by quitting of his place rather than by ftaying to give a countenance to other Mens proceedings, for in fuch Cafes the King fuffers more in the good Opinion of the People than the Perfon whom he difmifs d from his Service; and in what a mifera. ble condition is that King who has loft the hearts of his People, for nothing on Earth can repair it or be an equivalent; and how fhall he recover their affections, when honeft Men are fled from him, and none are left near him but fuch as whose interest it is to keep him at a distance from his People: And thongh he may return to a right mind, and pretend and promife never fo fair, yet the Nation and every honeft and wife Man will be Jealous, that every advance he makes is only a Mafque or Difguife that he puts on, and not that his heart is right in the matter.

Now when ill Men are imploy'd and advanced as well as others; The pretence is either because of their great abilities or usefulness, or elfe that in point of Policy it is convenient to make use of all men without diftinction; for this indulgence will allay heats, and put an end to differences, and unite all into the fame intereft, whereas if any are left out, they are thereby cut off from the Common Intereft, and only thofe fort of Men can be depended on, who are thus favoured and im ploy'd: This will not bear fo much weight as at first fight it seems to carry.

Ability or fitnefs is the first step to preferment, and that is a happy Government that confiders it in Perfons before they are imploy'd, but ler Men be never fo able, yet if they are defective in integrity, the unum neceffarium is wanting, for a Man of Ability without Honesty is like a Ship with

out

out ballaft, he cannot move fteddily, every little wind of advantage carries him to and fro, backwards and forwards, and he never fticks at any point longer than he can ferve himself by it. If there can ever be a neceffity of making ufe of an ill Man, it must be because his knowledge tranfcends the rest of Mankind, or elfe because another wife Man cannot be found; but. England was never yet fo barren of able men, that there was a neceffity of imploying Knaves or Men obnoxious; when ever the Nation falls under fuch Circumftances it is then vifited with a fore Judgment: To make use of Knaves is ever a remedy worfe than the Disease; feldom any good, but frequently a great deal of mifchief enfues upon it, and the Ability of any Perfon if he be a Knave is rather an Argument to avoid than imploy him; becaufe by how much the more able he is, by fo much is he capable of doing the greater mifchief: To allay hears and animofities, to put an end to future differences, and to unite all Parties, is an excellent defign, and a great happyness if it could be effected: But withall care is to be taken that whileft one ftorm is laying, a greater is not thereby raised, and whileft in the conjuring down of one Devil, it does not raise two, and in the making up of Divifions worfer are created thereby; and by gaining one Enemy Twenty Friends are loft,and nothing feems to lead fo directly to it, as equally and without diftinction to imploy men of all forts and Opinions, and there is another Method that will give less cause of difcontent to any Party: For it will be agreed, That to pardon a Criminal is as great an act of goodness, as to reward the good Service of another Perfon. If all have equal Right, and speedy

Juftice

Juftiće impartially be done to every Man, this must be confeffed to be a Righteous Government, and if it be not too extream to mark what is done amifs, nor too ftrickt to measure every Offender a Peck out of his own Sack, nor too rigidly to judge every Man according to his own Law, this must be allow'd to be a merciful Government, and if at the fame time the King beftows his favours and imployments only on fuch as best deserve them; where is the injuftice or partiality of this proceeding, or who can juftly take offence at any part of it? And therefore when a King does equally and without diftinction beftow his Favours and Imployments on all Interefts and Parties, there ought to be three things in the cafe; First, That all Parties are equal. Secondly, That he cannot depend upon one more than another. Thirdly, That his Obligations to all Parties are equal: Eve-. ry one of which is very strange when it is fo, but much more wonderful will it be when they all happen together.

For as to the first, It is not eafie to imagine that all Parties will ever be fo equal, fo as that no one will be bigger than any of the reft, no more than it can be fuppofed that all Men will ever have an equal measure of understanding; uninterrupted experience proves that it never was fo, and there is nothing to induce us to believe that it ever will be fo: For fo long as there are either Fools or Knaves,, there will be difference in the fize and ftrength of Parties, and there will be Fools and Knaves till Chrifts Kingdom comes.

As to the fecond it may be faid, That it will be a very extraordinary juncture, whenever it happens that the King cannot depend upon one Party

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more

more than upon another, fince the reason of it will be this, because the Principles of every party will be equally dangerous or advantagious to the King, or equally different or agreeable to his, this is a remote fuppofition, and cannot be expected on this fide the Grave, and therefore it will follow, that he cannot have a like confidence of al Parties, but muft depend upon fome more than upon others, and this dependance will naturally fix it felf, either on them whofe Principle it is to fupport the common good, or elfe on fuch as are more difpofed to comply with his Will and Pleafure: For Principle is the great Director of all Mans Actions, and every Man is either better or worfe efteemed according to the Opinion that the World has of his Principles In the worst and most corrupt of times, there has not wanted fuch as have been more folicitous about the well-fair of their Country, than for themselves, and if a King does not fo much depend upon thofe that by the current of their Actions have made it evident, they prefer the Publick Good to their own private Advantage, as upon some other fort of Men, it s as clear as the Sun that he aims at fomething beside the Publick Weal, or elfe that God has a quarrel to him, and will not let him fee his Interest. For what greater pledge can be given of a Mans Integrity, than when voluntarily, and without Compulfion he dedicates himself, and all that he has to the Pubfick fervice, any other fecurity being inconfiderable in comparison of it: And therefore when a King knows fuch Men, and yet imploys others rather than they, it's a clear Demonstration that his Defigns and Affections are alienated from the

good

good of his People, and the Land is then in as ill a condition as when their King is a Child.

Asto the third it will be no lefs extraordinary to fee the King under equal Obligations to all Parties, for it can only be for this reafon, because every Party fhall have approved themselves equally ferviceable or ufeleis, faithful or negligent, fteddy or inconftant, to him, which would be ve ry wonderful, though he dropt out of the Skies, because there are fo very many occafions in which a King needs the fervice of his People, that if one Party acquit themselves better than others, he will in a little time find who deferves beft, and it will be fo plain and obvious that he must see it, unless he be very unfortunate: And till all Men have the fame Complexion, are of the fame Stature and proportion of Body and Temper of Mind, there will be diftinctions of Men and Parties; and therefore it will be the most remarkable thing that ever happen'd, that notwithstanding their differences in other matters, yet they fhould all concur to have the fame Principle and Inclination to the King and Government. But that Prince is very unfortunate, who cannot depend upon one Party more than another, nor has obligations to one more than another, fince it is an ill effect of a bad caufe: For the reafon wherefore he cannot depend upon one more than another, is becaufe he has ufed and treated all alike: And this Method as it will never make his Enemies to become his Friends, fo in a fhort time it will make his Friends fo cold and indifferent towards him, that they will ferve him at the rate that others do, and hereby his Obligations won't be greater to one more than to another. So the Service that is done him will not be the effect

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