in the City, fo averfe to any Thing, that favored of Revolution Principles, that I fhould hardly find a Man at the Head of the Affairs of the City, that would prefume to countenance any Thing of that Kind. Not being well able to conceive fuch Extravagance in fo fage and venerable a Body, as I took the Elders of the City to be, I refolved to push the Trial further, and as foon as I returned from a medical Tour into the Country, I waited on another Lord Mayor, who received me with great Civility. I told him the Story and Fate of mine Addrefs; he expreffed his Surprise, that he had never before heard of it. I prefented his Lordship with the Book. He politely accepted of it and fenfibly fayed, "He was but a temporary Magiftate; and that though now "placed at the Head of the City; he could do nothing un"advised. He was unacquainted with Matters of this Kind; "but, he would fpeak to fome of his Brethren concerning "it; and defired I would dine with him on a certain Day in "the next Week, when the Recorder, the Sheriffs and Al"dermen were to dine there, whofe Sentiments I should "then hear upon the Occafion."

It is easy to conceive, how I muft have received fo prudent and fo polite an Anfwer, I could not neglect attending at the Time appointed, and after a very elegant Entertainment, the Subject of my Book and Dedication were introduced. It appeared a very obfcure Matter to the whole Company. Some appeared, as I believe they were, Strangers to it. Others looked as if they did not wish to see or hear more of it? while others feeming quite regardless, fumed away their Tobacco in Silence. The Lord Mayor, after giving me an Opportunity of telling my Story, and informing them of my Sentiments and my Defire to have the Book publickly prefented to the Corporation of the City in a general Affembly or Common Council, thought it just to fubmit the Matter to the Judgement of the great Counsellor of the City, the Recorder. His Brethren of the Board feemed of the fame Opinion, and I was so far from diffenting, that my Vanity was pleafed at the Book's being offered to the Examination and Judgement of a Man, that I must have prefumed prudent, learned and well affected to those Principles of our Government, that brought about the prefent Establishment; because, I must have supposed him elected by a free and loyal People. Pray Heaven! I was not mistaken in either!

This learned Gentleman, defiring to fee the Book, I told him, I fhould prefent him with one. I accordingly fent it to him. And waited upon him feveral Times after, without

being able to obtain the Honor of Accefs to him, or learning by any other Means, than his Silence, his Opinion of the Matter. Thus unfortunately have I generally mistaken Men! I must suppose, I do not stand well in the Judgement of this fage Counsellor of yours; or I fhould fome way have heard of it. It is yours to enquire, if you think it worth while. Mine Intentions keep my Confcience calm; and this, none external Accident fhall thake.

As I became, by my Refidence among you, acquainted with feveral Characters in the City, I could not be surprised, that a Collection of Papers, written upon revolutional Principles, with a dedicatory Addrefs, in which fome Men were vindicated from the fcandalous Imputation of fuch a difaffected and difloyal Temper, as they did not dare publickly to avow, nor fecretly, in their dark Factions, deny; fhould be affiduously fuppreffed by all Men of that Caft, that feared nothing fo much, as the bringing their Sentiments to Light, to the Teft of Common Sense and Truth.

But, who could fufpect, that a Man, whofe Administration in the great Office of high Sheriff of your City, fhewed he dared to difcharge his Duty, without regarding whom it fhould please or difpleafe; the Man, whofe Conduct in that Office demanded and obtained moft honorable Mention in this very Dedication, should also use his Diligence to fuppress and prevent its ever coming into the Hands of those very Men, who for his Virtues fet him at the Head of their Affairs? Who can hear of fuch a Character without Concern? Who can believe, that JANSSEN is the Man?

Perhaps, I think the Omiffion of greater Importance, than you may. I am forry we fhould differ. For mine own Vindication and your Information, I must, tho' with Reluctance, relate the Fact as it ftands.

From the general Character of this Gentleman and fome flight Acquaintance with him, I was perfuaded, he was a Lover of his Country and an Advocate for the Rights and Liberties of the Subjects of Britain without Diftinction, without any of the low, contemptible Regards of Parties or Factions. Such he appeared to me; fuch I believed him.

You, upon these Principles, as I muft fuppofe, till you convince me of the contrary, juftly called this Gentleman to exert his Talents in an higher Sphere, that of your chief Magiftrate. All good Men, that I know, in the City, applauded your Choice. I rejoiced at it.

Soon after he was inducted to this most honorable Office, I payed my Refpects to him. And judging my poor Performance not difagreeable to his political Principles; I pre

fented

fented him with the Books returned to me by one of his Pre deceffors; told him their Fate and my Defire to have them layed before the City through his Means, and my Hopes of their proving, though a small, an useful and acceptable Prefent.

So little was this Gentleman in the Secrets of his Predeceffors, or fo infignificant was this Matter deemed, that he acknowledged with Surprise, he had never before seen one of the Books or heared them fpoke of in the City. He gave me to understand, that he would perufe them carefully, and in case he should not meet with fomething that might make it improper in him, that he would prefent them.

Confcious of the Purity of mine Intentions, as well as affured of a Correspondence in our political Principles, in our Notions of the Duty of Governors as well of the Rights and Duty of the governed, I readily agreed to his Perufal and Examination of them. He was pleased to honor me with a general Invitation to the Manfion-Houfe. I waited upon him in about a Month after. He fayed, he had not yet had Time to go through them; but that he fhould foon. I urged the present Situation of the Affairs of the Kingdom of Ireland in general, of the City of Dublin in particular, and the Neceffity of giving the City of London fome Information in these Matters. He repeted his Promise and his Invitation. Both of which I took to be ferious. In Confequence whereof, I waited fome five or fix Times afterwards upon his Lordfhip; but never could obtain the Honor of Access to him, nor that of any Kind of Meffage from him; till I called upon him a fecond Time after he was out of his Mayoralty. Having met him, I enquired the Reception my Papers met with, not doubting they had been layed before you. But he did not it feems, think it proper to put them to the Teft, whether for your Sake or mine, I could not learn; but, upon my Demand, returned them as one of his Predeceffors had done. Thus have all the Means of prefenting these Papers, that I could devife, been hitherto marred!

However I might have been furprised at this unexpected Treatment from Aldermen Jansen, with Refpect to myself, I was much more concerned at finding, what appeared to me a Disrespect to your Community, who were each alike addreffed with your chief Magiftrate in this Dedication. For, fuppofe any indifferent Man of a moral Character had prefented a Book upon any ordinary Subject, and dedicated it in a moft refpectful Manner to any Individual, to Alderman Jansen for Example; would it not be incumbent on Alder

man

man Janffen to accept the Book and treat fuch a Perfon with Civility, when Civility was all that was expected or would be accepted at his Hands? I prefume, I fhall not be answered in the Negative. A Community then, a Body politic, is bound by the fame Rules of Juftice and Reason with an Individual, in all Refpects. This and every other Lord Mayor had undoubtedly a Right to pass his Judgement upon this or any other Dedication addreffed to you; but, not before it was prefented and fubmitted to the Judgement of the Whole; and then he could have had onely a Voice, perhaps not that; for a Majority on either Side can determine any Queftion without his Interpofition. How far then he could have had a Right to pafs HIS Judgement upon the Whole FOR YOU, and to treat the Perfon contemptuously, who addreffed you with all Refpect and Veneration; how far he reprefented the City in this Inftance, I fubmit to your Judgement; for the obtaining of which I now publifh this Appeal. Thus once more, contrary to my determined Purpose, have the Circumstances of the Affairs of Ireland, and the Behavior of your Magiftrates, obliged me to touch again upon a Subject, which I think demands the Attention of every Man, who is endued with any Sense of Liberty, or any Regards for the common Subjects of our Crown; and which I onely through Defpondency had dropped.

Miftake me not, Gentlemen; my Hope of fucceding in any public Matter is not at all raised. My Opinion of the World is not much mended. I am fenfible, there never was known in these Islands lefs public Spirit, lefs true Patriotism, than in these Days, in which my Lot is caft. I fee with an aching Heart, Immorality and Irreligion, Contempt of the civil Power, a general Infenfibility and Difregard to the present and future Good of the Public fo univerfally prevale; that I muft believe the Hearts of the Community are rendered callous, by the many falfe Alarms daily given them by the fcribling Partifans of your real, though mafqued Enemies, and the various unexpected Shocks of Disappointments from the Conduct of your pretended Friends in Office. I do not apprehend, that there is Sense and Virtue enough in the Generality to difcern and diftinguish the true from the false Prophets; and therefore, I can not imagine, that they should become true Believers, though a RusSEL, a SIDNEY or an HAMPDEN rofe from the Dead.

But, while there is any Sense of public Virtue left, it behoves every good Man to attempt to cherish and to propagate it. Whilft I lament the general Decay of that noble

public Spirit, that once diftinguished the Briton, like the Roman, from the Rest of the World, giving each alike envied and dreaded Preeminence; I muft confefs, I have feen among fome of you, fuch Remnants of this Spirit, as, if they may not raise mine Hopes of a general Refurrection, demand at left my tenderest Regard and moft profound Veneration.

I remember the Comforts I received by your Feelings for the Outrages committed upon the People, in the Treatment given me in Ireland. And I can never forget the extreme Generofity, with which you offered me noble Supports under the Shocks of Adverfity, I had then fuffered. I well recollect the Horrors fome of you expreffed, upon the Reprefentation made by the Miniftry of Ireland, while you were thereby induced to believe the Oppofition given there to have arifen from a Spirit of Difaffection to the prefent Establishment. I must well remember the Hopes and Joy, that some of the deluded Men of this Caft conceived and expreffed from the Prospect of fuch an Oppofition's ferving their deftructive Purposes; whileft you, upon hearing the true State of the Cafe, exulted upon feeing thefe Gleams, these Dawnings of Liberty and public Spirit in that poor Country. Many of you must remember the Pains I often took to fet your Judgements to rights, when you toafted the oppofing Commons and the noble Peer that headed them, and in general looked upon them as fo many true Patriots.-Did

not often fhew you Room to fufpect them every Man ?— Did you not planely fee the fecret Springs of all their Actions!-Were hot the Strings and even the Man behind the Curtain, that fet the pretty Patriot Puppets in Motion, layed open to your View? You faw my Letter to the Patriot Peer upon this Occafion. You wanted but Affurance of his having received it to be perfuaded, he could not have been in earneft. I now can tell you, he did receive it; but did not choose to answer it. But, you were too few, compared to the whole Community, before whom these like Matters fhould be layed open; therefore, I think it right to lay these Matters thus briefly, publicly, before you; and if you should not judge it right, with Refpect to you, I fhall ftill have the Comfort to find it right with Refpect to myself: I fhall do my Duty to you and to the whole Country, in which I enenjoy all the Comforts of Life, and fo difburden mine own Confcience. As to the Event, for that I am not anfwerable; that 1 fubmit to the wife Difpenfations of Providence.

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