Sir John. But I can very well conceive that the People have Arms long and strong enough to reach and sweep those Webs clear away whenever they will.
Over. Ah! Sir John, where have the People you brag so much of, hid their Brooms and Brushes for many Years past?
Blunt. Behind the Clouds of Corruption and Hypocrisy, where they are like to remain much longer, or I am mistaken.
Broad. Mr. Blunt, it gives me a Concern to see you continue your Diffidence of your best Friends. You shall find, that neither Corruption nor Hypocrisy will stand in the Nation’s Way to Happiness, if those whom you deem England’s Friends can help it.
Sir John. As Jealousy is said to spring from Love, Diffidence may be said to be founded in Friendship. Mr. Blunt hopes he has no Reason to suspect your Intention, but dreads you have put it out of your Power to serve the Public. You may have perceived, Mr. Broadbottom, during the whole Conversation, that your Friends apprehend this Coalition as you call it, or Ingraftment as we express it, will answer no Purpose of the People, who groan under the pressure of heavy Taxes, a vast Debt, Decay of Trade, the Yoke of Penal Laws, and those worst Y——s of all, the Septennial and the Corruption of their ——s. In short, they dread your being over-reach’d by your more experienc’d Partners, or rather your being jostled out of the Course, by the abler Jockeys of the C——t. If you wou’d serve your Constituents in your present Situation, you must act with Caution.——
Blunt. With Honesty, you should say rather. What Caution is necessary in answering the Hopes of the People? They desire but what is absolutely for their Safety. They expect no more than has been often solemnly promised them. And sure a Man that intends to be as good as his Word need not pick out every Step of his Way.
Over. The Ground about C——t, they say, is d——d slippery.
Blunt. And for that Reason I would not have had our Friends get upon it before they had secured their Footing there. See what is become of the late infamous Deserters for want of such Precaution.
Sir John. Let us draw no invidious Inferences from the Examples of a Crew that are now as despicable as they are odious to the whole Nation. A Crew that can’t claim even the Merit of being intentionally upright. They did not so much as attempt keeping Faith with the People.
Over. But they kept it religiously with the Barn Keeper.