The New Hampshire Gazette Newspaper, October 26, 1759, Page 1

New- I ) 14 A4 FR}IDAY OcToBER 20. Containing the e L — Continued from our laft, of OQober 19. A fourth Reafon againff Mr.-§ P—:¢ is, becaufe be [ets bimfelf in oppsfition to the eflablifbed Mauners of the Age. HE clergy, it is true, whofz trade it is, I and a few half-thinking dry moralifts, have béen long deciaming againft the exceflive luxury of the times ; bat it 13 well koown to every confiderate citizen of London, that without luxury this nation were undone. What is it that fupports foreign trade but laxury ? What promotes the quick circa- lation of property but luxury ? How are the _rinduftripus poor to be maintained, but by fup- plying ail the neccflities which luxury alone creates to the rich ? It wouid be tedious to go roand the circle by which it can be demonftrat- ed, that there were no hopes of ever being able to pay the national debt but by the encourage ment aad growth of luxury. And it would be as needlefs as tedious, becaufe every reader will " ", mexceive the truth of the propofition with half i ) an eye. Now I am credibly informed that the prefent m—r keeps but a very maderate table, has but a very few fervants, and indeed fees but very little company ; in fhost, that he copies the fim- plicity of antient manners, and is {o odd as to ~divert his leifure hours, if he has any (for that is uncertain ) in reading .of beoks, or with a chofen friend or two 2and his ewn wife and chil- dren. Whence I copjecture that he is either covetous or has a flow underftanding, or really defigns to difcourage luxury by his example. That the firft iz not his cafe, I will do him the ¢ juftice to allow, becaufe he has fomctimes hewn IS & / a very foolith prodigality, fome inftances of which I fhall probably mention hereafter. I , = rather incline to think that he is a man of very . flaw vaderftanding; and is obliged to fee ltt'e company, that he may have the more time to plod on the affairs of the ftate. For that the bufisefs of this great nation, can be carried ¢n ‘with very little expence of time, or of thought, to men of ability, 1s manifelt fiom the example of many of his predeccffors. And that heis a man of very limited parts, appears farther from the choice he has made of a great many bl— k h—ds to ferve undet himat feveral of the boards. " *Forit is very remarkable that his chicf favourites ‘ s are thofe, who, like himf(zlf, are {een yery little in public places, and are all day long to be found puzzling their heads in cheir refpective offices. _ Bat ftapidity itfelf can never account for the fcantinefs of his table, and the plaionefs of his equipage ; for there is nothing to hinder dulnefls itfelf from living in great fplender cven in foli- tude, Itis therefore plain, that he not only waats capacity, but has formed an abfurd defign to difcourage good living by his example. Aad fince this is really the cafe, it is amazing that the trading part of this nation can hear his name mentioned with patience. For beflides the hurt Yhe intends to do the induftrious tradefman and " merchant, by drj'ing up the great fource of their gains, this fcheme will putan end to their defire . of riches, fince, if it fucceeds, it will be next to impoflible for them to fiad a bankrupt lord, with whom to marry their daughters. \ The man is fubje&t to the gout, and an ab- fltemious diet may be neceflaryy for his health, But would he feed all Eagland on boil’d beef becaufe he muft live on water-grucl ? Or is it fo rarc a thing for great perfons to live in the * midt of pleafures which they cannot enjoy ? Eating and drinking have been ufcful inftra. ments of government ever fince it was formed, and [ hope in God it fhall not be in the power of any fingle m—rto bring them into diltcedic, 1759 Frefbeff Advices The more I think of the unreafonablenefs and urjuftice of this part of his conduét, the more I am perfuaded that his adminifiration cannot poflibly laft, I know the caaltitution of the city of London, and the method of managing bufi- nefs there ; and I may be i lowed to have fome little notion of the inflnence sl turtle and of ven- ifon. But in the mrean time, alas! the figure of the nation muft fick in the eyes of foreigners, much more than hé can raile it by his vacnting expeditions ; for our feafts were become the wonder and envy of all Earope. In this re- fpet we had arrived at a high pitch of glory. We excelled all the modern world, ‘and came the neareft of any nation to that delicacy of tafte and profufion of expence which was exhibited by the great emperors and fenators of Rome in their private entertainments. I need hardly mention gaming, a branch of luxury encouraged by able ftatefmen, as of in- finite fervice to a great natica, as it occafions a brifk circulation of money, fharpens the genius of yourg men of fathicn, and breeds them to bufinefs, difengages them from the purfuit of bad women, or indzed of any women whatever; entirely roots out the love of wives or children, and breaks all the’bonds of friendfhip ; affedti- ons that often interferg with their Duty to the ‘public ; and by bringing them by times into neceflity, not ooly hardens them again{t misfor- tunes, butfics them above all things for the fer- vice of the ftate. But our new fate{man, it is certain, never plays; and it®s whifpered, that in this refpe®, he is imitated by a few young people of great fortunes. It is eafy to foretel what will happen if he continues long at the head of our affairs ; a race of independent lords and gentlemen wilil arife, under his influence, who may diftusb the tranquillity of the flate, and pofiibly overturn it. And this prophecy will appear to be but too well founded, if you’il confider Another Reafon 1 have for pulling dovwon this lofty M— 7, thatis, becaufe in bis fortune we hawve feen an example of the height to awbhich a man may rife by eloguence and magnanimity. Remember that a good many years ago, | I heard it affirmed by a leading member of the royal fociety, that the very end of elo- quence, is, by an artful addrels to the ima- gination and paflions, to miflead the underftand- ing. opinion that a man of true probity would no more glve ear to ard orator, than a perfon of chaftity would faften his eyes on a hariot. T'ruth is always naked, and when any thing affumes her name, and at the {ame time appears drefled out with many gaudy ornameents, you may be furc it is pot truth, but falthood. I mightap- peal to your own experience, fellow citizens, and afl you if you have not been oftner cheated and befooled by thofe we call well {poken men, than by all the world befides ? The ufe of elo- quence, therefore, upon any occaficn, muft be highly immoral. 1 have read, fomewhere or other, in a book of hiftory, that it wasthe cultom of {ome antient city, for the fherriffs to hear caufes and pro- nounce {entence in the dark ; leaRt, 1 fuppafe, the perfons or the behaviour of the parties fhould have prejudiced the judges in their fa- vour, and inclined them to pervert jaflice. And if partiality can make its way into the mind of man by the eye, there is nothing to hinder it from entering there by the ear alfo. When you have a bad caufle before any of the courts ot law, do you not employ that courfzilor who is the belt pleader and has moft cloquence ? And ever fince that time, 1 have been of Foreign and Domefiick. And for whatreafon ? Why {urely, that by his falfe and deceitful gloffes you may perfuade the judge out of his fenfes, and {way him to favour your fide of the queftion. Awnd for what other reafon can it be, but an account of its immora- lity, that fome of gur moft pious and learned b—th—ps, and a great part of the clergy, have totaily laid afide thie ule of eloquence as unbew coming the chair of truth and gravity ? It is to me matter of great wonder, how the wifdom of this nation can permit the debates in parliament flill to be carried on by the {peeches of the members. Iam fureit would be infi- nitely better if each of them delivered his opi- nion in writing, on a flip of paper, which the clerk might colle&t into a box, which bex Mr, Speaker could carry home in his coach, and then difcover the {enfe of the majority over a vbottle of wine at his leifure; as we are told the king of Pruffia always does when he calls a council of war. Many advantages would ac- crue from this method of debaiing, for it would preferve that equality among the members which is effential to our coanftitution ; it would prevent the difcavery of mary important fecrecs ¢f government, by thofe blabbing feliows wha are alweys giving themielves airs : it would fave the nation an immenfe fum that is laid oat for {peaking ; and, which is not of the leaft impor- tance, it would let them home to their dinners before three o’clock, and put an end to thag heathenifh cuftom of turning night into day. After haviag faid {o much agaiok eloguence, the application of it to my prefent purpofe, fhall be very fhort. It is' generally thought that this fame Mr. P—t, whofe power gives me. fuch concern, not only excells;all of our own age and nation in that bewitching eloquence which cverpowers the mind, but comes the nearcflt of any modern to Cicero and Demoft- henes, thofe greateflt maftersof the art of fpeak- ing which the antient world .has to boaft of. If it were now lawfal to believe in forcery and enchantment, [ fhould certainly be of opinion that this arch orater is if compa® with the devil; for a very reafonable and good man once told me that when Mr. P—t was got to his heighe in one of his great {peeches, he verily thoughs that the Parliament Houle (which is as large as maoy of the charches of the city) was fhrugkoss, » to the dimenfions of am ordinary clofet. "I'i could have no canception of what my friend meant, if he had not explained himfelf by ad- ding, that if the aflembly of the Gods, which heathen authors ta'k {o much of, could be con- vokediagain, or if all the kings and emperors of the earth, with ali their retirues, could meerin fome vaft place like the amphitheatre of Vel- pafian at R@me, the dignity of fuch an aflembly could not furpafs the greatnefs of the man, and the power and fplendour of his eloquence. Aad having told you this {tory, the article of magnanimity will need little illuftration ; be- caule all good authors, who have wrote upon the fubjeét, lay it down as a principle, that to excel in eloquence a man muft have this quality likewife. For my own part, I do not fee the connetion, for I know feveral fneaking fellows who are exceedingly well fpoken. Be that as it may, our ftatefman is none of thefe, and all men allow that by thefe two talenis alone he has arrived at the fummit of power. Aad this, I muft infitt uponit,.is a very dangerous exam- ple, that may be remembered for a century o come. When ambitious young mea have dif- covered this new road to preferment, they wilk certainly take into it if they can. Eloquence will become their favourite fludy, and they will wholly ot M MR ¢ A0 Rl i, i » »