Henry Fielding

“ Now this trade, by which alone so many thousands have got an honest livelihood for themselves and families, must be totally ruined; for, if this nation should be at once enslaved, it would be impossible for an honest man to carry on this business any longer. ”

“ So that every good and worthy Protestant in this nation, who is attached to his religion and liberties, or who hath any estate or property, either in church-lands or in the funds (which includes almost every man who hath either estate or property in the kingdom) , is concerned, in the highest degree, to oppose the present rebellion.
I am however aware, that there yet remains a party to be spoken to, who are not strictly concerned in interest in any of the preceding lights; I mean those gentlemen who have no property, nor any regard either for the religion or liberty of their country. ”

“ But to say the truth, there is no occasion of having recourse to these deep and obscure doctrines for this purpose; there is a much fuller and plainer answer to be given, and which is founded on principles the very reverse of those which were taught in this school, namely the principles of common sense and common honesty; for if it be granted, as surely it will be, that we are freemen, we have certainly a right to ourselves; and whatever we have a right to, we have also a right to sell. ”

“ Again, there are many worthy persons who, though very little concerned for the true liberty of their country, have, however, the utmost respect for what is by several mistaken for it; I mean licentiousness, or a free power of abusing the king, ministry, and every thing great, noble, and solemn. ”

“ But if these concerns should appear chimerical, I come now to pecuniary considerations; to a large body of men whose whole trade would be ruined by this man's success. The reader will be, perhaps, in doubt what trade can be carried on by such persons as I have described in the beginning of this paper: how much more will he be surprised to hear, that it is the principal trade which of late years hath been carried on in this kingdom. To keep him therefore no longer in suspense, I mean the honest method of selling ourselves, which hath flourished so notably for a long time among us. ”

“ In this case, I grant, no man could justly have been blamed who had fixed the eyes of his affection on his neighbour's estate, gardens, house, purse, wife, or daughter, for joining the young man's cause, provided the success of it had been probable; such a behaviour would then have been highly consistent with all the rules taught in that school of philosophy above-mentioned, and none but a musty moralist, for whose doctrine great men have doubtless an adequate contempt, would have condemned it. ”

“ The Highlanders are those to whom he must owe any success he may attain; these are therefore to be served before you; and I easily refer to your own consideration, when Rome, and France, and Spain, are repaid their demands, when a vast army of hungry Highlanders, and a larger army of as hungry priests, are satisfied, how miserable a pittance will remain to your share? ”

“ The reasons against such a purchase are too obvious to be mentioned. Indeed, we may say in general, that as it is dishonest in a slave to sell, so it is as foolish in a slave to buy; for as the one hath no property to part with, so neither can the other acquire any. ”

“ But besides the slavish doctrines which he must believe, or, at least, meanly pretend to believe, how would a genius who cannot conform to the little acts of decency required by a Protestant church support the slavish impositions of auricular confession, penance, fasting, and all the tiresome forms and ceremonies exacted by the church of Rome. ”

“ And this is a loss not only to be deplored by those men of genius, who have exerted and may exert their great talents this way. There are many who, without the capacity of writing, have that of reading, and have done their utmost to support and encourage such authors and their works. ”

“ Now if I can make it appear, that those persons likewise are interested in opposing the Pretender's cause, I think we may then justly conclude, he cannot have a single partisan in this nation (the most bigoted Roman Catholics excepted) who is sensible enough to know his own good. ”

“ I know indeed many answers have been given to these objections by a late philosopher of great eminence, and by the followers of his school; such as, that all mankind are rascals; that they are only to be governed by corruption, &c. ”