plains the Joke for us; and endeavours to ridicule it in this pleafant Manner. But why three Brothers? What Crotchet hath the Man got in his Head now? It is certain that two Brothers have been long the Object of yours and your Coadjutor's Refentment; but for Shame don't increase your Reckoning at this Rate, &c.

Is it then always neceffary that Applications and Parallels (if This must pass for one) fhould run upon all Four? Or may not two Cafes be very much alike, tho' they do not agree in every particular Circumftance ? But, to go farther. Did this Writer then really never hear of any more than two Brothers, who have long been the Object of many People's Refentment? I fancy I could make a Shift, upon occafion, to point out four, or five; but fince three will ferve our prefent Purpose, and fince he will have the Joke out, I muft put him in mind of a certain, pragmatical Politicafter (to use his own choice Expreffion) who lately made an ever-memorable Trip to Hanover, in his Way to the Court of Stockholm. Nay, he was an Ambaffador too, like the three Fabit; and, like Them, was guilty of an Action, not altogether prudent, or difcreet.

The Obfervator hath one Remark more upon this Parallel of his own making, which we must not omit. He defires us to remember, in justice to the Fabii, that notwithstanding this particular Act of Rafnefs, there was no Family in the City, to which the Roman Greatnefs and Liberty owed more than to Theirs..

I presume He would have us apply this Obfervation to our English Fabii; but I think fuch a Task belongs more properly to the Advocates of that illuftrious Family, than either to Mr. Oldcastle or myself. We fhall therefore leave it to Them, and defy Them (as We have already done) to make the Application in a fingle Inftance.

I ask Pardon for having taken fo much Notice of this Writer; this arrant Trifler in Politicks; which

is more, I am fure, than my Friend Oldcastle would have taken, had He been in Town; but I was willing to fhew how ridiculous it was to appeal to Me in a Cafe of this Nature; or to have any Hopes of flattering the Craftsman over to his Cause, whilst the original Motives to this Undertaking continue, and feem to multiply upon us every Day.

There are two other Writers, who appear'd against Mr. Oldcastle laft Week; but They prevaricate fo egregioufly and in fo palpable a Manner, that They neither deserve, nor require any Answer. I will however condescend fo far as to make two general Obfervations on their Method of Reasoning; which are equally applicable to all their Coadjutors.

In the firft Place, it is remarkable that they conftantly misrepresent the Point in Dispute, by false Quotations, or Affertions; and then argue upon their own wrong State of the Question, which They call answering; by which Means They hope to impofe on ordinary Readers, and to divert us from the Pursuit of our general Defign; for We can no fooner difembroil the true State of the Argument from their clumfy Sophiftries, but They immediately endeavour to perplex it again in the fame Manner; and thus We might swell up Volumes in the Explanation of one particular Point (of no great Importance, perhaps, to the main Queftion) if We were difpos'd to follow Them in fuch a Wild-Goofe Chafe.

I could exemplify This by Inftances from every one of the Papers, now before me; but That would be paying Them too great a Compliment, and laying too fevere a Penance on the Reader.

In the next Place, it is obfervable that They are always complaining of Scurrility, Billinfgate and perfonal Abuse, whilst their own Writings confift of nothing else. The Obfervator Himfelf calls Mr. Oldcafle a Railer, a Slanderer, Scurra in Triviis, and se-

veral other polite Names, whilft He is appealing to Me against fcurrilous Language; and his Coadjutors obferve the fame Decorum and Confiftency. One of the Writers, juft mentioned, exclaims very loudly against ftigmatizing Gentlemen by Name; particularly that worthy Senator and Patriot, Sir W. Y. which He mentions as a Violation of the Privilege of Parliament. But hath not this Writer Himfelf taken the fame Liberty with Gentlemen of more confiderable Diftinction? Can He be ignorant that this Liberty was begun by bis Party, and hath been continued by Them with greater Latitude than it was ever practis'd by Us? Does He forget that feveral Members of the Minority have been mark'd out, by the initial Let ters of their Names, in the most opprobrious Manner, even during the Sitting of Parliament? If his Memory fails Him in thefe Points, let Him refresh it with reviewing the London Journal, the Flying Poft, and his other courtly Affiftants for two or three Years paft; and He will find this Liberty exercis'd by Them ten Times more often and more flagrantly, than He can fhew it to have been done by Us against his Favourite Sir W. Y. or any of his other Patrons.

But I fcorn to dwell on fuch Recriminations, however juft, becaufe They are needlefs. The Gentlemen injur'd have had ample Juftice done them in the good Opinion of the Publick which I am fure They efteem the best Jnftification of their Proceedings. Let thefe Writers therefore only keep. to the Point in Difpute, and I will promife to confider what They advance by Way of Argument, though they mix it up with as much dirty Invective and perfonal Abufe as They please; for it would be unreasonable to restrain Them from making Ufe of the only Salt and Embellishment, with which They have been able to quicken their Writings.

I cannot conclude this Paper without wishing my Friend, Mr. Oldcastle, all the Pleasures of the Seafon

during

during his Retirement in the Country, and Success in the Affairs, which call'd Him thither. I must likewise desire Him to accept of my thankful Acknowledgments, which I chufe to make in this publick Manner, of all his Favours. I fhall now fet about preparing his laft Papers for the Prefs; by which it will appear, from the English Hiftory, how neceffary it is to the Safety of this Nation to keep the Spirit of Liberty always alive, and how it differs from the Spirit of Faction.

I fhall only add (what, I believe, every Reader will allow) that however contemptible I may be reprefented myself, I have had the Honour of the best Advocates, as well as the Happiness of the worft Adverfaries, that any political Writer ever had, in the fame Station.

D.

SATURDAY,

N° 222. SATURDAY, October 2, 1730.

Some general Remarks on the English HiStory, from the Conqueft to this Time.

From the Minutes of Mr. OLDCASTLE.

F

INTRODUCTION.

EW Nations have gone through more Revolutions, few Goverments have appear'd more unsteady, or fluctuated more between Prerogative and Privilege than This of Great-Britain.

If we are Freemen, it is because the Spirit of Liberty has been never yet quite extinguish'd

among us.

We have been furprized, betray'd, forced, more than once, into Situations little better than That of downright Slavery. But thefe Ufurpations have not become Settlements. They have disorder'd the Frame, but not destroy'd the Principles of a free Government. Like cloudy Mornings, They have foon paffed over, and the Sun of Liberty has broke out again with double Force, and double Luftre.

It must be a Pleasure to reflect on that Uniformity of Spirit, which created and has conftantly preserved, or retrieved the original Freedom of the British and Saxon Conftitutions.

I feel a fecret Pride in thinking that I was born a Briton; when I confider that the Romans, thofe Ma

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