1751. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c.

to be members of a court-martial, ought to be prevented, I fhall be for this oath of fecrecy until I hear another method for the fame purpose propofed, which I think equally practicable and more effectual.

19

for a gentleman's having the honour to be chofen a member of this houfe, no way frees him from the jurifdiction of a court-martial, or from that duty and fubordination he is bound to as an officer in our army or navy, fo far as it is confiftent with the duty of his fervice in this houfe.

Upon this fubject, Sir, I lately happened to perufe a cafe which I think very appofite to the present purpose. It was the cafe of the earl of Torrington, who was taken into cuftody by a warrant of the privy council, and fent to the Tower, in order to be tried by a court-martial, for his behaviour in the fea-fight with the French off Beachy-head, foon after the beginning of the reign of

Now, Sir, as to the amendment A propofed, I am fo fully convinced, that under the term, court of juflice, both houses of parliament are comprehended, that I cannot think any man will ever doubt of it; and if any man fhould put his own fenfe upon the words of an oath, and B contumaciously infift upon that being the fenfe, contrary to the general opinion of mankind, I muft think, he would deferve to be punished for his obftinacy. Nay, farther, I fhould look upon him as one of those who voted in favour of the CK. William and Q. Mary. As he was unjuft fentence inquired into, and his making ufe of that pretence for not answering, I should confider as a confeffion of his guilt. Therefore, I must think the amendment propofed quite unneceffary; and I am against agreeing to it, becaufe, ID think, it would introduce a very invidious diftinction between a court of juftice and a house of parliament, as if neither house were ever to be called a court of juftice; when it is fo evident, that each has in fome respects a jurifdictive as well as a le. giflative capacity; and we join both together when we pass an act of attainder, or an act for inflicting pains and penalties upon any criminal.

E

F

For this reafon, Sir, I must be of opinion, that the oath as it ftands now, can be no bar to any future parliamentary inquiry, nor to our punishing any court-martial, that shall dare to be guilty of a breach of the privileges of this houfe. But at the fame time I muft obferve, that however jealous we may be of our privileges, we ought not to fhew G fuch a jealousy of them, as may encourage any of our members who happen to be in our army or navy, to be guilty of any military crime;

a member of the other house, as foon as the parliament met, he complained to that house of his commitment, and claimed his privilege as a peer of the realm Their lordships cenfured the order of council for his

commitment, as not having been legally iffued; but after calling for and perufing his commiffion, they declared, that by his accepting and acting under that commiffion, he gave up his privilege of being tried as a peer, for any offences committed against the act of the 13th of Charles II. for regulating the navy, and was according to the directions of the faid act to be tried by a courtmartial. Accordingly, he was foon after tried by a court-martial; and tho' the members of that court were generally none of his friends, and the court intereft was ftrong against him, yet, to the honour of that court as well as his own, he was unanimoufly acquitted of every article laid to his charge.

This, I fay, Sir, was the behaviour of the other house upon this occafion; and I do not queftion but that this houfe would behave in the fame manner, if any one of our members, who is an officer in our army or navy, C 2 fhould

20 Disorder the Source of private and publick Mifery. Jan.

fhould complain of his being con-
fined or tried by a court-martial for
a real breach or neglect of his mili-
tary duty. We might, perhaps, in-
quire fo far as to be convinced of his
having been guilty; and as there is
nothing in this oath that could ob. A
ftruct that inquiry, or any inquiry
we may hereafter think proper to
make, it does, in my opinion, not
stand in need of any amendment.

[This JOURNAL to be continued in our next.]

SIR,

A

B

S all the happiness that mankind enjoys proceeds from the never-erring law of order, fo all the miferies they C either feel or fear, fpring from diforder's all-pernicious root. If we furvey and contemplate the heavens and earth, and all nature's univerfal works, we shall furely perceive, that perfect order pervades, connects, and fupports the whole, and that fuch regularity of motion is fo neceffary to their performances, that if any one of the heavenly orbs was once to be put out of its order, the whole world would be inftantly in chaos and confufion,

If fuch be the miserable condition of every one that forfakes order, and permits his paffions to be his masters; what must be the dreadful confequence in that ftate or kingdom, where the whole community is governed by a group of the most depraved paffions, who having furrounded the throne, and feized the reins of government, are always jarring and quar, relling among themselves, about their own private advantage, never uniting but to the nation's hurt; where ambition, with out abilities, like Samfon fhorn, fits at the helm, and the whole political machine of the commonwealth turns entirely on the wheels of corruption; where a full purfe poffeffes every virtue, and an empty pocket contains every crime; where to be good or evil, is to be rich or poor, and gold is the only God that governs ?

Since the grea: government of the uni verfe is the only standard of true govern ment, all others must be more or less perfect, according as they more or less purfue the plan, and imitate the laws and di rection of the world's Almighty governor.

Wildom has fixed the foundations of her kingdom on truth's eternal pillars, and all its glorious fuperftructure is difplayed in fruits that grow from truth's unerring root: In her kingdom, juftice and mercy join, like light and heat; justice, like heat, is within due bounds Ꭰ confin'd; but mercy is, like light, unlimited; and thro' all her empire perfect order reigns, and univerfal harmony. Perfect order is right reafon's everlasting rule; infinite wifdom's immutable law; the beauteous caufe of all nature's charms: It covers every crown with honour, and every kingdom with happiness.

So it is alfo in the mind of man, while perfect order reigns within his heart, fweet contentment, like celeftial love, banishes from his breaft all care, and creates a heaven within him; but when once base pas. fion bears the fway, his whole mind is E from that moment in terror, confufion, and diforder. When our reafon is overwhelmed by our lufts, and our fervants become our mafters, then truth must truckle to falfhood, and light muft yield to darkness; then man's mind, like a fhip toft in a tempeft, fuffers one continual form, reafon with loft ftill struggling; but being too commonly in the conflict overcome, his heart endures all the horros of hell: All fimilitude of the Deity is then utterly vanished away, and he is become the very reverse of his Maker's image.

If therefore the method of any government should oppofe order's unerring rule, and contradi& truth's eternal tenets, would not fuch a state confequently be unstable, and tend apace to its own destruction? Can, or ought any people to pay the fame obedience and regard to that government, which must neceffarily deftroy their happinefs, as to that which naturally must F préferve it? Or can that crown or kingdom be efteemed durable and firm, which takes every step to undermine itself, and induce its own diffolution? Corruption is the cankerworm that deftroys all earthly things, and as furely brings on a change in a nation, as in a private body; for whatfeever is corrupted, muft neceffarily un-1 dergo a change.

As want of order makes fuch ftrange havock in the mind of man, fo it does alfo in his body and eftate; for diforder in them, naturally begets death to the one, G and poverty to the other; and he, that neglects to keep his body in order, and to look into and regulate his worldly affairs, will foon bring the one to the grave, and the other to rags and beggary.

Men may flatter themselves, that they have cunning enough to rule a people, by encouraging and practifing upon their vices; but they will at laft furely find, that they, like unfkilful quacks, who, to

pre

1751.

CHARACTER of CLEOPATRA.

preferve the body, feed its diftempers, and give the dropfical larger draughts, have but haftened the ftate's deftruction.

I am, SIR, &c.

BRITANNICUS.

To the AUTHOR of the LONDONA
MAGAZINE.

SIR,

A

NEW hiftory of Cleopatra having been lately published at Paris, in which the author, M. Marmontel, gives the character of that famous queen; those who have either read or heard acted our B famous tragedy, called, All for Love, or the World well Loft, will be pleased to fee this character in English; therefore I fend it you as follows:

"Cleopatra was beautiful, but that fplendor of beauty, which had triumphed over the heart of Cæfar, and according to fome, that of Cneius, the fon of the great C Pompey, was become the weakest of her charms. Cæfar's love had infpired her with a noble ambition. She imagined herfelf worthy of the empire of the world; and the had no way of coming at it but by the conqueft of hearts. To her it was of the utmost importance to ftudy the art of pleafing; and no one, I believe, ever applied herself to it with fo much fuccefs. D To a magnanimous, elevated, and daring foul, nature in her added a bright, lively, and jovial wit. She had an exquifite tafte, a delicate ear, and the was a lover of every fort of pleasure, which the varied without ceafing. Applying herself lefs to the fatisfaction of her defires, than to the infpiring of fuch as were new, the certainty E of being agreeable never made her neglect the means of appering more amiable; and tho' fhe was fincerely in love, there was not an artifice which he did not pra&ife for making herself beloved.

Quick in obferving every motion of the heart, which the intended either to gain or preferve, the knew how to inspire it fea

21

fhe managed fo well, that her lofs of the other became imperceptible. In short, Cleopatra united every thing that was moft capable of inflaming the paffion of a man, or flattering the pride of a hero?"

This is the character of Cleopatra, as given by our French author, and it seems in every part to be pretty juft, except where he talks of the fincerity of her love; for I doubt much, if the was ever fincerely in love, it being a rule with me, that no true friendship is to be expeed from a man, who has once proftituted his honour, nor true love from a woman, who has once prostituted her virtue.

I have, it is true, within my own know ledge, obferved fome exceptions; but I believe the rule will generally hold true; and I am perfuaded, that whatever Cle patra pretended, there was no fincerity in her love for Mark Antony. Her precipitate flight from the fea-fight at Actium, was, think, a proof of it; for I fuf pect, that her flight proceeded more from policy than any womanifh fear. She knew The could easily excufe it to her lover, in cafe he should come off victor; and in cafe of his being vanquished, the thought the could make a merit of it with Au guftus.

If at her death he had fhewn any fign of female timidity, her flight at Actium might have been imputed to that weak nefs; but when the faw, that, instead of adorning the bed of Auguftus, the was doomed only to grace his triumph, the behaved more like a Roman hero, than a weak, fearful woman.

This, however, fhe did not refolve on, till after the had tried all her art to make a new conqueft of Auguftus, which was not furely a fign of her having been ever fincerely in love with Antony; and therefore we may juftly conclude, that, like most other courtezans, he was in love with the fortune, not the perfon of the man; and that her heroick death proceeded from her pride, not her love; which fort of pride was in that age deem.

fonably with fear, defire, hope, confi- Fed a virtue, and in high repute; and

dence and jealoufy, joy and grief; em-
ploying by turns, with inconceivable dexte-
rity, tendernefs and caprice, ingenuity
and diffimulation, coldness and tranfport.
At thofe times when the feemed to aban-
don herfelf most to her inclinations, the
made them fubfervient to her defigns, and
there was policy even in her getting drunk. G
One can hardly fay which had in her the
pre-eminence, the gifts of nature, or the
refinements of art. But both thefe ad-
vantages the made fo good use of, that
tho' reduced to the weakest of the two,

therefore Horace has celebrated her death in
the two following beautiful ftanzas.

Aufa et jacentem visere regiam
Vultu fereno fortis, et afperas

Tractare ferpentes, ut atrum
Corpore combiberet venenum,
Deliberata morte ferocior:
Sævis liburnis, fcilicet invidens,
Privata deduci fuperbo
Non bumilis mulier triumpho.

I am,

SIR,

&c.

From

22

I

The BLESSINGS of MATRIMONY.

A M one of those compaffionate Fools that have a feeling for the miferies of their fellow-creatures, and am myself hurt A by their diftreffes, when it is not in my power to relieve them; for which reason, I have spent fome time in looking out for a fituation, where I may, as much as poffible, avoid this inconvenience, and have at last found it in a remote country village. I am furrounded by honest, induftrious neighbours, where man and wife join frugality to labour, for the mutual B and comfortable fupport of themselves and their offspring, and having but one common and inseparable interest to pursue, live in the most perfect harmony, and are more above want than short of fuperfluity. You must know, coufin, it is a common practice with me in my walks, or rather fauntrings about the village, to call in upon fome or other of my neighbours almost every day; and I must own, that the neatness and good order of their cottages, and the robust, healthy appearance of their children, procured to them by the honest industry and paternal affections of their parents, afford me the highest fatisfaction, and bring to my mind the encomiums you have often bestowed on the married ftate, D when the parties act up to their proper characters. Thefe fcenes, and my own experience (being myfelf bleffed with a virtuous good wife, and what the world generally calls fine children) convince me, that there is no ftate in this life fo much to be envied, tho' too frequently made the fubject of ridicule by the polite world in general, and by our family in particular: Nay, I am told, that there are men in your corrupt city, who dare even boaft of keeping harlots in their houses, and yet audaciously deride their neighbours who live with credit and reputation in the married ftate, as if adultery and fornication were authorized by law, and matrimony but barely tolerated; but let fuch vain F wretches take an impartial view of their own and the married man's condition, and then fee which is the most proper fubject of ridicule and contempt: The married man by his contract frequently raises a woman to, or at least maintains her in, a rank and reputation, which, if she does not forfeit by her own misconduct, most & justly entitle her to the careffes of her friends, and the esteem of the most fenfi. ble part of mankind in general; for what character is there in life more amiable and endearing than a virtuous wife, careful of

Jan.

her husband's intereft, by prudence and frugality in the management of his family, and ftudious to promote his happiness, and alleviate his cares, by a courteous, kind, and condefcending behaviour?

The keeper, on the other hand, deprives his woman of that rank and reputation, which did entitle her to esteem, subjects her to the contempt and indignation of her friends, and excludes her from every enjoyment in life, unless the can find it in the converfation of her undoer, or of other unhappy women in her own wretched fituation. Again, if the married man becomes a father of children, they afford him joy and comfort, and are a cement to the affections of their common parents, who now jointly exert themselves in promoting their happiness and well-being, not only by making a fuitable provifion of worldly goods for them, but by training them up in the paths of virtue and religion, whereby to fecure their eternal as well as temporal happiness; whereas the kept miftrefs is no fooner pregnant, but care is taken (at least too frequently) to prevent the birth of a child, which the parents would be ashamed to own; and if in spite of medicine it does come to life, it is generally an orphan from its birth, deftitute of that care and tenderness neceffary for the fupport of infancy; and if it does ftruggle thro' thefe difadvantages, and grow up, is generally expofed to poverty and difgrace in this world, and for what the parents care, to mifery in a future ftate. -Once more: By matrimony new relations and friends are acquired, the interefts of families united and strengthened, and all become more or lefs fubfervient to the good of each other: But take a harlot into your house, her first care will be to alienate your affections from your relations and friends, and fow diffenfion between them and you, that so you may have no advifers to wean you from your folly, nor the be interrupted in the wicked fchemes she may lay for the ruin of you and your family. But indeed," when a man once falls into this fcene of life, he almost unavoidably discards his relations; for, are they of the female fex, he muft be abandoned to the laft degree, if he fuffers them to be spectaters of his vice and folly, which alone would give room to fufpect their virtue, and have a great tendency to ruin their reputation. Are they of the other fex, and perhaps dependent upon him, the tyranny and hatred of the woman towards them, would make their lives unfupportable in his house, and drive them to a neceffity of difinheriting themselves; not to mention the fatal influerce (uch an example may naturally have upon

1751. The Candid Difquifitions candidly confider'd

upon the morals of youth; for how should
that appear a crime to them, which they
fee openly practifed, perhaps by their fa-
thers, uncles, or mafters, whose exam-
ples ought, in moft cafes, to be the rule
of their actions? I believe it is needlefs
to carry the comparifon any farther, tho'
it will infallibly hold in favour of matri- A
mony, ad infinitum; fo that if you think
that what I have already faid, can be of
any ufe towards awakening these, or even
one of thefe deluded, cheated men, out of
their fatal lethargy, or will make them
treat matrimony with more modesty and
deference for the future, then lay it before
the publick; but if you think there is too
Atrong a tincture of the blood of our fa- B
mily in the author, then, for their fakes,
commit it to the flames,