Portland to Cape la Hogue to Alderney to Guernsey to Jersey to Cherburgh to Alderney to Guernsey to Jerfey to St. Malo Plymouth to Cape la Hogue to Alderney to Guernsey to Jerley to St. Malo St. Michael en Gevre 26 Ufhant to Brest 25 27 32 35 18 23 S 1 R, THE following Letter of Algernon Sidney, printed only in a fearce Callection that is in very fewo Hands, will, I dare fay, especially at this Time, bé ci18 fulered as an acceptiable Part of yator eks20 tertaining Collection. Sidney at last acts 26 perfwaded to come over, Leave having 40 been obtained by the Interpofition of the 33 Court of France; but he was afterwards 30 put to Death for writing his celebrated 25 Treatife on Government, in which be exploded the Notion of Hereditary and Divine Right. Yours, &c. A Letter from Algernon Sidney, Efq; in Anfever to one, perfuading his Return to England quickly after the Refloration. I SIR, Am forry I cannot in all things conform myself to the advice of my friends. If theirs had any joint concernment with mine, I would willingly fubmit my intereft to theirs But when I alone am interefted, and they only advise me to come over as foon as the act of indemnity is paft, because they think it is bett for me; I cannot wholly lay afide my own judgment and choice. I confefs, we are naturally inclined to delight in our own country, and I have a particular love to mine: I hope I have given fome teftimony of it. I think that being exiled from it is a great evil, and would redeem myself from it with the lofs of a great deal of my blood. But when that country of mine, which used to be esteemed a Paradife, is now like to be made a ftage of injury; the liberty which we hoped to establish, oppreffed, all manner of profanenefs, loofenefs, luxury, and lewdnefs, fet up in its height, inftead of piety, virtue, fobriety, and modefty, which we hoped God, by our hands, would have introduced; the best of our nation made a prey to the worft; the parliament, court, and army corrupted; the people enflaved; all things vendible; and no man fafe but by fuch evil and infamous means as flattery and bribery, what joy can I have in my own country in this condition? Is it a pleafure to fee all that I have in the world fold and deftroyed? Shall I renounce all my old principles, learn the vile court arts, and make my peace by bribing fome of them? Shall their corruption and vice be my fafety? Ah! no better is a life among ftrangers, than in my own country upon fuch conditions. Whilst I live, I will endeavour to preferve my liberty; or, at least, not confent to the destroying of it. I hope I fhall die in the fame principles in which I have lived, and will live no longer than they can preferve me. I have in my life been guilty of many follies; but, as I think, of no meannefs. I will not blot and defile that which is pit by endeavouring to provide for the future. I have ever had in my mind, that when God should cast me into fuch a condition as that I cannot fave my life but by doing an indecent thing, he fhews me, the time is come wherein I thould refign it. And when I cannot live in my own country but by fuch means as are more than dying in it, I think he fhews me, that I ought to keep myfelf out of it. Let them pleafe themfelves with making the king glorious, who think a whole people may juftly be facrificed for the intereft and plea fure of one man and a few of his followers: Let them rejoice in their fubtilty, who by betraying the former powers, have gained the favour of this, and not only preferved but advanced themselves in thefe dangerous changes. Nevertheless, perhaps they may find the king's glory is their fhame; his plenty, the people's mifery; and that the gaining an office, or a little money, is a poor reward for deftroying a nation, which, if it were preferved in liberty and virtue, would truly be the most glorious in theworld: And others may find, they have, with much pains, purchased their own fhame and mifery; a dear price paid for that which is not worth keeping, nor the life that is accompanied with it. The honour of English parliaments has ever been in making the nation glorious and happy; not in felling and deftroying the intereft of it to fatisfy the luft of one man. Miferable nation! that from fo great a height of glory is fallen into the moft defpicable condition in the world. of having all its good depending upon the breath and will of the vilet perfons in it! Cheated and fold by them they trufted! Infamous traffic, equal To conclude, the tide is not to be diverted nor the oppreffed delivered but God, in his time, will have mercy on his people. He will fave and defend them, and avenge the blood of those who fhall now perish, upon the heads of those who in their pride think nothing is able to oppofe them. Happy are thofe whom God thall make inftruments of his juice, in fo bleffed a work; if I can live to fee that day, I fhall be ripe for the grave, and able to fay with joy, Lord now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, &c. equal almost in guilt to that of Judas! were only fit to be destroyed. I had In all preceding ages parliaments formerly fome jealoufies, that fradulent have been the pillars of our liberty; proclamation for indemnity increased the fufe defenders of the oppreffed. them. The imprisoning those three They who formerly could bridle kings, men, and turning out all the officers and keep the ballance equal between of the army, contrary to promife, them and the people, are now become confirmed me in my refolutions not the inftruments of all our oppreffions, to return. and a fword in his hand to destroy us. They themselves, led by a few Interested perfons, who are willing to buy offices for themfelves by the mifery of the whole nation, and the blood of the most worthy and eminent perfons in it. Detettable bribes! worfe than the oaths now in fashion in this mercenary court! I mean to owe neither my life nor liberty to any fuch means. When the innocence of my actions will not protect me, I will stay away till the ftorm be overpaft. In fhort, where Vane, Lambert, and Haflerigg cannot live in fafety, I cannot live at all. If I had been in England I fhould have expected a lodging with them: "or, tho' they may be the first, as being more eminent than I, I muft expect to follow their example in fuffering, as I have been their companion in acting. I am moft in amaze at the miftaken informations that were fent to me by my friends, full of expectations of favours and employments. Who can think, that they who imprison them Farewell; my thoughts as to king and ftate, depending upon their actions, no man fhall be a more faithful fervant to him than I, if he make the good and profperity of his people his glory; none more his enemy if he does the contrary.--To my particular friends I fhall be conftant in all occafions, and to you, A moft affectionate Servant, would employ me; or fuffer me to The Ridiculous Cuftom of hiding our Vir live when they are put to death! If I might live and be employed, can it be expected, that I fhould ferve a government that feeks fuch deteftable ways of eftablishing itfelf? Ah! noI have not learnt to make my own. peace by perfecuting and betraying my brethern more innocent and worthy than myfelf I must live by juft means, and ferve to juft ends, or not at all. After fuch a manifeftation of the ways by which it is intended the king fhall govern, I fhould have renounced any place of favour, into which the kindness and induftry of my friends might have advanced me, when I found thofe that were better than I, VOL. XII. tues, &c. expofed. From the World, Number CXCII. N all researches into the human my IN heart (the ftudy of which has taken up my principal attention for thefe forty years paft) I have never been fo confounded and perplexed, as at difcovering that, while people are indulging themfelves openly, and without difguife, in the commiflion of almoft every vice, that their natures incline them to, they should defire to conceal their virtues, as if they were really afhamed of them, and confidered them as fo D d many weaknesses weakneffes in their conftitutions. I know a man at this very hour, who is, in his heart, the most domeftic creature living, and whofe wife and children are the only delight of his life, yet who, for fear of being laughed at by his acquaintance, and > to get a reputation in the world, is doing penance every evening at the tavern, and perpetually hinting to his companions, that he has a miftrefs in private. I am acquainted with another, who, being overheard, upon a fick bed, to recommend himself to the care of Heaven in a fhort ejaculation, was fo afhamed at being told of it, that he pleaded light-headednefs for his excufe, protefling, that he could not poffibly have been in his right fenfes and guilty of fuch a weaknets. I know alio a third, who, from a ferious turn of mind, goes to church every Sunday in a part of the town where he is totally unknown, that he may recommend himlelf to his acquaintance by laughing at public worthip, and ridiculing the par fons. There are men, who are fo fond of the reputation of an intrigue with a handfome married woman, that, without the leaft paffion for the object of their purfuit, or, perhaps, the abity to gratify it, if they had, are toating her in all companies, purfuing hr to every publick place, and eternally buzzing in her ear, to convince the world that they are in poffeffion of a happinets, which, if offered to them, would only end in their difappointment and difgrace. And (what is itill more unaccountable) the Lady thus purfued, who poffibly prefers her huhand to all other men, fhall countenance by her behaviour the fufpi'cions entertained of her; and contenting berfelf with the fecret conicioufefe of her innocence, fhall take pairs to be thought infamous by the themselves by pleasure for the fcandal they have occofioned. But it is really my opinion, that, if the mask were taken off, we fhould find more virtues, and fewer vices, to exift amongst us, than are commonly imagined by thofe who judge only from appearances. A very ingenious French writer, fpeaking of the force of custom and example, makes the following remarks upon his own countrymen : A man, fays he, of good fenfe and good-nature fpeaks ill of the abfent, becaufe he would not be despised by thofe who are prefent. Another would be honeft, humane, and without pride, if he was not afraid of being ridiculous; and a third becomes really ridiculous, through fuch qualities as would make him a model of perfection, if he dared to exert them, and affume his just merits. In a word, continues he, our vices are artificial,, as well as our virtues; and the frivolouinefs of our characters permits us to be but imperfectly what we are. play things we give our children, we are only a faint refemblance of what we would appear. Accordingly, we are esteemed, by other nations, only as the petty toys and trifles of fociety. The first law of our politenefs regards the women. Like the A man of the higheft rank owes the utmost com- I have quoted thefe remarks, that I might do juftice to the candour of the Frenchman who wrote them, and, at the fame time, vindicate my countrymen (unaccountable as they are) from the unjuft imputation of being more ridiculous and abfurd, than the reft of mankind. In In France, every married woman of condition intrigues openly; and it is thought the highest breach of French politenefs for the hufband to interfere in any of her pleafures. A man may be called to an account for having feduced his friends fifter or daughter, because it may be prefumed he has carried his point by a promife of marriage; but, with a married woman, the cafe is quite different, as her gallant can only have applied to her inclinations, or gratified the longings of a Lady, whom it had been infamy to have retufed. There is a flory of a Frenchman, which, as I have only heard once, and the majority of my readers perhaps never, I shall beg leave to relate: A banker at Paris, who had a very handfome wife, invited an English Gentleman, with whom he had tome money tranfactions, to take a dinner with him at his country-house. Soon after dinner, the Frenchman was called out upon bufinefs, and his friend left alone with the Lady, who, to his great furprife, from being the eafieft and gayeft woman imaginable, fcarcely condefcended to give an answer to any of his questions; and, at laft, ftarting from her chair, and furveying him for fome time with a lock of indignation and contempt, fhe gave him a hearty box on the ear, and ran furioufly out of the room. While the Englishman was ftroaking his face, and endeavouring to penetrate into this myfterious behaviour, the husband returned; and, finding his friend alone, and enquiring into the reafon, was told the whole ftory. What, Sir, fays he, did the ftrike you? How did you entertain her? With the common occurrences af the town, anfwered the Englishman, nothing more I affure you. And did you offer no rudeness to her? returned the other. No, upon my honour, replied the friend. She has behaved as the ought then, said the Frenchman; for to be alone with a fine woman, and to make no attempt upon her virtue, is an af front to her beauty; and he has refented the indignity as became a woman of fpirit. I am prevented from returning to the fubject of this paper, by a letter which I have juft now received by the Penny-poft, and which I fhall lay before my readers exactly as it was fent me: Mr. Fitz-Adam, Walking up St. James's ftreet the other day, I was flopped by a very fmart young female, who begged my pardon for her boldness, and, looking very innocently in my face, afked me if I did not know her. The manner of her accofting me, and the extreine prettiness of her figure, made me look at her with attention; and I foon recollected, that he had been a fervant girl of my wife's, who had taken her from the country, and, after keeping her three years in her fervice, had difmiffed her about two months ago. What, Nanny, faid I, is it you? I never faw any body fo fine in all my life.' O Sir! favs the (with the most innocent fimile imaginable, bridling her head, and curt'fying down to the ground) I have been debauched fince I lived with my miftrefs.' Have you fo, Mrs. Nanny! faid I; and pray child, who is it that has debauched you?' O Sir! fays fhe, one of the worthieft Gentlemen in the world, and he has bought me a new negligee for every day in the week.' The girl preffed me earnestly to go and look at her lodgings, which the alfured me were hard by in Bury-street, and as fine as a Dutchefs's; but I declined her offer, knowing that any arguments of mine, in favour of virtue and ftuff-gowns, would avail but little against pleasure and filk negligeès. I therefore contented myself with expreffing my concern for the way of life fhe had entered into, and bad her farewel. Being a man inclined to fpeculate a little, as often as I think of the finery |