1768.

Uncommon Cure for a Cancer.

Be thefe thy off'ring; thefe will feaft the fight,
The cradle deck, and add to the delight.

Thee Flora, oft our fenfes will deceive,
Or doubts fuggeft of what we shou'd believe:
Well at fuch groups with pleasure you may
ftart,
[art;
Since what's thought nature here, is curious
(Happy as that by Mofer's pencil shown,
Whence flow'rets fpring, which emulate your
own.)

All here is fweet deception to your eyes, For WRIGHT's fam'd needle bid these chaplets rife.

To ber MAJESTY.

267

Hence bid great queen! a manufacture I

Spring,

A Line or two to Mr. M. M.
SIR,

Live at prefent in the country as you do, and love reading, especially as I can neither hunt or fhoot or have ftrength for it,

And thousands of thy fex thy praife fhall fing. and hope I have a defire to fearch after truth.

SIR,

A

Poor woman near Hungerford, had laboured many years under a most inveterate cancer in her breaft. A gentleman in that neighbourhood told her, if he would ule toads as directed, they would cure her. Agreeable to his order the applied eight toads, tied up in mullin bags, to eight holes in her breast, which fucked amazingly. The toads faftened eagerly like leeches.When they had fucked themselves full, they dropped off in agonies, terrible to behold.-I do not hear they gave any pain, but, on the contrary, her pains abated, from the firft application. She repeated this till he had demolished 120 toads. By which time the wounds were healed, and her breast was of the ufual fize. She has been well ever fince. The toads were applied every night. The better he grew, the longer they lived, and the longer they fucked. The woman, full of gratitude, went to a poor man at Lamborne, in Wiltshire, who had long gone double with a cancer in his back. Mr.

Hy was there last week, and fays, the man is abfolutely cured. During the woman's attendance on him, fhe was fent for to a physician's wife at Calne, in the fame county. But, to her honour be it mentioned, he would not leave the poor man till he was quite cured.-She is now with the phyfician's wife. I faw two letters, with every minute circumftance, wrote by doctor B's. lady who is at Mrs. Hungerford, and not far from the poor woman's parish. This lady conftantly attended here till the cure was compleated. This is a copy of a letter, from a lady whofe vera

near

I cannot think your argumments prove the fense you would fix on the text. We are by nature children of wrath-And I freely confefs that article 19; or indeed any human articles whatever, is not of any authority with of juvenile days is in point, and what follows me. I cannot think the inftance, you give is certainly an inftance of the goodness of God in implanting fuch a paffion within us, and I would fain hope and believe it has tended to, and promoted the cause of piety and religion, far, very far more than that of vice, as indeed from it arifes all the focial and relative duties, as that of hufband, wife, parent, child, &c. And you must know, venience arifing therefrom, at leaft I am that marriage is a remedy for any inconYou will allow, that food is the gift of God, very fure the New Teftament teaches me fo. in itfelf perfectly innocent, but how many given to fupply the appetite of hunger, and make even it the inftrument of fin by glut tony, &c. and the fame may much more be faid by drink.

And fhall we, because the good gifts of God are ill applied and abufed, fay that we are children of wrath, God forbid. I am, Sir,

Your most humble fervant, N. N. P. S. I am not the fame perfon as N. N. though by mere accident I took the fame fignature, who wrote the comment in this Mag. on Rom. viii. 19, which I think a very fenfible piece, and for which I therefore defire to return him my thanks.-I do not fuppofe he means that even good Gentiles, but only the carnal man, was under the curfe, as I think the apostle argues chap. i. from v. 18, and plainly chap. ii. 14. 15.

An Account of the Cafe of the People of Neufchatel in Switzerland, in their Difpute with the King of Pruffia their Sovereign.

EW ftates, next to the English, enjoyed

fo much liberty as the little principality of Neufchatel and Valangin in Switzerland, before their prefent difputes with their fovereign. A proof of this is their affigning in the year 1707, by their own authority, to

the

268

Cafe of the Neufchatelois.

the King of Pruffia, the right of fucceffion to that fovereignty, after the decease of the Dutchefs of Nemours, their laft fovereign of the line of Longueville, when feveral princes* and ftates laid a claim to the fucceffion; previous to the adjudging which, the people made the pretenders to the fucceffion promile and fwear the obfervation of nine general articles, confirming the privileges formerly granted to the people at feveral times by their fovereigns. These privileges having lately been fomewhat infringed by an illegal act of authority of the king's governor, the people would not allow of it; and the king not chufing to recede, appealed to their neighbours and allies the Canton of Bern, who gave two fentences in his favour against the people of Neufchatel: thefe are the two fentences that the latter refused to fubmit to, till compelled, by the canton of Bern ordering a corps of 8c00 men to march to the frontiers to enforce their fentences in cafe they were not accepted. The reafons of the Neufchatelois for not fubmitting to the fentences were, their not acknowledging for their judge the flate of Bern, . who had no right to decide this affair, that right belonging to the fovereign tribunal of the principality of Neufchatel and Valangin, for the very reafon that it was this fame fovereign tribunal that named the King of Pruffia to the fucceffion of that principality,

Love of liberty is the motive of this letter the fame caufe may, perhaps, occafion your hearing farther from me on this fubject. S. M.

To the PRINTER, &c. Now fend you the extract I promifed you of a letter from Neufchatel in Switzerland, dated the 27th of April.

I

In my last I acquainted you that we expected here Mr. Derfchau, the king's minifter and plenipotentiary together with Mr. Gaudot the advocate general, who was to be inftalled, lieutenant governor, attorney-general, and receiver of the rents. They arrived laft funday evening. The Sieur Gaudot would not go to the caftle with Mr. Derfchau, who bad invited him, but alighted at his houle with an uncommon air of confequence, obferved by a concourfe of people prefent: As foon as he was in, a great number of boys flocked there and furrounded the houfe, when they began to call him by all the injurious names that he de ferved: He attempted to filence them with threats, but one amongft them faid to him, "You are the chief caule of our fathers being compelled by force to yield up their privileges, the lofs of which will fall heaviest upon us: Our revenge is juft, and we are refolved to exert all our powers to recover our liberty, which we will begin to do by extirpating you." That faid, they provided ftones, and broke all the windows in the houfe: A Prutian foldier fall.ed

May

out of it fword in hand, to intimidate them: They rushed upon him, knocked him down, broke his fword, and after a fevere drubbing let him go. The Sieur Gaudot seeing that the affair began to take a ferious turn, got arms ready, barricaded himself and vowed vengeance; upon which fome women being come to the affiftance of the boys, they con tinued befieging and throwing ftones at the houfe till four o'clock in the morning, when they were relieved by another number of men and women; these made themselves masters of the lower part of the house, went into the cellar, drank a couple of glaffes of wine each, broke to pieces cafks, bottles, and all that was there, yet far from being drunk, they did all this with the greatest prefence of mind, without noife, and as if they had been fo many people at work. The magistracy fent one of their members to quiet them, who was told, that having let the right of police be taken from them, they had no authority there, A free company of grenadiers was next ordered under arms, to place guards about the befieged houfe: They took arms to guard the city, they faid, but refused to go where they were ordered.-Mr. Derfchau, who had fent to quell the tumult, but to no purpose, afked of the magiftrates if they would anfwer for the life of the Sieur Gaudot? They pofitively faid they could not, having done all that was poffible in that affair. He then offered to the people to fend a coach for the Sieur Gaudot to carry him out of the country, with a promife that he should never return. A coachman could hardly be found that would go; at last one was prevailed upon, who had toon caufe to repent, his coach having been overturned, though followed by the king's livery; but as foon as he asked to go back, the people helped him to get up his coach.

The lady of the Sieur Gaudot perceiving that no help could come to them, defired leave to go out of the houfe: She was anfwered, Madam, that you may do in all fafety; be not afraid, our vengeance does not reach you, and is only against your husband, who has been a traitor to his country." She accordingly retired without the leaft infuit. Mr. Derfchau being unealy, afked of the grenadiers if he ran no risk? They faid no; they knew that what he had done was conformable to the orders of his matter, and he had been fent for that purpofe; that the Sieur Gaudot was the only object of their

King George 1. then elector of Hanover, was one.

and

270

Inftructions is Reprefentatives in Parliament.

name, in defiance of the above article of a moft folemn treaty and engagement between his prefent majefty and the king of Pruffia, and within less than two years from the date therefof; by which the honor and PUBLIC, FAITH of the nation became a facrifice to evil counsellors and corrupt minifters: And we do, therefore, requeft of you, our reprefentatives, and do, hereby, call upon you to ufe your utmost endeavours to trace out, detect, and bring to condign punishment all fuch evil counfellors, and corrupt minifters, by whole advice the NATIONAL FAITH has been thus ignominiously profiituted, and traiterously broke and forfeited.

II. We defire and expect that you will enquire by whofe advice it was, that after a GLORIOUS WAR, and a feries of amazing conquefts, carried on with uninterrupted fuccefs in every part of the globe, and beyond the example of former ages, the most valuable of thofe conquefts, particularly, the RICH and important CITY and dependencies of the HAVANNA, and the fertile islands of GUADELUPE and MARTINICO were ceded to the enemy; and this at a time when our ambaffador, it is faid, was in actual treaty for one of them, and the ceflion but little Jitigated on the part of the minifters of France, when he received pofitive orders to fign the preliminary articles of the peace: And we allo recommend and expect you will enquire by whole advice it was, that the MANILLA raniom money ftill detained and with-held, in open breach of public honor, and public faith on the part of the crown of Spain, and in defiance of the facred articles of capitulalation, was not infifted on; but that just and national claim tamely and fubmiffively given up, to the great difcredit of this kingdom.

III. We defire and expect that you will enquire by whofe advice it was that a STAMP. ACT was impofed upon the colonies: An act, according to the opinion of the greateft lawyer in this kingdom, publicly declared, "To be in it's very existence abfoJutely ILLEGAL; contrary to the fundamental laws of the conflitution of ENGLAND: A conftitution, whote foundation and center is LIBERTY; which fends liberty to every fubject that is, or may bappen to be, within any part of it's ample circumference: Taxation and representation are in parable, they are coeval with, and effential to our happy conftitution, and the colonies are not reprefented in the British parliament." The fupreme power in the opinion of that confummate reafoner and politician Mr Locke, "cannot take from any man, any part of his property without his own confent: And the colonies have a right to expect and look for protection and not chains from their mother

May

Country: We defire, therefore that you will enquire by whofe advice it was, that our colonies were irritated by measures inconfiftent with good policy, not to fay, common equity, and those measures publicly avowed and defended by general maxims and arguments, which ftrike at the root of all publick LIBERTY at home and abroad: A DISPENSING POWER contended for on one occafion, and on another, JURIES precluded from being judges of LAW as well as FACT, in cafes where the liberty, the property, and even the LIFE of a fellow-fubje& depend upon their VERDICT: And allo, by whofe advice, and by what authority a POPISH BISHOP was fent to the proteftant settlement

of Canada.

IV. We defire and expect that you will enquire by what authority it was, that a reprefentative of the people in parliament was feized in his own bufe, dragged out of his own boufe, and in defiance of the babeas corpus act, and magna charta, imprisoned in the Tower of London; and although for a bailable offence, no person suffered to come near him for three days in order to bail him: All his papers the moft fecret of them rifled and carried away, under an avorved defign of collecting evidence against him for a fuppofed libel; thereby obliging a freeborn Englishman to turn his own actufer, contrary to the known laws of the land, We also defire and expect, that you will ufe your utmost endeavours to find out by whom it was that a writ of Habeas Corpus, granted by a chief juflice was cluded, and its authority difobeyed, in time of public peace and tranquillity; and the act of Habeas Corpus, that greateft and strongest bulwark of English liberty, broke down and trampled under foot; the powers of which were never known to be even fufpended, but in times of public danger; of fufpected con1piracies, open rebellion, or when a foreign enemy was in arms in the kingdom: the fufpenfion of the Habeas Corpus act, though by aurbority of parliament, is ever understood to be a fulpention of the liberty of the subjeЯ. And we, therefore, defire and expect that you will enquire by whofe advice it was, that private perfons in office, armed with that iron engine of oppreffion, and bearing that ignominious badge of flavery a general warrant, were employed or fet on and encouraged to dare to do that by themfelvis, which king, lords, and commons, the three eftates of the realm can only do together.

V. We defire and recommend to you most earnefly, to use your utmost endeavours to promote a remedial bill in parliament for quicting the paffion of the fubject, and to prevent minuters under the crown from harrailing the private fubject with antiquated

Pruffia were to be fcrambled; for the most indecent, vulgar, and infamous expreffion for an ally of the crown of England, rubich any minifter over uttered."

Londen, St. James's Chronicle, May 3, 1768.

1768.

Inftrullions to Reprefentatives in Parliament.

claims, vexatious fuits, and threats of confifcation, giving thereby a fhock to the whole landed property throughout the kingdom, and other detestable proceedings inconfiftent with the freedom of the British conftitution, and the rights and privileges of the people: And that you will do your utmoft to rescue private property from the violence, arbitrary encroachments, breach of faith, injuftice, and tyranny of profligate and corrupt minifters.

VI. We request alfo, and recommend to you to enquire, how it comes to pass that the eldest fons of peers of Scotland, who are declared incapable to represent any borough or fhire in that kingdom, fhould be permitted to reprefent any borough or fhire in England: And why, when all the commons of Scotland are, according to the act of union, reprefented by forty-five members in the British parliament, Scots Commoners are permitted to reprefent English boroughs, and to have additional voices in parliament: And whether the permitting Scots commoners and eldeft fons of peers of Scotland to fit in parliament for English boroughs, be not inconfiftent with, and contradictory to, the true Spirit of the act of union: And whether a fingle inftance can be produced fince that act took place, where any one English commoner was ever returned to parliament to reprefent a fhise or borough in Scotland: We recom mend to you in your enquiries to confider the true fpirit of the act of Union: The lord's houfe took care to prevent any Northern irruptions upon the English nobility; the dukes of Hamilton and Queenfberry are not at this day allowed to fit in their houfe, tho' actually created English dukes by the titles of Brandon and Dover. The wisdom of the lords gave this contruction to the act of Union: They reftrained and confined the North British reprefentatives in their house to the number fixed by the act of Union, the number fixteen. Is it not then extraordinary that the houfe of Commons fhould open a door which the other has fout? Or can it be fuppofed, with any degree of reafon or propriety, that the framers of the act of Union could ever mean to bar accefs to natives of Scotland from becoming memters of one part of the legislature beyond their limited number, and give them free admittance into the other? It never was, it never could be their intent; and if Scots commoners have not hitherto been exprefsly re

271

ftrained from intruding upon the legislature of South Britain beyond their ftipulated number by the act of Union, it is time they. fhould be fo, or, in the process of a few years, a fwarm may be brought in upon us that may be too frong for English reprefentatives to turn out. Remember the fpeech of one of your predeceflors, and imprint it in your hearts: "Mr. Speaker, I hear a lion roaring in the lobby; fhall we fhut the door, fir, against him, or fhall we let bim in, to fee if we are able to turn him out again ?" If the prefent Scotch commoners, already elected, are permitted to enjoy their feats in the infuing parliament, the number will increase upon you in another; and in time, all the fubjects of England will be taxed by a majority of Scotch members: Flagrant abfurdity! Intolerable yoke! In this cafe. which is far from being impoffible, and which event perhaps is nearer taking place than the generality of people may imagine, it is not a Portion of members of the Scotch parliament fent by deputation to the British house of commons. who fit there, but it is the Scotch parliament adjourned to England. For which important realons, we moft earneftly recommend to you to propofe an enquiry into the true fpirit of the act of union; and as far as in you lies, by all conftitutional endeavours, to exclude Scotch commoners already elected, exceeding the number of forty-five, and not reprefenting fhires or boroughs in Scotland, from a feat or voice in the British parliament; and to promote a refolution of the houfe of Commons, whereby they may be declared incapable to fit in that houfe; and that the Speaker may be ordered to iffue out his warrants to the clerk of the crown to make out new writs for the eledig reprefentatives in their room, according to former precedents †.

VII. We defire and expect, that you will use your utmost endeavours, by all conftitutional measures in your power, that a law may pafs for reftoring triennial parliaments: Triennial parliaments were eftablished foon after the glorious revolution took place, which faved this kingdom from impending, from inevitable deftruction: They were enablished as the best fecurity for the conflitution againft the arbitrary attempts of ail wicked and defigning minifters in futuro; frequent elections deprive them of that enormous influence and power they now have to corrupt the reprefentatives of the people, and to fecure a

Article 22 of the AT of Union. "A writ fhall be immediately ifued. c. For the furnmoning the fixteen peers, and for eleting forty five members, by whom Scotland is to be reprefented in the parliament of Great Britain."

"December 6, 1708. The commons ordered their Speaker to iffie out his warrants to the clerk of the crown to make out new zerits for the electing commiflioners for the fire of Aberdeen, in the room of William Lord Ha da; and for the thire of Linlithgo v, 18 the room of James lord Johnftown, who being chieft fons of peers of Scotland, were declared to be incapable to fit in that houfe Hero much greater the impropriety for juch comunisers, or any Scots-Commoner later, to fit in that buafi får du jo jbires or burzugis!

‡ December 21, 1694,