Reasons, without passion, for the impeachment of corrupt ministers
Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731
• T -TPT^ ■«^V ry". r'^ ■ - ^ yf^ .-^■^■■t^' ^7 A< K^4- speciAL coUecrioNS t)OUQLAS LibKAKy queeN's uNiveRSiiy AT KiNQSrON kiNQSTON ONTARIO CANADA Jlt> A -A d> <» REASONS r Without Paflioa ; FOR THE impeachment O P Corrupt Minifters. <p ^ "ii» *> * REASONS ( Without PafTion ) FOR THE Impeachment O F Corrupt Minifters. Rem magnxm^ preciumq-^ mora fore, ViRG. The Second Edition. LONDON, Printed^ and Sold by J. Roberts near the Oxford-Arms in Warwick- Lane ; J. Harrison, at the M^eft Corner of the Royal Exchange; and A. B o u L T E R, without Tem- ple-Bar. 171 5. (Price 5^.) 3, 0^0, 15^1 tl> A tl> Q> «^ f !? •!> tl>. A A f^ _sS> A tl> <4? A A tW y. ^ rlT.- tr;.^ •.'"■■ K^ t^T^ '^ tP^' '^.^ ^- ^ <V^ REASONS C Without Paflion ) FOR THE Impeachment, &c. >HE Defign of Impeach- ments in ParUament in general, being only an Honeft Defire to be rightly inform'd,where Mifcarriages in Government lye ; in Order to bring their Authors to Condign Punifliment. I can fee no Reafon, why both Whiggs and To- ries ( efpecially the Latter ) fhould not joyn in one in the enfujng, it be- en being more the Bufinefs of thofe, who are wrongfully afpers'd, to en- deavour a Juft Vindication of their Reputations, than it is of thofe who afperfe, to make it good ; left Ac- quiefcing under it be taken for an Acknowiediimcnt. But they being neither M^hh^s, nor Tones ( but all True Difin^e- refted Lovers of their Country, ( whom neither the Lofs of Pla- ces have exafperated on the One Hand, nor the PofTeffion oi them elated on the Other ) to whom I addrefs myM^ ; I fhali the more willingly enter on the Subjed, as being fure of the mofl: Impartial, and confequently the Faireft Judges, to decide the prefenc Controverfy ; viz. Whether the Authors of a Peace ( fo Vnltke its Pxrent, the War, in nil its Features ) ought to be caWd to An Account in the Enjuing Parlia^ nieitty or not. ' That [7] That there has been a moft Glo- rious, and a moft Surprizing War, carry'd on by the Confederates againft France^ for near Nine Years fucceiTively, wherein almoft every Day brought us Home frefh Ty- dings of lome New Advantages ; and in fo long a Trad of Time, not one Cloudy Day to obfcure them, there's None (that I know of ) fo impudent as to deny ; and that the Feace that fucceeded it, is exa£lly the Reverfe ( I need fay no worfe of it. ) If any fhould be fo foolifh as to gainfay, let them but read the States of Brttanfs Ad- drcfs to the Superiour Genins of their Grand Monarch, and if that wo'n't fatisfy them, our Merchants at Cadiz will. An Addrefs, which ( if there were nothing elfe to put us in Mind of what they have brought us to ) might roufe the Spirits ot every true Britorf^ to demand their Heads, who gave Qccafion for it. Now [83 Now the Queftion being as be- fore faid ( Whether the Authors of this Safe, Honourable and Lading Peace, ibAll he Impxch'^d. in the En- fuing FarltAment^ or not ? ) in Order to the clearer Decifion of this Mat- ter, I fhall lay before ( not inform ) you, That for fome Years before the Conclufion , both IVhiggs and Tories had been in the higheit Fer- ment about it, the One accufing the Other of indirect Means in the Pro- fecuting it, according as they ap- pear'd willing to protract , or ad- vance it. The Tories faid, That the Whiggs at Ger- truydcnburg , might have had fuch Ample ConcefftonSy that none but [9] hut a Teople who de- lighted in War, and "were refolv'd to huild their Fortunes on the Ruin of their Coun- try, wou'd have re- jected \ together with fome Inuendo's of Set- ting up a General for Life, and Introducing Forty Eight again a- mng us. Jnd, The Whiggs branded the Tories with En- deavouring to put an ^ End [lo] End to the moB GIo- rmis War, that ever the Sun Jhone on (that of Jofliua not except- ed) he/ore the Com- mon Enemy (the Au- thor of it) was made to pay the Charge, and brought fo low, that the Least of the Con- federates need not fear him ; in Order to hring iw Popery ^^i Tyran- ny upon its, and undo in a Moment, what the C " ] the Nation ( at the Expence of Jo much Blood and Treafure ) had heen Jo long la^ houring to obtain. Two terrible Charges, and (\ believe I fliail have the Opinions of all honeil, unbyafs'd Erjglijh-Mefi of my fide ; worthy to be inquired into; and the Perfons (on whom the Lot fliall fall j not unworthy of tiic fevered: Punifliment. On whom the Lot fjiall fall, I fay, becaufe (tho' I know the pre- fent Cry runs all againll: the late Miniltry ) it may poiilbly be, that therejeQing of thole glorious Terms at Gertruyder/burg^ wer^ the Occafion of receiving thole vile Ones at V- trechty 2iS He that will rjot^ 8cc. B 2 Now, C 12) Now, the Reafons ^with Sub- mi ffion j why, I think, the Enfuing Parliament ought to make all the fpcedy Inquifition T imaginable J in- to this Ariair, nay, to go upon it, the firil Ihing they do, are 1. To let their Ek61ors fee, that the fmallcll Errors in Government, and much lels Ibch grofs and fcan- dalous Over-fights (not to give them an harrh:ir Namej do not efcape their Notice. 2. The Danger the State lies un- der 'till they do, for 'till then, we know not, but they (who have bound us thus Hand and Foot, and deliver'd us into the Power of our Enemies J are tliofe very Men who are now at the Helm ; and ( for ougli: we kiifew ) contriving fome- thing worfc againll: us (if worfe can enter into the Heads or Hearts of Men) and thofe worthy Patriots /" wlio [ 13 ] /'who freed us from a confuming Land- War, and eas'd the Nation of fuch confiderable Taxes, in fo fhort a Time ; under the Reproach of being Traytors, and Eneniies to their Country, and their Country deflitute of their Advice at a Time, wlien Correfpondence, and Intelli- gence ( Vertues for which they were juftly Famous j were never more needful. And, 5. To fatlsfie their late Allies, for the moft barbarous, and inhuman Breach of Faith, that ever any Na- tion was guilty of; a Breach fo trea- cherous, lb Icandaloufly perfidious, that Carthnge will refufe to roll with us in Story, and S — abjure her Uni. on ; And which we have no Way (on Earth; left to palliate, -but ( with fome of thofe here fufpeded ) to pretend it was done by a Wo- man, Now r. H ] Now the only Way ( that I can fee ) to do this, will be to lay be- fore the Houfe, both the Terms of- fer'd at Gert;ruyden(>urg^ ( with their Realons for Rejecting) and thofe clos'd with at Virecht, with theirs for Accepting them ; and if it lliall appear, that Ambition, or a cove* tous Defire of Prolonging the War (as has commonly been obje6:ed ) has been the Occafion of the one, or Corruption and Avarice of the other, in both thefe Cafes, the Con- federates ( if poflible ) may be fa- tisfied. And that, I. By obfcrving to them, that in the former of thefe Treaties, moft ( if not all ; of the chief Potentates concerned, had their Minifters there, and if they let flip an Opportunity, that was not to be retriev'd, they may thank thcmfclves, and nor lay thofe fcandalous Terms of Fraud and Defertion ( Crimes punifliable with Death ( lO Death in a poor Soldier; to a People, who have born C at leaft ) an equal Share in the Heat of the Day, with the beft cf them, and (i^ we'll be- lieve fome Men) a much greater. And, 2. By letting them fee, that if Avarice or Corruption have pre- vail'd with the latter, to facritice both them and their Country to any private Intereft or PalFions, it was no Act of the Publicks, and ( that whenever the Publick fhall be made fenfible where the Fault truly lies; they will leave them to the Laws of their Country, which (in all fuch Cafes) keep up ftriclly to the Let- ter of the Old Mofaicd Law, Of an Eye jor an Eje^ and a Tooth for a 2 oath. One would think, what has been already faid, fufficient to induce a Nation (lefs fubiecl to be impos'd on by corrupt Minifters than ours; to [1(5] to do themfelves and their Allies Juftice, and wipe off Cas far as in them lies ) thofe opprobrious Terms, by which we generally denote the vileit of all Men, But the greateft, and moft undeniable Argument (ibr caUing all Malefadors to an Ac- count; being ftill behind, I flatter my felf, that on the bare Recital of it, none ( but fuch as are pro- fefs'd Enemies to both King and Country) will be agciinif an impar- tial Inquiry into the true Reaibns^ why fuch a Mountain of a War (^as all Men mull: allow our late to have been ; brought forth fo ridicu- lous a Moufe. And, that is, the Terror it will ftrike into others, and make Men more Cautious for the Future, how they play with the Fublick, lell the Pubiitk fliould one Day make a Play-day for others of them, accord- ing to that of the Poet. Rode f 17] Aode caper vitem, t^men hinc edrnji^j' :\_ bis ad araSf In tua q^uod fundiy cornua^ ^offity erit, •/Now, how provident (as well as -Juft ) an Aft of this Nature will be at this Time, will appear, if we db but confider, that moft ( if not afl ) of our famous Exploits f' not cifly againft France^ but Scotland too fifice the Gonqueft, and fure ne- ver! any jSJation had more ) havd prov'd Abortive in' the End, by fome corrupt Minifter or others falfly infinuating into the Prince, that the Shedding of Blood is a Crime of that horrible Nature, that the worft ' Peace on ' Ear rii is to be preferr'd to the molt' glorious of Wars ; and yet, notwithstanding fo many repeated Ads of Treafon, we read but of one C Ro- Mortimer by Name ) who ( for 'Seducing the Queen, and Favouring the 6Vt?r/j re- cejv'd the Recom pence of his De-* C ferts, [ i8 ] ferts, and hung two Days together unpitied oi all Men, notwithlland- iog his being made an Earl but a httlc before. , I faidy falfly Infinuating into the Prince, that the Shedding pf Blood is a Crime of that terrible Nature, that the worft Peace imaginable, is to be preferr'd to the glorioufeft War ; be- caufe I have heard it fo often infjft- cd on, as the greateft (if not the fole) Reafon for hafteningof the pre- lent ; and that Her late Majefties Averfion to the Continuance of the War, proceeded purely from this Motive. Now how repugnant. ( not only to the Praftic^ of all Ages, but ) to common Senfe, this Fanatical Noti* tion of theirs is, will appear, if we do but refer our felves to Times paft, and fee what they did in the like Cafes j and we fhal) find them fo far from ,^grq^g with thefe "S fcur- C ip] fcurvy PoUtitians, that they acted cKaflly contrary, and held, that the ^ mofl: difficult, and dangerous of Wars were to be undergone with all the Courage and Patience imaginable, rather than a Peace (in the leaffc Article, and much lefs in the whole, difhonourable ) fhould be fubmit- ted to. And indeed, if the two Famoulelt States that ever were ( or 'tis to he fcar'd, will be) had not been of the fame Opinion, the One had never held out 'till the Father, and the Son quarrell'd about a Moufe; nor the other found Purchafers for the Ground the Enemy Jay incamp'd on, after four fuch Battles, as were thofe of Ticinum ^ Treh.e , ThrAftmem^ and Cann^^ and a Siege, which, alone, would have frighten'd our confcienrious Heroes to furren- der all, that fhould have been dear to them. C 2 But [20] But alas! We have.liv'd to fee an Age Tlike that of the ancient rhilofophers J wherein there is no- thing fo abfur'd that is not mainr tainM , and Opinions propagated ( not that they are beUev'd ) but as they ferve a turn to carry on Ibme Faction or other, in Oppofi- tion to the Government by Law eftablifh'd. Such, As an ignomini- ous Peace is to be preferred to the moil: glorious War; and Severities in tliQ b'leld, held dangerous to the Soul, at the fame Tniie they were recommended (as wholefome in Religions from the Pulpit- Te- iiets fo prcpoRerous, fo contrary to the true Senfe of all Ages, that if our PrcdccefTors had been no wi- fer than Vve, the Monfters of An- tiquity had been their beft Friends, and the Pefts of Mankind their Pa- triots. He/hg.tlpulus highly advanced their State, and Nero increased their Churches, To C ^^i ] To conclude, If after fo many no- torious Abufes, fo many demonftra- bie Treafons , that ( almoft ) like Egyptian Darknefs may be felt; there be no Examples made, no Beacons hung up to warn our Po- rterity from Splitting on the fame Rocks, We have ( fo often ; beea Shipwreck'd on. 'Twill be much better for us hereafter , to fhut up our Courts, fet open our Pri- fons, and let every Man fhift for himfelf, than to pretend to Juftice or Policy in a Land, where Va- grants are hang'd for Picking of Pockets, and a Rogue (that fells Three Kingdoms ) efcapes. FINIS. ►'•'•■, v>,^'^lJ^v ^^■:Tc^^ :-^^^ii /-. .:. 