But, without dwelling upon the contemplation of mischiefs wrought by a cunning wicked creature, placed in a station proper only for a wife and virtuous man, I am now to give you my thanks for your generous defence of me in this great adverfity. Your behaviour was indeed equally noble during the whole French administration, and your eloquence was of public fervice to your country, when the Prerogative was ftrained to the utmost, not to exalt our own Sovereign, but to compliment France with the greatness and intereft of her, and her people. The intervention of Providence has given us a ftand against the imminent deftruction which fuch iniquity and folly had placed before our eyes, and men in great employments can now be fafe without depending upon France.

I have mentioned Dunkirk till I am fick; and there are not words to reprefent the infamous behaviour in a Miniftry, to cover fo great and pernicious an impofture upon their country, as the improvement of that port under the pretence of the demolition of it.

You have the honour and happiness to have eminently oppofed all the incurfions which these guilty men made upon the greatness of the Crown, and the welfare of the fubject, by proftituting them both to their own felfish defigns, and destroying, as far as in them lay, the good name of all men of virtue and service.

They

They have indeed reaped this good, that there can be nothing faid of themselves, the worft fervants that ever Sovereign employed, but what they had caused to be laid to the charge of those who were their predeceffors; perfons whose abilities had raised their country to fuch a grandeur, that nothing but the unnatural industry of her own minifters could lower, to the helpless condition to which they had reduced it.

These evils could not have been fupported, had not the demagogues, by the abuse of power, deafened many in the Legislature against attention to the true intereft of themselves and their country; while an inconfiderable creature, who had the good-will of no man, could manage averfions skilfully enough, to be fuffered to deftroy all, for fear of an alteration of affairs that might be grateful to an oppofite party.

Were the following inftance of the harsh and odious difpofition in gentlemen to fit determined, before hearing, the concern only of me and mine, it would not be worth troubling the world with fo many words on the occafion; but neither what I now write, nor what you much better fpoke, is a cafe of fo little confequence; and when you undertook it, you knew you were pleading for the rights and liberties of the Commons of England; and I will take upon me to fay, that there never was a greater infult on the conftitution than this, except one practifed by Ff2

the

the fame perfon, without the leaft deference to the order of things, the common fenfe of mankind, the honour of the Crown, or the property of the subject.

It needs not be faid what this greater impudence was, nor who had fo little grace as to be guilty of it: it was he who was born in our days for the chafstisement and dishonour of them, a tool whofe infignificancy makes forrow, occafioned by him, the fubject of laughter, takes all dignity from diftrefs, and renders calamity ridiculous.

As to my own part under the fantastical tyranny of the demagogue's adminiftration, could what you faid in the House be communicated to the publick, I should have no need of this defence; but fince I have not here the affiftance of your eloquence, I beg the advantage of your name and character: for I know it will be an argument with every honeft man that my cause. was good, that you so zealously espoused it; for that admirable talent of speaking, of which you are mafter, has never been proflituted to ferve difhoneft purposes; and you have too candid a fpirit, not to esteem it a praise, rather than difparagement of your eloquence, that the caufe for which you have at any time pleaded needed no art but from the iniquity of its oppofers.

The happy ability of explaining the most difficult parts of bufinefs to men wholly unacquainted

quainted with negociation, has been as ufeful to the publick as honourable to yourself. As you have detected the artful, fo you have helped the ignorant of your very adverfaries, according to their intention to abuse or serve their country.

It has been faid, that the greateft art is to hide art; but you have a much better inftrument towards perfuafion, the having nothing to conceal; for truth is as certainly the greateft eloquence, as honesty is the best policy. Let those who speak or act against their confcience, obtain their little purposes and applaufes; be it ever your commendation, to despise artifice, and practise uprightnefs. A long course of suffering for your zeal in an honeft caufe, has gained you the character of an open honeft English gentleman, with a capacity which takes off the imputation of weakness from fimplicity of manners, and adds the dignity of knowledge to the beauty of innocence.

As I never entered into political debates with ambitious views, but have brought my defires within the neceffaries and decent conveniencies of life, I am the more jealously tenacious of the little I expect of the world; which is, only to accept of my fervice to the best of my ability, without loading me with unjust reproach. In this reasonable expectation Mr. Walpole gene roufly lent me his protection; and though he could not perfuade my judges to do me juftice,

he convinced them I deferved a different fentence from what they pronounced. But, alas!

they had learned, by long practice, to do fhameful things without being afhamed; and though your arguments could command their affent, it could not make them utter it in my favour. You fent them away, I thank you, with the fame thoughts of themfelves which you had of them; and whatever force and oppreffion deter, mined, in the eye of reafon and confcience the judges were convict, and the accused man found innocent.

I humbly thank you for your eminent part in this affair, and congratulate you on receiving the favour of your Prince* for your service to your country.

As doing good to the publick is the motive of conferring favours, it is, with fuch as you, the rule in enjoying them. I wish you the poffef fion of all your frank heart defires; and am, with great respect, Sir, your moft obliged, moft obedient, and most humble fervant,

RICHARD STEELE,

*Mr. Walpole was at that time Paymaster of the Forces, and

Privy Counsellor. See p. 432.

ADDRESS