Crifis; who, although he muft yield to the Flying-post, in knowledge of the world, and skill in politicks; and to Mr. Dunton, in keenness of fatire and variety of reading, has yet other qualities enough to denominate him a writer of a superior clafs to either; provided he would a little regard the propriety and difpofition of his words, confult the grammatical part, and get fome information in the fubject he intends to handle.

Omitting the generous countenance and encouragement that have been fhewn to the perfons and productions of the two former authors, I fhall here only confider the great favour conferred upon the laft. It has been advertised for feveral months in The Englishman*, and other papers, that a pamphlet, called the Crifis, fhould be published at a proper time, in order to open the eyes of the nation. It was proposed to be printed by fubfcription, price a fhilling. This was a little out of form; becaufe fubfcriptions are ufually begged only for books of great price, and fuch as are not likely to have a general fale. Notice was likewife given of what this pamphlet should contain; only an extract from certain acts of parliament relating to the fucceffion, which at least must fink ninepence in the fhilling, and leave but threepence for the author's political reflections; fo that nothing very wonderful or decifive could be reafonably expected from this performance. But, a work

* A paper written by the fame author in favour of the preceding administration.

was to be done, a hearty writer to be encouraged, and accordingly, many thousand copies were befpoke. Neither could this be fufficient; for when we expected to have our bundles delivered us, all was stopt; the friends to the cause sprang a new project; and it was advertised that the Crifis could not appear, till the ladies had fhewn their zeal against the pretender, as well as the men ; against the pretender, in the bloom of his youth, reported to be handfome, and endued with an understanding, exactly of a fize to please the fex, I fhould be glad to have feen a printed lift of the fair fubfcribers prefixed to this pamphlet; by which the chevalier might know, he was fo far from pretending to a monarchy, here, that he could not so much as pretend to a mistress.

At the deftined period, the first news we hear, is of a huge train of Dukes, Earls, Viscounts, Barons, Knights, Efquires, gentlemen, and others, going to Sam. Buckley's, the publisher of the Crifis, to fetch home their cargoes, in order to tranfmit them by dozens, fcores, and hundreds, into the feveral counties, and thereby to prepare the wills and understandings of their friends, againft the approaching feffions. Afk any of them, whether they have read it? they will aufwer, no;

but they have fent it every where, and it will do a world of good. It is a pamphlet they hear against the miniftry; talks of flavery, France, and the pretender: they defire no more; it will settle the wavering, confirm the doubtful, inftruct the ignorant, inflame the clamorous, although it never be once looked into. I am told by those who

are expert in the trade, that the author and bookfeller of this twelve-penny treatise, will be greater gainers, than from one edition of any folio that has been publifhed these twenty years. What

needy writer would not folicit to work under fuch masters, who will pay us before-hand, take off as much of our ware as we please, at our own rates, and trouble not themselves to examine, either before or after they have bought it, whether it be staple, or not.

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But, in order to illustrate the implicit munifi cence of these noble patrons, I cannot take a more effectual method than by examining the production itself; by which we shall easily find that it was never intended, farther than from the noife, the bulk, and the title of Crifis, to do any fervice to the factious cause. The entire piece confists of title page, a dedication to the clergy, a preface, an extract from certain acts of parliament, and about ten pages of dry reflexions on the proceedings of the QUEEN and her fervants; which his coadjutors, the Earl of Nottingham, Mr. Dunton, and the Flying-poft, had long ago fet before us in a much clearer light.

In popish countries, when fome impoftor cries out, A miracle! a miracle! it is not done with a hope or intention of converting hereticks, but confirming the deluded vulgar in their errors; and fo the cry goes round without examining into the cheat. Thus the whigs among us give about the cry, A pamphlet! a pamphlet! the Crifis! the Crifis! not with a view of convincing their adverfarics,

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versaries, but to raife the fpirits of their friends, recall their ftragglers, and unite their numbers, by found and impudence; as bees affemble and cling together by the noise of brass.

That no other effect could be imagined or hoped for, by the publication of this timely treatise, will be manifeft from fome obvious reflexions upon the feveral parts of it; wherein the follies, the falfhoods, or the abfurdities, appear fo frequent, that they may boldly contend for number with the lines,

When the hawker holds this pamphlet towards you, the firft words you perceive are, The Crifis; or, A discourse, &c. The interpreter of Suidas gives four tranflations of the word Crifis, any of which may be as properly applied to this author's letter to the bailiff of Stockbridge*. Next, what he calls a difcourfe, confifts only of two pages, prefixed to twenty-two more, which contain extracts from acts of parliament; for, as to the twelve laft pages, they are provided for themselves in the title, under the name of fome feasonable remarks on the danger of a popifh fucceffor, Another circumftance worthy of our information in the title-page, is, that the crown has been fettled by previous acts. I never heard of any act of parlia ment that was not previous to what it enacted, unlefs thofe two, by which the Earl of Strafford and Sir John Fenwick loft their heads, may pass for

*Steele addreffed a Letter to the bailiff of Stockbridge, who appears to have been returning-officer for this borough, which Steele reprefented i parliament.

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exceptions. A discourse, representing from the most authentic records, &c. He has borrowed this expreffion from some writer, who probably underftood the words; but this gentleman has altogether mifapplied them; and, under favour, he is wholly mistaken; for a heap of extracts from feveral acts of parliament, cannot be called a difcourse; neither do I believe he copied them from the most authentic records, which, as I take it, are lodged in the Tower, but out of some common printed copy. I grant there is nothing material in all this, farther than to fhew the generosity of our adversaries, in encouraging a writer, who cannot furnifh out fo much as a title page, with propriety or common sense.

Next follows the dedication to the clergy of the church of England, wherein the modefty, and the meaning of the first paragraphs, are hardly to be matched. He tells them, he has made a comment upon the acts of fettlement, which he lays before them, and conjures them to recommend, in their writings and difcourfes, to their fellow-fubjects: and he does all this, out of a juft deference to their great power and influence. This is the right whig fcheme of directing the clergy what to preach. The archbishop of Canterbury's jurifdiction extends no farther, than over his own province; but the author of the Crifis conftitutes himself vicar-general over the whole clergy of the church of England. The bishops, in their letters or fpeeches to their own clergy, proceed po farther than to exhortation; but this writer,

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