GRATTAN. 221 standing they are in office; and another man, because he was in office, should be treated as an enemy and an apos tate; but what is the truth Every thing of this sort depends upon the principles on which office is taken, and on which it is retained : with regard to me, let no man imagine I am preaching up a doctrine for my own conve nience; there is not a man less concerned in the propaga tion of i t . I have n o treaty with the right honourable gentleman o n the floor, nor shall l have any. “Now, Sir, I shall beg leave shortly t o state the manner i n which I accepted that office, which I give you my word l never will resume. I t was offered t o me i n the most honourable manner, with a n assurance not only o f being a placeman for my own profit, but a minister for the benefit o f my country. My answer was, that I thought, i n a constitution such a s ours, an intercourse between the prince and the subject ought t o b e honourable; the being a minister ought t o redound t o a man's credit; but I la mented that i t often happened, otherwise; men i n office often gave u p those principles, which they maintained before. I told, them, therefore, that my objections were not t o the going into office, but t o following the examples which I had sometimes seen before me. I mentioned the public principles I held. I said, i f consistently with those principles, from a n atom o f which I would not depart, I could b e o f service t o his majesty's government, I was ready t o b e so; I speak i n the presence o f men, who know what I say. After the appointment had come over, and landed i n this kingdom, I sent i n writing t o the chief governor, that I would not accept the office, unless upon that principle. “Thus, Sir, I took office; the administration before I opposed only i n part o f it; i n the first session o f Lord Townshend, I did not oppose; I never opposed Lord Townshend till after his prorogation and protest. This appeared t o me a n infamous violation o f the privileges o f parliament. With regard t o money bills, and after that Protest, b y which h e endeavoured t o make the journals of
