Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 3.djvu/233

N° 41. publick: and if those in power will suffer such infamous insinuations to pass with impunity, they act without precedent from any age or country of the world.

I desire to open this matter, and leave the whigs themselves to determine upon it. The house of commons resolved, nemine contradicente, that the speaker should congratulate Mr. Harley's escape and recovery, in the name of the house, upon his first attendance on their service. This is accordingly done; and the speech, together with the chancellor of the exchequer's, are printed by order of the house. The author of the Medley takes this speech to task the very next week after it is published; telling us in the aforesaid paper, that the speaker's commending Mr. Harley for being an instrument of great good to the nation, was ill-chosen flattery; because Mr. Harley had brought the nation under great difficulties, to say no more. He says, that when the speaker tells Mr. Harley, that Providence has wonderfully preserved him from some unparallelled attempts, (for that the Medley alludes to) he only revives a false and groundless calumny upon other men; which is an instance of impotent, but inveterate malice, that makes him [the speaker] still appear more vile and contemptible. This is an extract from his first paragraph. In the next, this writer says, that the speaker's praying to God for the continuance of Mr. Harley's life, as an invaluable blessing, was a fulsome piece of insincerity, which exposes him to shame and derision! because he is known to bear ill will to Mr. Harley, to have an extreme bad opinion of him, and to think. III.