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thofe, who avail themfelves of moments of public anxiety, to abufe and 

 miflead public credulity. Daily rumours and artful fabrications will be 

 circulated by thofe, who feed on tranfitory and floating falfehoods. 

 While the tutelar genius of a country refides in the paper callle of 

 public credit, a breath can (hake the flrufture, and expel the inhabi- 

 tant. The herd of gamefters fn the public funds, whofe ftudy and in- 

 genuity are perpetually employed, to raife and deprefs them, as fuits 

 the purpofe of private intereft, will avail themfelves of the believing 

 temper of the people, of the fort of predifpofing preparation, which 

 they find in the mind of the hearer, and the avarice, the ambition, 

 the vanity, the education, the prejudices, the wifhcs and fears of the 

 multitude* will lead them to implicit confidence in the reporter. The 

 deftruftive explofion of the South-Sea bubble in England, and the con- 

 fequences of the Mijfifippi fcheme in France, are inftances, to fhow how 

 a few artful projeftors may excite a delirium of general credulity, in 

 a nation ; and how neceffary it is, to fufpend the affent, while fuch 

 a fpirit of implicit belief is predominant. 



No argument, in favour of popular credulity, can be drawn from the 

 obfervation, that many rumours and prefages which have appeared im- 

 probable and unfounded, or chimerical, at the moment when they were 

 firfl; in circulation, have afterwards, in faft, been verified and fulfilled. 

 It muft be confidered, how much popular- rumours and predictions con- 

 tribute to their own completion ; " poffunt quia pojje videntur" is a fay- 



( K 2 ) ing 



* We have had two very remarkable inflances in Enghmd, of the acutenefs and dexterity 

 of thofe, who fpeculate in the funds. During the former war between the Englilh and Tippoo 

 Sultan, which was carried on by Lord Corn-waWu, a forgery of a Madras gazette was 

 produced ; it was faid to have been brought by a fhip that arrived at Brlflol, and an- 

 nounced the capture of Seringapatam, an event at that time very probable. The fallacy 

 was difcovered, the ftock exchange was filled with conflernation and ruin. Another 

 very remarkable inftance occurred lately; a forged copy of L'Eclair a Parjfmn newf- 

 paper was lianded about in London ; it purported to contain the outlines of a treaty be- 

 tween the Emperor of Germany, and the French Republic, and was intended to operate 

 on the fupds, although it failed of producing any conCderable eiFefl of that kind. 



