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A26755
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A dialogue between a modern courtier and an honest English gentleman to which is added the author's dedication to both Houses of Parliament, to whom he appeals for justice / by Samuel Baston.
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Baston, Samuel.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing B1056; ESTC R37087
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24,574
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43
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VVhy not about Popery They only consist of Pure Downright Cheating the Publick And Sir to our Eternal Shame and Infamy I must tell you That multitudes of Poperies Zealous and Mortal Enemies are Dear and Intimate Friends to this Nay to speak in General there are few Men but what will much rather chuse to take Part in it than make Complaint against it for indeed the Nation is miserably Debauch'd by the horrid Nasty Fogs and Fumes of the Courts unsavoury Noysome Lusts But now after all this Mighty Hate to Popery and Love to Cheating the Consequence of both is much alike For if our Present Grievances viz. Cheating the Puhlick be well follow'd the People will soon be made Beggars and Bankrupts and then Poverty and Slavery will be found as True and Proper a Saying as Popery and Slavery And therefore to Speak in your own Stile I think there 's many that do well deserve the Character of Sleepy Senceless Sots and Fools But especially those Great Ones that have got Vast Estates by Fraud Treachery c. Sure they are Besotted with a WITNESS Fondly to Fancy that they shall hold their Ill-got-Goods by Vertue of those Wholesome Laws that they have Constantly broke to Get them This I say is a strange Paradox And now pray Who wou'd you have to omplain of Grievances and especially of these sort of Grievances that are so generally Belov'd by those that shou'd Redress them You see a very considerable part of the Nation are Silent for Reasons I spoke of just now and as for the Popularity or Middle sort viz. Traders Husbandmen c. who are the Main Body of the People they know their Grievances in General but can tell nothing in Particular where to fix the Fault and so cannot Complain but only Grumble Mutter and Murmur And now if a Self-interested Man won't Complain and if an Ignorant Man can't Complain and if a Wise and Honest Man that knows the Strength and Power of the Corrupt Party dare not Complain Pray Who wou'd you have to Complain at all Certainly 't is so far from being strange as you say that so few have Complain'd That 't is a great wonder to me how any have had so much GRACE or COVRAGE to open their Mouths against Corruption For who d'think shou'd Complain of a Vniversal and Gainful Grievance You see the Destruction of our Coyn went forward all this Reign and had even just destroy'd the Government before our Long-Headed-Statesmen did take the Pains to put King or Parliament in Mind to Redress it This cou'd not possibly be through Ignorance no there was too much Money got by the Evil and when the Trade cou'd be carried on no longer Then they all Cry'd out like Patriots of their Countrey to have it Redress'd So that for this Branch of the Nations Ruin we may also Thank the Court and Pray God we get well over it These are all Miserable and Destructive Evils that this Poor Nation at present Staggers under only for want of the Early Constant and Impartial Execution of Justice to Encourage Virtue and Suppress Vice But it seems this has been contrary to the deep Maxims of our Pollicy and so has hitherto been omitted And thus I think I have shew'd you why so few have Publickly Complain'd tho' the Nation is so Loaded with Grievances But I had almost forgot one Party and that is the Jacobites and I hope you wou d not have them Complain against these Grievances no they had much rather forward them For 't is upon these Shameful Corruptions they build their Hopes and for which they Contemn and Scoff at the Government in all Publick Places and Encrease their Party by many Proselytes For no Honest Man is capable to Contradict them being able to say nothing that is Good of the Court Whereas had Justice been duly Administred and Vice and Wickedness Punished and Suppress'd which we had and have Power enough to do there cou'd not have been at this day a Protestant Jacobite left in the Nation For the Justice and Equity of the Government must needs long before this have Brought them all over from Stubborn Folly and made them Proselytes to their own Interest and to Common Sence as well as Loving and Loyal Subjects to His Majesty And now Sir since you have Ask'd me several Questions I shall beg leave Calmly to Ask you one and that is Pray to what end were your Honours and Employments Conserr'd upon you Were they d'think only to get a Great Estate to leave to your Posterity Certainly the Duty 's Incumbent on such Offices cannot have so poor a Center but must aim at much Higher and Nobler Objects if a Man wou'd rightly consider them But I shall not detain you at present with an Account how Great and Extensive they are not doubting your Knowledge therein however in point of Friendship I cannot but put you in Mind That as a Privy-Councellor you have Power to Administer Justice but no Power to Obstruct it You have Power to put the Law in Execution but you have no Power to Pervert it or render it useless You have power to punish any Capital Publick Offender but you have no Power to Conceal his Crimes Protect him and let him Escaps Punishment For in doing it you betray the King and take from Him His Regal Power and Rob the People of their Laws and Liberties For you are to consider that in hearing the Crimes of a Publick Offender your Power only extends to Hear and Examine that Cause in Trust for your King and Country that Law and Justice may take place and a Lord Chief Justice may as lawfully presume to Pardon MURDER or Forgive one of my Debtors or a Justice of Peace to Compound that Fellony whereby I am Robb'd as you to Protect or Acquit any Publick Offender In short In all your publick Stations you 'r only a Trustee for your Prince and Country to promote the Interest of both and you are Answerable to both in this World as well as to God in the next how you Discharge these Trusts and I fear many MEN have most Dreadful Reckonings to make on this Account Therefore Sir I do Earnestly Advise you to take a Resolution to Save your Self from the Terrible Burden of this Guilt and Rouse a Noble English Genius and stand up for the Honour of God and the Good of your Prince and Country whose true Interests are Inseparable that Justice may be Administred Vertue Incourag'd and Vice and Wickedness Punish`d and Suppress`d For if you Sincerely Study True Pollicy God will surely Instruct and put you in the Right Way Otherwise you may still Continue to Wander as you have Hitherto done But after all do not Entertain any fond opinion that a Private Company of Men can possibly hold their Riches in the midst of a Ruin'd Nation No Certainly they must be Ruin'd also For if there 's any Law that will do their business if not They 'l only have the pleasure of being Plunder'd last by an Inrag'd and Furious Popularity For as 't is said in Job Fire shall Consume the Tabernacles of Bribery If God has said it We may affirm it and Pawn our Lives and Souls 't will be done if Attonement be not made FINIS Printed in the Year 1696.
and sizes And I hope Sir you don't question but that they have Pockets and Coffers enough to put their Mony in as well as the Courtiers Therefore pray where the Riddle on 't for my part I see none at all For it plainly appears these Gentlemen have been so far from obstructing that they have afforded great help and performed their part towards the Destruction of their Country as well as the rest C. Well admit all you say is true and that there is such a General Corruption as you speak of How can you help it at present pray would you have the King at this juncture Immediately go to Turning out and Punishing such a great Number of Men Certainly 〈◊〉 make such Disorder and Confusion as would soon 〈◊〉 up the very Foundation of the Government and than would be a Remedy with a Witness G. Why then I find you have Changed your Opinion and own at last that the Nation is Sick But now to save the Court you would have the Distemper so far gone that there is not strength left to undergo a Course of Physick without Imminent hazard of Life I confess the Court of all sorts of Physick ever hated Purges They will take Gold Cordials and they are great Admirers of Quieting Pills but Purging they mortally hate and will have it to be a Vile and Dangerous way of Practice But to speak in your own words Admit what you say is true that the Government is brought to this degree of Feebleness Pray how highly then is the King and Nation Oblig'd to these Long-headed STATES-MEN and COVNCELLORS whose Parts and Honesty for some Years past it has been almost Treason to Question Or what Satisfaction can they render to His Majesty and the People of England for bringing upon them this Incurable Disease But now Sir pardon me if I differ a little from you in Opinion I do not believe the Government is so weak but that a Fit Remedy might be apply'd for all these Evils and that is to Turn Out in the first place some of those that have been most Obnexious to the People and put in their Rooms Men of Publick Spirits Fearing God and Hating Covetousness and they will have Courage sufficient to Ballance the rest of the Wicked Party till the Law is let loose to do its Proper Office upon them that are Turn'd Out whose Punishment will strike others with Great Terror and make them fearful how they Offend But if they escape 't will be a most Pernicious Example to Encourage and Excite all Men to become as Corrupt 〈◊〉 they 't will also be highly Displeasing to God and 't will greatly Incense the People and indeed none has any Rightful Power to Pardon them because their Crimes have been Universal and committed not only against the King but against the Whole Body of the People of England In this manner the Court may be soon Gradually Purg'd and then the Inferiours will of consequence be purg'd also The Scripture says Resist the Devil and he will flee from you and no doubt the same Rule holds for those that have Acted like his Children Therefore why shou'd we fear to Execute JUSTICE upon them Alas they are but poor Feeble Creatures not worth mentioning in Comparison of the Force of the Law 't is true they have Power to do great Mischief in their Stations as we have found to our Cost but when the Law lays hold on them their Power ceases like the Power of a Witch when She◠Seiz'd by a Constable Certainly he that knows their Actions and Contributes to Save them from the Just Censure and Sentence of the Law makes himself an Approver before God of all the Ruin and Destruction they have brought upon this Nation and of all the Innocent Families they have Destroy'd and Blood they have Spilt Therefore unless the Law is put in Execution there can be but a Half fac'd Regulation or a Palliative Cure that will soon Relapse and become Incurable For let none Absurdly and Foolishly Dream that God will-suffer us to Prosper in the midst of those Oppressions Frauds and most Hainous Immorallities that we are Bound in Duty and Able by Authority to Punish and Hinder 'T is a False and Villanous Saying to Whisper in the Ears of Princes That VVholesome Laws have any Antipathy to True Policy The Law when 't is Upheld is the Princes best Friend it cannot Dissemble but always faithfully stands by Him ready to Oppose His Enemies It gives Him His RIGHT and His Subjects theirs and so makes a powerfull prince and a Vertuous VVealthy and peaceable Government But 't is Natural for Corrupt Men to Hate Good Laws and that makes it and the Nation have so many Enemies at Court. And now after all when these Long-headed Men have brought the Nation to this Pitch of Ruin for them Cunningly to Insinuate That 't will be Dangerous to Call them to an Actount for their CRIMES and Administer Help to our selves pursuant to the Laws of God and the Nation is an Unparallel'd Audacious Absurdity But I confess we can expect no better Advice from that Party because the King and Kingdoms Safety seems Opposite to Theirs For hitherto they have Pernitiously and Pittifully made Themselves the Center of all Their Actions C. Sir I believe things are bad enough but methinks you 'r too Furious for a Regulation really 't will put things into Great Disorder therefore I am of Opinion 't is better to see the Success of One Year more G. As for Staying a Year longer 't will be highly dangerous Why should God be Provok'd and the Nation Oppress'd a Year Longer perhaps a Year hence we shall not have ability to help our selves 'T is said in the Law of Moses Thou shalt not delay Justice as if the Legislator had said Thou shalt not put it off to a further time The poor Mans Cause shall not be delay'd an hour God knows by willful and Needless delays Multitudes of private persons are Barbarously Robb'd of their Right and utterly Ruin'd by the horrid delaytory Expensive unrighteous practice in our Courts of Law and Equity therefore let that Suffice and let not the whole Body of the People have a General Ruin by a Delay in the State Certainly 't will be very Dangerous to delay the Cause of this drooping Nation any longer A Learned States-man Speaking of foreruners of Troubles says That when any of the four Pillars of Government are Shaken or Weaken'd which are Religion Justice Council and Treasure Men had need pray for fair Weather Now certainly with us not only some but all these Pillars are Shaking and Ready to fall As for Religion we have none though we have much Preaching Praying c. for had we any Real Religion we should have Justice and Morallity Justice it plainly appears has almost quite left us And as for Council or Pollicy I Confess we have abundance of that but it is of a VVretched Stamp being such as is opposite