lefs Occafion, been admitted as a tolerable Degree of Proof in a certain Place.

But what I would infer, fays another, from Knight's Withdrawing, is the premeditated Villainy of the whole. The Actors, whoever they were, had indeed prodigious Forefight, by the Caution taken to prevent Difcovery; they forefaw their Guilt, the Succefs of it, the Turn of Affairs, the univerfal Calamity, and confequently their own Safety in the Secrecy of one: Had there been more, some of them might have fqueaked, or at least not all of them escaped; or if they had, it would have had a worse Afpect than at prefent. In fine, they forefaw this very Examination; but the Want of Judgment, as I hope, at least, appeared in believing they had provided fufficiently against it, and imagining they were to be at Ease in the Affluence of princely Fortunes, amidst the Mifery of their Fellow Subjects.

Some People have obferved, that the Execution of the late pernicious Scheme, was fcarcely attended with more Villainy than Madness and Folly; Furor rapiendi ac prædandi occæcavit oculos. The monitrous Avarice of our Plunderers has undone themfelves as well as the Nation: Each of the thirty little Cheats might have got their 100,000 7. a-piece, and a few others have doubled that Sum, without running any Rifk; nay, perhaps, have received Thanks for their great Care of public Credit. So mean, fawning, obfequious, as well as indolent and corrupt are we grown, that nothing but the prodigious Enormity of the Guilt, the Univerfality of our Misery, has forced us into the Enquiry we are now making.

As to the Event and Success of this Enquiry; I fhall not be disappointed (fays another) if nothing comes of it.

The Nature of the Tafk is attended with fo many Difficulties, and the Difcouragements the Enquirers meet with from other Quarters fo great, that they have need of more than ordinary Conftancy and Refolution to perfift in the Discharge of fo uneafy a Truft: However, they have the Satisfaction to know, that the whole Weight of the Nation is on their Side; that they have the Bleffings of all honeft Men at prefent, and shall be ever mentioned with Honour in the Annals of their Country.

Yes, fays one that stood by, their Country can never do them too much Honour, while they continue to have the fame Regard for it they have hitherto fhewn: And as for what fome People would infinuate, it is done with an ill Defign; that they will grow cool, and their Courage abate from the many Difficulties they meet with, and so prove like the Dog of Antwerp, who had used a long while to carry home his Mafter's Meat from the Market with great Integrity: At last, being harder befet by fome more refolute Curs than ordinary, when he found he could defend it no longer, he fell on himself : Since it is to no Purpose to hold out, fays he, I had as gooď have my Share.

For my Part, fays one that had been listening to this Discourse, I am apt to think Matters might have been carried, long ago, with more Eafe, if fome of another List had been employed. As now the Enquiry is profecuted with an Air of Business and Concern, it might then have looked like an Affair of Pleasantry and Amufement, and been received and fupported with a tolerable Degree of good Humour; but we fee what would be the Confequence of frequent Ballots.

The Converfation is still the fame, wherever you go. I must own I heartily wish that they, whofe Bufines it is, would put a Stop to it; which is only to be done, as far as I can guess, by giving up Offenders be they who they will. Some will have it that Matters were managed wrong at firft: They ought to have been fecured immediately. If one fhould reply, Would you have condemned and punished them before you had heard them? No, fay they, they were fufficiently heard (unless you'll quibble upon the Word) when the Eooks were firft produced, which, in an Hour's Perufal, discovered Villainy enough to have justified their Confinement; and then we had not been fending to Vienna, Brufjels, &c. then we had at leaft hid our Shame, and not been refused this little Fellow; than which, I think, nothing fhews our Mifery

more.

The Contempt which our good Friends and Allies have for us, is evident from the little Art they use to hide it: And their refufing to deliver him up under the Pretence of fome Privileges of the High and Mighty

States

States of Brabant, can't, methinks, but raise Indignation in every English Breaft. We are poor, and it feems our Allies know it, and therefore despise us. But let

them beware how they roufe the Lion; other Answers have formerly been returned the Crown of England: And though a British House of Commons may and will always hear Reason, they will not fuffer themselves to be trifled with, whoever elfe may.

As for me, cries another, I am fo fully perfuaded of the Emperor's Juftice and Gratitude, that nothing will be wanting on his Part, I am fure, to deliver up a Man, who, as he was laft Year made a Tool for the Deitruction of the Nation, may now be the Inftrument of faving it. And his Imperial Majesty, I think, can't but have Intereft and Authority enough with his own Subjects, to gain fo fmall a Point; who, it is well known, though he is as juft and mild a Prince as any upon Earth, yet has formerly fhewn thofe very Subjects, that he knows how to affert his Prerogative, and punish all their Pretences to Right, which contradict his just Will and Pleasure.

We the rather expect to see Mr. Knight in England (as others fay) not fo much, because it is fuch a Trifle to the Emperor to grant, and at the fame time fo valuable a Favour to us; but that we are informed, that his coming over is earnestly defired, even by thofe who cannot but have Weight in what they aík of that Prince; and who feem concerned in the Discoveries which he is expected to make, as the only Way to clear up their Innocence, and wipe away the Sufpicion which has been most unjustly thrown upon their Characters. If these People are in earneft, they are very happy in having an Opportunity of preffing this Matter more fuccefsfully than others can. We own, fay they, we should be glad to fee Knight, were it only to be fatisfied that fuch a Parcel oř Stock was honestly paid for; fuch a Name and Letter was forged; fuch a myfterious Transaction, such a blind Account was clearly upon another Score than is generally fuppofed, and had no Relation at all to South-Sea.

This Difcourfe was followed by a needlefs Calculation of the Length of Time in which we might hope to fee Knight, if he was fent over at all. "As the nearest “Way to l'ienna has been lately found out to be by

A 6

Brufels;

+

na.

Bruffels; fo, for ought we know, the nearest Way "from Bruffels may hereafter he thought to be by VienAnd though Gentlemen fhould be perfuaded to “attend the Service of their Country till he comes, to "the Detriment of their own private Affairs ; whether "other Perfons will think proper to defire or impofe "fuch a Hardship upon them, we cannot determine."

However, continued they, 'tis certain there was a Shorter Way of going to work at first, which is not yet altogether too late to try. The old Parliamentary Method was to represent their Grievances, and get them redreffed as soon as they met, before they would go upon any other Confiderations whatever. It was not for Want of Grievances, fome tell us, whatever else might be wanting, that this Method was not used at first. If this Way of Proceeding had been taken, Knight could hardly have withdrawn, or perhaps it might have been convenient to have had him here again ere this, to have avoided the Explication of many other Complaints of a different Nature that might have been fet on Foot; but whether that Point had been gained, feveral other valuable Advantages would have been fecured.

There is a remarkable Proof of this Right of Parliament in Richard the Second's Time, and Things of this Sort are never the worfe for being old. "Some unde"ferved Favours, fays my Author, fhewn to a Minion, "the Exorbitances of great Ocers, and other public

Miscarriages as to the Revenue, had made no smail "Impreffions on the Minds of many of the Lords, as well as Commons, when Richard called a Parliament. They, foon after they were affembled, joined in this Meffage to him (Henry Knighton's Words, who lived at the very time, are thefe) That the Chancellor and Treasurer ought to be removed from their Offices, because they were not for the Good of the King and Kingdom ; "and becaufe also they had fuch Matters to treat of with one of them, as could not be treated of, while he remained " in that Office."

The King, who no doubt, thought this a very bold Way of proceeding in his Subjects, affured them, He would not remove his meanest Scullion Boy at their Instance, and advised them to haften the Business of Parliament;

by

by which is meant the Supply of his Expences for his Wars, Houthold, and other Charges. But the Lords and Commons, by joint Confent, replied, That they neither could nor would difpatch the leaft Article, till he (who, as the Hiftorian fays, was then lingering at Eltham) would come to them, and remove Michael de Pole, the Chancellor, from his Office.

The King's Anfwer to this, not pleafing them, the Parliament fent him this Meffage. "Sir, The Prelates, "Lords, and whole People of the Commons of England, after feveral loyal and honest Wishes, intimate these Things unto you, that they have it confirmed by anciert "Conftitution, which none can contradict, that the "King ought to call a Parliament once a Year, as the

higheft Court of the Realm, wherein Equity ought to "thine bright, where, as well Poor as Rich, ought to "find Refreshment, by removing all kind of Abuses, "where public Grievances are to be redressed, and with "the most prudent Counfel, the State of the Nation is to "be treated of, that the King's and Nation's Enemies "at Home, as well as Abroad, may be discovered and "punished, and the neceJary Burdens of the King and

Kingdom may with more Ease the public Want con"fidered be fupplied. And they conceive alfo, that fince they are to fupport the public Charge, they "fhould have the ordering and fupérvifal too, how and by whom their Goods and Fortunes are expended.

What follows in this Remonstrance is ftill freer ; to which the King making a threatening Anfwer, the Lords and Commons, after giving him fome seasonable Advice, relating to his Threats, proceed in these Words.

"The People of England have, in your Time, fuf"tained fo many Taxes for the Support of your Wars, as that now they are reduced to fuch incredible Pover"ty, that they can neither pay their Rents, nor assist "their King, nor even afford themselves the Necessaries "of Life: And all this is brought to pafs by the evil "Minifters of the King, who have ill-governed both King and Kingdom to this Day: And unless we do quickly fet our helping Hands to the Work, and "raise the healing Prop, the Kingdom of England will, "in lefs Time than we think of, be miferably fubverted.

"But