"bills, one for Scotland, another for the cities "and boroughs in England, and a third for the "counties. That for Scotland was passed into

He

a law. The other for the cities and boroughs "in England passed the House of Commons, but was thrown out by the House of Lords. supported it in the House of Lords, as he had "done before in the House of Commons; "but he could not command a majority, and he "complained upon this, as he had done upon "other occasions, that the government would

not do popular things, and then wondered that

they were unpopular. No man was ever a "truer friend to the British Constitution, or "wished more ardently than he, that those de"ficiencies, which were left in at the Revolution,' "were supplied, and that it was carried to the ut"most perfection, which any human system is

"

capable of receiving. And it was extremely 66 unjust, that he should be censured by one side as if he had power to do every thing, and at "the same time not be suffered by the other "to do even those popular things, which had "been particularly stipulated and agreed between "them. If he had bargained for himself, it "would have beeen another thing; but his bar"gains were all for the public, for the honor of "the King, and for the benefit of the Kingdom. "He took nothing for himself, but what was pressed

VOL. II.

F

upon

upon him again and again, and he certamiy "obliged them much more by accepting it, than they intended to oblige him by giving it.

"A peerage, though no doubt very desirable in itself for any man of family and fortune, yet "could be no particular bribe or temptation to him; for it is what he might have had almost

at any time, was offered to him at several times, "and particularly by Queen Caroline. Her Majesty was one day lamenting, that he was such an enemy to Sir Robert Walpole, and desired by all means to reconcile and to make them "friends. Mr. Pulteney replied, that he had se no quarrel with Sir Robert Wolpole but upon a public account; he was not an enemy to his person, but only to his administration, as he thought that he advised their Majesties to mea"C sures, which were neither for the interest of "their family, nor for the good of the kingdom. "Her Majesty still expressed her desire to make "them friends, and asked him, Why he would "not go up into the House of Lords; he should "have any title that he thought proper. He "humbly thanked her Majesty, and said that the

House of Commons was the field of action, and "there he should desire to continue as long as he "was well able to serve his country but when

he found that he could no longer do the good "that he would, or when he should be more "advanced

"advanced in years, he might then perhaps be

willing enough to end his days in that Hospital "of Invalides. The time was now come that he "could no longer do the good that he would, "through ihe violence of one party, the artifices "of the other, and the falsehood and treachery of "both. Both had used him extremely ill, and he

was glad perhaps to quit both by going into "that honorable retirement. We may therefore "blame the opposition, we may blame the Court, "but no one can justly blame him, unless it be "for not taking the post of Prime Minister: "and yet perhaps he chose the better part. For "when there cannot be, as the Roman aator

says, negotium sine periculo, the next thing to "be considered is certainly otium cum digni"tate."

The foregoing account was written at the time of these transactions, and several years afterwards was communicated to the late Lord Sandys, who said it contained some particulars which he did not know before, but he could attest the truth of the greater part of the relation.

What Lord Bath's own reflections upon these matters were some years afterwards, may appear from a letter still extant in his own hand-writing, dated Aug. 15, 1745, wherein are the following words. "In every thing I did, when the change was made, I know I acted honestly, I am sure I F 2 " acted

acted disinterestedly, and if I did not do what "the world may call wisely, it was the fault of a "few friends who betrayed me, of the Court that "meant to weaken me, and of many others who

too hastily mistrusted me, and turned their "backs upon me. But time (as I always thought "it would) has cleared up all these points; and "I have the satisfaction to imagine that the King,

"

now wishes he had given more into my schemes; "the friends who betrayed me are sensible of and sorry for their folly; and they who opposed me, though some of them have since got power into "their own hands, are sensible how mean a figure they make with it, and how unequal they "are to the posts they have. Certain it is, that

で

no one can be so capable of writing history, as

"he who has been principally concerned in the

great transactions; and if ever it should be necessary to inform the world (which I believe it "will not) of the history of the late change, no "" one to be sure can do it, or at least furnish ma"terials for doing it, so well as myself, for I

may truly say Pars magna fui, and I do not "apprehend, nor can recollect one single fact, no "not one circumstance in the whole affair, that it "can be necessary to suppress or disguise. If "avarice, ambition, or the desire of power had "influenced me, why did I not take (and no one "can deny but I might have had) the greatest

post in the Kingdom? But I contented my"self with the honest pride of having subdued "the great author of corruption, retired with a peerage, which I had three times at different periods of my life refused; and left the govern"ment to be conducted by those who had more "inclination than I had to be concerned in it.

I should have been happy, if I could have "united an administration capable of carrying on "the government with ability œconomy and "honor."

Bishop Pearce had also some knowledge of these transactions, and thus delivers his sentiments concerning them in the short account which he has left us of his own life. "In the year 1741, Mr. "Pulteney, with those of his party, had so far prevailed in the House of Commons, that Sir “Robert (Walpole) frankly declared to his Majesty, that he could no longer be of sufficient "service to his Majesty in that House, and there"fore desired a dismission from all his state em"ployments. In consequence of this, a message

was brought to Mr. Pulteney by the late Duke "of Newcastle and the Lord Chancellor Hard"wicke from the King, signifying that he was "willing to place all Sir Robert's employments "and powers in his hands; but with this consideration, that Sir Robert should be screened from all future resentments on account of the

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