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Even the Great Turk himself, than whom no Monarch on Earth is more arbitrary, is forced to fet fome Bounds to his Tyranny; or elfe, by rendering himself univerfally odious, he would foon find, both his Reign, and himself, very fhort-liv'd: What one honeft Statefman, therefore, alone, and unfupported, might not be able to effect, a Number, concurring refolutely together, and animated by the fame Zeal, for the Welfare of their Prince and Country, would certainly be able to accomplish; and this, as was faid before, not out of any Change in him for the better, but in Regard to his own dear Perfon.

Should any one here fay, we advance what can never be proved, because it will never be put to the Teft, we can only answer, in Pity to any poor Country, that may happen to groan under fuch grievous Calamities, we are heartily forry for it; but, fhould he proceed yet farther, and aver the Scheme itself is impracticable and romantic, and the mere chimerical Product of a vifionary Brain, we 'fhould beg his Pardon, and tell him, the Experiment has been tried, and that many Ages ago, in the vast Empire of China; a Country entirely happy, in enjoying the belt Form of Government, our own excepted, of any Nation in the Universe.

The Story is as follows: One of the Chinese Emperors, in former Days, being a very hafty, obftinate, imperious, and felf-opinionated Man, the very worft Temper with which a Prince can poffibly be endued, took it in his Head, in an Affair of the greatest Moment, without confulting any of his Mandarines, with whom he ought to have advised, to act directly contrary to the established Rule of their Government. Hereupon, one of the wifeft, and greateft of the Mandarines, thinking himself bound in Duty fo to do, waited upon his Imperial Majefty,

and

and frankly reminded him, though in the most refpectful Terms, of what he thought an Error in his Conduct; laying before him, at the fame Time, without any Referve, what, he apprehended, would be the pernicious Confequences of his perfifting any longer therein.

The Chinese Emperors are all abfolute Princes, and have no other Check upon their Actions, than thefe Two; the being obliged to fubmit to the Hearing of their Faults, while living; and being certain of having them tranfmitted down to Pofterity, to their eternal Infamy, when dead. These may be thought, perhaps, by moft People, but very inconfiderable Reftraints, and a poor Counter-balance against unlimited Sway: But, let fuch People be told, that the Princes, who are fo void of all Shame, to break through thefe without Remorfe, and are not at all concerned, what will be faid of them hereafter, will make no Scruple, and will foon find Ways and Means, by the Help of fuch abandoned, profligate Flatterers, as all Courts abound with, to break through any other Obstacles whatever: And, as ineffectual as thefe may feem, the first of them alone, namely, the hearing their own Faults told them, is fuch a one, as never an abfolute Prince, at present, in Christendom, would patiently fubmit to; it were well if fome limited Princes, could be induced to bear it, with any Manner of Temper.

To return from whence we have digreffed: The Emperor before mentioned, was one of thofe, who was not of a Humour, to think he could be in the wrong; wherefore, instead of difmiffing the faithful Counsellor with Thanks, and Rewards, for his honeft and falutary Remonftrance, and reforming his own Conduct, he ordered him to be put to Death for his Infolence. But what Effect had this unadvised Cruelty, and monftrous Injustice, upon the virtuous, refolute,

refolute, and undaunted Chinese? The very next Day, another Mandarine appeared; demanded Audience; made the fame Remonftrances, or to the fame Purpose; and chearfully underwent the fame Fate.

Notwithstanding this Barbarity, and thefe Examples, not deterr'd from doing his Duty, by their Fate, the Day following, a third Mandarine took upon himself the fame ungrateful and dangerous Task; to fhew, at the fame Time, that he expected no Mercy, but that he willingly devoted himself to Death, for the Welfare of his Country, he ordered his Hearfe to attend him in Mourning, and wait at the Palace-Gate. He then went boldly up to the Emperor, and finding refpe&iful Remonftrances would not work upon him, told him, in plain Terms, if he did not reform his Conduct, his Reign would be handed down unto future Ages, in the most fhameful Colours, of any, that ever yet difgraced the Chronicles of CHINA. Hereupon the Tyrant, exafperated at this uncourtly Freedom, which indeed was the higheft Proof of the moft exalted and intrepid Virtue, not content with barely putting him to death, ordered him to expire, under the most exquifite Tor

tures.

This Example of the utmoft Brutality, and moft unrelenting Obftinacy, one would have thought, would have been more than fufficient, to deter any one from venturing to take his Place; at leaft, we are fure, it would have been fo in any European Country; but it had a quite different Effect, upon those never-to-be-fufficiently-admired Heroes, and Patriots, the Mandarines of China. In short, upon this, the whole venerable Body of the Survivors affembled, to deliberate about what was to be done, in fo ticklish, and yet fo important an Affair: They were not long, however, in their Deliberations; for they foon came

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to this generous Refolution, that, whatever might be the Confequence to themfelves, they would never quietly fee their Prince perfift in a Conduct, which must reflect Difhonour upon himself and the Nation, and was diametrically contrary to the Maxims and Policy of their, Empire.

This being finally determined, it was then concluded, to decide by Lot, what Members fhould go next, and wait upon the Tyrant; accordingly every Man readily went, as it came to his Turn, did his Duty, and underwent the Penalty. In fhort, Numbers of them went, and bravely fuffered Death; but, at laft, the favage Obftinacy of the Tyrant was over. come: It is more than probable, he began, though fomewhat of the lateft, to reflect, that if he went on thus, Day by Day, to exterminate that venerable Body, who were refpected and loved throughout the Empire, his Reign would become univerfally odious; and the People would rife, as one Man, to extirpate him and his.

However that be, he thought fit, hereupon, to reform his Conduct, and even to erect moft magnificent Monuments, at a vaft Expence, over the Graves of thofe glorious Patriots, whom he had fo inhumanly butchered But, though he thereby paid the due Ho. nours to their Memory, all the Power whereof he was poffeffed, could not restore to Life, those faithful and heroic Subjects, who had given fo undoubted a Proof, how little they valued their Interefts, or even their Lives, when put in Competition with their Honour, and the Good of their Country. As little could this poor Compenfation wash out the indelible Stain, his more than favage Cruelty, to these Martyrs for the Caufe of Virtue, entailed upon his own Memory.

Begging

Begging Pardon for this Digreffion, which, neverthelefs, is not without it's Ufe, and moral Inftruction, for thofe whom it moft concerns; and the like to which, we fhall fometimes defignedly make, merely to enliven our Subject; which confifting wholly of religious and moral Reflections, would otherwife, we are afraid, appear infipid and tedious, to the Generality of our Readers; we fhall now refume the Thread of our Difcourfe. In this little Book, then, fuch Herods as thefe will be made to know, there is One above them, who is able to punish them yet worse, than they can, the moft hated of their wretched Subjects. In this little Treatife, thofe worst of Savages, who make Millions miferable, whom by all the Ties of Duty, and Gratitude, they ought to ftudy to render happy, for the poor Satisfaction of extending their Dominions, will fee, in the Example of Alexander, what are the melancholy and fatal Confequences, of fo inhuman a Procedure; as the Fury of Spain may learn, from the Fate of her Sifter Semiramis, what the may reafonably expect, for having fo long triumphed, in being the common Incendiary of Christendom. In short, in thefe Sheets, thofe haughty Spirits, who expect their Whims and Fancies to be complied with, as a Law, though never fo unreasonable, or, contrary to the divine Will; and thereby plainly fhew themfelves Violators of the First Command, (fince they are so far from wor. hipping the true God alone, that they make all their reigning Paffions their Gods, for the Time prefent,) will fee the deplorable Iffue of fo fenfelefs, impious, and unwarrantable a Behaviour.

Under this Head will likewife, juftly, be comprehended, all the inordinate Lovers, and Purfuers, of Pleafure, Honour, Riches, and Power; and they will, accordingly, find amply difplay'd, in this Treatife, all the miferable Effects and Confequences of fuch their Purfuits. Neither is this any more than Juftice,

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