against it, and those principally of the landed interest; which is most to be depended upon, in such a nation as ours.
I have now got as far as his extracts, which I shall not be at the pains of comparing with the originals, but suppose he has gotten them fairly transcribed: I only think, that whoever is patentee for printing acts of parliament, may have a very fair action against him for invasion of property: but this is none of my business to inquire into.
After two and twenty pages spent in reciting acts of parliament, he desires leave to repeat the history and progress of the union; upon which I have some few things to observe.
This work, he tells us, was unsuccessfully attempted by several of her majesty's predecessors; although I do not remember[1] it was ever thought on by any, except king James the first, and the late king William. I have read indeed, that some small overtures were made by the former of these princes toward a union between the two kingdoms, but rejected with indignation and contempt by the English: and the historian tells us, that how degenerate and corrupt soever the court and parliament then were, they would not give ear to so infamous a proposal. I do not find, that any of the succeeding
- ↑ Dr. Hawkesworth has remarked, that the author's memory failed him a little in this assertion, as one of his answerers observed. The dean had obviated this remark in a postscript to the abovementioned Examiner, by acknowledging his mistake; and that he had since been told, "That some overtures were made to that end in the reigns of other princes;" and complaining of some literal mistakes of the printer, particularly that pointed out in p. 290.
princes
