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result of their struggles and their sacrifices. The motives which have occasioned this temper,

are not less important than the consequences to be derived from it; and, happily, neither are concealed within that barrem cave of mystery, whence little can be extracted, and every thing may be misconceived; whence the ambitious have so often prompted mankind to take up arms with rash precipitancy, or on dubious reasonings. But now the springs of thought which lead to action are naturally beneficent; there is a fitness in the mind to enable it to act in character with the object; it is presented with a widely extended prospect of vegetative good, and sees a thousand blessings: budding into existence. olm

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Such is the moral state of the people of this Empire; and it must be confessed by the most captious enemy to their prosperity, that sentiments like these I have enumerated, denote neis ther a timid nor a wavering policy. However, it is the artful plan of France, with a view to lessen our reputation, and to weaken the confi dence which other powers might be disposed or Interested to place in us, to misrepresent these sentiments, and to insinuate that we are unfixed

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in our resolutions and policy. This plan is abet

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ted by a malcontent faction at home, from whom a more honourable conduct might have, been expected, both from a sense of gratitude to a people who had formerly bestowed their confi dence upon them, with no sparing generosity;[ and from respect to a sovereign, whose virtues had, on more than one occasion, shrouded them from, disgrace. But no considerations of duty, patriotism, or genuine public principle, influence, their views, Selfishness is their first, the welfare of the country, their last object. Neither, the proximity of danger, nor the necessity of general co-operation deter them from the pursuit of their ambitious designs; they stoop to the infamy of dishonour, and the shame of repeat, ed discomfiture; they bear with the mortifica tions of uninterrupted disappointment; with stand the unequivocal and unanimous judgment of their fellow subjects; and brave even their hatred, rather than give credit where credit is due, or speak the language of truth, where its avowal would be an impediment to their projects. Nay, the baseness of their motives seduces them to contradict themselves and each other; to censure and ridicule the same counsels which they had enforced with peculiar energy when in power; to counteract the most wholesome pro

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visions for public security; to revile the most cherished institutions of the empire; to decry new ones projected to meet the novelty of our circumstances; to depress public spirit; to dishearten the efforts of the brave; and to insult the feelings of their countrymen. Instead of employing their talents and influence in a manly exposure of the machinations of our implacable enemy; instead of invigorating the plans which legislative prudence has devised to obviate them; their whole attention diverges from a common point of low contrivance, to raise objections, to create difficulties, to oppose obstacles to every measure that is proposed, to excite distrust, alarm, and despondency, to magnify the power of the foe and diminish our means of repelling him. In short, their lust of power has obliterated their love of country, and the practical effects of their doctrines are incitements to treasonable inactivity. Is eritas

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But, as it frequently happens that the most furious assailants are also the most unguarded; and, as Lord Bacon observes, that extreme self-lovers will set a man's house on fire, though it were but to roast their eggs," their sinister purposes were prematurely exposed by an ac knowledgment, that it was not a change of

measures, but a change of men which they desired*" Such a self-sufficient declaration electrified the country, as well as its representatives; and when it became evident, that the same principle constituted the sole motive of an opposition that was invariably baffled in parliament, and scouted out of it, public disgust soon assumed the character of public contempt. The relative merits of the ministers and their opponents were balanced in the scales of popular judgment; and after sufficient time had elapsed for deliberation upon the motives of the latter, and experience of the conduct of the former, they wisely assigned the palm of confidence to those who had proved by their actions, not by their inflammatory harangues, that they were worthy to be entrusted with the direction of the national concerns, and competent to provide, in any emergency, for the national safety. Hence, while the declamatory effusions, the gloomy revelations, the selfish theories, and perplexing sophistry of the new opposition, furnished amusement to those

* See Parl. Debates, 1802, Speech of Lord Temple. It were much to be wished for the credit of the house of Grenville, that this scion of the family would constantly have in view that, discretion in speech is more than eloquence. Vi

who could think that the time of the legislature might not be more usefully employed; the great body of the people rested their security and -happiness on the wisdom, vigour, and reason of men, who, with less ostentation of talents, pro-duced in the space of three years, a more extensive portion of good, than their garrulous opponents had effected in the whole course of their talkative administration. Every remnant of public opinion, which had long been on the wane, instantly disappeared; and the Grenville opposition stands, at this moment, without friends, credit, or hope, except in the narrow circle of its immediate retainers and dependants.

Many circumstances have conspired to blast their reputation. The ill-judged avowal of their motives the well known versatility of their politics-their unqualified practice of censuring what they themselves, when in office, had warmly enforced their insulting mockery of the nation their indiscriminate abuse of, and opposition to all the measures instituted for the national defence the coarse and vulgar scurrility which they employ and encourage against the authors of those measures, and of the greatbody of the community who are satisfied with

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