all topics: and therefore in great Changes when that is broke, there will remain much heart-burning and difcontent among the meaner people; which (under a weak Prince and corrupt Admini. ftration) may have the worft copíequences upon the peace of any state. As to what is called a Revolution-principle, my opinion was this; That whenever thofe evils, which ufually attend and follow a violent change of Government, were not in probability fo pernicious as the grievance we fuffer under a prefent power, then the public good will juftify fuch a Revolution. And this I took to have been the cafe in the Prince of Orange's Expedition, although in the confequences it produced fome very bad effects, which are likely to stick long enough by us. I had likewife in thofe days a mortal antipathy against Standing Armies in times of Peace: Because I always took Standing Armies to be only fervants hired by the Mafter of the family for keeping his own children in slavery; and because I conceived, that a Prince, who could not think himfelf fecure without Mercenary Troops, muft needs have a separate intereft from that of his Subjects. Although I am not ignorant of thofe artificial Neceffities which a corrupted Ministry can create, for keeping up Forces to fupport a Faction against the publick Interest. As to Parliaments, I adored the wisdom of that Gothic Inftitution, which made them annual: and I was confident our Liberty could never be placed upon a firm foundation until that ancient law were reftored among us. For, who fees not, that, while fuch Affemblies are permitted to have a longer duration, there grows up a commerce of corruption between the Miniftry and the Deputies, wherein they both find their accounts, to the manifeft danger of Liberty? which Traffic would neither an fwer fwer the design nor expence, if Parliaments met once a year. I ever abominated that fcheme of Politics, (now about thirty years old) of fetting up a monied Interest in oppofition to the landed. For I conceived, there could not be a truer maxim in our Government than this, That the Poffeffors of the foil are the best Judges of what is for the advantage of the kingdom. If others had thought the fame way, Funds of Credit and South-fea Projects would neither have been felt nor heard of. I could never difcover the neceffity of fufpending any Law upon which the Liberty of the moft innocent perfons depended; neither do I think this Practice hath made the tafte of Arbitrary Power fo agreeable, as that we should defire to fee it repeated. Every Rebellion fubdued and Plot difcovered, contribute to the firmer establishment of the Prince: In the latter cafe, the knot of Confpirators is entirely broke, and they are to begin their work anew under a thoufand disadvantages; fo that thofe diligent enquiries into remote and problematical guilt, with a new power of enforcing them by chains and dungeons to every perfon whofe face a Minifter thinks fit to diflike, are not only oppofite to that Maxim, which declareth it better that ten guilty men fhould escape, than one innocent fuffer; but 1kewife leave a gate wide open to the whole Tribe of Informers, the most accurfed, and prostitute, and abandoned race, that God ever permitted to plague mankind. It is true the Romans had a custom of chusing a Dictator, during whofe administration the Power of other Magiftrates was fufpended; but this was done upon the greatest emergencies; a War near their doors, or fome civil Diffention: For Armies must be governed by arbitrary power. But when the Virtue of that Commonwealth gave place to C 3 luxury luxury and ambition, this very office of Dictator became perpetual in the perfons of the Cæfars and their Succeffors, the most infamous Tyrants that have any where appeared in ftory. These are fome of the fentiments I had, relating to publick affairs, while I was in the world: what they are at prefent, is of little importance either to that or myself; neither can I truly fay I have any at all, or, if I had, I dare not venture to publish them: For however orthodox they may be while I am now writing, they may become criminal enough to bring me into trouble before midfummer. And indeed I have often wished for fome time paft, that a political Catechifm might be publifhed by authority four times a year, in order to inftruct us how we are to speak, write, and act during the current quarter. I have by experience felt the want of fuch an inftructer: For, intending to make my court to fome people on the prevailing fide, by advancing certain old whiggish principles, which, it feems, had been exploded about a month before, I have paffed for a difaffected perfon. I am not ignorant how idle a thing it is, for a man in obfcurity to attempt defending his reputation as a Writer, while the spirit of Faction hath fo univerfally poffeffed the minds of men, that they are not at leisure to attend to any thing elfe.... They will just give themselves time to libel and accufe me, but cannot spare a minute to hear my defence. So in a plot-discovering age, I have often known an innocent man feized and imprisoned, and forced to lie feveral months in chains, while the Minifters were not at leisure to hear his petition, until they had profecuted and hanged the number they propofed. All I can reasonably hope for by this letter, is to convince my friends, and others who are pleased to wish me well, that I have neither been fa illa Subject Subject nor fo ftupid an Author, as I have been reprefented by the virulence of Libellers, whofe malice hath taken the fame train in both, by fathering dangerous Principles in government upon me, which I never maintained, and infipid Productions, which I am not capable of writing. For, however I may have been foured by perfonal ill treatment, or by melancholy profpects for the public, I am too much a politician to expofe my own fafety by offenfive words. And, if my genius and spirit be funk by encreafing years, I have at least enough difcretion left, not to mistake the measure of my own abilities, by attempting fubjects where thofe Talents are neceffary, which perhaps I may have lost with my. youth. LETTER VI. Dr. SWIFT to Mr. GAY. Dublin, Jan. 8, 1722-3. OMING home after a fhort Christmas ram ble, I found a letter upon my table, and little expected when I opened it to read your name at the bottom. The best and greatest part of my life, until these last eight years, I spent in England; there I made my friendships, and there I left my defires. I am condemned for ever to another country; what is in prudence to be done? I think, to be oblitufque meorum, oblivifcendus & illis. What can be the defign of your letter but malice, to wake me out! of a fcurvy fleep, which however is better than. none? I am towards nine years older fince I left you, yet that is the left of my alterations; my bufinefs, my diverfions, my conversations, are all entirely changed for the worse, and so are my ftu C 4 dies dies and my amufements in writing; yet, after all, this humdrum way of life might be paffable enough, if you would let me alone. I fhall not be able to relish my wine, my parfons, my horses, nor my garden for three months, until the fpirit you have raised fhall be difpoffeffed. I have fometimes wondered that I have not vifited you, but I have been ftopt by too many reafons, befides years and laziness, and yet these are very good ones. Upon my return after half a year amongst you, there would be to me Defiderio nec pudor ncc modus. I was three years reconciling myself to the scene, and the business, to which fortune hath condemned me, and ftupidity was what I had recourfe to. Befides, what a figure fhould I make in London, while my friends are in poverty, exile, diftrefs, or imprifonment, and my enemies with rods of iron? Yet I often threaten myself with the journey, and am every fummer practifing to get health to bear. it: The only inconvenience is, that I grow old in the experiment. Although I care not to talk to you as a Divine, yet I hope you have not been author of your colic: do you drink bad wine, or keep bad company? Are you not as many years older as I? It will not be always Et tibi quos mihi dempserit Apponet annos. I am heartily forry you have any dealings with that ugly diftemper, and I believe our friend Arbuthnot will recommend you to temperance and exercife. I wifh they could have as good an effect upon the giddinefs I am fubject to, and which this moment I am not free from. I fhould have been glad if you had lengthened your letter by telling me the prefent condition of many of my old acquaintance, Congreve, Arbuthnot, Lewis, &c. but you mention only Mr. Pope, who I believe is lazy, or else he might have added three lines of his own. I am extremely glad he is not in your cafe of needing great mens favour, and could |
