Anno 5 Annæ, our Mother's Throat. Let us up then, my Lord, and let 1706. our noble Patriots behave themselves like Men, and we know not how foon a Bleffing may come.

My Lord, I wish from my Heart, that this my Vifion prove not as true as my Reasons for it are probable: I defign not at this Time to enter into the Merits of any one particular Article; I intend this Discourse, as än Introduction to what I may afterwards fay upon the whole Debate, as it falls in before this honourable Houfe; and therefore, in the farther Prosecution of what I have to fay, I fhall infift upon few Particulars, very necessary to be understood, before we enter unto the Detail of fo important a Matter.

I fhall therefore, in the first Place, endeavour to encourage a free and full Deliberation, without Animofities and Heats In the next Place, I fhall endeavour to make an Enquiry into the Nature and Source of the unnatural and dangerous Divifions that are now on foot within this Ifle, with fome Motives fhewing, that it is our Intereft to lay them afide at this Time: Then I fhall enquire into the Rea fons, which have induced the two Nations to enter into a Treaty of Union at this Time, with fome Confiderations and Meditations, with relation to the Behaviour of the Lords Commiflioners of the two Kingdoms, in the Management of this great Concern. And lastly, I fhall propofe a Method, by which we shall moft diftinctly, and without Confufion, go through the feveral Articles of this Treaty, without unneceffary Repetitions or lofs of Time. And all this with all Deference, and under the Correction of this honourable House.

• My Lord Chancellor, the greateft Honour that was done unto a Roman, was to allow him the Glory of a Triumph; the greatest and most dishonourable Punishment, was that of Parricide: He that was guilty of Parricide, was beaten with Rods upon his naked Body, till the Blood gufhed out of all the Veins of his Body; then he was fewed up in a leathern Sack, called a Culeus, with a Cock, a Viper, and an Ape, and thrown headlong into the Sea.

6

My Lord, Patricide is a greater Crime than Parricide, all the World over.

In a Triumph, my Lord, when the Conqueror was riding in his triumphal Chariot, crowned with Laurels, adorned with Trophies, and applauded with Huzza's, there was a Monitor appointed to itand behind him, to warn him, not to be high-minded, not puffed up with over-weening Thoughts of himself; and to his Chariot were tied a Whip and a Bell, to mind him, that for all his Glory and Grandeur, he was accountable to the People for his Adminiftration, and would be punished as other Men, if found guilty.

• The

The greateft Honour amongst us, my Lord, is to repre- Annos Alte, fent the Sovereign's facred Perfon in Parliament; and in 1706. one Particular it appears to be greater than that of a Triumph; because the whole legiflative Power feems to be wholly entrüfted with him: If he give the royal Affent to an Act of the Eitates, it becomes a Law obligatory upon the Subject, tho' contrary or without any Inftructions from the Sovereign: If he refufe the royal Affent to a Vote in Parliament, it cannot be a Law, tho' he has 'the Sovereign's particular and pofitive Inftructions for it.

A

a

His Grace the Duke of Queensbury, who now represents her Majesty in this Seffion of Parliament, hath had the Honour of that great Truft, as often, if not more than any Scotchman ever had: He hath been the Favourite of two fucceffive Sovereigns; and I cannot but commend his Conftancy and Perfeverance, that, notwithstanding his former Difficulties and unfuccefsful Attempts, and mauigre Tome other Specialities not yet determined, that his Grace has yet had the Refolution to undertake the most unpopular Meafures laft. If his Grace fucceed in this Affair of an Union, and that it prove for the Happiness and Welfare of the Nation, then he justly merits to have a Statue of Gold erected for himfelf; but if it fhall tend to the entire Destruction and Abolition of our Nation; and that we the Nation's Trustees Wall go into it; then I must say, that a Whip and a Bell, a Cock and a Viper, and an Ape, are but too fmall Punith ments for any fuch bold unnatural Undertaking and Complaifance.

I

That I may pave a Way, my Lord, to a full, calm, , and free reasoning upon this Affair, which is of the 1t Confe quence unto this Nation; I fhall mind this honourable Houfe, that we are the Succeffors of our noble Prédeceffors, who founded our Monarchy, framed our Laws, amended, altered, and corrected them from time to time, as the Affairs and Circumstances of the Nation did require, without the Affittance or Advice of any foreign Power or Potentate, and who, during the Time of zooo Years, have handed them down to us a free independent Nation, with the Hazard of their Lives and Fortunes: Shall not' we then argue for that which our Progenitors have purchased for us at fo dear a Rate, and with fo much immortal Honour and Glory? God forbid. Shall the Hazard of a Father unbind the Ligaments of a dumb Son's Tongue; and fhall we hold our Peace, when our Patria is in danger? I fpeak this, my Lord, that I may encourage every individual Member of this House, to speak their Mind freely. There are many wise and prudent Men amongst us, who think it not worth their while to open their Mouths; there are others, who can

fpeak

1706.

Anno 5 Anna, fpeak very well, and to good Purpose, who fhelter themfelves under the shameful Cloak of Silence, from a Fear of the Frowns of great Men and Parties. I have obferved, my Lord, by my Experience, the greatest Number of Speakers in the moft trivial Affairs; and it will always prove fo, while we come not to the right understanding of the Oath de fideli, whereby we are bound not only to give our Vote, but our faithful Advice in Parliament, as we fhould answer to God; and in our ancient Laws, the Reprefentatives of the honourable Barons, and the royal Boroughs are termed Spokesmen. It lies upon your Lordhips therefore particularly to take notice of fuch, whofe Modefty makes them bafhful to speak. Therefore I fhall leave it upon you, and conclude this Point with a very memorable Saying of an honeft private Gentleman to a great Queen, upon occafion of a State Project, contrived by an able Statesman, and the Favourite to a great King, against a peaceful, obedient People, because of the Diverfity of their Laws and Constitutions. If at this time thou hold thy peace, Salvation fhall come to the People from another Place, but thou and thy Houfe fhall perish. I leave the Application to each particular Member of this House.

!

My Lord, I come now to confider our Divifions. We are under the happy Reign (bleffed be God) of the best of Queens, who has no evil Defign against the meanest of her Subjects, who loves all her People, and is equally beloved by them again; and yet that under the happy Influence of our moft excellent Queen there fhould be fuch Divifions and Factions, more dangerous and threatning to her Dominions,. than if we were under an arbitrary Government, is moft ftrange and unaccountable. Under an arbitrary Prince, all are willing to serve because all are under a Neceffity to obey, whether they will or not. He chufes therefore whom he will, without refpect to either Parties or Factions; and if he think fit to take the Advices of his Councils or Parliaments, every Man fpeaks his Mind freely, and the Prince receives the faithful Advice of his People without the Mixture of Self-Defigns: If he prove a good Prince, the Government is eafy; if bad, either Death or a Revolution brings a Deliverance: Whereas here, my Lord, there appears no end of our Mifery, if not prevented in time; Factions are now become independent, and have got footing in Councils, in Parliaments, in Treaties, in Armies, in Incorporations, in Families, among Kindred, yea, Man and Wife are not free from their political Jars.

It remains therefore, my Lord, that I enquire into the Nature of thefe Things, and fince the Names give us not the right idea of the thing, I am afraid I shall have difficulty to make my felf well understood. • The

1706.

The Names generally used to denote the Factions, are Anno 5 Annæ, Whig, and Tory, as obfcure as that of Guelfs and Gibelins Yea, my Lord, they have different Significations, as they are applied to Factions in each Kingdom; a Whig in England is a heterogeneous Creature, in Scotland he is all of a piece; a Tory in England is all of a piece, and a Statesman; in Scotland, he is quite otherwife, an Anti-courtier and Antiftatefman.

A Whig in England appears to be fomewhat like Nebuchadnezzar's Image, of different Metals, different Claffes, different Principles, and different Defigns; yet take them altogether, they are like a piece of fine mixed Drugget of different threads, fome finer, fome coarfer, which after all make a comely Appearance, and an agreeable Suit. Tory is like a Piece of loyal, Home-made English Cloth, the true Staple of the Nation, all of a Thread; yet if we look narrowly into it, we shall perceive diversity of Colours, which, according to the various Situations and Pofitions, make various Appearances: fometimes Tory is like the Moon in its full, as appeared in the Affair of the Bill of Occafional Confor mity; upon other occafions it appears to be under a Cloud, and as if it were eclipsed by a greater Body, as it did in the Defign of calling over the illuftrious Princefs Sophia. However, by this we may fee their Defigns are to outshoot Whig in his own Bow.

6

Whig in Scotland is a true-blue Prefbyterian, who, without confidering Time or Power, will venture their All for the Kirk: but fomething lefs for the State. The greateft difficulty is, how to defcribe a Scots Tory: Of old, when I knew them firft, Tory was an honeft hearted comradish Fellow, who provided he was maintained and protected in his Benefices, Titles and Dignities by the State, he was the lefs anxious who had the Government and Management of the Church: But now what he is fince jure Divino came in fashion; and that Chriftianity, and, by confequence, Salvation comes to depend upon Epifcopal Ordination, I profefs I know not what to make of him; only this I must fay for him, that he endeavours to do by Oppofition, that which his Brother in England endeavours by a more prudent and lefs fcrupulous Method.

·

Now, my Lord, from these Divifions, there has got up a kind of Aristocracy, fomething like the famous Triumvi rate at Rome; they are a kind of Undertakers and Pragmatic Statesmen, who, finding their Power and Strength great, and answerable to their Designs, will make Bargains with our gracicus Sovereign; they will ferve her faithfully, but upon their own Terms; they must have their own Inftruments,

3

Anno 5 Anne, ftruments, their own Measures; this Man must be turned. 1706. out, and that Man put in, and then they will make her the most glorious Queen in Europe.

Where will this end, my Lord? Is not her Majesty in Danger by fuch a Method? Is not the Monarchy in Danger? Is not the Nation's Peace and Tranquillity in Danger? Will a Change of Parties make the Nation more happy? No, my Lord, the Seed is fown, that is like to afford us a perpe tual Increase; it's not an annual Herb, it takes deep root, it feeds and breeds; and if not timely prevented by her Majefty's Royal Endeavours, will fplit the whole Island in two.

6

My Lord, I think, confidering our prefent Circumftances at this Time, the Almighty God has referved this great Work for us. We may bruife this Hydra of Divifion, and crush this Cockatrice's Egg. Our Neighbours in England, are not yet fitted for any fuch Thing; they are not under the afflicting Hand of Providence, as we are; their Circumftances are great and glorious, their Treaties are prudently managed, both at Home and Abroad, their Generals brave and valorous, their Armies fuccessful and victorious, their Trophies and Laurels memorable and furprifing; their Enemies fubdued and routed, their ftrong Holds befieged and taken, Sieges relieved, Marthals killed and taken Prifoners, Provinces and Kingdoms are the Refults of their Victories; their Royal Navy is the Terror of Europe, their Trade and Commerce extended through the Univerfe, encircling the whole habitable World, and rendering their own capital City the Emporium for the whole Inhabitants of the earth: And which is yet more than all these Things; the Subjects freely beftowing their Treasure upon their Sovereign; and above all, thefe vaft Riches, the Sinews of War, and without which all the glorious Succefs had proved abortive, thefe Treafures are managed with fuch Faithfulnefs and Nicety, that they answer seasonably all their Demands, tho' at never fo great a Distance. Upon these Confiderations, my Lord, how hard and difficult a Thing will it prove, to perfuade our Neighbours to a Self-denying

Bill.

Tis quite otherwife with us, my Lord, we are an obfcure, poor People, tho' formerly of better Account, removed to a remote Corner of the World, without Name, and without Alliances, our Pofts mean and precarious; fo that I profefs I don't think any one Poft in the Kingdom worth the briguing after, fave that of being Commiffioner to a long Seffion of a factious Scots Parliament, with an antedated Commiflion, and that yet renders the rest of the Minifters more miferable. What hinders us then, my Lord, to lay afide our Divifions, to unite cordially and heartily together