incroach upon or destroy the Liberties of the People, and a numerous Party of weak or corrupt Tools to fupport that Defign, When this happens to be the Cafe, it is not the Friends of our Liberties and Conftitution, that create Difcord and A Divifion; it is that weak or corrupt Party that are the Authors of Difcord and Divifion, and they only are answerable for all the fatal Confequences that may enfue. If Richard II. by the Advice of wicked Counsellors, had infifted upon re- B fufing to difmifs his Treafurer or Chancellor, or to allow thofe to be called to an Account who had mifapplied the publick Money, and the French, in the mean Time, had landed and plundered the Country; who would have been anfwerable for that fatal Confequence? Would not thofe wicked Counsellors, who advifed the King to protect publick Criminals, have been anfwerable for that, or any other fatal Confequence that could have enfued? In the fame Reign, when that King got a corrupt and mercenary Parliament, and a mercenary Army, to fupport him in his Defigns against the Liberties of his People, were not the Advifers of fuch Measures, and the wicked Supporters of fuch Defigns, anfwerable for the Civil War, or E their Offices, may be thought worrather fudden Revolution, that enfued, by which that Prince loft both his Crown and his Life?

withstanding the Laws now in being, fuch a Number of Placemen and Penfioners may get themselves chofen Members, as will make a Majority, nay, a very great Majority of that Houfe. I fhall grant, that it may be neceffary to have fome of the Ministers or Servants of the Crown in that Houfe. A General of the Army, an Admiral of the Navy, a Commitlioner of any of our fuperior Boards, and fome other great Officers may, in my Opinion, be allowed to have Seats in the House of Commons. Such Officers, especially when they deferve the Truft that is repofed in them, may by their Authority, tho' not by their Numbers, prevent the People both within Doors and without, C from running into any extravagant or dangerous Measures; but to have that House filled with Clerks of Of fices, and inferior Officers of the Army or Navy, whatever they may do by their Numbers within Doors, I am fure their Authority among the People without Doors, can add no. Weight to the Refolutions of that auguft Affembly. For this Reafon, I humbly think, a general Law ought to be made for excluding all Placemen and Penfioners, except thofe who, by the Importance of

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Therefore, Sir, if a new Law be neceffary for preventing an Anticonftitutional Dependency in the House of Commons, by excluding, more generally and more effectually, Placemen and Penfioners from having Seats in that House, no Time can be improper, nor can those who infift upon it be accufed, as the Authors of any Divifion, or any Confequence that can enfue from its be-G ing refused; and that such a Law is neceffary must be acknowledged by every Man who confiders that, not

thy of having Seats in the House of Commons; for it will be much more easy to enumerate those who can be thought worthy, than to enumerate those who ought not to be admitted.

Having now, I hope, clearly fhewn, Sir, that the Liberties of this Nation must always depend upon our having a House of Commons independent both of the Crown and Houfe of Lords, that is to say, not liable to any Anticonstitutional Dependency; and having likewife fhewn that a Houfe of Commons, confifting chiefly of Placemen and Penfioners, must be fuppofed to be

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under an Anticonftitutional Dependency upon the Crown, the Neceffity of having fome new Law for preventing this Dependency muft evidently appear; therefore, if ever the Friends of Virtue and Liberty fhould make fuch a Propofition in Parliament, the People, I think, will have Reafon to fuppofe, that every Man who votes against it, is under fome Anticonstitutional Dependency; and they will likewife, I think, have Reafon to conclude, that every Man who does not, upon fuch an important Occafion, attend his Duty in Parliament, ought to be look'd on as a Betrayer of his Country, or at least as one who deferted his Poft in the Time of Danger. In this Light their Characters will, I believe, be handed down to Pofterity: In this Light the People will, I believe, confider them at all future Elections; for till fuch a Law be paffed, the People have no Method for preventing fuch a Dependency, but by refufing to put a Trust or Confidence in any Man who has D betrayed or deferted his Duty, or who has rendered himself fufpected of being under a corrupt Dependency upon the Crown, or rather upon the Minifters of the Crown. This alone, Sir, is fufficient for juftifying the Conduct of the Citizens E of London at their laft Election of a Lord Mayor; and from this Principle it would be eafy to answer all the Objections that have been made against it but as I have already taken up too much of your Time, and as an Honourable Member, more capable than I am, stood up at the fame Time with me, to give his Sentiments upon this Subject, tho' he infifted upon giving me the Preference, yet, I hope, he will again rife up, and therefore I fhall leave to him the answering of those Objections, that have been made against the Conduct of the Citizens,

upon that great Occafion. For this Reafon, I fhall add no more, but conclude with addreffing myself to my Countrymen in the Words of the celebrated Cato, Sed per deos imdomos, villas, figna, tabulas veftras mortales, vos ego appello, qui femper pluris quam rempubl. feciftis: fi ita, cujufcumquemodi fint, quæ amplexamini, retinere, fi voluptatibus veftris otium præbere vultis, expergifcimini aliquando, & capeffite rempublicam *.

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[This Journal and Debate to be continued in our next.]

We are well inform'd, that Dr. Stukeley intends to publifb, next Year, his Account of STONEHENGE, a Work of the British Druids. A Friend of bis, not without bis Knoryledge, bas given us the following Sketch of that Performance.

HE Purpofe of the whole Work (of

Twhich, Storekenge is a Part, and will be first publish'd) is an Investigation into the firft and true, Patriarchal Religion. Our antle or po Idolatry, as being planted here very tient Druid's were of this Religion, with lit

Their

foon after the Time of Abrabam.
Temples and Groves were copied from him
and his Family, only more magnificent, as
being a numerous and potent Nation. They
had an Expectation of the Meffiab; a Notion
of the Time of Year when he was to be
born, viz. the Winter Solitice, which they
celebrated by their Miletoe Solemnities.

That the Patriarchal Religion was the
fame as Chriftianity; Chriflianity being a
Republication of it, the Mofaic Difpenfation
as a Veil intervening, till the World was in
a proper Difpofition for its Reception. That
the Myfteries of the Antients were the firft
Deviations from true Religion; a Perversion
of the diftin&t Perfonalities in the Deity.
of that Knowledge, which the Patriarchs had,

That the Greatness and Number of the Works of the Druids, ftill left in Britain, is conformable to what Cafar relates of them. That the Difc pling of the Druids began in Britain, and thence paffed into Gaul. Of their Works, Abury and Stonehenge, both in Wiltshire, are the chief, either in the Britannick ifles, or elsewhere. Abury is by far the greateft and most antient: Stoneberge the mott pelite; tho' that is earlier than Cafar's Invalion leie, and cannot poflibly be thought

Saluft. Billum Catalin,

a Roman Work, as having not the leaft Relish
of Roman Architecture, no Footfteps of the
Roman Measure therein. They are truly Tem-
ples of the Druids, made like those of the
Patriarchs, call'd Altars, in Scripture; large
and rude Stones, fet upright in the Earth, in
circular Figures, with a Stone for an Altar,
properly, laid flat on the Ground, and en- A
compaffed with Ditches, to feparate the fa-
cred from common Ground, and always on
elevated Places. Here they affembled, ordi-
narily on Sabbath Days, where the Memory
and Ufe of the Sabbath remain'd; extraordi-
narily, to facrifice, on the four Quarters of
the Year, the Equinoxes, and Solftices.

In this Work of Stonebenge, the Dr. gives
the true geometrical Groundplot of that mag- B
nificent Structure, and many copper Plates,
being Profpects and Sections of it, and of fe-
veral other Places relating to it. He gives the
true Scale or Measure, upon which Stonebenge
and all other Works of the Druids are erect-
ed; which is the antient Hebrew, Phoenician
and Egyption Cubit. The Admeasurement of
Stonebenge falls into whole and apt Numbers,
when this Scale is apply'd to it; and tho' it
has not Roman Delicacy, yet its Symmetry and
Proportions are, in the Kind, equally beauti-
ful and agreeable; the Geometry of it is well
projected, and even the Masonry, and execu-
tive Part of the Defign, is excellently well a-
dapted to the Purport, and to the Materials.
The Mechanicks are truly admirable, by which
they brought thefe immenfe Stones, of 30 D
Tuns Weight apiece, from Marlborough-
Downs, and fet them up here, with great
Exactness, in their proper Places. As for the
Fancy of the Stones being factitious, 'tis
merely childish.

cal Difquifition, as to the Antiquity of its Ufe: He concludes, if this Conjecture is well founded, that Stonebenge was built about 400 Years before our Saviour's Time,

The following comes to us from a great Trad-
ing Town in the North.

To the Author of the LONDON MAGAZINE.
SIR,

BELIEVE it is often thought of by most
Men, that think at all, what Advantages
they frequently neglect, of making them-
felves either wifer, or more fit for Society,
than they generally are. One wou'd think,
indeed, that we were born to converfe, and be
helpful to each other, when we liften to
Reafon and our kindeft Propenfions; but
when we give ourselves up to our worst Ad-
vifer, Appetite, all focial Virtues seem to va-
nish, and we are then no more than just
what our Pailions are pleas'd to make us. But
after all, that Life, which endears us to our
Friends, muft certainly be the most defirable;
and we must be truly miferable, when incapa-
ble of that Felicity. I cou'd not omit this
Reflection, to introduce what I'm going to
trouble you with, as I think it is an Ex-
ample that may be of Ufe to others, who
may have an Inclination to follow it. It is an
Account of a Company of young Gentlemen,
who have, for fome Time, entertained, and
improv'd themselves, by as pretty an Inflitu-
tion, as any, perhaps, that has yet been
thought of. I don't know, among all the
Variety of Clubs taken Notice of by the
Spectator, that fuch a one, or any Thing like
it, is to be met with, in that agreeable Me-
lange: And if he were now in being, I fhou'd
not doubt of having his Approbation, and in-
genious Remarks, on what cannot but be be-
neficial to Society. As I am myfelf a Mem-
ber of this Club, I fhall fay nothing that is
merely fpeculative, but reprefent it, as it is in
Fact. In the firft Place, our Number is no
more than nine: We meet once a Week at
Six in the Evening, and part at Eleven. The
Prefident, (for we fit in the great Chair by
Turns) introduces a Book of fome kind or
other, wherein he proposes a Part of his Au-
thor to be read up aloud; after which we re-
fresh ourselves with fomething that may fafely
chear our Hearts, and then reaffume out
Subject; for whatever it be, the Converfation,
for that Night, naturally turns upon every
Thing that can be thought to have any Re-
lation to it; by which Means, we are ac-
custom'd to speak freely, and give our Opini-
G
ons without Referve. We place a juft Confi-
dence in each other, and tho' none of us fhew
the leaft Want of Spirit, or any Hefitation in
our Speeches, yet there is always a great Re-
gard paid to every one's Judgment; and who-

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Next, the Dr. gives us an Account of the magnificent Avenue leading up to the Temple, two Miles in Length, not hitherto obferv'd; as alfo of another Work belonging to this Temple, unobferv'd before, which he calls the Curfus. 'Tis an Hippodrom, or Place made for Horfe and Chariot Races of the antient Britons, which they celebrated at the Time of their great annual Festivals, with Sacrifices, &c. as was the Practice of the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and other antient Nations. This Curfus is made by two F parallel Ditches, upon the delightful Plain North of Stonehenge, about half a Mile off, and is two Miles in Length, in a straight Line Eaft and Weft.

Next, he speaks of the numerous Barrows, or fepulchral Tumuli, all around the Temple, being the fingle Burial-Places of Kings and great Perfonages; as alfo of what Discoveries he made, by digging into many of them.

Lafty, he offers a Conjecture, to show the Time when Stonebenge was erected, from an Obfervation he has made, that proves the Druids ufed the magnetical Compafs; a criti

eve

ver defires to be heard, there is a Rule amongst us, to observe him with the ftricteft Silence. At our firft Inftitution, we were fenfible that many Inconveniences might grow upon us in this fingular Article; we therefore agreed upon fuch Reftrictions, as make it fcaree poflible that we fhou'd differ, without Temper and Reafon; which we always chear- A fully fubmit to. This Affair well fettled, we thought ourselves fecure of the reft; and proceeded to add fome other Rules, which have produc'd all the good Fellowship we cou'd with for. The Expence of the Night, to each "Member, is fix'd to eighteen Pence, a Part of which makes up a Fund for any charitable Ufe; and fometimes we have it in our Power, to prevent a poor, unfortunate, (tho' perhaps B induftrious and useful) Mechanick, from going to Goal: And often relieve a diftrefs'd little Family, on a Market-Day; or rescue them from the merciless Threatnings of a furly Landlord. These we take to be the proper Objects of Charity, in a trading Nation; and that we may not be impos'd upon, we always take care to lay no Temptations in the Way of any Perfon employ'd to diftribute Our Bounty: On the contrary, we are cautious in our Enquiry; and as no one knows, when, or where, we intend our Relief, or from whom it comes; fo we are not deceiv'd with falfe Complaints, nor undeferving Objects. By this particular Management, we have the Pleafure of seeing fome other Good, than that of merely entertaining ourselves, D attend this our weekly Indulgence. The reft

of our Articles are not of fo much Confequence, but fuch as are chiefly calculated to the Humour of our Company; as, forfeiting a fmall Thing, for every Sentence in an unknown Tongue, without immediately explaining it; or afferting any Thing we know to be falfe; or fpeaking, or but even hinting a feandalous or malicious Thing of any Perfon whatever: But it is remarkable, that none have yet incur'd a Penalty; nor has there been one abfent Member, who is alfo to pay a Forfeit, which, with the others, is to go to the above charitable Fund. With all these feeming Refraints, I can't fay that the leaft Unea finefs, or Confinement, ever appear'd amongst us; but we are always easy, as tho' unlimited in our Converfation.

Mr. Bayle, Sir Ifaac Newton, Mr. Lockg, Mr. Wollafton, Abp. Tillotson, Dr. Clarke, Grotius, Puffendorf, Algernoon Sidney, Sir Wm. Temple, Mr. Trenchard, Rapin, Shakespear, Milton, Waller, Prior, Congreve, Addifon, Pope. The Writings of fome of these Worthies, are generally the Theme of our Difcourfe; and as we take care, in particular, to be inform'd of the Life of our Author, and the Character of his Works, we can fometimes imagine ourselves as intimately Acquainted with all his Perfections, as if he were in Perfon dictating what he wrote. But as it is poffible we may admit the Errors, as well as Excellencies of an Author, we always read him with some other, equal in Fame; and fo difcover what, perhaps, might have deceiv'd or perplex'd us. For Inftance, whatever is not quite clear in my Lord Shafifbury, may be corrected by Mr. Wollafton; and if Algernoon Sidney has gone too far in a republican Scheme, Mr. Trenchard has shewn us the happy Mean: Shakespear's and Milton's Beauties are charmingly diftinguifh'd by that goodnatur'd Critick, Mr. Addifon: Clarke and TilC lotfon (whatever has been faid of them, by the Enemies to our Religion) have left us no Errors to mislead us; for every Thing there is clearly, and honestly stated. If it be objected, that it is a difficult Matter, to meet with a fufficient Number of Men, equally endu'd with Good-will and Learning, to constitute fuch a Society; I anfwer, that every Man of common Sense, that has read the best of our English Authors, may be capable of maintaining an Argument with many of our Logicians, and Grammarians. I think it is Mr. Pepe, that has defin'd Learning, to be no more than our Knowledge of the Antients; if fo, how many are rank'd amongst the Illiterate, that are more learned than the oftentatious Pedant? Have we not the good Fortune to read Homer, in a much better Drefs than ten Thousand good Scholars are able to fhew him? Are not all the most valuable Claffical Authors to be found in every Bookfeller's Shop? For my part, I think we can never enough admire thofe great Genius's, that our Country has produc'd. What wou'd have fignify'd all the natural, ealy Flow of Horace, to many Thoufand good Judges, if Pope had not given us a Relish of him? How much of Virgil's Fame wou'd have been loft, if the English Reader cou'd not speak of his inimitable Beauties? And even Salluft and Tacitus fhine in a Northern Language. I wou'd not, by this, be fuppes'd to believe, that the Scholar has not greatly the Advantage; or, that there is not a mutual Obligation between the Antients, and Moderns; or, that the latter fhou'd not give up the Preference, fince nothing can be added to what has been faid, fo many hundred Years ago: All that can cecafion a Difpute in this Cafe,

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I fhou'd leave this Account imperfect, if I did not acquaint you what Authors are moft in Favour amongst us; and as we admit of all Subjects, you may imagine they are numerous; but I fhall reduce them to thefe few, which may be faid to comprehend all Things, viz. Religion, and Morality; Politicks, and Hiftory; Philofophy, with Arts and Sciences; G Poetry, and the Belles Lettres: And to judge of our Tafte, the Heads of the following Authors are the Furniture of our Club-Room, viz. Lord Bacon, Mr. Boyle, Lerd Shaftsbury,

Common Senfe, Dec. 29. N° 152.

in former Times, were fold to the highest Bidders, to reimburfe the Expences of the War; the other half let out to the poorer Citizens at an under Rent; but now a Faction in the Senate, like true Placemen, having a Mind to engross the Riches of the Commonwealth, granted out to several of their own

The Roman People would mt affift in the Wars, A Members, i.e. among one another, fuch Partill their Grievances were redress'd.

WE

E took Notice, in a late Paper, of that fenfible Spirit of Liberty which the Romans exerted in the Cafe of the Decemvirate, when, their Neighbours falling upon them, they refused to contribute towards the War as long as those Men continued in Power: (See Vol. VIII. p. 612, E.) By adhering B to this Refolution they demolish'd a pernicious Gang of Placemen, whofe Male- Administratien muft, for their own Safety, have put them upon attempting to deftroy the Roman Liberties; and who, in all Probability, would have fucceeded in it, had they (according to their own modeft Request) been unmolested at home, till they should no more stand in Need of the Peoples Affiftance to repel Enemies abroad.

All who look into a Gazetteer (which, I own, are very few) have taken Notice of the Diftrefs of those poor Devils, the hundred and fifty Authors of that Paper, for Want of fomething to fay in Relation to the Place-Bill.

-Authority, Hiftory, as well as common Senfe, are against them; and they muft follow the Example of their best Friend, and try to bear down Truth and Reason by the Force of a matchlefs Affurance.

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One of thefe Writers tells us, that the wife Romans always defer'd demanding a Redress of Grievances, if the Commonwealth was ingaged in War, till the War was over; or to that Effect. (Vol. VIII. p. 610.) Sure this Man never read a Line of Roman History, or E if he did, it is fo long ago he hath forgot it.

The Roman Hiftory abounds with Inftances directly contrary to what is afferted in that Paper: If there are alfo fome on his Side of the Question, why did not he quote them, and fhew us what was the Confequence? He thought fit to let that Matter alone, and it was prudently done of him, for thofe very F Inftances make as strong against his Side of the Queftion as the other.

Since thofe People have not thought fit to quote any Examples of that Kind, we shall do it for them.

In the 255th Year of the Building of the City, the People call'd for two new Laws; one to afcertain the Intereft of Money, which not being fettled, the Rich took Advantage G of the Neceffities of the Poor, and every Man got as high an Intereft as he could.

The fecond was to rectify an Abuse in relation to the conquer'd Lands, half of which,

cels of this Land as lay contiguous to their other Eftates, by which not only the Poor were defrauded, but the Burden of Wars began to fall upon the People. Tho' all the Latin Cities had enter'd into a Confederacy against Rome, the People infifted upon a Redress of thefe Grievances before they would contribute to a War.

The Senate, to get over this Difficulty, propofed to pafs an Edict, that no Perfor fhould be fued for any Debt till the End of the War, and that then these Affairs should be taken into Confideration. This would not go down, the People telling the Patricians, (whom, upon this Occafion we may call the Placemen) that it was the Bafinefs of those who enjoy'd the Revenues of the Commonwealth to maintain its Wars, and fight its Battles.

The Enemy being now near their Gates, the Senate gave out, there was not Time in this dangerous Situation to fettle the Grievan➡ ces complain'd of; they proposed therefore, that a Magiftrate, with abfolute Power to do what he pleafed, fhould be created for fix Months, to which the People consented; and this was the Original of the high Office of Dictator, by which the Roman Liberties were at laft destroyed.

A Dictator being created, he foon defeated the Enemy, by which the Patricians being deliver'd from their Fears, they troubled themfelves no more about the Grievances of the Commons.

The next Year the Volfci invading the Ro man Territories, Servilius, one of the Confuls, prevail'd upon the People osice more to defer their Demands. When this War was ended, they were used by the Senate just as they had been before.

The Year following the Samnites, the Æqu and the Volfci falling upon them, the Patrici ans were oblig'd once more to have Recourse to the People; but, as they expected the Commons would refufe to contribute to the War, a Dictater is created, who, being vefted with abfolute Power, might by his own Authority make Levies. Manius Valerius was the Man, a Perfon wife, virtuous, and extreme'y popular, who, refolving not to make Ufe of rigorous Meatures, obtain'd a Promile from the Senate to pass the Laws required by the Commons: Wherefore, fummoning the People, he affured them, in the Name of the Senate, that they should have full Satisfaction the Minute the War was ended.

They now thought themselves fafe; but