1791' CIIARACTERISTICAL SKElCHES-.I-OKD VORTH. 205 

 eft rules of modern policy; and ihey now feel the 

 effects that tranlgrelBon *. 



" Thefe politicians may indeed allege, that it h in Jegrse onl^, and 

 not in iJni/, they have differed from their predecciTors in this refpeft, all 

 «t" then:, without exception, having been guilty flf inconfiftencies of the 

 fame nature. There feeiiT; indeed to he a fcrange infatuation to which 

 the bulk of the people in all ages are fubjefted, thit notliing is capable of 

 removing : viz the believing that ftatei'men in genera!, ef(iecially mi- 

 ni'- ers while in office, arc men of irreproachable intejfriiy of morals, who 

 are entitled to equal credit for what they fay in their official capacity as 

 other men. Though the mcfc Irvarlable experience hath decidedly 

 proved, that in times paft this hath perhaps in no one inftance been the 

 cale; ycix.hipref.ntpsrfonszxe, by their party, always held up to view 

 as an exception to this univerfal rule, and by tlic niultitudd of their fa- 

 vourers they are aftual'y believed to be fo' Sciilible men however know, 

 that if ever there can be an e?tception to the ruU, it muft very rarely 

 occur: nur can any individual be admitted as cxcepticnable.till it fhall be 

 c\t3iT\y profeJ, that lie is fairly entitled to that rare, and fi.ngularly hon- 

 ourable diftin6lion, which can in no cafe be done, till long after he fhall 

 have left the flagc. It is upon the fuppofition that the condudt of' 

 niiniflers and their adherents, as well as that of their principal op- 

 ponents, is regulated by the fairc principles atfrtfait with what we know 

 that of their predeceflbrs has been, that the writer of thefe fkethes pre- 

 tends to delineate their charaflers, and to reprelent them in general, as 

 regarding with great indin'erei'.ce fonic of thofe fundamental morel pri:> 

 ciples, which other men rightly think, are of the jareateft importance in 

 civil fociety. God forbid, that ever the moral principles of the nation 

 at large, (hould become as much relaxed as thole of the m:niflerial tribe, 

 and their chief rivals for power; for iht rv.in of the nation would theri 

 be at hand. But could men in general oe induced to view the whole 

 tribe of courtiers, in their true light, the people would not be in dan- 

 ger of being perpetually gulled by tiieir little arts, as they noware. 



• Thofc who know nothing of courts, either from perfonal experience, 

 or a careful pcrufal of the records of paft times, will read this note with 

 horror. — PcrhapSjOttv may look upon it as little ihi rt of blafphemy. — 

 Qthtrs, however, will recognize the juftntfs of it; and while,they ir:ter- 

 nally fmile at the ignorant credulity of the vulgar, will try to avail thsm- 

 felves of its influence. — It is the duty of every honeft man to difphy eve- 

 ry intcrclling objeCl; in its true ci lours. — Error ought to be univerfally 

 eradicated. — IVc, with goodreali.n, laugh at the lolly of our forefathers, 

 ■who refpedfully believed in the infallibility of the Pope.- Do thofe aft 

 mere coiififlently, who rely, with implicit confideiue, upon the infallibi- 

 lity of a miniftcr ? 



Thefe obfervations arc general, and are not meant to be applied to any 

 particular pcrfoii, or concatenation of incidents. — The advancement or 

 flegrad.uion of any particular party, is not, in the eye of a gocd citizeMjati 



