Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1702-1714
It has been a too unhappy Truth in other Places as well as in
_Atalantis Major_, That in such popular Elections, whether of Noblemen
or others, Men are deluded with the Notion, that to be chosen by their
Country to these great Councils of the Nation, must so recommend them,
or make them so necessary to the State, to the Government, or the
Ministers of State, that they cannot fail to make their Fortunes and
raise Estates by their very Appearance: But this is so constantly found
to fail, and so many have been almost ruin'd by the Expences they have
been at to make a Figure as they call it, and to appear at Court like
themselves on such Occasions, that it seems wonderful that Persons of
Quality, who know their own Circumstances, and whose Fortunes, through
the Disasters of their Families, may not be equal to their Dignity,
should on so vain a Presumption push themselves upon the necessity of
compleating their own Ruin, beggering their Families, and leaving their
Posterity an Estate in Titles and Coronets, Things without the Support
of competent Estates the most despicable in the World.
It might be very useful to our Readers, and perhaps something
instructing might be gathered from it, with respect to the Affairs of
_Europe_ at this Time, to give some Account here of the Success of
these strange Proceedings; what Figure these People made, when they
came to Court, how they behav'd themselves when they came into the
great Council, how they were made Tools there to the Politicians of
those Times, even to act against their Interest, their Country, their
own Designs.
In doing this, it would appear, How some of the Sixteen, more
particularly known to be in the _Tartarian_ Interest, and who had all
along declared themselves for the Person and Title of the pretending
Prince, who, as is noted before, put in a Claim to the Succession of
the Throne: How these, I say, went up to the great Council, wheedled by
the Subtilties of _Greeniccio_, and his Agents, to believe seriously
that they went up directly to declare his Title; that they should be
the Men that should have the Honour to declare his Right in the great
Council of the Nobility; and that he should for the future own his
Restoration, his Glory, and his Crown, to their Loyalty and steddy
acting for him. This, they did not doubt, should tend not to their
Honour only, but to the raising their decay'd Fortunes, for they were
miserably Poor; since he could do no less than confer the greatest
Trusts upon Persons who had with so much Fidelity acted for his Glory
and Interest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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