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The miscarriage of the bill was celebrated with public rejoicings in London and Westminster, and the minifter was burnt in effigy by the populace of London.

The members of the oppofition acquired fuch ftrength and popularity by defeating the miniftry in this fcheme, that they refolved to try their forces in an offenfive measure, and made a motion for repealing the feptennial bill, and bringing back triennial parliaments, as fettled at the Revolution. In the courfe of this debate the country party reflected with great severity on the meafures of the late reign, and the conduct of the prefent minifter. It was alleged, that the Septennial bill was an encroachment on the rights of the people, and that there was no method to overturn a wicked minifter, but by frequent changes of parliament. "Let us fuppofe a man, faid Sir Wil"liam Wyndham, of no great family, and of but

mean fortune, without any fense of honour, "raised to be chief minister of state. Suppose this "man raised to great wealth, by the plunder of the "nation, with a parliament chiefly compofed of "members, whofe feats are purchased, and whose "votes are venal. Let us fuppofe all attempts in

fuch a parliament to enquire into his conduct, "or relieve the nation, fruitless. Suppofe him "fcreened by a corrupt majority of his creatures, "whom he retains in daily pay. Let us fuppofe "him domineering with infolence over all men of "ancient families, over all men of sense, figure, 66 or fortune, in the nation; as he has no virtue "of his own, ridiculing it in others, and endeavouring to punish or corrupt it in all. With fuch a minifter and fuch a parliament, let us fuppofe, a cafe which I hope will never happen, a prince upon the throne uninformed, ignorant, and unacquainted with the inclinations and true

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"interests of his people; weak, capricious, tranf"ported with unbounded ambition, and poffeffed "with infatiable avarice. I hope fuch a cafe will 66 never occur; but as it poffibly may, could any "greater curfe happen to a nation than such a "prince advised by fuch a minifter, and that mi"nifter fupported by fuch a parliament? The na"ture of mankind cannot be altered by human "laws; the existence of such a prince, or fuch a "minifter, we cannot prevent by act of parlia"ment; but the existence of fuch a parliament 66 may furely be prevented, and abridging its con"tinuance is at least a certain remedy." Notwithstanding the warmth of the oppofition, the ministry, exerting all their strength, were victorious, and the motion was fuppreffed by the majority. However, as the country party feemed to grow more powerful on this occafion than formerly, it was thought fit to diffolve the parliament, and another was convoked by the fame proclamation.

A. D.

1734.

The leaders of both parties in the new parlia ment were precifely the fame as in the preceding, and the fame measures were purfued and oppofed with fimilar animofity. A bill was brought in for fixing the prince of Wales's houshold at one hundred thousand pounds a year. This took rife among the country party, and being oppofed, was thrown out by the courtiers. A scheme was propofed by Sir John Barnard for diminishing the intereft on the national debt, and rejected in the fame manner. But it was otherwife with a bill introduced by the miniftry for fubjecting the playhoufe to a licenfer.

The prefs had for fome time taken the popular fide of every question; and the play-house finding most money was to be got by chiming in with the national humour, thought that exposing the minif

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try would procure fpectators. At a little theatre in the Hay-market, the miniftry were every night ridiculed, and their drefs and manner exactly imitated. The ingenious Mr. Henry Fielding finding that the public had no taste for new pieces of real humour, was willing to gratify their appetite for fcandal, and brought on a theatrical thing, which he called Pafquin; the Public applauded its feverity, and the reprefentation was crowded for feveral nights running, and Fielding began to congratulate himself upon his dexterity, in discarding wit from the ftage, and fubftituting politics, which the people liked better. The abufe, however, threatened to become dangerous, and the ministry, fenfible of their ftrength, were refolved, as they expreffed it, to fuppreis the licentioufnefs of the ftage. Some of the pieces exhibited at that time were not only fevere, but immoral alfo. On this ground the miniftry made their attack. Sir Robert Walpole brought in a bill to limit the number of play-houses, to fubject all dramatic writings to the infpection of the lord chamberlain, and to fuppress such as he thought would have a tendency to corrupt mens morals, or obftruct government. The bill was oppofed by lord Chesterfield with great eloquence; but carried by a majority determined to vote with the minifter. This bill, while it confined genius on the one hand, turned it to proper objects of pursuit on the other, and the ftage is at prefent free from the fcandalous license which infects the prefs; but perhaps rendered more dull from the abridgment of unlimited abuse.

New fubjects of controverfy offered every day; and the members on each fide were ready enough to seize them. A convention agreed upon by the miniftry, at the Prado, with Spain, became an object of warm altercation. By this the court of Spain agreed to pay the fum of ninety-five thou

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fand pounds to the English, as a fatisfaction for all demands upon the crown, and the subjects of that kingdom, and to discharge the whole within four months, from the day of ratification. This, however, was confidered as no equivalent to the damages that had been fuftained; the country party declaimed against it as a facrifice of the interefts of Great Britain to the court of Spain, and alleged that the whole of their demands fhould be paid, which amounted to three hundred and forty thoufand pounds. The minifter on this occafion was provoked into unufual vehemence. He branded the oppofite party with the appellation of traitors, and expreffed his hope that their behaviour would unite all the true friends of the prefent government in oppofing their defigns. The miniftry on this occafion were as ufual victorious; and the country partly finding themselves out- voted in every debate, refolved to withdraw for ever. They had long afferted that all deliberation was ufelefs, and debate vain, fince every member had lifted himself not under the banner of reafon, but of party. Defpairing, therefore, of being able to oppose with any hopes of conviction, and fenfible of the popularity of their caufe, they retired from parliament to their feats in the country, and left the miniftry an undisputed majority in the house of commons.

The minifter being now left without oppofition, was refolved to give his opponents the most fenfible mortification, by an alteration in his conduct. He took this opportunity to render them odious, or contemptible, by paffing feveral useful laws in their absence. At the fame time the king himself laboured with equal affiduity at his favourite object of adjufting the political fcale of Europe. For this purpose he made feveral journies to the continent; but in the mean time a rupture of a domeftic na

ture

ture was likely to be attended with many incon veniences. A misunderstanding arose between the king and the prince of Wales; and as the latter was the darling of the people, his caufe was feconded by all thofe of the country party. The prince had been a fhort time before married to the princefs of Saxegotha, and the prince taking umbrage at the fcantinefs of his yearly allowance from his father, feldom vifited the court. The princefs had advanced to the last month of her pregnancy before the king had any notice of the event; and she was actually brought to bed of a princefs, without properly acquainting the king. In confequence of this, his majesty sent his fon a meffage, informing him, that the whole tenor of his conduct had of late been fo void of real duty, that he refolved. to punish him by forbidding him the court. He, therefore, fignified his pleafure that he fhould leave St. James's with all his family, and, in confequence, the prince retired to Kew. This rupture was very favourable to the country intereft, as they thus had a confiderable perfonage equally interested with themfelves to oppofe the miniftry. To the prince, therefore, reforted all thofe who formed future expectations of rifing in the ftate, and all who had reafon to be difcontented with the prefent conduct of adminiftration.

E

CHAP. XLVI.

GEORGE II. (Continued.)

OVER fince the treaty of Utrecht, the Spaniards in America had infulted and diftreffed the commerce of Great Britain, and the British merchants had attempted to carry on an illicit trade into their dominions. A right which the English

merchants

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