179 i' political progrep of Britain. 241 



and we, with our usual judgement and humanity, 

 undertook this project for no purpose but that of 

 fixing the general tranquillity for ever. Even Dr ' 

 Campbell, partial and timid as he is, acknowledges 

 that it was PRETTT DIFFICULT to throw the hlame 

 vpon the Spaniards. Bui in another pafsage, the 

 Doctor drops the malk : " The entire destruction 

 •' of the Spanifli maritime power was the priuclpal 

 " point in view. Abundance of pamphlets were 

 " publiflied to ftiew the expediency of this mt^asure, • 

 " and the benefits that would result to Britain from 

 " the destruction of the naval pov/er of Spain." ■ 

 Here we have, in all its lustre, the old and beautiful 

 maxim delenda est Carthago. " The Spaniards fiil- 

 " ed all the world with complaints of our insincerity 

 •' and ambition.^'' Nor can we be surprised, since 

 there is not in the blackest page of Davila, himself, 

 an example of more atrocious treachery. What 

 right have we to condemn John the Painter,, a man 

 acting upon principles which his conscience consi- 

 dered as defensible? We evidently had no principles 

 but those of a robber ; and, therefore, it would be 



we changed sides, and in September 1719, Sir John Norris, wi;h his 

 sqmdron, was dispatclied a second tlir.e to the Biltic, to jjrotict our r.eiif . 

 Jriends (he Sivtdei, agjinst cur dd alius the Riijsians. In April 1720, he 

 VIM again S'-nt to tlie Baltic, with twenty men of warj and in April lyzi, 

 3l fourth time, with thirteen men tif wir. Our fritnJihip had been of very 

 jmill service to the Swedes; for in spite of these three succefsivc a.-taa- 

 ments for their protection, it was not till 31st August 1721, that the 

 MAr, on hit own terms, cordescended to grant them a peace. Such a 

 ruinous and absurd system is sufficient to discampose the patience of the 

 grives: re ider. 



In April 1727, Adm!rjl Norr-s mide a /f'h'. voyage to ;he Baltic to 

 jiotect S*cd;n. 



VOL. viii. H H I 



