their Coffers, nor Barrs for their Gates; being in no Fear of any pilfering Tranfgreffors or murdering Malefactors. When famous Cleon took upon him the Administration of publick Affairs, he bid Adieu to all the finifter Views of Friendship; fhook Hands with his Friends; and frankly told them, he muft treat them as Enemies now for the future, rather than tranfgrefs the Rules of right Judgment. Happy are our faithful Judges, and honeft Lawyers; thofe honourable Gentlemen of the long Robe, who are no Ambidexters, no Prevaricators, no double-tongu'd Diffemblers! Aristides would never fuffer his Juftice to be perverted, or Judgment executed by any private Paffion, Profit, and Advantage of Honour; or by Prejudice and Choler. Alexander us'd to stop one of his Ears in Court, when the Accufer made his Complaint; that he might the better hear the accufed fpeak in his own Justification and Defence with the. other, not Prepoffeffed. Whether Junius Brutus did well in beheading his Two Sons, for endeavouring to restore the Race of Tarquin; I leave the learned World to judge, by found Reasoning upon the Change of Governments. Dear Bargains, in this Senfe, have been very common. There is no Difference between a lawful and unlawful King, great or little, good or bad; but by Right and Juftice. Power cannot give the one; nor Poffeffion the other. That muft ftand the Teft of God's Law, not of Man's making. But the juft Exercife of it crowns all; and establishes a Kingdom in a flourishing Condition, with good Government. But whither do I run? In a word, the King himself would do well fometimes, to be chief Counfel for his poor Prifoner at the Barr; or at least to fee Justice done to the Diftreffed, either in' Peril, Trouble or Tribulation. For what hinders, but that the greateft Princes might certainly become the best Counfellors in Points of Law, as well as prove the justest Judges in Matters of Equity; where the Courts are ho nour'd with their Auguft Prefence: if they would condescend fo far, as to give themselves the Trouble of hearing Caufes; as Agefilaus, Auguftus, Trajan and all did in former Days with the most remarkable Generofity and Candour? JI. MERCY is an excellent, well-meaning and tender-hearted Virtue; the Nature and Property of which, confifts in moderating the Violence of Wrath and Vengeance: keeping it ftill within the juft Bounds of Reafon, Honour and Humanity. Anger ought not to be like a Sword put into a Mad-man's Hand, but only made Ufe of for the Terrour, Reftraint or Punishment of Evil-Doers. The Refentment of Kings is very powerful and coercive in Fact. But, as the pious Cardinal Bona pofitively affirms, it will be as grofs a Piece of Cruelty to fpare all, as to fpare none; for an univerfal Impunity, or a general Pardon, would give Encouragement to Villany. In this Cafe, a good King indeed will require the Wisdom of the Serpent, as well as the Innocence of the Dove; and the Manliness of a juft Avenger, not to fay the Fierceness of a Lion, as well as the Meeknefs of a harmless Lamb, as to his political Behaviour. The forgiving Family of the gracious Stuarts were always reckon'd famous for Acts of Clemency, or Indemnity; and ftand ftill fo recorded in the trueft Hiftories: If they have not been alfo alfo merciful to a Fault in Politicks. But this demands another Pen, or a different Author. Only give me leave to affert here, that a Branch of the fame Tree may bear the fame Fruit, and produce as good Effects in Time to come; for the Peace and Profperity of the whole Royal Pedigree, Iffue or Offspring, and for the Benefit of their People, and Dependents in future Generations. As God's Mercy is infinite, fo Man's ought to be indefinite, in fome Degree of Comparison; to come-up to the nearest Proportion of divine Likeness : by forgiving our perfecuting Enemies, and loving thofe that defpitefully use us even to Death almoft; without fhewing any Mercy among the faithful Few that are Sufferers for a good Confcience. But there will always be fome living Martyrs and Confeffors left yet, among the Orthodox in the true Chriftian Church. I have fome Reason to believe, and am forry for the Occafion of faying it, that there is a Set of unmerciful People in this World, fo puffed-up with Pride, Haughtiness and Ambition; as if they thought themselves born to Empire, or Dominion without any Grace; lording it arbitrarily over the Universe, even to the depreffing of Majefty it felf fometimes in Mifery; beggaring a Nation; and oppreffing the Poor, without discovering the leaft Senfe or Compaffion for their Calamities. However, any Prince of abfolute Inclemency, will ever be reputed no better than a fanguinary Tyger or inhumane Tyrant, not only in the common Opinion of the Oppreffed; but alfo in the fedater 'udgments of thofe Lookerson that are out of the Reach of his defpotick Clutches, Ought not the Defender of the Faith Faith then, to be alfo the Defender of the poor Destitutes in Need or Diftrefs? The Feeder of the Hungry, the Reliever of the Thirsty, the Cloather of the Naked, the Vifiter of the Sick, the Comforter of the Afflicted, the Supplier of their Wants, the Giver of good Laws, the Rewarder of the Righteous, the Revenger of the Wicked, the Deliverer of Caft aways, and the Preferver of unfortunate Lives; muft of Course be God Almighty's greatest Favourite. This is the King, who can be no less than the Delight both of Heaven and Earth; the Darling of all Chriftian Powers and Principalities. He will be perpetually merciful in his Juftice; bountiful in his Charity; remarkable in his Temperance; admirable in his Chastity, and illuftrious in his Virtue: univerfally celebrated for his Valour and Fortitude, or Mildness and Magnificence; as well as renown'd for his Munificence and Magnanimity, for his Wifdom and Patience, for his great Learning and Knowledge of Languages. HOW honourable was King Philip, the Meek, of Macedonia; how eafy of Access; how Patient ? When once upon a Time, mov'd by a poor Woman's Reprimand or Reproach rather for refusing to hear her Complaint, without Delay; [Be thou then no longer King] He readily receiv'd her Petition, and immediately red refs'd her Grievance, upon fecond Thoughts, with as much good Humour as Justice or Difpatch. To be humble and merciful, are Celeftial Badges of Honour and Glory, commanding the most awful Veneration. Learn of me, fays our bleffed Saviour, for I am meek, and lowly, and long Suffering. Such Such is the divine Excellency of this lovely Virtue; as if the whole Duty of Man was almost wrapt-up in that one fingle heavenly Lef Jon of Reft, Patience and Humility. There would be nothing but Maffacre, without Meeknefs. Anger and Fury, not qualify'd with Mercy, nor mix'd with Difcretion, are ungovernable, tyrannical, intolerable. They would quickly over-run the World in fome Parts, or lay it waft in one common Aceldama; without more Christianity, and milder Government to prevent the Effufion of humane Blood. They would either unpeople a Country, or make more Malefactors than were ever yet executed, upon the utmost Rigour of Condemnation. To hangup all that should be guilty then, would turn upon the Unmerciful themselves; and either fall heavy upon their own Heads by Reflection, or touch their Hearts with deeper Compunction and Sorrow of Soul. The Great Affize of all will come, and call for righteous Judgment. But fuppofing the laft Extremity of Juftice to be done upon old Offenders; there ought yet to be fome fort of Room left for Tenderness and Compaffion, and fufficient Time given for Repentance, as to Life and Death even when there appears an abfolute Neceffity of Punishment, for want of Reformation or Amendment. I fhall fay nothing here, of Sir Thomas Moor's better Laws in Utopia, than Hanging; but leave it wholly to the Wisdom and Judgment of every well-govern'd Nation. However, Gentleness of Nature easily breaks the Rage of Wrath or Revenge, as a Rock in the Sea does the foaming Waves, and dashes the rifing Billows at laft into a ferener Calm, Temper or Tranquillity. Every Man may |