To

parallelled advantage to their country,
were safe and undisturbed in continuing
thofe fucceffes, which at length, must have
produced fuch a peace, as was not only
honourable, but adequate and permanent.
No lurking, mifchievous STUART durft
then interfere in the management of pub-
lic business. But no fooner was the breath
out of the late King's body, than the Earl
of BUTE both intended and attempted to
take the lead in the administration.
the gratification of his ambitious views,
is to be attributed all the divifions and
diftractions into which this unhappy
kingdom has been plunged, fince his pre-
fent Majesty's acceffion to the crown. It
is affuming no pretence to wisdom, nor
is it any affront to common fenfe, to say,
that if no fuch man as the Earl of B. had
been in Existence, when the late King
died, not one of thofe evils would have
happened, which not only the prefent
race of men, but their children, will, in
all probability curfe to their graves.

L

Two days after his prefent Majefty's acceffion, the Earl of BUTE was, with

the

"

the King's eldest brother, introduced into the privy council. Scarce was the ink dry, which had marked his name upon the council book, when, although no minister himself, yet he affumed a magifterial air of authority, and began to give law in the court; and to fhew, not only with what contempt he meant to treat the memory and conduct of the deceafed monarch, but his diflike of the measures which were then, and had for fome time been purfued; and in order to affront the minifters and the allied army, he invited to court, while the late King lay dead in his palace, the only unpopular man, at that time, in the kingdom; who but a few months before had been degraded from his rank, for a disobedience of orders, when in the service of his country. He was indeed admitted to kifs hands: but the true friends of the honour of the crown, and those who laid the foundation of all that glory which the army had acquired, and of that spirit which might have given law to the world, remonstrated so firmly against it, that he was forced

B 2

forced to abfcond, and never presume again, during Mr. PITT's administration, to fhew his face at St. James's.

Although the Earl of B. (who was already diftinguished by the odious name of Favourite) was disappointed in his defign of repeating this affront, by the unexpected firmness of the adminiftration, yet his refolution of deftroying them, was not in the least checked. But this was a point not only of fuch magnitude and importance, but of fuch extreme difficulty and danger, confidering the high esteem and veneration in which they were held by the people, that it required uncommon fkill and cunning to accomplish it. And being either conscious that he was unequal to the task, or finding the neceffity of having fome more able affociate, than any of thofe "Scarce half-form'd" inftruments, he brought with him from Savilehouse; he took to his elbow that piece of pure, and distinguished virtue, Mr. Fox; with whom he constantly advised.

Reynard had cunning; and the Favourite power. Their object was Mr. PITT; who

being the pillar of the administration, their fole aim was to remove him, and to that one point, all their actions tended, in order to demolish the whole fuperftructure. The first attack that was made on him, was by a plaufible pamphlet, entitled, "Confiderations on the prefent German "war;" written by one Mauduit, who, when Lord BUTE came into power, was rewarded with a good place for his fervices. The piece was written with fingular art; and infinite pains were taken to circulate it in the world. But it did not injure Mr. PITT's reputation among the people, in fuch a manner as the faction who nursed it, hoped and expected. One kind of condemnation it received univerfally, viz. that it was written to serve the purposes of a party, who found it impoffible to fucceed in their defigns, unless they could ruin him, who had made a point of abolishing all parties, and of uniting all men in the fervice of their King and Country. Any atttempt therefore, to deftroy that unanimity, which had been of fuch fignal fervice to our country, was fure of being treated with abhor

B 3

abhorrence, as well by his friends who were fituated near him, as more especially by the public at large, and particularly by the middle rank of mankind, among whom only, true virtue is Now to be found. These faw with real concern, and infinite regret, a faction forming among their superiors, and a political war breaking out, to divide and distract the people; with every symptom that could be prophetic of that kind of accursed mischief, which fucceeded upon the weak Queen Anne's taking a Favourite into her bofom; and to the views of an intriguing cabal, facrificing that adminiftration, which had brought France almost to the brink of ruin, by the unanimity which till then, they had preferved at home, and the astonishing fuccefs with which they had carried on the war abroad. Among the intelligent part of mankind, nothing was better known, or more certain, than that the very alliance with Pruffia, which was fo violently exclaimed against, by the minion and his party, had, in times lefs favourable to Great Britain than the prefent, the approbation of the minion