felf, with nothing but better council than any they could give, and too good for them to follow, tho' liftened to with admiration and applause by all but thofe, to whom it was a mirror to fhew their own imbecility. Whatever a certain colonel, who your correfpondent fays is now deputy governor of Minorca (which must be a mistake, as the gentleman in that office never fat in the place referred to, and probably means another colonel, lately appointed governor of a caftle in the North, as a reward for alting the hurtlefs bully on a particular occafion) whatever this colonel called Mr. P in a certain honourable house, which was fo difgufted with the indecency of his firft cut of fcurrility, that the fecond attempt was drowned in an univerfal cough and fhuffle of the feet; the admirers of that great man will leave the proficients in Billingsgate to call names, which those who employ them deserve; and regard his actions, which ftamp a character as far beyond the reach of fuch bablers, as the moon is above the barking of the little cur, being now indeed justly esteemed one of the firft men of the age: be now truly adheres to patriotifm, which a fucceeding and opponent minifter cannot be faid to lay afide, only because he never took it up; and continues to prove himself, instead of an incendiary, the wonderful artist to extinguifh the fire that devours his country, and a very conftellation of virtues and accomplishments; while it is evident beyond dif pute, that the unpopular favourite, who envies the greatness he cannot rival, is the fire-brand which kindled the raging flame, and is in truth a bundle of abfurdities, though he cannot be called an heap of contradictions, not having ever done any good to contraft the mischief the nation has fuffered by him, which is a merit Mr. Impartial Spectator's own figure does not deny to Mr. P, amidst all the fury of his impotent malice? 1. TALLIO. Vindication of the peace propofed by Mr. Pitt. T Publica privatis fecernere, facra profanis. HOR. HE effects of actions démonftrate their ten dency; but it is the intention and design of them that mark the character, and prove the spirit of the agent. The more closely the conduct of the minifter, who still continues to act, though not to appear as vifibly as before he refigned his office, is examined, the refult will be more firmly to convince the impartial obferver, that the principle of his administration was a determined purpose to make peace at any rate. He faw it was the only chance he had of fecuring to himself the abfolute domination over this country, to which he afpired; and which, it is well known, he had projected, before the commencement of the prefent reign unlocked the prifon of his ambition, that had been working deep under-ground, when it could not act above-board. It has indeed been pretended that he was forced to take the reins of government into his hands, to do the kind office to the nation, which no other would undertake, of putting an end to a bloody and confuming war; and that he even ftipulated with the for leave to retire as foon as he should have executed that generous and arduous enterprize, for the falvation of a state ruined with fucceffes. Of this, however, we heard nothing, till the involuntary abdication feemed to take place; when it was circulated with all the exactness of written orders from a commander in chief, by the bufy emiffaries of the retired leader; and every fign and appearance attending the rife and operations, and even the furrender of the power that was in terred terred with as great ceremony, and no more reality, than nuns are when they take the veil, muft, upon the flightest reflection, have convinced those who knew the leaft of the fchemes that had been meditated by the favourite before his visible elevation, that the minister was but bid when he appeared to fall; and that his influence only stepped behind inftead of giving way. Like one trained to the theatre, the proud fimular, mimicking the comeliness of dying for his country, concluded the Patria-Tragedy by feigning to expire upon the stage, but acted the flain bero fo ill as to difcover the motions of the living Cadaver even before the curtain was dropt. The wounds which he did really feel, received in a sharp engagement, and not alleviated by a miferable victory, ripened the reluctant purpofe of putting an end to his public miniftry, as the only means left of enjoying the fruit of his fecret credit: and, if any thing was wanting to confummate the character of his administration, he finished it with a folemn facrifice of honour and veracity offered up by a w-man, to atone for the folly and imprudence of a weak minifter*. A good peace was the greatest bleffing the nation could have defired, and a legitimate fhare in making it, an honour unworthy of no ambition: but to fupplant the patriot and popular minifter, who had the best title and the fitteft capacity to complete the glory of the war he had fo happily conducted, in order to raise a pillar of fame upon his borrowed foundation, was a meannefs incident to pride, and Quere. Who affured a certain great affembly, upon his honour, that it was a factious lye, that ever he had promised his endeavours to procure a repeal of the cyder act, if the city of London would agree not to petition the king against paffing it; a fact established to the fatisfaction of every body, by the enquiry made in the Common Council, which clearly fhewed who was the lyer! and inconfiftent with merit. To conclude an inadequate peace, on purpose to fuperfede unrivalled talents for war (which envious detraction itself allows to the induftrious ftatefman who was thrown out of the service of his country when in poffeffion of its highest confidence and favour, merited by the wife counfels, fpirited operations, difinterested conduct, and incorrupted purity of his administration) was making a property of the nation; facrificing its glory and intereft to the arrogance and ambition of an incapable minifter: and betraying the faith of the throne, which stood pledged that no terms, fhould be yielded to, but fuch as were juít, honourable, and fatisfactory. No war is juftifiable which is not carried on with a view to make peace as foon as it can be done with fafety; but that peace promifes very little to be good, which is not its own chief end. The principal aim of an action must always have the prevailing influence in the choice and ufe of the means; employed to accomplish it.. When peace is degraded from being the primary object of itself, and pursued by a minifter for the fake of fome other end which is chiefly in his view, that to which it is. made fubfervient will govern the conduct of the negotiation; and the conditions of the treaty, bend to the designs which the minifter who makes the peace means by it to promote or fecure for himself, in oppofition to the intereft of his, country, Invin-. cible neceffity itself is hardly a greater enemy to the happy conclufion of an unfortunate war, than the felfish and interested views of thofe poffeffed of the power of a profperous country, entitled to dictate terms of reconciliation to the enemy, when it happens, that the continuation of the war is incompatible with their retaining the power they have in their hands. Where patriotifm is the prevailing principle, ambition, refentment, and conqueft, will yield to the bleffings of peace, and an honeft concern for the nation, command every reasonable conceffion that can fmooth the way to it: but the defire of reftoring peace, when founded only in a regard for the happiness to be derived from it, and not compelled by the unfurmountable difficulties of war, will not induce the most pacific minifter, who has nothing at heart but the welfare of his country, to facrifice its juft rights and claims, or to depart from a reasonable fecurity of its effential interefts, to attain a transient and uncertain tranquility. An argument which has been much urged in favour of the minifter who made the peace, is, that it was more advantageous than that which • Mr. Pitt would have made when he was in power.' If confiftency could be expected where truth is deviated from, fuch an apology would never have been made; for it, at once, cuts up by the roots the great pretence of merit in lord Bute's undertaking to put an end to the war, because no other body would; feeing it clearly proves that Mr. Pitt was very much difpofed to have made a peace if he could: and fo far it is true, that the peace which that great minister would have agreed to, was not the peace he himself wifhed, and thought the fituation and claims of this country were entitled to. He publicly declared in a certain affembly, where he might, if he could, have been contradicted, that inftead of courting a breach with Spain (which was alledged in proof of his love of war) he had rather rifked his refponfibility by forbearance towards that haughty court; and inftead of retarding a peace with France, he had, to preferve harmony at home, and to accelerate an end to the burdens of war, been over-perfuaded by thofe with whom he served in the administration, to yield to conceffions he could not approve, and which he hoped no minif ter |