lygj, Timothy Hdirh rain. 89 



of much better talents than myself, are lulled to 

 sleep, or roused into phrenzy, by hope or by fear. I 

 therefore seldom admire without reserve,; nor con- 

 demn any one without mercy ; for when men are 

 neighbour-like, what more fliould we expect ? 



Every one, Mr Printer, strives only to get a taste 

 of the loaves and fiflies. The ministry wifli to hold, 

 as long as they can, what they have got. Their fa- 

 vourers hope to gain by sycophantising, what the op- 

 position expects to force by bullying ; and though 

 they sometimes fall upon devices for that purpose, 

 that an impartial person cannot commend, the same 

 sort of thing is found to take place in all other em- 

 ployments. 



T]»e afoociation for a reform of the constitution is 

 evidently one of these culpable devices. There are 

 in this afsociation many respectable names ; and so 

 much the greater pity for it. Had they been all log- 

 gerheads I could have supposed they were misled, as 

 many an honest numbscuU has been before them. 

 But there are men in tliis society who must see, that, 

 to endeavour to rouse the multitude to force a re- 

 form in government, is, of all footifli projects, the most 

 pernicious that could be adopted. It is as if they 

 appealed to an afsembly of porters to decide on the 

 merits of Sir Isaac Newton's ^rzV/rz^za. They know 

 all this very well ; but they no doubt hope, that, by 

 recusing this many headed monster, such a confusion 

 may be produced, as, in the scramble, might leave an 

 opening for them to creep into the saddle of power. 

 In vain do they plead in their excuse that Pitt, and 

 Richmond, andothcrs, who nowsit snugly atthe helm, 



vor.. x. M t 



