TRUE honour is nothing but virtue with a hew name, and is as fixed and immutable, as the divine Being that infpires it: it may indeed, and must put on different habits, and appear in different lights, as times and circumstances vary, but in itself it is always the fame thing, and will never floop to those dark and mean condefcentions, which are characteristicks of the little corrupt heart; there is a native majesty in virtue, that cannot bear this.

You need not, Gentlemen, be in any pain for your modefty; we mean not to coft you even a fingle blush; for although part of our province be to commend merit, wherever we find it, yet we chufe not to be premature, and shall leave it to futurity, to blow the full trumpet to your fame.

THE venal panegyrift is a creature of a quite different complexion: he leaves it not to time to fix the character, but anticipates it; he draws not from life, but fancy, and thus forms

A faultless monster, which the world ne'er faw:

and yet behold! the little vain foul fwallows all down as his own, and thinks it no more than a handfome likeness.

You, Gentlemen, have too much good sense not to fee too much merit not to despise the feeble aids of fuch prostituted fcriblers; you pierce through all their thin disguises, and difcern clearly, that in addreffing others, they mean nothing but themselves, and offer incenfe only to steal off with the golden cenfer.

AWAY

AWAY then, ye hireling-tribe; to your dark and dirtygarre ts; wife and good men have no bufinefs for you; and thofe marks of honour which many large communities, above all, the METROPOLIS, have conferred upon these fuppofed friends of their king and country, are worth more than a thousand volumes of your laboured elogies! and fhould their future conduct demonftrate, that the publick opinions were well grounded, they will be the glory of the present age, and the wonder of times future; for next to the founding of nations is the honour of faving them from ruin.

HOWEVER, Gentlemen, be your intentions ever fo pure; your accomplishments ever fo confummate; we view you nevertheless as men, and expect to find upon you the marks of humanity error is inteparable from man; but the wife and the good cannot err frequently, knowingly, and grofsly; and as to lefs important overfights, it would be inhumane, not favourably to pass them over; a forgetting, that we also are men of like paffions and infirmities. Befides, your fituation too is invidious; like cities, fet upon hills, you cannot be hid, nor escape the arrow, that flieth in the dark; but what of this? true glory is a folid thing, and the arrow will rebound without making an impreffion: let disappointment; let envy; let flander then. empty each its quiver, the purfuit of folid glory will bear out your characters.

The world, once convinced by facts, that you

aim at nothing but the true glory of your King, and the true intereft of the nation, will do you justice: For pray, what is the true glory of a prince, but the profperity of his people? what the profperity of his people, but the glory of his reign? they ftand or fall together; and the man who attempts to divide them, as things independent, is a TRAYTOR to both,

You cannot be infenfible, Gentlemen, that the voice of the nation is on your fide (and is not this the nobleft panegyrick?) for, what is the voice of the nation, but the echo of prefumed integrity, built upon paft facts? and FACTS fpeak a language which all understand.

your own

Go on then, Gentlemen, in the paths of folid glory: The doing all in your power to redeem the credit, and raise the character of this fallen nation, will build you a monument, that will laft as long as time: nor is this all; for, a consciousness of it will enfure to you a happiness, which ill men never felt, and the selfish cannot tafte; but it is food celestial to the worthy man, whose heart Generofity has enlarged, and Virtue fanctified.

We are,

GENTLEMEN,

Your devoted fervants,

The EDITORS,

THE

MONITOR,

O R,

British Freeholder.

No. 53.

SATURDAY, August 7, 1756. You have yet an opportunity by God's bleffing to fecure to you and your pofterity, the quiet enjoyment of your religion, and liberties, if you are not wanting to yourselves; but will exert the ancient vigour of the English Nation: but I tell you plainly, my opinion is, if you do not lay hold on this occafion, you have no reason to hope for another.

K. WILLIAM's laft Speech to his Parliament.

To the MONITOR..

SIR,

HE advice of this great prince to his parliament to profecute the war with France, in order to check its insatiable ambition, is surely adapted to the present times.-Dangerous as the fituation of this nation was then, it is cer

VOL. II.

tainly more fo now;-partly from the augmented power of the enemy by trade, and navigation; partly from thofe internal maladies, which have been long working in our own bowels. The lofs of, Minorca; the contempt thereby brought upon our navy; the dishonour upon the nation, heretofore fo brave, as to be the terror of all, who dared to injure, or insult it, are the subjects, the serious fubjects of all converfations; and I fend you an abstract of what paffed the other evening at our club.

You know, Sir, in all fuch mix'd affemblies, there are perfons of different talents, and humours fome are filent; others love to talk a few think; and here and there, one has a flow of ideas, and volubility of words, which qualify him to take the lead: of this last class, two were diftinguished above the reft: one of them was Sir Thomas Downright; the other Mr. Timothy Splithair.

SIR THOMAS Was an honeft gentleman in the neighbourhood, of fome education, and tolerably verfed in our British history; a true lover of his king and country; and a champion for its conftitution, as founded upon principles of liberty but having a little fire and brimftone in his blood from his mother's fide, who was a Welch lady, he was prone to be choleric, in queftions efpecially, that concerned the profperity and honour of his nation.

Mr. Timothy Splithair had a different turn and temper; cool, cautious, infinuating, and a great refiner