letters and humanity. I do not however recollect that any of these hirelings have ventured, as the BRITON of laft Saturday has doné, magnificently to difplay the royal arms at the head of their papers. Does this author mean to intimidate? Or is it to infinuate that this new paper comes forth, like the GAZETTE, by authority, and that he is fighting under the minifterial banner? All oppofition therefore to him, according to this idea, is to be confidered as an indignity offered to the administration, and an affront to the higher powers, who may be fuppofed to protect, perhaps to pay him. This is furely too stale a trick now to pass. I rather think the royal arms are prostituted by a mercenary scribbler, as much as the royal name was in a certain great affembly, when minute guns were fired over the late minister *. This BRITON fteps forth, like the other court champion DYMOCKE, to a dreadful fight without an adversary; to receive, like him, I fuppofe, the reward of a well-fought day. Safe, and of confequence bold, as DYMOCKE, he has no enemy but himself to combat. No attack has been made on the crown; none but himself A 2 has * This alludes to the rapid eloquence of the Scottish minifter, who, as Donne fays, Between each word be gives, gives a full minute, and by attention to words, endeavours to make amends for want of fenfe. has dared to aim any fire-arrows at the bofom of a fovereign that never knew difgrace. He, and only He, has mentioned a resemblance between the reigning prince and Tiberius, which I believe has never occurred to any one else. To him belongs the ignominy of having broached this calumny with his hand, to which his heart must have given the lie. The MONITOR has indeed charged the cannon, but the BRITON has pointed it against his fovereign. He pretends to have discovered the fource of his calumny in the MONITOR of Saturday May the 32d. I have read that MONITOR very carefully, and I affirm that there is no mention of TIBERIUS through the whole of that paper, excepting in the motto from TACITUS, nor is any fuch character drawn. Count BRUHL'S indeed is, and by the hand of a mafter. He is compared, but by the motto only, to SEJANUS. The comparison need not extend farther. A minifter may in all points resemble SEJANUS, or Count BRUHL, and yet his royal mafter need not be a TIBERIUS, or AUGUSTUS III. The fovereign may be a TRAJAN, or a TITUS, the delight of mankind; and his only fault, in his people's eyes, may be an unbounded confidence in an infolent, weak, and treacherous minifter. This This foolish BRITON proceeds to produce himfelf amidst the parade of pompous profeffions, and vile alliterations. He calls upon the MONITOR to produce one inftance of infolence, cruelty, profligacy, or oppreffion, chargeable on the King of Great Britain; or to exhibit one specimen of his weaknefs and tyranny. Thefe are things which never occurred to any man's mind, because they never exifted. Something like this has happened under every King fince the conqueft, to every profligate minifter who wants to involve his master with him. The valiant DYMOCKE, like this writer, has in all ages founded forth, If any perfon, of what degree foever. high or low, fhall deny or gainfay, &c. and then the champion throws down his gauntlet, which I never heard of any perfon's being fool-hardy enough to take up. But is not this a clever plot to hang the poor MONITOR, or at leaft to get him into the cruel hands of a revengeful and unforgiving crew? Let me beg of you, Mr. MONITOR, do, commit treafon ; pray be taken up by CARRINGTON, and tried by MANSFIELD: his regard to the liberty of the fubject is known, and his tender mercies will not be cruelty. I trust the MONITOR has more wit, and that he has not loft fight of all regard to his own fafety; but will proceed in the way he has hitherto walked, and continue to adminifter wholefome fatire wherever it is merited, inftead of that naufeous and fulfome panegyric, with which the BRITON makes us fick.. The BRITON next calls upon him to discover one circumftance even; then insults him with he cannot, he DARE NOT, defcend to particulars, which would answer his purpose, but reftrains himself to a general charge. Now I will maintain that no charge at all has been brought by the MONITOR against his fovereign; and that the most grofs fatire has come from the venal pen of this wretched BRITON, who throughout his paper has himself first infinuated the vileft falfehood, a fimilitude between the characters. of TIBERIUS and his own fovereign. The BRITON fays, that "in any court of "judicature a general charge, unfupported by "evidence, is anfwered and refuted by a ge"neral negation." His affertions are every where much more general than the MONITOR'S; nor does he ever dare to defcend to particulars. He affirms, the administration is conducted with fuch integrity as defies reproach. The King of Pruffia, ftill our ally, tells the world the contrary. He proceeds to fay, with fuch vigour and fuccefs as, one would think, might filence the most inveterate malice: name what fuccefs, the time when, the place where. Sure you dare not allude to the unfair and underhand offers to the court court of Vienna for an immediate accommodation in confequence of ceffions to be made to them in Italy, or elsewhere, because it is now known thofe offers have been treated with the contempt they deferved. As to vigour, the fpirit of the war has for fome months infamously languifhed, nor is it yet revived. I own indeed that the whole kingdom echoes with the found of triumph and feftivity, but it is from the glorious conquests of the late administration, to which no addition whatever has been made by the prefent. Where are their trophies? In what part of the world have they gathered their Jaurels? Surely, in defiance of decency and juftice, they have not endeavoured with their rude hands to tear from any facred brow thofe fairly won, in order to place them on their own. This author only gives himself out for a Briton. I have heard of a paper called à Free Briton; why has he dropt the title of Free? I am fure it never could be more properly applied, according to that famous verse, -Nunquam libertas gratior exstat But it is not for freedom that this writer chooses to draw his grey goofe-quill. As little pretenfions has he to the title of True Briton. Confcious of this, he only gives himself out as à Briton; a circumftance equally common to A 4 him |