Danvers and his Fellow Scribes of all Cummon Sense. No. 60. Concluding Remarks on the Civil Lift; from p. 151.. N A In the beginning of the prefent Regn Funds were appropriated to the Civil. Lift for not less than 800,000l. a Year; but an Hon. Member (Sec Debates Vol. 7. p. 529 B) computes the annual Produce at 914,000l. but by including the Revenues of Scotland and Ireland, the Profits B of vacant Commiffions, Seizures of fmuggled Goods, the Sale of old Naval Stores, the falling in of Grants, the not paying. the 10 thousand Pounds with the Princefs Royal out of the Civil Lift, and the Saving by the Queen's Death, Mr Common Senfe makes the Amount of the Civil-Liftc Revenues now to be confiderably above a Million; not reckoning the Revenues of Hanover, Bremen and Verden, nor the Saving in the Prince of Wales's Allowance before and fince his coming to England. He then concludes with the following Remarks. "An immenfe Civil Lift will neither D make us formidable Abroad, nor rich at Home; for when our Wealth is drawn from thofe Channels, by paffing thro' which it nourishes the Commonwealth, our Weakness will be seen and known by Foreign Nations. "Wealth in the State is like Blood in the Body of Man, it must circulate thro' all the Veins and Arteries, otherwise the Body Politick will languifh and decay, the inferior Members must have their Share of Nourishment as well as the Head and Heart. "It is true, that the Head was by Nature appointed to command the whole Man; but if the Head fhould fpeak thus to the fubordinate Members, "I am your Mafter, and you move only by my Orders; you, my Hands, were made to work for me; and you, my Legs, to bear me; I will, by Vertue of that Power I have over you, take to myself that Blood and Spirits with which you have hitherto been nourish'd: It is no Doubt but fuch a foolish Head might grow to an enormous Size, but it would be in Danger of falling to the Ground for all that; for the Hands would neither be able to work for it, nor the Legs to bear is long. "Upon the whole, there is nothing which concerns the general Intereft of the Society fo much as to guard against an over-grown Civil Lift, and therefore I fhall think publick Spirit dead, if I F H fhould fee Mens Attention engag'd 2 or 3 Months about the Change of a Secretary, a Chamberlain, or a Chancellor of the Exchequer, (which perhaps is no more than a private Contention betwixt a Knave in Place, and a Fool out, or, vice verfa, the Fool in and Knave our;) and if fixteen thousand Pounds a Year be added one Year to the Civil Lift, thirty thousand another, and feventy thousand a third, it should be no more than a nine Days Wonder. The Craftsman, April 29. N°616. Whether there is now any Liberty of the Prefs. MR 'R D'Anvers fubjoins fome Remarks to his Correfpondent's Obfervations on the Subject of Libels; and after seve ral Quotations from the Law-Books, fays, that according to the modern Interpretati on, not only the immediate Author and Printer, but likewife all Perfons whatfoever, who are concern'd in writing, tranfcribing, fpreading and difperting a Libel, are deem'd Publishers, and punishable as fuch; even every Coffeeman, Innkeeper, and other Perfon, who takes in a. News paper for the Entertainment of his Customers. In like Manner, every Perfon, who reads a Paper, which is ca l'd a Libel, and thofe, who laugh at it, are not out of Danger. Nay, every Nable man and Gentleman, who buys a Newspaper, for his own Ule, or the Amutement of his Family, may be found guil ty of publishing a Libel; if he happers to read it himself in Company; or lends it to any of his Friends; or fuffers it to lye upon his Table; or, in fhort, does not im mediately burn it, or deliver it into the. Hands of a Magifirate; especially, if it happens to touch, even in the moft diftant Manner, upon the Management of publick Affairs. This (fays he) is directly afferted by the worthy Author of State-Law, or the Doctrine of Libels difcufs'd, and the late Remarker on Zenger's Tryal is very angry with Mr Hamilton, for obferving, "that Informations for Libels is a Child, if not born, yet nurfed up, and brought to full Maturity, in the Court of Star-Chamber." But the Remarker on these Doctrines, te ls us, p. 25, that notwithstanding all "there appears to be Latitude enough for a skilful Pen to lafh publick and pri vate Vices; to caution the People againit Measures, that may be hurtful to them; or to remonstrate against the evil Practices even of those in Power, without being always expofed to the Penalties of the LawBut he acknowledges with the fam fame Breath, that even the most skilful Pen must do this at his Peril. A mighty Privilege indeed! that an ingenious Man may venture to ferve his Country, at the Hazard of his Perfon and Fortune! A If to all this we add the late Practice of general Warrants, for which Lord Chief Justice Scroggs was profecuted by Parliament, even whilst the Prefs was under a Licenfer; the violent and arbi trary Proceedings of Messengers; their ranfacking of Houfer, Rooms and Cabinets; feizing whole Impreffions of printed Books, with Shop-Books and other pri- B vate Papers; breaking the Prefs; long. and clofe Confinement of Perfons; extraordinary Bail, contrary to the Habeas Corpus Act; Expence, and Interruption of Bujinefs; rigorous Profecutions, upon In formations, Special Juries, Imprisonment, Fines and good Behaviour, to mention no more, at prefent-Let any Man, I fay, confider all these things, and judge whe ther Minifters of State are not already arm'd fuch Power, that it is almost impoffible to carry on any publick Paper, without their Licenfe, or the Ruin of thofe concern'd in it. it must be faid, that the Treasurer had made himself and his Mafter rich, and the Nation poor. It is well known that K. Charles the 2d was reproved very freely for his perfonal Vices, both from the Pul pit and the Prefs; particularly in Robert Barclay's Dedication to his Apology for the Quaker:, and in Bishop Burnet's Letter, lately publish'd by his Son, Serjeant Burnet, at the End of the fecond Volume of the Hiftory of his own Times. Upon the whole, let the Reader judge whether we enjoy the Liberty of the Prefs. in any fuch Degree, as is generally fup, pofed, and afterted to be our Right, fince the Revolution, and Establishment of the Proteftant Succeffion. common Dense or the "nglishman's Journal, April 29, No. 65. CMR Haines, Printer of the Craftsman, being next Week to be brought to the King's Bench Bar to receive Judgment, Common-Senfe, as well as the Craftsman of this Day, have ingeniously adapted their Papers to the Occafion; but 'tis ne vertheless the Opinion of feveral, that they have not much frengthen'd the Arguments Dufed by Mr Hamilton for Mr Zenger the Printer of New-York; whofe Tryal, there fore, no Printer ought to be without. F Law. fhall mention but one thing more, before I conclude.-We are often put in Mind of the Lenity of the prefent Times, in Comparison with the past. But though Mr COMMON SENSE's Paper turns on we meet with feveral fuitances of great the Power of the Judges to pervert the Severity against Libellers, in former Åges; He quotes the Inftance of the yet there are likewife Inftances of as Fudges in Car. II. difcharging the Grand great Moderation and Clemency. The E Jury because they should not receive a PreCourt-Preachers, in thofe Reigns, took fentment against the Duke of York, which very great Liberties, both with the Prince he fays was a deteftable Precedent. He and the highest Officers of the Realm ac mentions further, the enervating the cording to that Precept in holy Writ; Strength of the Habeas Corpus, and macry aloud and pare not; lift up thy Voice king Breaches on Magna Charta, and Delike a Trumpet; the my People their clarations for the Sake of the Government i Tranfgreffions, and the House of Jacob on which he brings these Remarks: If the their Sins. In the Reign of Edward the Judges make new Laws by an ill Con6th, Bifhop Latimer, who afterwards ftruction, or an ill Execution of old ones, fuffer'd Martyrdom for the Proteftant I conclude, that Parliaments will foon be Religion, told the King in a Sermon at found ufelefs, and the Liberty of the Court," that he heard the Judges had People an Inconvenience to the Govern opprefs'd the Poor; that if he was King, he would make the ftricted Enquiry into the Matter; and if he found it true, he G would order their Skins to be ftript off their Backs, fluff'd with Straw, and irang up in Westminster Hall for an Example." In the Reign of King James theft, another Court Preacher made the following Obfervation, pointing at Lord Middlefex then prefent," that 2 Treasurer, who made himself rich, and his Master poor, was a Treaturer for the Devil.”This was certainly a Libel, in those Days; hough I cannot find any Profecution ups. but in order to make it fo, at preby the Alteration of the Civil-Lift, ment. All our Laws of Liberty ftand the People of England in little Stead, if Judges affume a Power of declaring Law in fo ftrong a Manner, and even to make a pe nal Law out of their own Heads. The Houfe of Commons voted Lord Chief Justice Scroggs's Warrant to the Mcffengers of the Prefs, to feize unlicens'd Pamphlers and News-papers, to be arbitrary and illegal. See State-Trials, vol. 3: p. 222. For my Part, my Paffions are very warm for the Memory of King Alfred, who hang'd 44 Jadges in one Year, as Murtherers of the Law. The IN CONSTANT SWAIN. Set to MUSICK by Mr STANLEY. ALLEGRO. Young Thirs once & jollieft fwain ever charm'd lift'ning plain; Attentive to his glee Mr URBAN, IN your Magazine for February you publifh'd the laft Volunteer Laureat written on a very melancholy occafion, viz. the death of the royal patronefs of arts and literature in general, and of the author of shat poem in particular; I now fend you the first that Mr Savage wrote under that Title. This Gentle man, not with flanding a very confiderable intereft, being, on the death of Mr Eufden, difappointed of the Laureat's place, wrote the following verfes; which were no fooner publish'd, but the late queen fent to a Book feller for them; the author bad not at that time a friend either to get him introduced, or his poem prefented at Court, yet fuch was the unspeakable goodness of that Princefs, that, notwithstanding this act of ceremony was wanting, in a few days after publication, Mr Savage receiv'da bank bill of fifty pounds, and a gracious meffage from her majefty, by the lord North and Guilford, to this effect: That her majefty was bigbly •pleafed with the verfes; that she took particularly kind bis lines there relating to the king; that he had permiffion to write annually on the fame fubject, and that be fhould yearly receive the like prefent, till famething better (which was her majefty's intention) could be done for bim.' -After this be was permitted to prefent one of his annual poems to her majefty, bad the honour of kiffing ber band, and met with the maft gracious reception. Yours, T. B. The VOLUNTEER LAUREAT. No I. APOEM. On the Queen's Birth-Day, 1731-2: T Humbly addrefs'd to her MAJESTY. By RICHARD SAVAGE, Efq; Wice twenty tedious moons have roll'd away, Since hope, kind flatt'rer! tun'd my penfive lay, Whifp'ring, that You, who rais'd me from despair, Meant, by Your fmiles, to make life worth my care; With pitying hand an Orphan's tears to fcreen, And o'er the motherlefs extend the Queen. "Twill be the Prophet guides the Poet's ftrain! Grief never touch'd a heart like Yours in vain: Heav'n gave You pow'r, because You love to blefs, And pity, when You feel it, is redrefs. Two Fathers join'd to rob my claim of one! You cannot hear unmov'd, when wrongs implore, I Great Princefs! 'tis decreed-once ev'ry year march uncall'd your Laureat Volunteer; Thus fhall your poet his low genius raife, And charm the world with truths too vaft for praise. Nor need I dwell on glories all your own, Since furer means to tempt your fmiles are known; Your poet fhall allot your Lord his part, And paint him in his nobleft throne, your heart, Is there a greatness that adorns Him beft, A rifing with, that ripens in his breaft? Has He foremeant some distant age to bless, Difarm oppreffion, or expel diftress? Plans He fome scheme to reconcile mankind, People the feas, and bufy ev'ry wind? Would He by pity the deceiv'd reclaim, And fmile contending factions into fhame? Would his example lend his laws a weight, And breath his own foft morals o'er his ftate? The Mufe fhall find it all, fhall make it feen, And teach the world his praife,to charm his Queen, Such be the annual truths my verse imparts, Nor frown, fair fav'rite of a people's hearts! Happy if plac'd, perchance, beneath your eye, My Mufe, unpenfion'd, might her pinions try, Fearless to fail, whilft you indulge her flame, And bid me proudly boast Your Laureat's name Renobled thus by wreaths my Queen bestows, I lofe all memory of wrongs and woes. Ad RICARDUM SAVAGE, Arm. Humani HUmani Audium generis cui pectore fervet, Εις το της Ελισης περι των Ονει To Ου Καλλους δυναμει το τέλος; Ζεις παντα Κυπριδί, μηδ' αυτόν Σκηπτρα μεμηλο Θεος Αλλα τοδ' εις θνητούς Κύπρις επεμψεν. Οναρο Zeus mouves progoUNTI TORES EXTTERσr negavva, Ομμασι λαμπρο. Διος Κυπρις οςα φερει. In ELIZA ENIGMA p. 99. ་ QUis formæ modus imperio ? Venus arrogat audax Omnia, nec curæ funt fua fceptra Jovi. Ab Jove Mæonides defcendere Somnia narrat, Hæc veniunt Cypriæ Somnia miffa Dex. Jupiter unus erat, qui ftravit fulmine gentes ; Nunc armant Veneris Lumina tela Jovis. No polish'd pebbles on my fingers blaze, To a Lady who spoke in Defence of LIBERTY. LIBER ut effe velim, fuafifti, pulchra Maria: Ut maneam liber, pulchra Maria, vale. Оп ТОВАССО. Occafion'd by the imitation of the fix Poets on that HE laft beft product of thy parting ray, Thofe fplendid toys, which different arts provide, I fing; affift me, god of verle and day! To footh the taste of vanity and pride! And yet the bounty of indulgent heav'n ELIZA. 1 A RIDDLE, propofed to ELIZA. I fhun thofe few that never try'd my charms SYMON. And thou, Virginia, ever mild and kind, Do thou compofe my thoughts, and footh my mind. ftrife, The plague of bus'nefs, and the pride of life, T. |