I have seen two or three Gazettes, fil-
led with Addresses, &and Mandates from
the Bishops to the Clergy. The Addres-
ses are such as I expected, &and can
impose on none but the weak &and cre-
dulous. The Mandates ^ ^are[] of the
same Sort, but were artfully drawn.
They order their Clergy to make yethe Peo-
ple sensible of the great Blessings
they enjoy under the present Family,
that governs them, particularly, of
the strict Administration of Justice, of
the sacred Regard, that is paid to
the Laws, &and the great Security of
their Religion &and Property. This sounds
all very well, &and may impose upon
the unthinking; but one, who reads with a 367 (367)
a little Care, will easily see the Fal-
lacy. — What Occasion has a Prince,
who has learnt the Secret of corrupt-
ing the Fountain of all Laws, to
disturb the ordinary Course of Justice?
Would not this to be to give the
Alarm, &and amount to telling them,
that he was not come to protect,
as he pretended, but really to be-
tray, them? When they talk of the
Security of their Religion, they take
Care not to mention one Word of
the dreadful Growth of Atheism &and Infi-
delity, which (I am extremely sorry to
hear from very sensible sober Men)
have, within these few Years, got to a
flaming Height; even so far, that I
am assured, many of their ^most fashiona-
ble Men are ashamed to own them-
selves Christians; &and many of the
lower Sort act, as if they were not
conversing upon this melancholy Subject.
— I was let into a Thing, which I
never understood rightly before, qchwhich
is, that those Men, who are loudest
in the Cry of the Growth of Popery &and
the Danger of the Protestant Religi-
on, are not really Protestants, but a
Set of profligate Men, of good Parts
with some Learning, &and void of all
Principles, but pretending to be Re-
publicans.

I asked those, who told me this, What
should make these Men so zealous a-bout368(368)
bout preserving the Protestant Religion,
seeing they are not Christians? and
was answered, that it is in Order to
recommend themselves to the Ministry,
which (if they can write Pamphlets
for them, or get themselves chosen
Members of Parliament) will be
sure to provide amply for them; and
the Motive to this extraordinary Zeal,
is, that they thereby procure to them-
selves the Connivance, at least, if not
the Protection, of the Government,
while they are propagating their
Impiety and Infidelity.

I hope in God, Christianity is not at so
low an Ebb in this Country, as this Ac-
count I have had, represents it to be;
yet, if I compare what I have former-
ly seen &and heard at Rome with some
Things I have observed since I have
been here, I am afraid, there is too
much Truth in it.

The Bishops are as unfair &and partial
in representing the Security of their
Property, as that of their Religion; for,
when they mention it, they do not say a
Word of the vast Load of Debt (that
increases yearly) under which the Na-
tion is groaning, &and which must be
paid (if ever they intend to pay it)
out of their Property. It is true, all
this Debt has not been contracted un-
der the Prince of this Family, but a 369 (369)
a great Part of it has, &and the Whole
might have been cleared by a frugal
Administration, during these thirty
Years of a profound Peace, which
the Nation has enjoyed, had it not
been for the immense Sums, that
have been squandered away in
corrupting Parliaments, &and support-
ing Foreign Interest, that can ne-
ver be of any Service to these King-
doms. I am afraid, I have taken up
too much of your Majesty's Time a-
bout these sorry Mandates; but, hav-
ing mentioned them, I was willing
to give your Majesty my Sense of
them.

I remember, DrDoctor Wagstaff (with whom,
I wish, I had conversed more frequent-
ly, for he always told me Truth) once
said to me, that I must not Judge
of the Clergy of the Church of Eng-
land by the Bishops, who were
not preferred for their Piety and
Learning, but for very different Ta-
lents; for writing Pamphlets, for
being active at Elections, &and for vot-
ing in Parliament as the Ministry
directed them. After I have won
another Battle, they will write
for me, &and answer their own Letters.

There is another Set of Men, a-
mongst whom, I am inclined to be-
lieve, the lowest are the honestest, as well 370 (370)
well as among the Clergy: I mean, the
Army; for never was there a finer Bo-
dy of Men to look at, than those I fought
with this Morning; yet they did not
behave so well as I expected. I thought,
I could plainly see, that the common
Men did not like the Cause they
were engaged in. Had they been
fighting against Frenchmen, come
to invade their Country, I am convin-
ced, they would have made a bet-
ter Defence. The poor MensMen's Pay &and
their low Prospects are not sufficient
to corrupt their natural Principles of
Justice &and Honesty, which is not the
Case with their Officers, who, incited
by their own Ambition &and false Notions
of Honour, fought more desperately.
I asked one of them, who is my Priso-
ner (a gallant Man) Why he would
fight against his lawful Prince, &and
one, who was come to rescue his Coun-
try from a foreign Yoke? He said, he
was a Man of Honour, &and would be
true to the Prince, whose Bread he
ate, &and whose Commission he bore.
I told him, it was a noble Principle,
but ill applied; &and asked him, If he
was not a Whig? He replied, that he
was. “Well then (said I) how come You
“to look on the Commission you bear, &and
“the Bread you eat, to be the Prince’[s]
“&and not your Country's, which raised You and 371 (371)
“and pays You to serve &and defend it agtagainst
“Foreigners, who came not now to de-
“fend, but to enslave it? for that I
“have always understood to be the
“true Principle of a Whig. Have You
“not heard, how your Countrymen have
“been carried abroad, to be insulted
“&and maltreated by those Defenders,
“&and to be butchered, fighting in a Quar-
“rel, in which your Country has lit-
“tle or no Concern, only to aggran-
“dize Hanover?”— To this he made
no Answer; but looked sullen, &and hung
down his Head. — The Truth is, there
are few good Officers among them.
They are brave, because an English-
man cannot be otherwise; but they
have generally little Knowledge in
their Business, are corrupt in their
Morals, &and have few Restraints from
Religion, though they would have You
believe they are fighting for it. As
to their Honour they talk so much of,
I shall soon have Occasion to try it;
for, having no strong Places to put
any Prisoners in, I shall be obliged
to release them upon their Parole.
If they do not keep it, I wish, they
may not fall into my Hands again;
for, in that Case, it will not be in
my Power to protect them from the
Resentment of my Highlanders, who would 372 (372)
would be apt to kill them in cold Blood,
which (as I take no Pleasure in Revenge)
would be extremely shocking to me.
My haughty Foe thinks it beneath him
I suppose, to settle a Cartel. I wish
for it, as much for the Sake of his
Men as my own. I hope, ere long, I
shall make him glad to sue for it.

It is hard, my Victory should ^put me under
new Difficulties, that I did not feel be-
fore; &and yet this is the Case. I am
now charged with the Care both of my
Friends &and Enemies. Those, who should
bury the Dead, are run away, as if
it was no Business of theirs. My
Highlanders think it beneath ymthem
to do it, &and the Country People are
fled away. However, I am resolved
to try, if I can get People for Money
to undertake it; for I cannot bear
the Thoughts of suffering Englishmen to 373 (373)
to rot above Ground.

I am in great Difficulty, how I shall
dispose of my wounded Prisoners.
If I make an Hospital of the Church,
it will be looked upon as a great
Profanation, as having violated my
Manifesto, in which I promised to
violate no Man's Property. If the
Magistrates would act, they would
help me out of this Difficulty. Come
what will, I am resolved, I will
not suffer the poor wounded Men
to lie in the Streets; and, if I can
do no better, I will make an Hospi-
tal of the Palace, &and leave it to
them.

I am so distracted with those Cares,
joined to those of my own People,
that I have only Time to add,
that I am,