if I may quote his Character in Sir Henry Wooton's Words) to lye for the Good of his Country, has fometimes had this Mark fet upon his Houfe; when he has been detected in any piece of feigned Intelligence, that has prejudiced the Government, F

and

and mifled the Minds of the People. One cou'd almoft wifh that the Habitations of fuch of our own Countrymen, as deal in Forgeries detrimental to the Publick, were diftinguished in the fame manner; that their Fellow-Subjects might be cautioned not to be too eafy in giving credit to them. Were fuch a Method put in practice, this Metropolis wou'd be ftrangely checquer'd; fome entire Parishes wou'd be in Mourning, and several Streets darken'd from one End to the other.

But I have given my Thoughts in two preceding Papers, both on the Inventors and the Believers of these publick Falfhoods and Calumnies, and fhall here fpeak of that Contempt with which they are and ought to be received by thofe in high Stations, at whom they are levell'd. Any Perfon indeed, who is zealous for promoting the Intereft of his Country, muft conquer all that Tendernefs and Delicacy which may make him afraid of being fpoken ill of; or his Endeavours will often produce no lefs Uncafiness to himself, than Benefit to the Publick. Among a People who indulge themselves in the utmoft Freedoms of Thought and Speech, a Man muft either be infignificant, or able to bear an undeserved Reproach. A true Patriot may

comfort himself under the Attacks of Falfhood and Obloquy, from feveral Motives and Reflexions.

In the first place he should confider, that the chief of his Antagonists are generally acted by a Spirit of Envy; which wou'd not rise against him, if it were not provoked by his Defert. A Statefman, who is poffeft of real Merit, fhould look upon his political Cenfurers with the fame Neglect, that a good Writer regards his Criticks;

who

who are generally a Race of Men that are not able to discover the Beauties of a Work they examine, and deny that Approbation to others, which they never met with themselves. Patriots therefore fhou'd rather rejoice in the Success of their honest Designs, than be mortified by those who mifrepresent them.

They fhou'd likewife confider, that not only Envy, but Vanity has a fhare in the Detraction of their Adverfaries. Such Afperfions therefore do them Honour, at the fame time that they are intended to leffen their Reputation. They fhou'd reflect, That thofe, who endeavour to ftir up the Multitude against them, do it to be thought confiderable; and not a little applaud themselves in a Talent that can raife Clamours out of nothing, and throw a Ferment among the People, by Murmurs or Complaints, which they know in their own Hearts are altogether groundless. There is a pleafant Inftance of this nature recorded at length in the first Book of the Annals of Tacitus. When a great part of the Roman Legions were in a Difpofition to mutiny, an impudent Varlet, who was a private Centinel, being mounted upon the Shoulders of his FellowSoldiers, and refolved to try the Power of his Eloquence, addrefied himself to the Army in all the Poftures of an Orator, after the following manner: You have given Liberty to thefe miferable Men; faid he, (pointing to fome Criminals whom they had rescued) but which of you can reStore Life to my Brother? Who can give me back my Brother? He was murder'd no longer ago than laft Night, by the Hands of thofe Ruffians, who are entertained by the General to butcher the poor Soldiery. Tell me, Blæfus, (for that was the Name of the General, who was then fitting on the Tribu

F 2

nal)

nal) tell me, Where haft thou caft his dead Body? An Enemy does not grudge the Rites of Burial. When I have tired myself with kiffing his cold Corps, and weeping over it, order me to be flain upon it. All I ask of my Fellow-Soldiers, fince we both die in their Caufe, is that they wou'd lay me in the fame Grave with my Brother. The whole Army was in an Uproar at this moving Speech, and refolved to do the Speaker Juftice, when, upon Enquiry, they found that he never had a Brother in his Life, and that he had stirred up the Sedition only to fhew his Parts.

Publick Minifters would likewife do well to confider, that the principal Authors of fuch Reproaches, as are caft upon them, are those who have a mind to get their Places: And as for a Cenfure arifing from this Motive, it is in their Power to escape it when they please, and turn it upon their Competitors. Malecontents of an inferior Character are acted by the fame Principle; for fo long as there are Employments of all Sizes, there will be Murmurers of all Degrees. I have heard of a Country-Gentleman, who made a very long and melancholy Complaint to the late Duke of Buckingham, when he was in great Power at Court, of feveral publick Grievances. The Duke, after having given him a very patient Hearing, My dear Friend, faid he, this is but too true; but I have thought of an Expedient which will fet all Things right, and that very foon. His Country Friend asked him, what it was? You must know, fays the Duke, there's a Place of Five Hundred Pounds a Year fallen this very Morning, which I intend to put you in Poffef fion of. The Gentleman thanked his Grace, went away fatisfied, and thought the Nation the happieft under Heaven, during that whole Ministry.

But

But farther, every Man in a publick Station ought to confider, that, when there are two different Parties in a Nation, they will fee things in different Lights. An Action, however conducive to the Good of our Country, will be represented by the Artful, and appear to the Ignorant as prejudicial to it. Since I have here, according to the ufual Liberty of Effay-writers, rambled into feveral Stories, I fhall fetch one to my prefent purpose out of the Perfian Hiftory. We there read of a virtuous young Emperor, who was very much afflicted to find his Actions mifconftrued and defamed by a Party among his Subjects that favoured another Intereft. As he was one Day fitting among the Minifters of his Divan, and amufing himself, after the Eastern manner, with the Solution of difficult Problems and Ænigmas, he propofed to them, in his t turn, the following one: What is the Tree that bears three hundred and fixty-five Leaves, which are all Black on the one fide, and White on the other? His Grand Vifier immediately replied, it was the Year which confifted of three hundred and fixty-five Days and Nights: But, Sir, fays he, permit me at the fame time to take notice, that thefe Leaves reprefent your Actions, which carry different Faces to your Friends and Enemies, and will always appear black to those who are refolved only to look upon the wrong Side of

'em.

A Virtuous Man therefore, who lays out his Endeavours for the Good of his Country, fhould never be troubled at the Reports which are made of him, fo long as he is conscious of his own Integrity. He should rather be pleased to find People defcanting upon his Actions, because, when they are thoroughly canvaffed and examined, they