[3] THE EXAMINER. NUMBER XIII. Thursday, November 2, 1710. longa eft injuria, longae Ambages; fed fumma fequar faftigia rerum. The tale is intricate, perplex'd, and long: Tis a practice I have generally followed, to IT converfe in equal freedom with the deserving men of both parties; and it was never without fome contempt, that I have obferved perfons wholly out of employment, affect to do otherwife. I doubted, whether any man could owe fo much to the fide he was of, although he were retained by it; but without fome great point of interest, either in poffeffion or profpect, I thought it was the mark of a low and narrow fpirit. It is hard that for fome weeks paft, I have been forced, in my own defence, to follow a proceeding that I have fo much condemned in others. But feveral of my acquaintance among the declining party, are grown fo infufferably peevith B 2 peevish and fplenetic, profefs fuch violent apprehenfions for the publick, and represent the state of things in fuch formidable ideas, that I find myself disposed to fhare in their afflictions ; although I know them to be groundless and imaginary, or, which is worfe, purely affected. To offer them comfort one by one, would be not only an endless, but a difobliging tafk. Some of them, I am convinced, would be lefs melancholy, if there were more occafion. I fhall therefore, inftead of hearkening to farther complaints, employ fome part of this paper for the future, in letting fuch men fee, that their natural, or acquired fears, are ill-grounded, and their artificial ones, as ill intended; that all our present inconveniences, are the confequence of the very counfels they fo much admire, which would ftill have encreafed, if thofe had continued; and that neither our conftitution in church or ftate, could probably have been long preferved, without fuch methods, as have been already taken, THE late revolutions at court, have given room to fome fpecious objections, which I have heard repeated by well-meaning men, just as they had taken them up on the credit of others, who have worfe defigns. They wonder, the QUEEN would chufe to change her miniftry at this juncture, and thereby give uneafinefs to a general, who hath been fo long fuccefsful abroad, and might think himfelf injured, if the entire ministry were not of his own nomination; that there were few complaints of any confequence against the late men in power, |