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From the MUSEUM.SWRtmonft ranee of one of the Members of a € SOCIETY near St. James’s, againftiOWEARINO DU*, etna intpofi\upon UaTHS.GentlemenHOUGH I maLovery, perhaps, be asVirtue and Good*great a _Manners as the worthy Gentlemanwho fpoke laftthatvery far from oppofing any Thing. Jiight tend to the Reformation of our Manfiers, or that would prevent any Indecency of Ex*preflion unbecoming the Members of this Society ; yet, to the Propofal that is now made of impofing a Penalty upon us for Swearing, I cannot help ma» king a few Objections. ______________o _ _ y new Laws, great Reganfhould be had, not only to the Ufefulnefs and Expedicncy of them, but to the Propriety or impro-of the Time in which they are introduced.ow I will undertake to (hew, that we live at aTime in which k is impoflible for a Man of Spirit fometimes to forbear Swearing; nay, I fhall go fo far as to aflert, that a good and hearty Cur/e, on many Occafions that happen in thefe our Days, isalmoft a Virtue.It is with great Regret, Gentlemen, that I proButTnftances of this itrang when we fee the Great, the Nobles of ourLand, the Men of Birth and Fortune, who fhould■9- • * i * * am urn w m * .be the Patrons and Encouragers of Virtue, Know-lege, and every ufeful Art, to the Ruin of theiraradlcrs. Fortunes, and Familiester Difcouragement of Learning and every Rind ofall A uthors but Hoyle, dcfpifingMerit, neiMim_________________________ . _all Study but the Rules of Whift ; Who can helpswearing at the prepofterous Patrons ? Who canhelp cursing the pernicious Author? And who will blame the Man that vents fuch honeft Exefwelling with a foolifh Pride, indulge themfclves inevery die Extravagance that Vanity, Luxury, and intemperate PafTions can fuggeft; ’til fickening, dwindling, (inking by Degrees, their Health is inthe End deftroy’d, their Fortunes ruin'd, their Honour corrupted, and their late boafted Independence waiting on a Court, and cringing for a mere Maintenance, a fhameful Stipend, the Wages of their Felly ? And fhall we not yet swear ?Do we not daily hear of Admirals who are no Sailors, and of Generals who are no Soldiers?_______jt onr Fleets been baffled, our Armies defeated by Enemies whom we have heretofore de-fpifed ? Whence does all this proceed ? Not from a Want of able, brave, and honefl: Men; but from the Abfurdity, the Wickedners of thofe, who from low, finifter, and felf imereftcd Views, prefer the Worthlefs, Bafe, and Undeferving, Sure fuch asthis would move a Stoick's Wrath 1__________ ^ ^ Jufticand Equality of it’s Laws, and the Safety and Security of the Lives and Properties of it’s Members, is the Envy and Admiration of all Europe j yet, to the Shame of our Government to the Scandal ofour Couftitution, a Pack of lawlefs, arm’d, audacious Ruffians, openly, in the Fate of Day, and in Defiance of the Magiftrate, affift their Country’s Foes, infringe herfacrcd Laws, and maim or murder all who dare ojpofe them. And fhall we not be allowed the Libeity even to curse them ? GodGoodand cxercifedis the Infatuation, or fuch the Iniquity of thofe who fhould, that hitherto they are unfupprefs’d, ifnot encouraged.We live at a Time when bold Rebellion ragesin the Land. Rebellion ! againft a Governmentfounded on the Principles of Liberty in the Spirit of it.—— Rebellion ! fupported by the Tyranny of France, our mortal Foe j inftigated by the Bigottry and blind Superftition of Rome, ourJeft and Derifion J yet abetted by Englijhmenmuft I fay ? O Shame ! by Eng/i/bmeni By Men,crations ?Do we not daily fee a Set of Wretches (I am afhamed to call them Countrymen) who, to the manifeft Ruin of our Trade, and confequently of oar Glory as a Nation, defpife the bounteous Pro duce of their native Clime, difdaining to receive either Suftersar.ee or Cloathing, unlefs from foreignProdu£Fons ? Nay, unable to meet with Vices and Follies, low and ridiculous enough for their Imitation, at home; do they not even travel a-broad in Queft of them ? And then triumphantly returning, with their plain Englijk Scnfe and Hu manity, polifhed and improved (js they would pef-fwade us) into mere French Flutter and Complaifance, infult their Countrymen with a Behaviour fo utterly unworthy, fo infinitely beneath the manlyPlainnefs, honcrt Freedom, and open Sincerity ofwho, born and nourifh’d in the Land of Liberty, yet adl and live ii fenftble to her Charms; who fcruple not to involve their native Country in Calamity and Confufion; nay, to entail on them-felves and their wretched Pofterity that ex reamtft of human Evils, compleat Slavery : And all for -———what? For that Reproach to Reafon, that Scandal to Humanity, the mere Nonfenfe andNot swear fimpofWickednefs of Jacobitifmfible ?. he whole Indignation does r.ot rife againft them is not an Englijbman: who does not with allhis Might oppoL them, is not a Lover of Liberty ; and every Honourer of Truth and Virtue, whodoes not from his Soul abjure, deteft, and fcorn them, is guil;y at leaft of Immorality, if not lm-piety____________ lookto be one of the. wovft and moft deftrudlive of evil Englijhm . „________,, _to be defpiied and laugh'd at, or kick’d out ofHabits; as I defpife the Meannefs ol the Great,Company. And fhall fuch infipid, fuch contemptiblc Wretches, affume a Superiority from their im ported, vilely mimick’d, foreign, French Politenefs ? ’Tis ridiculous Ihowever magnificently adorn’d ; as I hate all En-couiagers of, or Connivers at Smuggling! as I fcorn a Coward; as I have an utter contempt forWe live in an Age, when it is become falhion-able for the greateft Men to take a Pride in themeaneft Aions, for the moft Honourable to be the moft Infamous; and for thofe, whofe Birth andall Frenchified Puppies; as I abominate Luxury and Extravagance; as I abhor and deteft all Abettors of Superftition and Tyranny j and as I love to vent my Indignation againft thefe, and ail fuch monftrous Enormities, with the warm, the honcllFortunes give them the glorious Privilege of re warding Merit or fuccouring Diftrefs, to make aFreedom of an Eng ijhman, 1 fhall undoubtedly give my Vote againft fo improper, fo unneceffary,and fo ill-timed a Reftraint. Jvro.fcandalous Ufe of that very Privilege, to ruin Fa milies, to infult Mankind, to cheat the honeflTradefman with Impunity, and to fcreen themPaymentDebts.OnAnd is this a Time to lay a Penalty uponUS for SWEA RING ?e i 1 v *' *' T ^ ^ ... 'i ^ .riw is.. -ljzsxv -HEN I- confider the natural Propenfity ofDo we not fee a Pack of human Ideots (for it is impoflible to luppofe them rational) who, poftefled of Health, Plenty, Honour, and Independence, and without any Motive that one can dignify withthe Name of a Reafon, but full cf Oftentation, andW human Nature to Good, I am often greatly lurprized how the Power of Education is able to fubvert it; but it raifes my Indignation, that Su~ caftinteileuaMeafure incapable of extending it’* View beyond
Newspaper Details
Annapolis Maryland Gazette
Annapolis, Maryland, US
Sun, Apr 02, 1752
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Ben Z.
NY, USA 06 Jan 2021
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