plaint; however moderate the exercise of prerogative, however exact the obfervance of the laws, if the prince founds his au thority on arbitrary and dangerous principles; it is equally re quifite to watch him with care, and oppofe him with vigour, as if he had indulged himself in all the exceffes of tyranny and cruelty.

The foregoing extracts are taken from an hiftorian the least fa. vourable to the popular party, Mr. Hume: his good sense, in fpite of fome prejudices, led him to obferve the dangerous tendency of the arguments ufed by the zealous partizans of regai power, and he has marked their fallacy for the intruction of pofterity.

The firft parliament of Charles the First was diffolved under the fpecious pretence of the plague; but, in truth, because the Houfe of Commons had not fhewn a favourable difpofition to the minifter.

The fecond parliament was ftill lefs complying, and was therefore abruptly diffolved while the Houfe of Commons was framing an addrefs to remove that minister from his majesty's perfon and councils.

The third parliament (the memory of which will be ever revered for having framed the petition of right) was in a like manner, and upon the ame occafion, fuddenly prorogued, and afterwards diffolved. Then followed a long and dreary intermiffion of parliaments for twelve years, during which time the parliament had a moft lamentable experiment of what a government by prerogative is.

A fourth parliament was at length fummoned to fupply the king with money, and to fupprefs the rebellion in Scotland. That parliament, though compofed, by the teftimony of hiftorians, of the wifelt and moft moderate men in the nation, yet, because the Houfe of Commons foon difcovered that it had no confidence either in the minifters, or in the fecret advisers of the king, was haftily diffolved. To that diffolution, lord Clarendon imputes, in a great meafure, all the miferies that enfued from the year 1641 to the year 1660.

The government of Charles the Second was reasonably quiet, while the ministers he employed poffeffed the confidence of the Houfe of Commons. The determination of the king to fupport the earl of Derby against the attack of the House of Commons, occafioned the diffolution of his first parliament. The fecond was diffolved upon the fame account, and a difference artificially raised between the House of Lords, where the influ ence of the crown was molt easily exerted, and the Houfe of Commons furnished the pretext for both,

N 2

The

The next parliament having voted an addrefs against the fecret advisers, was precipitately diffolved, and the expedient of fummoning a new parliament to affemble at Oxsord, in hopes the members would be more easily over-awed at a distance from the metropolis, was vainly attempted. Some words in the king's fpeech to the new parliament have been lately repeated. He faid," he never would ufe arbitrary government nimfelf, nor would he fuffer it in others."-The Commons we e not over-awed with the majesterial air of the king's fpeech. They fell into the fame measures: a difpute was immediately excited by the arts which had always prevailed in the House of Lords, and an immediate diffolution enfued. The mischief and the illegality of this, as well as the two laft diffolutions, are well expofed in a tract, entitled, "A Modeft Vindication of the two laft Parliaments," the joint work of Algernon Sydney Sommers and Sir William Jones, very worthy the perufal of every lover of his country.

James the Second, among his other wretched measures, unreftrained by the experience of his three predeceffors, hazarded an abrupt diffolution of his laft parliament, and to him it proved a moft fatal counsel.

At the revolution ends the history of abrupt and angry diffolutions of parliament, and God forbid there ever should be occafion to write a fecond part of it.

MR. HARCOURT to the Honourable MR, STANLY.

M

DIEPPE.

Y last informed you of my fafe arrival here, in which I meant to have given you fome defcription of the place, but was obliged to feal my letter fomewhat precipitately, as a captain of one of the packets was just returning to England. I'll proceed now in due order. We entered the harbour be tween two very large and lofty piers, built of ftone, which are extended fome confiderable diftance in the fea; they ferve to ftop the fury of the waves, and, by breaking their force, ren

ders

ders the harbour a place of fecurity. On the extremity of the largeft of thefe piers is erected a crucifix of an enormous magnitade. If it was not impoffible to miftake the object, you would rather fuppofe it the image of fome fhocking monster of nature, or rather, of imagination, fuch as Gog and Magog, at the Guildhall of London.

As this was the first object I saw that convinced me I was in a Catholic country, it the more particularly attracted my notice. I could not but view fuch a fpectacle with horror! I lamented that the ignorance and fuperftitious notions of mankind could be fo mifled, to erect fuch terrific exhibitions as objects to create either a veneration for the founder of the Chriftian religion, or to inspire any ideas refpectful or pleafing to the divine origin of human nature. There is, I think, a barbarism in fuch exhibitions, that would be a difgrace to the most uninformed and unenlightened part of the globe.

As foon as the boat reached the quay, we were met by a Cuftom-Houfe officer, who conducted us to an inferior office, where we underwent something like the form of being searched, and were then difmiffed very politely. Our trunks, &c. were taken to the Cuftom-Houfe, which at nine o'clock we attended, to open them for infpection, which they just looked into without discovering any thing.

The whole of this business was conducted with great civility, unattended with any expence. It would be doing them injaftice, to pafs unnoticed their genteel behaviour on this occafion, because it is fo very unlike the extortionate and rude treatment foreigners in general meet with on their landing in England.

There needs no mafter of the ceremonies to introduce people to the acquaintance of each other, who are obliged to travel in the fame vehicle. Step you but into a stage-coach, and you are inftantly acquainted with your fellow traveller: in a packet boat 'tis the fame.

Had I remained a week longer at Brighthelmftone, and tho' I lodged in the fame houfe, thofe gentlemen and myfelf might have paffed each other ten times in the day without speaking a fingle word: we no fooner were embarked in the fame voyage, but we were familiar and friendly. We were informed the City of London Hotel was efteemed one of the best inns in Dieppe. Now, had it been otherwife, I think the very name would have been a fufficient recommendation; but, on the contrary, it ranks, if not the first, as the second best in the town. The English language is fpoken by Mrs. La Reax, the miftrefs of the Hotel, and her children, which is a strong recommendation, and a great convenience to each of their vifitors, who

who are unacquainted with the French tongue.-Civility and politenets have fuch a perfuafive afcendency over the mind, that it cheats us hourly of thofe little fabacid numours that are apt to difturb and clog the wheels of life. If they were infallible autidotes to vexation and difguft, it would be impoffible to have any reftlefs or painful hours in France; for the people are fo frank, attentive, and polite, that there's no fuch thing as being offended with them: it totally difarms one of that kind of refentment that is wont to fhew itself when ignorance and impertinence intrude on your patience with an impertinent or con. temptuous air. Here they are all complaifance and affiduity; and fo fedulous are they to feek opportunities, in which they may oblige you, that there's no fuch thing as not being pleased with them it's well it is fo, otherwife you would have fufficient trials to exercise your temper; for the domeftic conveniencies or enjoyments of life are by no means to be found in perfection here, for there is ever fomething difagreeably annoying the eye, the tafte, or the smell.

When we landed, it was fo early that few were flirring; the Hotel was but a trifling distance from the place we difembarked at. The maid fervant was the only one stirring in the houfe. We were immediately conducted up one pair of ftairs, and introduced to a couple of bed-chambers.- "My dear girl, (says I,) we don't want to go to bed; we want a comfortable room, a good fire, and a plentiful breakfast of tea and toall, for we are as hungry as hunters."I was pleafed to find my French was not too bad to be understood, and that I could collect enough from her reply to know her meaning. I found we were to chufe which of the rooms we liked the best to fit in, and a fire fhould be immediately kindled in it, and our other wants as fpeedily complied with. As to what the faid about a diningroom, or parlour, I could not well comprehend it, as I think I understood they had none fuch in the houfe; but this I rather imputed to my not thoroughly comprehending the language.The stairs we afcended were of stone, so darkly fituated, that at all, times a candle is neceffary to prevent you from falling on your nose, and fo intolerably dirty and greafy, that you would rather fuppofe you were afcending fome of the landing steps on the Thames, than those to a chamber.The rooms were paved with brick, and hung with old tapestry, which retained the efAluvia of wood fmoke, fo very strong as to be extremely offenfive.I inftantly threw open the windows, for the benefit of fresh air, otherwife I believe I should have found as little fatiffaction on shore, as I had just experienced on board.

Breakfaft

Breakfast was now introduced. The bread was the only thing that could be eat with pleasure: the tea was bad; the milk was brought up boiling hot, in a large ftone jug; which, from being hurried, they fo fmoaked, as rendered it unpalatable. The tea equipage was of the common white ftone ware, and ferved up in fo dirty and flovenly a manner, that had not a falt water difcipline created an appetite fomewhat of the keeneft, I fhould neither have eat or drank, 'till hunger or thirst had abso lutely driven me to it.-The luxury of cleanliness they appear to be totally strangers to. From their evident defire to pleafe, we naturally concluded they gave us the beft of their fare, and therefore we eat our cruft without murmuring.

The people began to move about, for it was now near fix o'clock. Every object, by being new, engaged my attention, which farnished me with an opportunity of fatisfying one of my fenfes at leaft, by looking at what was going forward in the Street.

From my window I had a command of the whole quay, the harbour, its fhipping, and the fish-market; fo that if any thing was firring, was most probable it would be there. Oppofite to my window is a conduit, or fountain, from which two streams of water perpetually flow it ferves all purpofes; for, within the space of a few minutes, it has been vifited by more than twenty people, fome fetching water in pails, fome wafhing their cloaths under it, and others cleanfing their radishes and onions, who, with a cruft of brown bread, and a draught of this ftream to quench their thirst, left it with apparent content.

A poor decrepit old woman, with feeble tottering fteps, bent with age, came to the fountain to wash a handful of dried herbs. "Poor must be thy repaft indeed, and little of nourishment to be drawn from those withered leaves, if thou haft nought elfe to put in thy pottage !"

I had fcarce made this reflection, before one who was standing by her, added to it a couple of onions, for which she seemed thankful. If my humanity was awakened in the first instance, it was rouzed by the conviction I felt of what her diftrefs must be who found affiftance from fo poor a benefaction. I had been contriving to give her fomething: if I called to her, fhe probably could not understand me, and, to beckon to her, was impracticable; for time had already more than half effected his talk, of levelling her to her parent earth. I inftantly put on my hai, went into the street, and, as he was leaving the fountain, I met her, and put fix-pence into her hand. She thanked me, I am fure, for her eyes fpoke the language of a feeling heart. She was not only grateful to me, but to that providence which had influenced