dream. Oh! but, the check was was all the change that forty owing merely to "a sudden tran-years had made. Now, all these "sition from war to peace."- consequences will take place as "The sun" (not the scene, as er- to this nation, let what will be roneous printed in the last Regis-done to prevent it, except the last, ter) of British prosperity was the mere transfer of the estate; "hidden for a moment, only to and that can be prevented only "re-appear in greater splendour by a successful war of the Land"than ever." These were the lords against the Fund-lords.words of the two "greatest states-Repealing of PEEL'S BILL; "men in the world," CASTLE-pushing the Paper out again; REAGH and CANNING. I saw adopting "the Ricardo Plan;" what was at work: I told the these, or any one of these, might, Landlords in 1814, 1815 and and would, arrest the progress of 1816, when they were bawling the thing a little; but, at last, all for Corn-Bills, to "look at the these consequences must come, "Old Lady in Threadneedle-except the last; except the mere "Street," and they would find, that no Corn-Bills would counteract her tricks. She was just then beginning that series of measures, which Providence had provided for their just punishment; for, if real causes of the low-price of we look through the world, we your wages. The taxes are so shall find, that it is, nine times great, that they leave not bread out of ten, the sinner that is em-sufficient for you, unless a part of ployed as the instrument in pu- your meal come out of the masnishing the sinner.

The village gentleman ceased to have bank-notes to expend, and the village fell into decay; a stagnation took place first; af terwards a gradual reverting to its former state; and, at last, after much ruin and great suffering amongst individuals, the village had a new gentleman, and that

transfer of the land; and that must come, too, unless a sponge, or something very much like a sponge, be applied to the Debt.

These, my friends, are the

ter's property already realized. The weight of the taxes fall on all, and leave their pressure on all except those who eat taxes; that is to say, whose incomes come out of taxes. Lord Sidmouth's salary, for instance, will buy twice as much wheat as it bought some years ago. His expenditure is, of course, larger; his servants

live better; he, therefore, draws sense, to look aloft for the real twice as much as he did from the cause, and not go grubbing about productive classes. It is the same after it in the dispositions and with all placemen, pensioners, tempers of traders, who always sinecure people, judges, police- do, because they always must, people, soldiers, sailors, and fund-consult, and strictly follow, their lords. Must not this be felt? own interests; and, above all Must not those, who do not eat things, it becomes not you' to surtaxes, feel this? And, while render your understandings, and this great and furious and deso- become the sportof selfishwretches, lating cause is at work, does it who, to keep you from making become you to be made to believe, your just demand upon the rates, that your sufferings are wholly offer you a paltry bibe cut of disconnected with politics; and, these rates, under the guise of that your masters, who suffer, and humanity and charity; and also must suffer, along with other tax- the sport of other selfish wretches, payers, refuse to give you wages who, while they wallow in luxury that they can afford to give, coming from taxes raised partly though it is manifestly their press- on you, would direct your anger ing interest to act in a contrary towards your masters and turn it way? I know nothing of those aside from what they call " polimasters; I never knew one of" tical causes."

I

them in my life; I shall never Unless I am wrong in all that know one of them; if they were all I have said here, your sufferings to be knocked in the head to-mor- are to be ascribed solely to political row, though I should be ashamed causes; and, let the canters say of my country on that account, what they will, it is your business I should not lose a farthing by to inquire into those causes. their destruction. They may, see that collections have been too, for aught I know, be, all of made for you at Methodist Chathem, as haughty, as insolent, as pels. Very well. I have no obunfeeling, as the Cotton Lords; jection to this. If by the turn-out they may all be bitter persecutors you can better your lot, I am of Reformers; they may be as glad of it, whether your masters much enemies of me as the men suffer or not; because the good who sent a man to jail, at Bolton, of many is to be preferred to the in Lancashire, and kept him in good of a few. Therefore, whejail ten weeks, for having gone ther the thing be wise or not, the round that town with a bill to tell motive of the collections at Chathe people, that "their country- pe's is, doubtless, good; because man, William Cobbett, had the congregations cannot, as in "arrived at Liverpool in good the case of parishes, profit from health" they may, for any what you may be able to obtain thing that I know, be all this; from your masters. But, as I but, at the same time, you ought see "Reverend Gentlemen" ennot to entertain false notions as gaged in this work of collecting, to the real cause of your suffer- may I hope, that they are not mgs; you ought, like men of amongst those, who ex-communi

66

cate their people for being Re-[it do not become you to make informers? May I hope, that they quires upon this subject; if you have been as ready to visit the be to remain mute here; if you imprisoned, and to collect for be tò feel and not ascertain the them? Or, am I, taking your cause; if this be forbidden to pretended Advocate, HUMANUS, you, of what use is your reason? for one of those Reverend Per-Are you to go on suffering, unsons, to believe, that they, like til, in the language of your prehim, deprecate your thinking tended Advocate, "there is noabout politics; exhort you to be" thing left but what a righteous contented with the "wholesome God, who beholds with equal "principles of good government"" eye the rich and the poor, may now in force, and caution you 66 see fit, in his Providence, to against "Artful and designing" provide for his creatures in such men, who are actively engaged an extremity." Was there "in taking advantage of your ever such cant, such stupid eant "distress to sow, in your minds as this, addressed before to ra"discontent as to those principles?" tional beings? If your depenIf I am to consider them in this dence be on God (without any light, I pronounce them to be exertions of your own) why do artful and designing and selfish you stir at all? If, in this way, impostors; or else, the most ig-you expect relief, why drag wagnorant of all mankind. gons about the country? Nay, What! you are in misery, how come you to want relief at steeped to the very lips, and these all? How came Providence to men forbid you to inquire into the suffer you to be poor and to go to cause! You see the whole na- bed hungry? Oh, no! It is not tion (with the aforementioned ex-in this way that the God of all ceptions) in deep suffering. You nature order things. He sees, see the Parliament plied minutely indeed, with equal eye with cries of distress, from all the poor; but he interferes not quarters and corners of the king-to make them equal. That is a dom. You are in distress too; plain case, or you would be as and, these foolish or insincere rich as your Masters. Your men tell you that you are not to clothes may go to the pawnask a word about the great and broker's still, and you will begeneral cause; while they endea- come stark naked, I assure you, vour to misguide your judgment, if you be deluded by cant like and to fix your resentment where this. If you wait to be fed by it is not, because it cannot, be the ravens, you will become skeletons to a certainty. Ravens The causes have been truly do not bring dinners now, nor do stated to you by me; and, does asses speak to warn us of danger, it not become you to inquire how though, really, one might almost the effects can be mitigated; how expect as good advice from an the pressure may be made less ass as from this councillor of the heavy to you; how the suffering Stocking-makers. Yes, God is may be rendered less severe? If righteous, my friends; much too

due!

the rich and

righteous to allot wisdom of action God not send them the means of furnishing you with food and raiment; but, he does not send them the means of thus furnishing themselves; for, they fail not to apply to you for your weekly pennies; and they help to pro

Turn, then, I pray you, my

men, who do, because they must, though in fortune, while yours is in belly and back, suffer as well as yourselves. Turn from these really" artful and designing " men," and listen to truth and sober sense.

to those who turn their back upon reason and common sense; much too righteous to allot relief to those, who, wanting bread, will not pursue the means which reason points out for getting it. Yes, yes; God views rich and poor duce that very poverty, from with an equal eye: that is to say, which they profess so anxious a he gives reason and bodily facul-desire to see you relieved. ties to both; and it is for both to make use of these for the main-countrymen, from these sons of tenance or the acquirement of cant; these men who would detheir rights. God acts by "ge- prive you of the use of reason, "neral, and not by partial laws." that best gift of God; and would If we be low and degraded the make submissive to themselves and fault is our own, or it is that of the system, while they are endeasomebody else; and, it is a misera-vouring to inflame you against ble excuse for our negligence, or folly to pretend that the fault is God's, which, in fact, we do, if we affect to wait for him to deliver us, without any exertion of our own. It is this silly, and really impious, cant that has, more than almost any thing, tended to You see, then, that the sufferdegrade the people of this coun- ing is general. You see that the try. The system has, amongst cause is general. You see how other things, thrown the people it has been created. And you see, into the hands of designing that there can be no relief, until knaves, who pick a living out of the cause be effectually removed, their miseries, by preaching, or When was it before known, that prating, about the efficacy of in- peace, especially after a long war, ward light, and God knows what; did not bring prosperity? It is. and who are the fast friends of natural, that when a waste of the system, and the bitter enemies public treasure ceases, when the of every exertion to alter it. Was duties attached to a state of war it ever yet known, that nations, ceases, when the losses occasioned or individuals, prospered without by war are put an end to; it is nausing the means, and the human tural that a people should be betmeans too, of attaining prosperity? ter off, should be easier and hapAnd how, then, are you to ex-pier. Yet, the reverse of this, gepect your lot to be bettered, ex-nerally speaking, has been the case cept by such means? If these canting fellows can feed and clothe you by supernatural means, why do they not do it? Not only do they not feed you; not only does

with us. The taxes, that enormous load upon those who labour, have been increased, instead of dimi nished. For, though taxes have been taxen off, the real amount

of the remainder has been dou- [diers, sailors, tax-gatherers, and bled by acts of the parliament, fund-lords were, when they receive raising the value of the money. their allowances, to send half of it This is the cause of the distress. [back to be divided, in due proSo large a portion is taken from portions according to their paythose who labour to be given to ments of taxes, amongst those those who do not labour, that the who have paid the taxes. Would former have hardly enough to you not feel the benefit of this? sustain life. Hence all the pa- Must you not suffer, then, from rish regulations for allowances the taking away the tax money? proportioned to the number of And, the real fact is, that the children; hence all the schemes taxes have been doubled, and the for confining the labourers to the tax-eaters do receive double of quantity of food necessary to sus-what they received five years ago. tain existence and no more.

You cannot bear this. You must What! And will your canting have assistance; you must have advocate say, that you ought not something to make up for this adto meddle with politics, then? ditional drain; and whence are And, will you shut your ears you to have it, but from the land, against sense and reason at his that out of which all arises, that command, and for fear he should which is held by individuals upon send you to the devil for enter- the condition, that they provide taining "political discontent?" for the indigent and helpless. Politics means public affairs; and, You are to live: you are not to if you have no discontent on this be starved: you have a right to score, for God's sake hold your food and raiment if helpless, or tongues, and go back to your if, by due labour, you cannot obmiserable hovels and put your-tain it. This is the condition selves to bed and pawn the rags upon which the land is held; and, that are now on your backs. If if the Landlords, they who have, you cannot see, that all the tax-and who always must have, the eaters have now full double what they had five years ago; if you cannot see, that their having double must cause you to have less; or if, seeing this, you be quite content on the score of public matters, you are even lower in the scale of the creation than your pretended advocate has represented you to be. If you cannot see, that what another takes from, and consumes, cannot be left to be consumed by yourselves, you really are too low in the creation to be treated as human beings.

powers of Government in their hands, wish that the demands of the poor should be light, it is for them to take care not to suffer the poor to be so burdened with taxes as to compel them, when able and willing to work, to come for relief. The taxes it is that makes the poverty and misery; and, if the Landlords impose those taxes, let their land answer for it.

This is the common-sense view of the matter; and this view will, I hope, have due impression upon you. The wish, which your ad

Suppose that the placemen, pensioners, sinecure people, sol-vocate says you entertain, not to