act, and it has met its fate; how defervedly, let all reasonable men judge. You

know the numbers and the characters of thofe fingular friends to mere truth and liberty, who dared to appear in behalf of this repeal. There has not often been fo fair a trial of honour and integrity in a popular affembly; where all the reafon and right were fo plainly feen and felt to be on one fide, and fuch mere prejudice and intereft on the other. I dare fay, you will do me the juftice to allow, that my judgment and expectations of the perfons and principles that would appear in this caufe were well founded; and that the numbers and weight of our friends were as great as we hoped for. Give me leave now, by way of contraft, to draw up the prejudices and interefts in the oppofition: fuch as in fpeculation were to have been expected, and such as in fact appeared. This will make the repulse look more accountable, tho utterly irrational; and the appearance of the glorious friends of truth and liberty more confiderable and amiable.

IN the first rank of oppofition are to be reckoned all real Jacobites, and hearty enemies to our prefent happy establishment. These muft needs have an ill will to true liberty, and to every affectionate friend of the prefent government. The natural and juft right of fociety, as well as the cafe and favour of the best fubjects of a free confti

tution,

tution, will naturally be trampled upon and opposed by this fort of men. Let them act their part, and appear in every flavish and unjuft defign; it is all confiftent and natural. But let honeft and free men beware of them, and feek out every proper defence.

THE next fort of enemies are bigots and worldly hypocrites. I will not call them churchmen; they deferve not the name. Little fticklers for a legal faith and practice; or rather for the glories and incomes of a religious eftablishment: whofe holy zeal is fixed to a political fociety; and whofe heavenly affections are set upon the pomp of power and the gain of godliness. These people do well to watch the interefts and emoluments of their DIANA: for they may be fure every honest man and every friend to true religion is against them; how little foever they may be apprehenfive of their numbers and force. Thefe are the men whose principles (if ignorance and covetoufness may be fo called) muft ever stand in the way of truth and liberty, reafon and right. Where their influence prevails, honefty muft hide its head; and every civil and religious intereft muft fubmit to their luft of power and insatiable avarice.

ANOTHER and very confiderable set of people in the oppofition, are your true politicians of feveral forts. I mean thofe, who plainly fee and know the attempt to be right and juft in itfelf; and yet oppofe

it,

it, as hurtful to the publick peace, or the measures of the administration; or as ill-timed and out of season. These politicians should however in justice be diftinguished into two forts thofe who, from principles of benevolence and humanity, really defign the publick welfare and happiness, tho' in a miftaken way of oppofition to truth and reafon; and those who mean only the fupport of themselves and their own measures, both against justice and the real good of society, in contempt of right, and to please and fecure a selfish party, who are never contented, and who fubfift on the properties and liberties of their fellow-fubjects. The first fhould have all the allowance of ignorance and good-nature, who kindly intend the general happiness, in fpite of truth, right and juftice the latter fhould be regarded as a faithlefs crew, who would ferve any intereft with themselves, and facrifice not only their own confciences, but the common rights of men, to their own fecurity, and the infolent demand of an unrighteous tribe, who prevail on their vain hopes and flavish fears.

To these must be added a very large body of men in all focieties, who are utterly ignorant of truth and right, and quite unconcerned about the liberty and happiness of any. These one must always expect to be carried away by the least self-intereft, or even fashion of a majority: they are a fort of infects

infects that live in the fun-fhine of power, extremely fenfible and irrational; and being very minute, are attracted by a very small influence. But then, tho' they are of little or no weight in the moral or philofophical balance; they are, however, a fruitful generation, and creep by numbers into all affemblies; and there every animal of them infifts upon its individuality, and fwells a majority infenfibly.

THERE are alfo at all popular meetings fome, and perhaps a number, who are con fcious of truth and right, and whose characters depend upon preferving, at least, the appearance of that confcioufnefs; and yet their interefts and attachments are fo great and ftrong on the other fide, that they dare not pursue their real fentiments. Thefe one may expect, through corruption, to stand neuter, having an intereft ftrong on each fide; though they really are due to the fide of reason and juftice. They are indeed most unhappy wretches, who deferve neither the reward of virtue, nor the wages of unrighteousness; but are equally condemned to the forfeiture both of honour and profit.

AND now, Sir, give me leave to ask you, if all thefe ranks and orders of men will not more than account with you for the numerous majority that appeared against the repeal? Nay, will not the few that bravely owned the cause of truth and liberty feem to be a great and fignificant number, all

circumi

you

circumstances confidered? I believe, if reflect a little upon the cause itself, the motives that urged the attempt, the interefts and views that oppofed it, and the characters and reafonings of thofe that efpoufed it; you will hardly remember a greater publick inftance of zeal and refolution in the mere caufe of reason and truth ; and you will think that the friends of liberty have met with more than ordinary fuccefs; and have given fuch an open evidence of their integrity and fuch a weight to the intereft of li berty, as will not eafily be forgot by honeft men, nor forgiven by bigots and false politicians; much greater than if they had carried fo flight a point by the confused and mixed influence of a miniftry and a court.

FOR pray confider, the caufe was a bare matter of reafon and right, unattended with any profitable interests. The Diffenters had little or nothing to gain; infomuch, that I can affure you of a moft extraordinary fact the very Diffenters, as they are called, of a great town in the interest of a great man, were cool and backward in the attempt, left (would you believe it) the Quakers themselves, who I fuppofe are not fo thoroughly directed, fhould fhare in the common right and relief. So abfurdly will prejudice and selfishness work, and even pretend to reafon! There seems, indeed, to have been fome advantage to the present government propofed, by ftrengthening its friends;

but