SATIRE UPON THE YORKSHIRE CLERGY.

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of the Yorkshire Clergy; a Satire humbly dedicated to Parson Plaxton, the Reverend Author of the Yorkshire Racers. To be bought where it is to be sold, and to be sold where it is to be bought: Written for the edification of the Northern Gentry, and to cure them of the Contagion of Priestcraft. In five volumes in Folio. Price 51. 7s. 6d. being a very voluminous work.”

CHAPTER V.

Effects of Sacheverell's Trial.-De Foe's Picture of the Times.-His Opinion of the Tories.-Addresses to the Queen.-De Foe's Remarks upon them.-Letter to Sir Jacob Banks.-Prosecution of the Author. -Further Remarks upon the Addresses.-De Foe threatened for his writings. Defies his Enemies.-Sacheverell's Progress in the Country.— De Foe's notice of it.—And of the expected change in the Ministry.— His character of the Earl of Sunderland.—And of the other Ministers.— Corruption of the Times.-Harley's Mysterious Conduct.-De Foe's Reflections upon the Times.-He recommends a Sermon by Dr. Goddard.— Both Satirized by Dr. King.-Completion of the Ministerial Changes. -Character of Harley, St. John, and Harcourt.-Publications for and against the new Ministers.—Decline of Public Credit.-De Foe writes for its support.-Essay upon Public Credit.-Essay upon Loans.Publication of the "Examiner."-History of that work.—“ Swift's Political Conduct."-" The Whig Examiner."-" The Medley."-De Foe's Remarks upon these works.

1710.

THE trial of Sacheverell was the commencement of a drama, which unfolded plot after plot, and in which the whole nation became the actors. Church-politics, having become the order of the day, were no longer confined to the clergy and to ministers of state; even women and children arranged themselves in the hostile attitude of party, and the very street-gentry dealt out learned discourses upon the subject. In the following narrative, De Foe has furnished us with a curious picture of the times.

"The women lay aside their tea and chocolate, leave off visiting after dinner, and forming themselves into cabals,

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turn privy-councillors, and settle the affairs of state. Every lady of quality has her head more particularly full of business than usual; nay, some of the ladies talk of keeping female secretaries, and none will be fit for the office but such as can speak French, Dutch, and, which is worse, Latin. Gallantry and gaiety are now laid aside for business; matters of government and affairs of state are become the province of the ladies; and no wonder if they are too much engaged to concern themselves about the common impertinences of life. Indeed, they have hardly leisure to live, little time to eat and sleep, and none at all to say their prayers. If you turn your eye to the park, the ladies are not there; even the church is thinner than usual; for, you know, the mode is for privy-councils to meet on Sundays. The very play-house feels the effects of it; and the great Betterton died a beggar on this account. Nay, the Tatler, the immortal Tatler, the great Bickerstaff himself was fain to leave off talking to the ladies, during the Doctor's trial, and turn his sagacious pen to the dark subject of death, and the next world; though he has not yet decided the ancient debate, whether Pluto's regions were, in point of government, a kingdom or a commonwealth."

The influence of high-church politics upon the character of the nation in general, is thus described by our author. "Mobs, rabbles, and tumults, possess the streets; whores, pimps, and cullies, the walks; the dressing, the powdering, the beau-monde is adjourned to the chocolate-houses, and is all among the men: the ladies are otherwise engaged; even the little boys and girls talk politics. Little Miss has Dr. Sacheverell's picture put into her prayer-book, that God and the Doctor may take her up in the morning before breakfast; and all manner of discourse among the women runs now upon war and government. Tattling nonsense and slander is transferred to the males, and adjourned from the toilet to the coffee-houses and groom-porters. This

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HIS OPINION OF THE TORIES.

being the general state of the nation, you must no more wonder that our wiser statesmen, and able ministry, totter in their high posts, and you are every day alarmed with changes at court. This new invasion of the politician's province, is an eminent demonstration of the sympathetic influence of the clergy upon the sex, and the near affinity between the gown and the petticoat; since all the errors of our present or past administrators, and all breaches made upon our politics, could never en bark the ladies till you fell upon the clergy. But, as soon as you pinch the parson, he holds out his hand to the ladies for assist

ance, and they appear as one woman in his defence."

Some political changes in favour of the Tories having been talked of, our author observes," Nobody but old women would propose such a set of state-cripples to rectify the mistakes, as they call them, of the present government. If ever earth produced such a wretched society of statesmen, then I have lost my eye-sight. Some people," says he, "have thought I have been too plain for my own safety, but they are mistaken: I can yet be plainer, and shall be so, for who shall truth be afraid of? This nation is come to a time when the actions of the greatest men are accountable to law; and no man can run the length, that former ministers have ventured upon, with impunity." Our author proceeds to inquire into the character of the persons who supported the high-flyers, and describes them as, generally speaking, the worst-principled, and most immoral part of the people. "A wretched contemptible party assault the constitution, address the sovereign in terms they ought to be indicted for, caress the queen by invading her title, and trump up the shadow of a title which would cause her overthrow. I would fain ask how they can have the impudence to speak in the same addresses, of the Protestant succession? And I wonder, when these people come to truckle under the Hanover succession,

ADDRESSES TO THE QUEEN.

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what they will say of hereditary right, when they come forward with their addresses." * (T)

in

The manifestoes of loyalty here alluded to, now flowed upon the queen in great abundance. As the sentiments conveyed in such documents vary with time and circumstances, the absence of consistency in the framers precludes any suspicion of their value; nor did the parties concerned, attach any greater meaning to them at this time, than they had been accustomed to do upon former occasions. In such matters, however, there is always a wheel within a wheel, and the crafty politicians of the period knew well how to turn them to account. Although the language they were made to speak was too absurd to be believed, yet, being contrived for party-purposes, they were adapted accordingly; and their anticipated effect was in proportion to their number. Besides incorporating the exploded doctrines of the Tories, they recommended the queen to change her councils, and dissolve the parliament.

The addresses began in Gloucestershire, which also set the pattern of servility. The city of London, "over-ruled by 114 against 95, chimed in with the times, and voted an address after the mode of their Gloucestershire masters, entreating her majesty to accept their assistance in turning tyrant, and setting up the prerogative above the law." Upon which De Foe remarks, that it was but twenty-six years before, that the same wise body surrendered their

tr

* Review, vii. 69–76.

(T) " I well remember I was once questioned before the privy-council of England, in the beginning of the queen's reign, for a Paper of some Questions, which they that brought me there never thought fit to let the world know what they found fault with; and one of the Questions was this: Whether her majesty was not as much an usurper as King William ?' A great many objections were made to the rest of that Paper; but when their lordships came to this, and it was read, not a word was said to it; and I would be glad to hear what any body could say to it now."-Review, vii. 90, 91.