It seems very extraordinary that this Gentleman fhould think proper to juftify this Treaty, before any Objections had been publifhed against it; for though He is pleas'd to fay that fome People have taken Pains to difcredit it, even before they had feen it; I confefs I am at a Lofs to guess whom He means. I am fure thofe Writers, with whom He feems to be fo very angry, have purposely declined any Animadverfions upon it, though they might perhaps have been apprized of fome of the Articles, till it was published by Authority; and I hope a Man of his Importance would not condefcend to turn Pamphleteer and wafte fo much of his precious Time in anfwering the private Whis pers of Coffee-houfe Politicians.

His great Officioufnefs therefore in having the firft Word and answering Objections, before they are made, looks as if He was confcious to Him felf that the Peace was not found at the Bottom, and stood in need of fome Explanation to fupport it. But how hath He attempted to vindicate it? Why, by celebrating his own excellent Conduct and abufing fome particular Gentlemen, whom He is pleafed not to like, in fo licentious a Manner, that nothing can add to his Vanity and Infolence, but endeavouring, by his Intereft in any Place, or in any Manner, to prohibit the fame Freedom of writing on the other Side.

I hope that He will have fo much Modesty at leaft, as not to make any fuch Attempt after this; and I think it a very feasonable Opportunity to put the World in mind of the great Ufefulnefs of the Liberty of the Prefs; for if any Restraint fhould be laid upon it, by his Means, (and I be I

lieva

lieve no other Man will ever attempt it) they cannot expect any Accounts of political Affairs, of any Kind whatsoever, befides fuch partial and fcandalous Gloffes as that, which is now before

us.

The Obferver feems very unhappy, at his first fetting out, in the Defcription he gives of those Men, who, as he fuppofes, will find Fault with this Treaty. He tells us they are like thofe Wretches that live upon dangerous Coafts, whofe Profit arifes from Wrecks; who fubfift by the Misfortunes and Calamities of his Fellow Creatures; and whofe Affliction is confequently an happy Prefage of Calm and Serenity. I fay this Defcription does not feem to fuit Thofe, to whom he applies it, fo well as it does a great, overgrown, wicked Minifter, who hath enrich'd himself by the Spoils of a Nation; whofe Power fubfifts by the Misfortunes and Calamities of his Fellow Subjects; and whofe Downfal would confequently be an happy Omen of the Profperity of his Country.

He infinuates, afterwards, that the Arguments of thefe wicked Men, his Oppofers, have made no fmall Impreffion at the Court of Madrid. How ftrange and, at the fame Time, how melancholy a Confideration is it, that fuch a mean, inconfiderable and defpicable Faction, as They have been often represented, should have any Influence in foreign Courts, or be able to give the leaft Obftruction to Him and his Affociates in their wife and notable Ne-' gotiations?

He is likewife full of his Apprehenfions that the Suggestions of this fame mean and inconfiderable Ca bat

bal will have fome Influence on the Counsels of Vienna, and fays We may most certainly expect that They will now apply their whole Skill and Invention to find out fuch Reafons as may beft ferve to divert his Imperial Majefty from becoming a Party to thefe Engagements.

Now, in my humble Opinion, this Work is already done to their Hands by the Obferver Himfelf, who hath furnish'd his Imperial Majefty, in this very Pamphlet, with ample Reafons for not acceding to the Treaty, as I fhall prefently fhew; and, in the mean Time, I will leave the Reader to judge whether charging fo great a Prince with Ingratitude and Breach of Faith (as this Writer does by a very strong Implication) is the most probable Method of ma king Him our Friend.

He cannot forget furely how fuch Usage, from Him and his Creatures, upon all Occafions, was refented at Vienna fome Years ago. Nay, He feem'd to be fenfible of it laft Winter, and began to foften his Language towards that Court, and beftow'd the fame Kind of Rhetorick on their Catholick Majefties; but now, it seems, Things have taken another Turn, by his wife and fteady Meafures, and the Emperor must submit to be abused, in the fame Manner, again.

But to return-The Reafons of his Apprehenfions that this little, powerful Cabal of his Adverfaries will ufe all their Intereft at the Court of Vienna to divert his Imperial Majefty from acceding to the Treaty, are contained in the following Words. It cannot certainly be expected that the fame Perfons who were so much alarmed at the Negotiations, and appre

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apprehended fo many ill Confequences to Themselves from the Conclufion of a Provifional Treaty, bould Shew lefs Concern and Difappointment upon the News of a folid and lafting Peace; or should be less alert and active in their Endeavours to prevent its becoming general.

This is equally candid with that Character, which He gives of thofe Perfons, in the preceding Pages, and equally probable with the reft of his Confequen ces. How folid and lafting this Peace is like to be, We may judge from his own Obfervations on the chief Articles of it; but I must firft take Notice that Thofe Perfons, who cannot poffibly reap any Advantage from the higheft Taxes, must be very fond of parting with their Money, if They are lefs defirous of feeing them diminish'd, by a folid and lafting Peace, than fome other Perfons, who may heap up farther Riches by them.

I am well appriz'd, from paft Experience, that even exposing the vile Sophiftry of this Pamphlet may be called furnishing the EMPEROR with Arguments against acceding to the Treaty and endeavouring to prevent its becoming general. To this I fhall only reply, once for all, that it is a Topick which may be equally urged, at any Tinie, against any bad Measures or wicked Minifters whatsoever; and therefore I am fure that the fenfible Part of the World (who do not hold an implicit Faith in Minifters) will lay no Manner of Stress upon it, let it be repeated and ecchoed back upon us never fo of ten or strongly by this Gentleman and his Associates.

Having made our Way thus far through the Billingsgate Rubbish of his Introduction, We come to

the

the Subftance and Marrow of his Book; and here, perhaps, it will be said that He does not fight againft the Air; fince He begins his Obfervations with tak ing Notice of fome false Infinuations, which these fame wicked Perfons have already let fall with Regard to this Treaty, which they could not, fays He, at that Time have poffibly feen and of the Contents of which they would perfuade us, that the Directors of a Company, extremely interested in the Confequences of this Treaty, were equally ignorant; though thofe Directors had feen and approved them.

Can any Thing be more ridiculous than this Paragraph, which carries along with it a full Answer to the Charge it contains? For who could poffibly apprehend that thefe Directors had feen the Contents of the Treaty, at that Time; or were not equally ignorant of them with all other Englishmen, who are equally interested, at least, in the Confequences of it? Who could imagine (till this worthy Gentleman was pleased to inform us of it) that the Managers of a monied Corporation fhould be more favoured than all the rest of his Majesty's Landed and Trading Subjects; or even than the whole Body of the Proprietors of this Company itself, in whofe Name They expreffed their Approbation of it?

We all know in what Manner fuch Things are often carried; and if it fhould appear that this Ob fequioufness to Minifterial Purpofes was drawn from them by the indirect Methods of any of their Managers, without having the fame Knowledge communicated to them, We hope They will fhew their Refentment of it at the enfuing Election of Direc tors, and not fuffer themselves to be led by any

Men,