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<DATE>2009-03-28</DATE>
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<NAME>Taryn Hakala</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<P>A SHORT VINDICATION OF <HI>Phil. Scot</HI>'s Defence OF THE <HI>Scots</HI> Abdicating <HI>DARIEN:</HI> BEING In An&s;wer to the Challenge of the Author of the Defence of that Settle|ment, to prove the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Title to <HI>Darien,</HI> by Inheritance, Marriage, Do|nation, Purcha&s;e, Rever&s;ion, Surrender, or Conque&s;t. WITH A Prefatory Reply, to the Fal&s;e and Scurrillous A&s;per&s;ions, of the New Au|thor of, <HI>The Ju&s;t and Mode&s;t Vindicati|on,</HI> &amp;c. And &s;ome Animadver&s;ions on the material Part of it, relating to the Title of <HI>DARIEN.</HI></P>
<Q>Non qui multa &s;ed qui multum dicit bene dicit.</Q>
<P><HI>LONDON:</HI> Printed in the Year, 1700.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>THE PREFACE.</HEAD>
<P>THE mo&s;t genuine and be&s;t meant De|&s;igns of Man, being lyable not only to Mi&s;con&s;truction, but Reproach, 'tis the le&s;s &s;urpri&s;ing to meet with either of the&s;e in the pre&s;ent Ca&s;e, con&s;idering the &s;mall Proportion I bear to a numerous Party, who are &s;o far dipt in a Project, that notwith&s;tanding a great ma|ny of them by this Time begin to perceive the Errour they have been led unto, yet they will not di&s;intangle them&s;elves; and if any Per&s;on &s;hould take upon him to unblind, them he must expect to have his Throat cut.</P>
<P>As my fir&s;t Attempt in this Nature is not only cen&s;ur'd Bold, but Impudent, by the Mana|gers of the <HI>Caledonian</HI> Project, &s;o it has been attended with Menaces enough, that I &s;hould not eat my <HI>Chri&s;tmas</HI> Dinner. The friend|ly Advices I have received of my &s;udden Fate don't in the lea&s;t make my Pen &s;tagger from Vindicating what I have already offer'd to &s;how the Impracticability of that Project, for which altho' I am at pre&s;ent ba&s;ely cen&s;ur'd, by a re&s;o|lute and head&s;trong Party, yet, I doubt not of receiving the Approbation of the moderate and
<PB N="4" REF="3">judicious Part of that Nation before the Jubilee be over, my Theme being both just, and well de&s;ign'd to the Proprietors of that Stock.</P>
<P>I could have wi&s;h'd that this gentle Author, who Effects &s;o much Mode&s;ty, Sen&s;e, and good Manners, had &s;tood by his Text, and had taken more convincing Ways of confuting what I have written on the <HI>Darien</HI> Subject: For, however nece&s;&s;ary h<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> thinks it for his Argument to treat it and me with Reproach, yet he will gain there|by but few Pro&s;elytes to his Opinion: And if he had employ'd his Mathematical Head in di&s;pro|ving what I have offer'd in Defence of the Abdication, with &s;ome of tho&s;e <HI>Euclid</HI> Demon|&s;trations, wherewith he would let us know that he abounds, his &s;landerous and per&s;onal Reflections might be the better credited: But as he has ad|vanc'd nothing, either to ju&s;tifie the Conduct of the Directors of that Company, or to di&s;prove one Syllable of what's offer'd against the <HI>Darien</HI> Project, except the In&s;tance of Mr. <HI>Wafer,</HI> which he would have the World take for gran|ted to be a Lye, and make u&s;e of that to o|verthrow my Faith; I hope that (if the whole Di&s;cour&s;e does not carry Demon&s;tration enough along with it) it may &s;tand firm till &s;uch Time as it is repeal'd by Dint of Argument: And as for this Pa&s;&s;age velating to Mr. <HI>Wafer,</HI> I &s;hall ju&s;tifie it before I proceed any fur|ther.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="3">
<P>In the first Place, I de&s;ire that it may be ta|ken as a Preliminary, that if. Mr. <HI>Wafer</HI> had met with &s;o egregious a Romance, and &s;o near|ly relating to him publickly in Print, he ought in Ju&s;tice, both to the Company and him&s;elf, to have in&s;tantly detected it's Fal&s;hoods. But al|tho' he lives very near the <HI>Royal-Exchange,</HI> and had the Peru&s;al of the &s;ame Book the first Day it was publi&s;hed (which is above Two Months ago) yet he hath been &s;o far from offering to di&s;prove it, that he hath &s;ince expre&s;t him&s;elf to Per&s;ons of unque&s;tionable Credit, that if he had known of my Intention, or had not thereby been anticipated from Publi&s;hing his own Sen|timents, he would have &s;aid a great Deal more on that Subject.</P>
<P>I must needs own, that he was ignorant of my De&s;ign of Publi&s;hing that, or any Thing el&s;e; but I must tell you, that about the &s;ame Time, he thought to have oblig'd the Company to recompen&s;e him for his Di&s;appointment, or to have expos'd them to the Publick: And to confirm what I herein a&s;&s;ert, 'tis very well known to a great many in Town, that about Four Months agoe, he pre&s;ented a Memorial to a certain <HI>Scots</HI> Per&s;on of Quality, containing e|very Syllable of what I have wrote, as likewi&s;e &s;ome more which I de&s;ign'dly left out, becau&s;e it particulariz'd &s;ome Per&s;ons whom I had no Inclination to mention.</P>
<PB N="6" REF="4">
<P>He was kept in Hopes of &s;ome Gratification, and I believe he might have been ea&s;ily com|pounded with, but what I have wrote from his own Mouth and Memorial, I am &s;o far from di&s;tru&s;ting he will retract, or can be brib'd to deny, that I firmly believe he gave no Occa&s;ion to this Author, to make u&s;e of his Name to im|po&s;e thus upon the World: And to confirm me the more in this Belief, it is not above Three Days &s;ince he came to my Lodging to acquaint me, that a Book was newly publi&s;h'd in Vindi|cation of the <HI>Darien</HI> Settlement, but he had not &s;een it; on which I ask'd, If any Per&s;ons had been with him from the Company, to ob|lige him to pa&s;s from what he had &s;aid and wrote? to which he an&s;wer'd, <HI>No.</HI> I &s;how'd him the Book and Pa&s;&s;age in it, relating to him, which having perus'd, he told me, That he was &s;o far from pa&s;&s;ing from it, that he wonder'd how that Author &s;hould be &s;o confident, as to re|ly on what he &s;hould an&s;wer.</P>
<P>If this is not enough to ju&s;tifie that Pa&s;&s;age relating to <HI>Wafer,</HI> by which our Author &s;ub|mits the Truth of the Whole to be try'd, I &s;hall prove it, <HI>Viva voce,</HI> if need be; and &s;hall &s;ay no more to it here, but only &s;how you the E|va&s;ion which our Author makes u&s;e of in the <HI>18</HI> th Page of his Preface, to clear his Party of that Imputation, To wit; <HI>Nor can any with|out the Renouncing of common Sen&s;&euml;, be|lieve that the Gentlemen employ'd by the
<PB N="7" REF="4">Company to confer and tran&s;act with Mr.</HI> Wafer, <HI>could be guilty of &s;uch Weakne&s;s and Folly, as to reveal and detect to him their De&s;ign upon</HI> Darien, <HI>in that the whole Suc|ce&s;s of that Undertaking depended entire|ly upon it's being kept and pre&s;erv'd a Secret.</HI> If our learned Author would not im|pute it to brutal Ignorance, to differ in any Point from his Conception of Things, I might be allow'd to detect the Weakne&s;s or Innocence of this &s;trong Argument; and would ask him, if at the Conference between the &s;ame Gentle|men and Mr. <HI>Wafer,</HI> at <HI>Pontaks</HI>'s, the Sub|ject was not <HI>Darien?</HI> I would likewi&s;e know whether the Collection of Guineas for him at that Meeting was not to keep him from Di&s;|po&s;ing of him&s;elf till they acquainted the Com|pany with his Qualifications to &s;erve them? As al&s;o, whether that Article in the Contract, whereby he receiv'd <HI>20</HI> Guineas, was not to|wards Stopping the Publi&s;hing of this Book for the Space of a Month, till the Company and he &s;hould come to Terms for Suppre&s;&s;ing it al|together? 'Tis evident enough, that the Sub|&s;tance of that Book or Journal relates to no|thing but <HI>Darien;</HI> as likewi&s;e, that <HI>Wafer</HI>'s Talent as to Projects lay no where el&s;e: Now how far this Mathematical Argument of our Author will demon&s;trate <HI>Wafer</HI> to be a Fool, and me a Lyar, I &s;ubmit it to Judgment. In the mean Time, it may be worthy of Remark,
<PB N="8" REF="5">that this Faction is not calculated for <HI>Lon|don</HI> or <HI>England,</HI> but for a Country where <HI>Wafer</HI> is not to be &s;een and &s;poken with.</P>
<P>Believing what is already &s;aid on this Head to be &s;ufficient to rein&s;tate me in my Credit, I &s;hall return to the fir&s;t Part of this Preface, where he throws &s;ome Foul-mouth'd A&s;per&s;ions, not only on me, but likewi&s;e on his Maje&s;ty's Mini&s;ters of State; how corro&s;pondent that Style is with the Title of his Book, let any Per|&s;on judge, or if it is not fitter to be bound up with the Volumes of the <HI>Scotch</HI> Presbyterian Eloquence, than left &s;ingle for the more civil Ca|&s;ui&s;ts of this Age to peru&s;e.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not take upon me to &s;ay any thing re|lating to that Mini&s;ter, whom he u&s;es &s;o &s;cur|rilou&s;ly, believing, that if he thinks it worth his While, he will do him&s;elf Right; yet I must take upon me to remark, that through the whole Strain of his Calumnies and Invectives, it is not at him alone he points his Thunder, but through the Sides of that State-Officer he wounds and bullies the Rest (be of what Office or Quality they will) who will pre&s;ume to act directly or indirectly again&s;t the <HI>Darien</HI> Pro|ject; and if a Man dares be &s;o bold, as to whi&s;per his Thoughts, either publickly or pri|vately, in Oppo&s;ition to it, he mu&s;t be mouth'd at, and repre&s;ented as an Enemy to one of His Maje&s;ty's Kingdoms, and is not fit for the Of|fice he bears; as al&s;o, that he mu&s;t remember
<PB N="9" REF="5">the Fate of Archbi&s;hop <HI>Laud,</HI> and the Earl of <HI>Strafford.</HI> So God ha' Mercy Old <HI>England.</HI></P>
<P>As to that Part of his &s;landrous Story, where|in he in&s;inuates, that large Rewards have been be&s;tow'd on me by that Mini&s;ter; I have Rea|&s;on to believe, that the Per&s;ons, whom he calls Friends, of tho&s;e State-Councellors, are only feign'd by him&s;elf, to make the Story pa&s;s the more current: As for my &s;elf, I mu&s;t needs own, that when I came from <HI>Scotland,</HI> about Eighteen Years ago, I brought but little Money with me, and what I have purcha&s;ed &s;ince, has been in Serving the King: But that I either receiv'd or expected any mercinary Reward (as our Author impudently and maliciou&s;ly in&s;inu|ates) I mu&s;t tell him, or whoever el&s;e &s;ays &s;o, that it is a Lye. To reproach me the more, he gives out, that I was expell'd the Navy for Crimes and Mi&s;demeanours, which is likewi&s;e fal&s;e, for I was neither expell'd or ever tainted with any ba&s;e or mean Action: The Rea&s;on of my Leaving that Service, is &s;ufficiently known to be on the Score of a Rancounter I had at <HI>Port&s;mouth,</HI> with the Commander of the Ship, where I &s;erv'd. 'Tis true, the Cloud I was un|der for &s;ome Months afterwards (being unwil|ling to &s;tand the Te&s;t of a Court Martial) induc'd me the ea&s;ier to enter into that Com|panies Service, under the Notion of going to the <HI>Ea&s;t-Indies,</HI> and which I was made ta|citely to believe for a Twelve-month afterwards;
<PB N="10" REF="6">but by what has happen'd it was jumping out of the Frying-pan into the Fire: For after I had &s;erv'd them in more Stations than one (with their Approbation) for the Space of <HI>26</HI> Months, and proceeded in their private Expe|dition with Five or Six Months Provi&s;ions to a Country where nothing was to be &s;een but Death, Ruine, and the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Mines, I ha|ving got my Belly full of the Project, obtain'd my Di&s;charge with an ample Certificate from the Council of the Collony: And altho' I was Shipwrack'd the very next Day, coming out of their Harbour's Mouth, had my Servant drown'd, e&s;caping very narrowly my &s;elf, be|&s;ides the Lo&s;s of what I had; when I came to <HI>England,</HI> I was oblig'd to go to Law with them in <HI>Doctors-Commons</HI> for my Wages, where it co&s;t me more than I recover'd.</P>
<P>As for the Meanne&s;s of my Office and Parts, wherewith our Author upbraids me, I &s;hall not offer much on that Head, that &s;ignifying but little to the Subject in debate; the le&s;s Force the Weakne&s;s or Meanne&s;s of my Argument carries with it, it is the ea&s;ier evinc'd, but as there's nothing appears, but &s;landrons A&s;per&s;ions to confute it, it will bear but tittle Weight with the judicious Part of Mankind. The Ob&s;curity of our Author, indeed, &s;hades him from &s;uitable Returns to his Compli|ments; however, I mu&s;t take the Liberty to remark that, notwith&s;tanding he would make
<PB N="11" REF="6">us believe he is no <HI>Plagiary;</HI> yet the whole Sy|&s;tem of his Di&s;cour&s;e is ea&s;ily di&s;cover'd to be Mr. <HI>F&mdash;rs,</HI> almo&s;t Paragraph by Paragraph, only dre&s;s'd up with a long-winded Proemium, a Chain of innumerable Tautologies, Paren|the&s;es, and crabbed Ab&s;tru&s;ities, de&s;ignedly cal|culated to Crambo the Reader out of his Sen&s;es; be&s;ides, a few French and Civilian Authori|ties, the Latter of which he might have kept in his Pocket, 'till once the Spani&s;h Title to <HI>Da|rien</HI> had been fairly confuted: He has, indeed, left out &s;ome of the &s;owre&s;t Parts of the Origi|nal Book, which re&s;lected on his Maje&s;ty, and the Engli&s;h Government, but he retains &s;uch Portions of the &s;ame Venome, that notwith|&s;tanding his affected Mannerline&s;s, and De|cency, he can't forbear &s;purting it out in &s;e|veral Places, nor from pointing it plainly and diametrically at the Councils, and Government of <HI>England.</HI> The Threats, indeed, are Airy, and &s;o the le&s;s worthy of Regard; yet they may be look'd upon from one who &s;its under the No&s;e of the &s;ame Government, to be fraught|ed with much more Pre&s;umption, than what's offer'd in the Defence of the <HI>Scots</HI> Abdicating <HI>Darien,</HI> to a Company of Merchants.</P>
<P>But that I may vindicate that Defence from any National A&s;per&s;ions, which tho&s;e Gentle|men, who are bigotted to the <HI>Darien</HI> Project, load it with, and who would &s;queeze that &s;owre Part from the Managers of the Company, to
<PB N="12" REF="7">whom it was plainly directed, and apply it to the Body of the Nation; to clear my &s;elf of this general Imputation, I mu&s;t refer the Reader to the 6th Page of its <HI>Epi&s;tle Dedicatory,</HI> where I particularly caution it to prevent &s;ini|&s;trous Interpretations. In the next place, I mu&s;t detect the ba&s;e and unfair Methods, which the Author of, <HI>The ju&s;t and mode&s;t Vindicati|on</HI> u&s;eth to wre&s;t, and pervert what I have &s;aid in the Paragraphs, which he cites in his <HI>Preface to the Reader.</HI> The fir&s;t is Page <HI>2.</HI> where he tells you, That I have <HI>a&s;&s;um'd the Impudence of a&s;&s;erting, that the Motives on which the Proclamations were emitted in the Engli&s;h</HI> We&s;t-India <HI>Plantations, for|bidding the Supplying, Relieving, and A&s;&s;i&s;ting the</HI> Scots <HI>at</HI> Darien, <HI>or in any Parts of</HI> America, <HI>where they &s;hould &s;ettle, was becau&s;e the Government of</HI> England <HI>would not be acce&s;&s;ary to an Act, which the World might judge to be Felonious.</HI> Now, that the Reader may judge of this man|nerly Gentleman's Integrity, I &s;hall rehear&s;e the Paragraph as I wrote it, where there's nei|ther any mention made of the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Procla|mations, much le&s;s of the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Govern|ment's forbidding, to a&s;&s;ist or &s;upply the <HI>Scots</HI> in any Part of <HI>America,</HI> to wit, <HI>Defence of the</HI> Scots <HI>Abdicating,</HI> Pag. <HI>4.</HI> Epi&s;t. Ded. <HI>If you were thus per&s;waded</HI> (directing it to the Managers of the Company) <HI>to run head|long
<PB N="13" REF="7">on a blind Project, at which the Tra|ding Part of the World &s;tands amaz'd; the</HI> India <HI>Companies of</HI> England <HI>and</HI> Holland <HI>laugh at in their Sleeve, and the re&s;t of Man|kind admire, that People in their right Sen&s;es &s;hould be guilty of, and if the &s;ame &s;hould mi&s;carry by your own ill Management (to &s;ay no wor&s;e on't) 'tis not fair you &s;hould &s;narle at your Neighbours, who have no other Hand in your Misfortune, than that they would not be acce&s;&s;ary to any Act which the World might judge Felonious, and wherein they could not join without engaging them&s;elves in an unrea&s;onable War, and in the End to a&s;&s;i&s;t you with Weapons to break their own Heads.</HI> But that I may likewi&s;e rehear&s;e the Paragraph, where I had Occa&s;ion to mention the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Proclamation or Prohibition. See the Page <HI>156. Laying a&s;ide the</HI> Spani&s;h <HI>Complaint, and admit the</HI> Scotch <HI>Company to have a Legal Title to their Settlement, was it not rea&s;onable, that the Goverment of</HI> England <HI>having met with the clande&s;tine Declarations, which the</HI> Scotch <HI>Collony had &s;pread all over the</HI> We&s;t-Indies, <HI>in|viting them over to</HI> Darien, <HI>&s;hould take &s;uitable Mea&s;ures to prevent the ill Con|&s;equences of the &s;ame, and retain their own Subjects: The Declarations are notorious, and mu&s;t be penn'd by &s;ome Per&s;on belong|ing
<PB N="14" REF="8">to the Company or Collony, and I pre&s;ume the Oppo&s;ite Proclamation or Prohibition was penn'd by &s;ome</HI> Engli&s;h <HI>Man, who had &s;ome Intere&s;t in the</HI> Eng|li&s;h <HI>Plantations.</HI> Now whether our Author u&s;bers in his ju&s;t and mode&s;t Vindication, fairly and hone&s;tly, I &s;ubmit it to Judgment, or whether I mayn't ju&s;tly retort upon him&s;elf, again, that &s;landerous A&s;per&s;ion relation to <HI>Wafer,</HI> in the <HI>18</HI>th Page of his Preface, <HI>viz. That through the Fellows appearing a Lyar, or uncandid in one Ca&s;e, his Te&s;timony &s;hould not be receiv'd in any other what&s;oever.</HI></P>
<P>Nay in the &s;ame Breath, he backs it with &s;uch another Perver&s;ion (altho' not quite &s;o malicious) and vents his Choller thus, citing the 7th Page of the Epi&s;tle Dedicatory, <HI>That I &s;hould have taken the Boldne&s;s to add, in Terms that are mo&s;t &s;landerous, as well as defamatory, that their Attempt of Plant|ing on the</HI> I&s;thmus, <HI>was their Settling a Colony in another Man's Dominions, un|le&s;s by Virtue of their Presbyterian Tenet (of Dominions being founded in Grace) the</HI> Scots, <HI>who are the Pre&s;umptive Elect, pretend a Divine Right to the Goods of the Wicked, and &s;o take upon them to cloath the Seven Councellors of their Co|lony, with &s;uch another Commi&s;&s;ion as God gave the</HI> Hebrews, <HI>when they depart|ed out of</HI> Egypt. The Inju&s;tice which this
<PB N="15" REF="8">Gentleman does me, and the little Servicoe he does his Cau&s;e, is very apparent; for I don't &s;ay, that the <HI>Scots</HI> are the Pre&s;umptive Elect (there being no &s;uch Word mention'd) nor do I think it. Some Species of Men, indeed, in that Nation are conceited with that Opinion of them&s;elves, but there are &s;everal Per&s;ons of Worth who will not a&s;&s;ume that Title; neither do I direct that Dedication to them, but to Directors of the Scots <HI>Affrican</HI> Company, of whom that Sept, who were the Occa&s;ion of the chief Mi&s;management, are of this vain Kid|ney. As for <HI>Harris,</HI> whom our Author cites irreverently in the &s;ame Paragraph, I know him, but <HI>D&mdash;l</HI> is &s;uch a Stranger to me, that I prote&s;t, there's none of my Acquaintance I can think of, who&s;e Name begins and ends with tho&s;e Letters: But that mu&s;t be plac'd to the other fal&s;e Notions he. runs on.</P>
<P>Our Author thinks fit to cite only one Pa&s;|&s;age more of, <HI>The Defence of the</HI> Scots <HI>Abd.</HI> pag. <HI>16. That ju&s;t as the</HI> Scots <HI>Companies Books were open'd at</HI> Am&s;terdam, <HI>for re|ceiving Sub&s;criptions to their Capital Stock, the Dutch</HI> East <HI>and</HI> West-India <HI>Companies run open-mouth'd to the Lords of</HI> Am&s;ter|dam, <HI>&s;hewing what was hatching by the</HI> Scotch <HI>Commi&s;&s;ioners in their City, to ruine the Trade of the</HI> &V;nited Provinces. The Gentleman thinks fit to own this to be true, de&s;igning to make Two nece&s;&s;ary &V;&s;es of
<PB N="16" REF="9">it; the first is calculated for the Proprietors of the Scots <HI>Affrican</HI> Stock, as the Printing and Reprinting of the Hou&s;e of Commons Addre&s;s to the King, of the Year <HI>1696,</HI> at <HI>Edinburgh,</HI> was to in&s;inuate the Va&s;tne&s;s of the Project, and the Riches that were to be acquir'd by it, when &s;uch Foreign People oppos'd it: But that none of tho&s;e may be deceiv'd by the &V;&s;e he makes of that Paragraph, I must acquaint them in &s;hort, that if tho&s;e <HI>Dutch</HI> Men had known the <HI>Scotch</HI> Companies Project to be on <HI>Darien,</HI> I dare &s;ay, they would not have taken &s;uch Men|&s;ures to oppo&s;e them. The other &V;&s;e our Au|thor makes of this is, to &s;ow &s;ome malicious Seeds of di&s;trust among the People of <HI>England,</HI> and to calumniate His Maje&s;ty and his Coun|cils, as if tho&s;e were altogether calculated for a <HI>Dutch</HI> Interest. This Mathematical Poli|tician, both here and every where el&s;e, when he has occa&s;ion to di&s;charge his Gall on His Ma|je&s;ty and his Government, &s;hreuds his A&s;per&s;i|ons under a Religious and Well-meaning Cant, as if they were the Apprehen&s;ions and De&s;igns of other People, and not of him&s;elf.</P>
<P>This modest Author excu&s;es him&s;elf from re|plying any Thing to the Argument-part of what has been offer'd against the <HI>Darien</HI> Project, it being fully obviated and anticipated by this Book of his, which he &s;ays was antecedently written on that Subject: How far this is true, let any Man (who will have the Patience, or
<PB N="17" REF="9">puni&s;h him&s;elf, to read it) determine. 'Tis pity that it &s;hould have lain &s;o long in <HI>Em|brio,</HI> and not &s;een the Light, till now mo&s;t People are confirm'd of an adver&s;e Opinion of the Project, not becau&s;e it is like to enrich that Company and Nation, but becau&s;e there's a great Deal of good Money &s;quander'd away, which might have been better employ'd. Neither can that Judicious part of Mankind (to whom he recommends his Book) find any more in it of Sub&s;tance than what is already, and le&s;s barba|rou&s;ly expre&s;s'd in the Original, which this eter|nal Parenthe&s;er has only Paraphras'd upon, with a Pedantick Accumulation of Synonimous Words and Repetitions, and has no ways mended it; unle&s;s he thinks it a &s;trong Way of Arguing, to brawl a Man out of his Rea&s;on; which, in my Opinion, &s;uits better with <HI>Billing&s;gate,</HI> than the <HI>Aula.</HI></P>
<P>But to proceed on the Vindication of my de|fending the <HI>Scots</HI> Abdicating <HI>Darien,</HI> I must tell you, that the Motives which pu&s;h'd me on to it, were quite different from tho&s;e of this mode&s;t Author, or &s;ome more particular Per|&s;ons, who, be&s;ides the Noi&s;e them&s;elves make, may rather encourage than endeavour to cru&s;h the Clamours of others, it being a Topick war|ranted by Precedents, whereby Money has been got, and may &s;till, if it be well manag'd, altho' perhaps, little of it may come to the Share of the Sub&s;cribers.</P>
<PB N="18" REF="10">
<P>Any impartial or unprejudic'd Reader, who hath perus'd that Defence, may &s;ee that it runs in three different Strains; the fir&s;t is in Vindi|cating the Ju&s;tice of His Maje&s;ty and Councils from the oblique and expre&s;s Calumnies, in the Defence of the <HI>Scots</HI> Settlemen at <HI>Darien,</HI> which my Duty oblig'd me to as a Subject, and &s;o long a Servant of His Maje&s;ty and the <HI>Eng|li&s;h</HI> Nation, that what Bread I have eat the&s;e <HI>18</HI> Years has been theirs, &s;ave my <HI>Caledonian</HI> Allowance, during that Service, and my Trip to <HI>Darien.</HI> And if in that Part of it, which points at the Errata's of that Author (where he &s;ets up his Royal Beacons for King <HI>William</HI> to mind, and be aware of) I have offer'd anything incon&s;i&s;tent with the Celebrated Hi&s;tories of <HI>Scotland,</HI> or have not worded it with more Ad|vantage to the <HI>Scots</HI> than the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Hi&s;to|rians relate it, I leave it to Judgment.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Strain of it runs on the Proce|dure of the Company, their Mi&s;management of that great Act they are inve&s;ted with, as al&s;o of the Money of the &s;everal Proprietors where|with they were intru&s;ted, and of their &s;ending &s;o many worthy Gentlemen, and other brave Fellows on &s;o dark an Errand, unprovided of either the Nece&s;&s;aries for their Sub&s;i&s;tance, or Credit to purcha&s;e any; and of neglecting them in &s;o Foreign and de&s;olate a Country. I have &s;aid no more in this than what is notorious, and if I have deviated in any particular, tho&s;e
<PB N="19" REF="10">Gentlemen who left the Collony at first, and the re&s;t who have quitted it &s;ince, are at liberty to confute me. As for my own Share, I lo&s;t what I had in their Service; when I came home, I was oblig'd to &s;ue them for what was my due; and when at the Request of &s;ome Per&s;ons of Qua|lity, I gave a candid Relation of the Collony, their Affairs, and the Improbability of their holding of it; the Managers in <HI>Scotland</HI> not only us'd Means to &s;tifle my Credit, but baffl'd and mi&s;repre&s;ented me here, and when any ad|ver&s;e News came at any time, relating to <HI>Ca|ledonian,</HI> it was cru&s;h'd and laid on my Back, as the malicious Author of it. I thank God I am the Subject of a Nation, where I breath free Air, and may &s;ay, that I have been ill us'd by that Company, and am not under the petty Ty|ranny of &s;ome Gentlemen, where I must not mutter a Groan, altho' my Oppre&s;&s;ion were greater, but in a Country where it is no Crime to detect the Errors of as great Societies, and Per&s;ons when they act ami&s;s.</P>
<P>The Third and La&s;t Strain of that Defence, hints at the Impracticability of the <HI>Darien</HI> Pro|ject, &s;howing the little Encouragement the Com|pany has to pro&s;ecute a Title to a Colony there, and the &s;mall Advantages they can reap by it, either to them&s;elves or Nation, tho' they were firmly po&s;&s;e&s;t of it. If the Re&s;pect I bear to the Welfare of that Nation, and particular Friend&s;hip I owe to &s;everal Proprietors of the
<PB N="20" REF="11">Stock, had not more Influence on me than my Pique at &s;uch Directors of the Company, as were the Occa&s;ion of the Mi&s;management, I &s;hould have held my Pen, and wrote nothing on this Part of the Subjest; but by rea&s;on I know what Pains have been taken to lead and retain a great Number of People in this Mi|&s;take, I was re&s;olv'd to detect it. 'Tis true, I did not in&s;i&s;t much on it, thinking it unnece&s;&s;ary on the Account of their Colonies quitting the Place; but &s;ince what has been offer'd already on that Head has not any Influence, I &s;hall of|fer &s;ome few Things more to their Con&s;idera|tion, by way of An&s;wer to the Original Author's Challenge to prove the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Title to <HI>Da|rien,</HI> either by Inheritance, Marriage, Dona|tion, Purcha&s;e, Rever&s;ion, Surrender, Po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion or Conquect. I &s;hall offer nothing dogma|tically, nor pretend to know all the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Pre|ten&s;ions to it, &s;o that what I offer on this Head, is, <HI>Salvo jure cujuslibit Hi&s;pani,</HI> or any o|ther Per&s;on who will take this Task upon him. If the Gentlemen of the Company will not li&s;ten to Rea&s;on, let them go on and pro&s;per; they may perhaps find it true, after they have thrown &s;ome more good Money after bad. I mu&s;t only whi&s;per the just and modest Author in the Ear, that tho&s;e Per&s;ons, whether of the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> or <HI>Dutch</HI> Intere&s;t, who li&s;ten, and make least Oppo&s;ition to the <HI>Darien</HI> Project, are not the be&s;t Friends to the <HI>Scots Affrican</HI> Company;
<PB N="21" REF="11">they perhaps &s;ee the Event of it, and will but &s;mile to &s;ee the remaining Part of the Stock &s;hipt off for <HI>Darien.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<P>DEfence of the <HI>Scots</HI> Settlement at <HI>Darien,</HI> Page 4. he begins to di&s;|prove the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Title to the Province of <HI>Darien,</HI> and tells you; <HI>It is evident, that the</HI> Spaniards <HI>cannot pretend a Title to that Coun|try, by Inheritance, Marriage, or the Donati|on of Prince and People,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>It being the ea&s;ie&s;t Part of an Argument to deny, but not to prove a Negative, 'tis to be pre&s;um'd, that what he hath to ad|vance on this Head, is the Authority of the Colonies Journal, which came home la&s;t <HI>March:</HI> At the &s;ame time, it is to be believ'd, as a Preliminary, that the Com|pany de&s;ign'd to inve&s;t the &s;ame Place of <HI>Darien</HI> before any Per&s;on of the Colony either &s;aw that Country, or could pen the Journal. If the Company depended on <HI>Buccaneer</HI>'s Stories (the Actions and Wri|tings of &s;uch being equally regarded by political Bodies) their Foundation was &s;an|dy and lame, and &s;uch Evidences will &s;carce be admitted, in this Ca&s;e, in the Courts of any Kingdom or State.</P>
<P>'Tis &s;ufficiently known to all <HI>Europe,</HI> that the <HI>Spaniard</HI> has been near 200 Years Ma|&s;ter
<PB N="22" REF="12">of &s;o much of the Continent of <HI>A|merica,</HI> as pa&s;&s;es commonly by the Names of <HI>Mexico</HI> and <HI>Peru,</HI> which are Two Tracts of Land &s;everal Thou&s;and Miles extent, both on the South and North Seas: Tho&s;e Two va&s;t Countries are join'd by a Neck of Land call'd the <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> of <HI>Darien</HI> (which is about 60 or 70 Leagues long, and about 20 broad in the narrowe&s;t Part from Sea to Sea) which Province, he may be &s;aid as much to inherit and po&s;&s;e&s;s as any o|ther Portion of Land, of that Extent, in either <HI>Mexico</HI> or <HI>Peru;</HI> or rather more, by Rea&s;on his mo&s;t important and &s;tronge&s;t Cities in <HI>America,</HI> are on this very <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> to wit, <HI>New Panama, St. Maris,</HI> with &s;e|veral &s;maller Garri&s;ons on the South-&s;ide, and <HI>Porto-bello, Chagre, Nombre de dios, Conception,</HI> &amp;c. on the North-&s;ide; be&s;ides <HI>Carthagena</HI> adjoining to the Ea&s;t End of the <HI>I&s;thmus.</HI> It can't be expected, that the <HI>Spaniard</HI> can have a Fort and Garri&s;on on every Hill, or in every Creek of his <HI>A|merican</HI> Dominions, nor that he &s;hould ex|tirpate the whole Race of the <HI>Indians</HI> in this Province of <HI>Darien,</HI> more than he does in his others. 'Tis evident, that the <HI>Spaniards</HI> are more numerous on this <HI>I&s;th|mus</HI> and the Parts adjoining, than on four Times &s;o much Ground, in either <HI>Mexico</HI> or <HI>Peru,</HI> and where never hitherto di&s;tur|bed
<PB N="23" REF="12">or interrupted in their Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of it, but by Pyrates, Buccaneers and Privateers, except in the Time of a declar'd War, when their Towns in <HI>Flanders</HI> and old <HI>Spain</HI> were equally lyable to Attacks.</P>
<P>This <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> is of that Importance to the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> that it will not admit of a Doubt among&s;t rea&s;onable and unintere&s;&s;ed Men, but that they &s;hould take as much Pains to be Ma&s;ters of it, and retain the &s;ame, as either <HI>Mexico</HI> or <HI>Peru,</HI> by Rea&s;on it is the Thorough-fair and Road by which all their Trea&s;ure and Riches from the South Sea are convey'd over to their Galleons and Flota's, on the North Sea, and &s;o to <HI>Europe.</HI> 'Tis very odd, that this Gentle|man &s;hould allow the <HI>Spaniards</HI> to cut off 40 Millions of <HI>Indians</HI> in the Reign of <HI>Charles</HI> the 5th to make Way for their Co|lonies, and to neglect this Neck of Land which joins them, and which is the <HI>Termi|nus</HI> and Receptacle of the Whole, and without which mo&s;t of their Collonies on the South Sea are not worth Six-pence to <HI>Old Spain.</HI> A Man's Rea&s;on will give him that it was as ea&s;ie, and of more Importance to clear the Province of <HI>Darien</HI> of 40 Hun|dred <HI>Indians,</HI> as the other Parts of <HI>America</HI> of 40 Millions; and if they could &s;weep off &s;o many at fir&s;t Entrance into that Country, it may be rea&s;onably allow'd that
<PB N="24" REF="13">they have had time enough to clear this Province of &s;uch a &s;mall Number of Ene|mies. The Suppo&s;ition of the <HI>Spaniards</HI> neglecting this <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> of <HI>Darien,</HI> is as im|probable and ridiculous, as if the incor|porated Inhabitants of <HI>London</HI> &s;hould have made them&s;elves Ma&s;ters of the City and Borough of <HI>Southwark,</HI> and have neglected to &s;ubject the Bridge to their Dominion or Charter: Nay, the Simile in Proportion is of more Weight and Importance on the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> &s;ide, than this is on the City's, al|tho' there was no other way of communi|cating with the other &s;ide of the <HI>Thames,</HI> than this of the Bridge.</P>
<P>'Tis evident, that tho&s;e <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Cities and Forts are &s;catter'd over the <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> being on the middle, and at both ends of it, and that they have an interrupted Com|munication with one another. If the <HI>Da|rien Indians</HI> were not in Subjection, or if they were in War with the <HI>Spaniards</HI> (as this Gentleman would make us believe) why might they not with the Half of tho&s;e 50000 Men (which <HI>pag.</HI> 5. he has pick'd out of <HI>Ringro&s;e</HI> the Buccanier's Dream) intercept the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Trea&s;ure, and carry it to the <HI>Scotch</HI> Collony, if they were not able to beat them out of their Forts? 'Tis very well known, that the <HI>Spaniards</HI> are &s;o very &s;ecure on that <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> that they
<PB N="25" REF="13">tran&s;port their Trea&s;ure over Land from <HI>Panama</HI> to <HI>Porto-bello</HI> by common Carriers, and when any of their A&s;&s;es or Mules &s;et up on the Road, they are &s;o little appre|hen&s;ive of the <HI>Indians,</HI> that they leave their Loads of Silver where they fall, till &s;uch time as they or &s;ome others return that way again.</P>
<P>He tells us, <HI>p.</HI> 9. that the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Domi|nions are limited at both Ends of tho <HI>I&s;th|mus,</HI> exclu&s;ive by a blind Story of the Ri|vers <HI>Chepo</HI> and <HI>Congo,</HI> and a&s;&s;erts, that <HI>Nom|bre de dios</HI> is the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Boundary, at one end of the <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> on the North-&s;ide, and that <HI>Panama</HI> and St. <HI>Maria</HI> are the Ea&s;tern and We&s;tern Bounds on the South-&s;ide (by which he would take off between 30 and 40 Leagues from the Length of the <NOTE N="*">The Author of the ju&s;t and mode&s;t Vind. <HI>p.</HI> 48. makes the Length of his <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> but 17 Leagues; for he &s;ays, that the <HI>Scotch</HI> Fort and Harbour lies between 8 or 9 Leagues from the River, or Gulph of <HI>Darien</HI> on one &s;ide, and <HI>Conception</HI> River on the other. He tells you like wi&s;e in the &s;ame Page, that Boats can pa&s;s on ei|ther of the&s;e Rivers to the South Sea, which is as true and po&s;&s;ible as to go by Water up to the Top of the Momment.</NOTE><HI>I&s;thmus</HI>) if he will re-examine the Map, he will flad that not only <HI>Nombre de dios,</HI> but likewi&s;e <HI>Porto-bello, Chagre</HI> and <HI>Conception,</HI> are much about the middle of the <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> on the North-&s;ide, and that <HI>New Panama</HI> on the South|&s;ide is in the Cod of the
<PB N="26" REF="14">Bay, and oppo&s;ite to <HI>Porto-bello;</HI> as likewi&s;e that <HI>Old Panama</HI> and St. <HI>Maria</HI> on the &s;ame &s;ide, are further to the Ea&s;t-ward, and right oppo&s;ite to Fort St. <HI>Andrew,</HI> in <HI>Cale|donia.</HI></P>
<P>Travellers ought to be gifted with a good Memory, for altho' he will not al|low the <HI>Spaniard</HI> to be intitled to an Inch of Ground on his <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> yet he forgets him&s;elf and betrays his Cau&s;e, for <HI>p. 76.</HI> he owns that a Party of Ten <HI>Spa|niards</HI> lived on <HI>Golden</HI> <NOTE N="*">By mi&s;take call'd the I&s;le of <HI>Pines,</HI> in the Def.of the <HI>Scots</HI> Abdicar.</NOTE><HI>I&s;land</HI> (which is within 5 Miles of Fort St. <HI>Andrew,</HI> and looks in|to the <HI>Caledonian</HI> Harbour) till they were cut off by Capt. <HI>Ambro&s;io.</HI> He tells you, indeed, that it was done by Con&s;ent, and Combination of the <HI>Darien</HI> Princes, who had only given them a Toleration to live there, and were their Tenants <HI>durante bene placito;</HI> but there's no more Authority for this A&s;&s;ertion, than that <HI>Ari&s;totle's Dixit.</HI></P>
<P>The Ground where this Fact was com|mitted, was in the Di&s;tricht of Capt. <HI>An|drews,</HI> who own'd him&s;elf to be a <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Captain, and which our Author indirectly confe&s;&s;eth, <HI>pag. 75.</HI> as likewi&s;e, that this Murder was committed but Two Months before the <HI>Scotch</HI> Collony &s;ettled there. The Collonies Journal acknowledgeth, that
<PB N="27" REF="14">Capt. * <HI>Andrews</HI> and Capt. <NOTE N="**">Dignify'd by our la&s;t Author with the my&s;terious Names of <HI>Caiques,</HI> to &s;moother that of Captain, and imply as much Maje&s;ty as in that of <HI>Zaar.</HI></NOTE> * <HI>Ambro&s;io</HI> were Enemies on the Score, that the for|mer would not break with the <HI>Spaniard,</HI> whereas if this Story of our <HI>Caledonian</HI> Author be true, of that Murders being committed by Con&s;ent, and Combination of the <HI>Darien</HI> Princes, it &s;hould be taken for granted, that Capt. <HI>Andrews</HI> was as much an Enemy to <HI>Spain</HI> as <HI>Ambro|&s;io,</HI> or rather more, becau&s;e the Murder was committed in his Ground.</P>
<P>But it is more liable to belief, that tho&s;e Ten <HI>Spaniards</HI> who were po&s;ted on <HI>Golden I&s;land</HI> (which is not above a Quarter of a Mile from the main Land) could think them&s;elves in no greater Danger than &s;o many <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> in &s;ome Mountanous part of <HI>Ireland,</HI> where a Rapparee Party could with the &s;ame Ea&s;e cut their Throats. Our Au|thor acknowledgeth, that they were po&s;ted there for a Look-out, to give Notice of any Ve&s;&s;els that appear'd on that Coa&s;t; and it may be the ea&s;ier credited, that the <HI>Spa|niards</HI> employ'd that I&s;land or Promontory for that U&s;e, by rea&s;on the Author of, <HI>The Ju&s;t and Mode&s;t Vindicat.</HI> of the <HI>Darien</HI> Settle|ment, innocently tells you, that the <HI>Spa|niards</HI> call that I&s;land by the Name of <HI>Guarda,</HI> (in his 48<HI>th Page)</HI> which of it &s;elf
<PB N="28" REF="15">implies the U&s;e which the <HI>Spaniards</HI> (not newly, but of a long Date) have made of it.</P>
<P>After all, I mu&s;t tell, that Capt. <HI>Andrews</HI> had no Hand in this Murder, but <HI>Ambro&s;io,</HI> who came with his Gang from his Habita|tion (which is above 40 Miles di&s;tant) and treacherou&s;ly &s;urpriz'd them. Neither is it to be imagin'd, that the <HI>Spaniards</HI> (who are very Wary and Politick) can be thought to be guilty of &s;uch Weakne&s;s, as to expo&s;e &s;o &s;mall a Party among&s;t <HI>Indians,</HI> their Native Enemies, but rather that they thought that Party &s;ecure enough in a Country which was under their Obedience.</P>
<P>So much I have offer'd to demon&s;trate the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Inheritance: As for their Title by Marriage, 'tis evident enough, that the King of <HI>Spain</HI> has more Subjects born of <HI>Indian</HI> (be&s;ides Moori&s;h) Mothers in <HI>Ame|rica,</HI> than he has of <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> in <HI>Europe:</HI> Nay, if it were not for the Liberty which is gi|ven the <HI>Spaniards</HI> to marry with the <HI>Indians</HI> and <HI>Moors,</HI> it were impo&s;&s;ible they could plant and inhabit that va&s;t Continent; and 'tis well enough known, that this Progeny of the <HI>Spaniard</HI> is of mo&s;t u&s;e in defending tho&s;e Countries, and retaining them under the Obedience and Subjection of <HI>Spain.</HI></P>
<P>As for the Donation of Prince or People, I don't pretend to know the <HI>Spani&s;h Ameri|can</HI> Archives and Regi&s;ters, more than our
<PB N="29" REF="15">Author can prove the Contrary. I pre|&s;ume the <HI>Spaniards</HI> have more to &s;how for their Inve&s;titure, than the <HI>Caledonian</HI> Coun|cil has brought home with them. Only this I can be po&s;itive in, that the&s;e <HI>Dariens</HI> acknowledge, that they have had no Head or Emperor of their own Nation, for above the&s;e 150 Years, which may be reckon'd to be about the Date of the <HI>Spaniards</HI> Settling there; and if I am not mi&s;taken, the Colonies Journal (altho' cautiou&s;ly enough calculated) acknowledgeth the &s;ame.</P>
<P>As for Conque&s;t (he &s;ays in the &s;ame Pa|ragraph, Page 4.) <HI>'Tis ridiculous to alledge it, &s;ince the</HI> Dariens <HI>are in actual Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of their Liberty, and were never &s;ubdu'd, nor receiv'd any</HI> Spani&s;h <HI>Garri&s;on or Governour among&s;t them.</HI> The la&s;t Author who para|phra&s;eth on him, a&s;&s;erts likewi&s;e that tho&s;e Captains are all &s;overeign and independent Princes, but coming clo&s;&s;er to the Text, tells us, from <HI>Purffendorf</HI> and the Civilians, Page 73. (making the Suppo&s;ition of their being conquer'd:) That <HI>per &s;olam Viminju|&s;tam, non po&s;&s;e alicui Jus quaeri,</HI> &amp;c. and from Grotius; That <HI>Actus imperii inva&s;oris quos excercet nullam Vim habere po&s;&s;ant ex ip&s;ius Jure, quod nullum e&s;t.</HI> By both the&s;e Au|thorities, this mode&s;t Author may as Le|gally claim a Right to all the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Towns
<PB N="30" REF="16">and Dominions, as to his <HI>Penin&s;ula,</HI> where|in Fort St. <HI>Andrew</HI> &s;tands, if he can but &s;et his Foot there, and per&s;wade the <HI>Indians</HI> to revolt; &s;ince he &s;o plainly &s;ays, that the <HI>Spaniards</HI> made an unju&s;t Inva&s;ion and Con|que&s;t over the <HI>American</HI> Princes and King|doms, which no ways obliges them to pay Fealty, or continue in their Obedience long|er than they find it in their Power to free them&s;elves from the Yoke. He fouls Pa|per enough in Preaching up this Doctrine, altho' it had been Time enough Seven Years hence, when the <HI>Caledonians</HI> had &s;urer Footing on the <HI>I&s;thmus:</HI> But altho' tho&s;e Civilians allow him &s;uch Liberty of Con|&s;cience, yet he will find &s;ome prevailing Arguments in the Treaties between the King of <HI>Great Britain</HI> and <HI>Spain</HI> to curb him, which out-balances his Civilian Au|thorities. So that we mu&s;t agree to &s;uffer the King of <HI>Spain</HI> to be Conqueror and Ma|&s;ter of tho&s;e Parts of <HI>America,</HI> e&s;pecially where he has Cities, Forts, Garri&s;ons and Mines.</P>
<P>But to return to the original Author, who &s;ays, that it is ridiculous to alledge any &s;uch Title to <HI>Darien,</HI> where the Na|tives are in actual Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of their Li|berty. He is either Brazen-fac'd, el&s;e he has forgot that St. <HI>Maria, Tubaconti,</HI> Old and New <HI>Panama, Nombre de dios, Porto|bello,
<PB N="31" REF="16">Conception,</HI> &amp;c. are &s;catter'd over that very <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> if I &s;hould &s;ay nothing of <HI>Guarda</HI> or <HI>Golden I&s;land</HI> it &s;elf, where tho&s;e <HI>Spaniards</HI> re&s;ided. 'Tis well enough known, the <HI>Spaniards</HI> have Mines in &s;everal Parts of that <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> and &s;ome not above 12 Leagues from the Collony, without any Guard, &s;ave the Over&s;eers and other Ne|ce&s;&s;ary A&s;&s;i&s;tants to keep the <HI>Negro</HI>'s to Work.</P>
<P>I can't under&s;tand how tho&s;e <HI>Dariens</HI> can be &s;aid to enjoy their Liberty, where there are &s;o many Cities, Forts and Gar|ri&s;ons to curb them. 'Tis very unaccoun|table, that his Warlike Prince, called <HI>Am|bro&s;io,</HI> &s;hould live &s;o occultly, as not to have a Path to his Royal Pallace, but that from the Capital Port of his King|dom a Man mu&s;t wade Eleven Times through the &s;ame River, up to the Middle, and bru&s;h through Thickets, who&s;e Twigs have not been cut nor prun'd &s;ince the Cre|ation, before he can come to his Wigwam City, altho' it is not above an Hour's Jour|ney, if the Road were beat and even. <HI>Am|bro&s;io</HI> and <HI>Diego</HI> have indeed pi&s;s'd in the Pumpdale, and both live ob&s;curely with, may be, 30 or 40 in their &s;everal Gangs, whom a Dozen of Men with Fire Arms would &s;oon reduce, if it were po&s;&s;ible to ferret them out.</P>
<PB N="32" REF="17">
<P>As for <HI>Wafer</HI> and <HI>Dampier</HI> whom our Author adduces, <HI>Page</HI> 4. for his Evidences, neither of the&s;e pretend to know <HI>Diego</HI> or <HI>Ambro&s;io, Dampter</HI> having only cro&s;s'd the <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> and <HI>Wafer</HI> &s;taid not above Three Months there, with his <HI>Lacenta,</HI> with whom after he had &s;ojourn'd till his Leg was well, cro&s;s'd the Country, and took Water at <HI>La-Sounds</HI> Key, which lies among&s;t the <HI>Sam|balla</HI>'s, and about 20 Leagues to the North-We&s;t of the <HI>Caledonian</HI> Collony: And if <HI>Wafer</HI> &s;ays, that the <HI>Spaniards</HI> have no Com|mand over the <HI>Indians</HI> on the North-&s;ide of the <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> a little beyond <HI>Porto-bello,</HI> I have no occa&s;ion to di&s;prove him, &s;ince he does not deny, that the <HI>Spaniards</HI> Com|mand on the South-&s;ide, and likewi&s;e on this &s;ide of <HI>Porto-bello,</HI> where <HI>New Caledonia</HI> lies. See <HI>p.</HI> 4. <HI>Of the Def. of the</HI> Scots <HI>Settle|ment.</HI> Our Author either &s;ums up his Evi|dence wrong, el&s;e he tru&s;ts to the &s;light En|quiry of his Readers.</P>
<P>In the Two next Paragraphs he cites the &s;ame Evidences, and tells you a Tale of a Cock and a Bull, how <HI>Batt. Sharp</HI> in the Year, 1680, landed at <HI>Golden I&s;land,</HI> Chri|&s;ten'd one of tho&s;e <HI>Indian</HI> Captains, <HI>Empe|ror,</HI> and his Elde&s;t Son, <HI>King Golden Cape,</HI> and having join'd tho&s;e <HI>Darien</HI> Princes (of their own Creation) took St. <HI>Maria,</HI> at|tempted <HI>Panama,</HI> and made Prize of &s;eve|ral
<PB N="33" REF="17"><HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Ships on the South Sea, and how afterwards when he came to be try'd for tho&s;e Pyracies in <HI>England,</HI> the <NOTE N="*">The Author of, <HI>The ju&s;t and modest Vindicat.</HI> as good as gives <HI>Wafer</HI> the Lye here; for <HI>p.</HI> 90. he &s;ays, the <HI>Darien</HI> Captains always rul'd within them&s;elves, and never had any other <HI>Indian</HI> Sovereign.</NOTE> Emperor of <HI>Darien</HI>'s Commi&s;&s;ion clear'd him.</P>
<P>'Tis evident by the Conce&s;&s;ion of the <HI>In|dians</HI> them&s;elves, and by the Collonies Jour|nal, that there has been no <HI>Indian</HI> Monarch or Emperor in that Country for an Age or two by pa&s;t; in the next place, if <HI>Batt</HI>'s Jury had any great Inclination to hang him, they might have enquir'd further into the Emperor, or his Secretary who wrote the Commi&s;&s;ion: I dare &s;ay, that an <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Pen both worded and &s;ign'd it; for in my Tra|vels in that Country, I could meet with neither Prince nor Clergyman that knew a Letter of the Book. I want to know who Commanded as <HI>Generalli&s;&s;imo</HI> at the Taking of St. <HI>Maria,</HI> and the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Prizes at Sea, and when tho&s;e Princes &s;erv'd on board, who was Captain, and who Cook? It &s;eems the <HI>Darien</HI> Empire was very low at the Landing of Capt. <HI>Sharp,</HI> when he and his 330 Men could give &s;uch Life, and do &s;uch Feats again&s;t the <HI>Spaniards</HI> on that <HI>I&s;th|mus,</HI> when <HI>Ba&s;il Ringro&s;e,</HI> one of the &s;ame Crew, his <HI>Darien</HI> King could do &s;o little
<PB N="34" REF="18">with his 50000 Men, to revenge the Rape of his Royal Daughter. 'Tis pity the Jury did not oblige Mr. <HI>Sharp</HI> to produce his Di&s;charge, or Certificate from that Empe|ror: <HI>But let the Pitcher go ne'er &s;o oft to the Well, it will be &s;ure to come home crack'd &s;ome time or other;</HI> &s;o this poor Sojour or Sailor of Fortune has not the &s;ame Luck every where, for none of tho&s;e Commi&s;&s;ions would &s;erve his turn about 16 Months ago at the I&s;land of St. <HI>Thomas,</HI> where he was doom'd to die in a Halter for one of the like Enterprizes, and had nothing el&s;e to tru&s;t to than the K. of <HI>Denmark</HI>'s Mercy.</P>
<P>Our Author to confirm all, &s;ays in the &s;ame Paragraph, <HI>Page</HI> 5. This is the more remarkable, becau&s;e tho&s;e very Princes or their Succe&s;&s;ors are now in League with the <HI>Scots,</HI> and have joyfully receiv'd them into their Country. I an&s;wer to this, I refer my &s;elf to the 58 and 59 <HI>Pag. Of the Def. of the Scots Abd.</HI> where Captain <HI>An|dreas</HI> (whom both of us agree on, to be the &s;uppo&s;ed Emperors Succe&s;&s;or) tells the tragical Story of their joining tho&s;e Buc|caneers and Privateers, and how they &s;uf|fer'd for the &s;ame, after the&s;e had got the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Plunder (which was their Errand) and left them expos'd to the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Fury.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Ambro&s;io</HI> and <HI>Diego's</HI> Willingne&s;s to receive the <HI>Scotch</HI> Colony among&s;t them,
<PB N="35" REF="18">it may be rea&s;onably believ'd, becau&s;e tho&s;e are outlaws and never expect to be pardon'd, the Former for the Murder of tho&s;e <HI>Spani|ards</HI> on <HI>Golden I&s;land,</HI> and the other for At|tacking Three Prie&s;ts in their Cell or Chappel, and Murdering of them, and Rob|bing the Alter of it's Furniture; whereof, <HI>Diego</HI>'s Son brought the Sacerdotal Ve&s;t|ments and Challice to the <HI>Scotch</HI> Colony, and &s;old the &s;ame to Captain <HI>Frazer,</HI> for little or nothing. Tho&s;e Outlaws will not only be glad of the <HI>Scots,</HI> <NOTE N="*">Witne&s;s <HI>Diego</HI>'s admitting Cap. <HI>Long</HI> in the <HI>Rupert</HI> Prize to &s;ettle in his Plantati|on, in the Gulph of <HI>Darien,</HI> about the &s;ame time the <HI>Scots</HI> &s;ettled.</NOTE> but of the <HI>Dutch, French, Danes,</HI> nay <HI>Jews</HI> or <HI>Turks,</HI> if they thought any of the&s;e, or all of them could protect and &s;helter them from Ju&s;tice. Nay, they are &s;o little able to make any Oppo&s;ition, that I could engage to be one of 20 Men to go over that <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> over their Bellies, providing the <HI>Spaniards</HI> would wink at it.</P>
<P>In the next Paragraph, <HI>Pag. 6. Then as to any Claim, by Virtue of Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion the</HI> Spani|ards <HI>have not the lea&s;t Ground of a Plea, all they can alledge on this Head is, that they were once admitted by the Con&s;ent of Capt.</HI> Diego, <HI>another of the</HI> Darien <HI>Princes, to work on &s;ome Gold Mines within</HI> 15 <HI>Leagues of the</HI> Scotch <HI>Settlement; but 'tis plain, that this makes no|thing
<PB N="36" REF="19">for their Purpo&s;e, that Prince admitting them not as Proprietors, but as Labourers, and when they broke the Conditions on which they were admitted,</HI> VIZ. <HI>To allow the</HI> Dariens <HI>&s;uch and &s;uch Shares of the Product they were expell'd again by Force,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Our Author having compos'd a hand&s;om Story of <HI>Diego</HI> (who&s;e Kingdom is the 3d from the Col|lony) &s;huffles in Mr. <HI>Wafer</HI> for Evidence, whereas he owns him&s;elf, that he never &s;aw &s;uch a Man as Capt. <HI>Diego;</HI> and as for his <HI>Lacenta,</HI> that Prince is &s;uch a Stranger to the <HI>Indians</HI> of the <HI>Scots</HI> Ac|quaintance, that altho' &s;ome Pains was taken to enquire after him, yet he could not be heard of; but there being 17 or 18 Years between <HI>Wafer</HI>'s and the <HI>Scots</HI> &s;ojourning in that Country, <HI>Lacenta</HI> in the time might probably be choak'd with &s;ome of the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Hemp among&s;t the other Princes, whom the Privatiers and Buccaniers de&s;erted, and left to care of them&s;elves.</P>
<P>This mighty Story of <HI>Diego</HI> is &s;o ill coyn'd, that it would make a Man &s;ick to trace it. He owns tho&s;e <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Mines to be within 15 Leagues of the Collony (1 &s;ay 12) and <HI>Diego</HI> is the Third Captain, or <HI>Zaar,</HI> from the Collony towards St. <HI>Maria</HI> (as appears, <HI>p.</HI> 79 and 80) <HI>Andreas</HI> the Companies Landlord being the Fir&s;t, <HI>Pou&s;&s;igo</HI> the Clergy-man (as our Author dignifies him) the Second; whereby it may be ea&s;ily conceiv'd what a powerful and large Government <HI>Diego</HI> can have to hire the <HI>Spaniards</HI> as Labourers; and after the&s;e <HI>Spaniards</HI> had &s;pent &s;ome Years in opening tho&s;e Mines, and bringing them to Perfection, they &s;hould be expell'd when King <HI>Diego</HI> took Snuff. This Strength of <HI>Diego</HI> is &s;o very incoherent with the late Action which happen'd in <HI>January</HI> la&s;t, when 26 <HI>Spaniards</HI> being order'd from
<PB N="37" REF="19">St. <HI>Maria</HI> to march over the <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> in order to view the <HI>Scots,</HI> came through <HI>Diego</HI>'s Ground, where, if the <HI>Indians</HI> had been their open Ene|mies, &s;o &s;mall a Party would &s;carce have ven|tur'd; yet <HI>Diego</HI>'s Men were &s;o unable to oppo&s;e them, that they took upon them to pilot them to a convenient Place, where they might view the <HI>Scots,</HI> and in the mean time &s;ome of <HI>Diego</HI>'s Men came to the Government of <HI>Pedro</HI> (the Defunct <HI>Andreas</HI> his Succe&s;&s;or) and &s;o to the Collony with the News; on which Mr. <HI>Mont|gomry,</HI> with a Detachment of a 100 Men, were piloted by them to the Spot where the <HI>Spaniards</HI> lay.</P>
<P>In this very Action Four Things are remarka|ble, 1. The Weakne&s;s of <HI>Diego</HI>'s and <HI>Pedro</HI>'s Forces, who were not able to cut off the Heads of &s;uch a Handful, but that they mu&s;t come to the Collony for A&s;&s;i&s;tance. 2. The Confidence which the <HI>Spaniards</HI> put in the <HI>Indians</HI> of <HI>Diego</HI> and <HI>Pedro.</HI> 3. The <HI>Scotch</HI> Party leaving their Col|lony, and going with the <HI>Indians,</HI> with a De&s;ign to attack tho&s;e 26 <HI>Spaniards,</HI> who were lying &s;ome Leagues off on the Bank of a &s;mall River, and who finding them&s;elves betray'd by tho&s;e <HI>Indians,</HI> fir'd upon them, and &s;o retreated to their next Garri&s;on of <HI>Tubaconti.</HI> 4. That this being the only Fight between the <HI>Scots</HI> and <HI>Spa|niards,</HI> the Breach of Peace was founded on it, and Letters of Mark and Repri&s;al granted by the Collony to <HI>Pilkinton</HI> and <HI>Sands,</HI> Ma&s;ters of <HI>Jamaica</HI> Sloops.</P>
<P>The Story of <HI>Diego</HI>'s beating the <HI>Spaniards</HI> from the Gold Mines tells very ackwardly (our Author imputing this Rupture to the <HI>Spaniards</HI> beating and male-treating <HI>Diego</HI>'s People, when
<PB N="38" REF="20">they came to ask their Shares) but to wave the Improbability of this Story, and admit it for a Truth; 'tis to be pre&s;um'd, that when <HI>Diego</HI> fell upon tho&s;e <HI>Spaniards</HI> and &s;lew them, he did not allow them time to blow up tho&s;e Mines, or fill them up with Rubbi&s;h, that they might not be &s;erviceable to him or his Friends afterwards; and it might have been rea&s;onably expected, that <HI>Diego</HI> &s;hould either have made a Pre&s;ent of tho&s;e Mines to the <HI>Scotch</HI> Collony (for Hou&s;e-warm|ing) or at lea&s;t have &s;uffer'd them to dig up &s;ome of the Gold to buy Provi&s;ions, and keep them from &s;tarving, that thereby they might have been the more enabled to a&s;&s;i&s;t them again&s;t the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> and re&s;tore them to their Ancient Li|berty, be&s;ides, leading them a nearer Way to the Kingdom of Heaven, than that which the <HI>Spa|niards</HI> cut out for them.</P>
<P>The Gentlement of the Collony were very mo|de&s;t (as he tells you in the 78 and 79 <HI>pag.</HI>) <HI>When they were inform'd by &s;ome</HI> French <NOTE N="*">A pretty &s;afe Name for two no|ted, <HI>French</HI> Pyrates, and a <HI>Molletoo,</HI> all Natives of <HI>Martine|co,</HI> who were oblig'd to live among the <HI>Indians,</HI> by rea&s;on they were &s;table to be hang'd on any Chri&s;tian Ground, whereon they could be caught.</NOTE><HI>Refugees, that with a</HI> 100 <HI>Men they could be Ma&s;ters of &s;ome Gold and Silver Mines belonging to the</HI> Spa|niard, <HI>but they were &s;o gifted with the Grace of Self-denyal, that they would not li&s;ten to it, till once the</HI> Spaniard <HI>offer'd &s;ome Ho&s;tility.</HI> We now find that this, which our Author would have to be the Ho&s;tile Act, was committed in <HI>January;</HI> but it is to be admir'd that the Collony &s;hould only &s;end Sloops out to pilfer a few Fi&s;her-mens Ca|nou's, and Hou&s;es at <HI>Teleu,</HI> near <HI>Carthagena,</HI> and not have &s;par'd the fore&s;aid 100 Men to reduce the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Mines to their Subjection; or if they
<PB N="39" REF="20">were afraid to offend the <HI>Span.</HI> by Land, they had not &s;ent a few of their num. to their Frd. and Ally <HI>Diego</HI>'s Gold Mines, where there was no Danger to be apprehended of the <HI>Spaniards</HI> looking that Prince in the Face; and not have laid in Fort St. <HI>Andrew</HI> making Childrens Shooes after the War was thus begun from <HI>January</HI> to <HI>June,</HI> and at la&s;t be forc'd to quit the glorious Project for want of Provi&s;ions, when at the &s;ame time they were tantaliz'd with Ve&s;&s;els loaded with good Food on one &s;ide of them, and Mines full of Gold on the other for want of Grace to attack them. I wi&s;h our Author would revi&s;e tho&s;e Paragraphs in the <HI>5th</HI> and <HI>6th Pages,</HI> as al&s;o in the 78 and <HI>79th,</HI> and &s;ee if the Stories are of a piece, or if they will hold water.</P>
<P>I am rather inclin'd to believe that the <HI>Spani|ard</HI> is more Ma&s;ter than Servant among&s;t the <HI>In|dians,</HI> and likewi&s;e, that he does not ea&s;ily part with any Place he once gets into his Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, e&s;pecially Gold Mines: 'Tis very rare to hear of the <HI>Spaniard</HI>'s being beaten off by the <HI>Indi|ans,</HI> and it's more improbable on this &s;mall Tract of Ground, call'd the <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> of <HI>Darien,</HI> where his Cities, Forts, Garri&s;ons and Mines are &s;o clo&s;ely planted, and where if he wanted any A&s;&s;i&s;tance, he can &s;ooner have Supplies brought thither, than to any other Part of <HI>New Spain.</HI></P>
<P>When the Buccaniers and Privatiers were at the &s;tronge&s;t (mu&s;tering about 1300) and &s;ur|priz'd St. <HI>Maria,</HI> and &s;ome other Places on the South Sea, neither they nor the <HI>Indians</HI> dur&s;t venture too keep them above a Week or Ten Days, being jealous of the <HI>Spaniards</HI> rallying with new Umbro's, and attacking them again; but having robb'd and de&s;troy'd what they could,
<PB N="40" REF="21">&s;culk'd away to &s;ome new Place (may be 1 or 200 Leagues di&s;tant) and always left the <HI>Indians</HI> of of the la&s;t Place, if any join'd them, to capitu|late for them&s;elves. If they fought under tho&s;e <HI>Indian</HI> Princes to recover their Country for them, it might rea&s;onably be expected, that they &s;hould left them po&s;&s;e&s;t of &s;uch Places as they recover'd out of the <HI>Spaniards</HI> Hands, but there's nothing like this in all the Buccaniers Chronicl.</P>
<P>To be &s;hort, if you'l take my Word, I'll tell you, that this Story of <HI>Diego</HI>'s beating the <HI>Spaniards</HI> from their Mines is &s;o far a Mi&s;take, that the <HI>Spa|niards</HI> were at work on them when the <HI>Scots</HI> landed there, having only an Intendant, with 50 <HI>Spaniards</HI> to over&s;ee 500 <HI>Negro</HI>'s, who wrought them; nei|ther did they de&s;ert tho&s;e Mines notwith&s;tand|ing the Neighbourhood of the <HI>Scots,</HI> tho' per|haps they might reinforce their Guards. And notwith&s;tanding Mr. <HI>Montgomrie</HI> was &s;o near them with that &s;elect Party of 100 Men, and and tho&s;e Three <HI>Indian</HI> Princes to &s;tand by him, yet he did not think it expedient to di&s;turb them, but &s;tisfy'd him&s;elf with <HI>Redpith</HI>'s famous Captain, <HI>Dan Domingo de la rada.</HI> As for the Te&s;timony which our Author would draw <HI>Wafer</HI> in for here; he neither knows any thing of <HI>Diego,</HI> nor of tho&s;e Prie&s;ts, the&s;e being murder'd many Years after his leaving that Country.</P>
<P>Our Author proceeds thus to the <HI>7th Page,</HI> where he tells us, that the afore&s;aid pretended Titles being fully confuted, the <HI>Spaniards</HI> can lay no Claim to <HI>Darien,</HI> but what they plead from the Pope's general Grant of <HI>America,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>How ri|diculous it is to urge the Pope's Grant among&s;t Pro|te&s;tants, and how precarious it is amongst Papi&s;ts them&s;elves, but admitting it to be enough to ju&s;tifie
<PB N="41" REF="21">their Title, it is ea&s;ie to prove that the</HI> Spaniards <HI>have forfeited all the Right they can claim by Virtue of that Grant.</HI></P>
<P>His Buccanier Evidences are laid a&s;ide for &s;ome time, there being no room for them here, wherefore he tells us &s;uch another Tale in a Tub of the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Chiapa,</HI> who it &s;eems, was Te&s;ty with his Sovereign Lord the King of <HI>Spain,</HI> becau&s;e that Prince did not an&s;wer the End of the Pope's Grant, but minded more the Trea|&s;ure than Souls of the <HI>Americans,</HI> and rail'd at him for not Re&s;toring to the Executors of tho&s;e dead <HI>Indians,</HI> whatever he or his In&s;truments had taken from them, and pleads Queen <HI>I&s;&s;obella</HI>'s Reque&s;t for the &s;ame, when &s;he was on her Death-bed, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>That I mayn't wa&s;te too much Paper in an|&s;wering tho&s;e Three or Four Paragraphs, take this in &s;hort, that the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Chiapa</HI> had not the &s;ame Sen&s;e of Money in his Age, as the Mi&s;|&s;ioners or <HI>Propoganda fide</HI> Gentlemen have in ours, el&s;e he had made le&s;s Noi&s;e. If the General A&s;&s;embly &s;hould fraught their Di&s;ciples with never &s;o &s;trict In&s;tructions, to e&s;tabli&s;h the Kirk Di&s;cipline, yet if <HI>Praedicant Pater&s;on</HI> &s;hould form an Anabapti&s;t Government there, the Company would &s;carce think their Title to that Country thereby forfeited. Our Author &s;omewhere el&s;e in his Politicks thinks it expedient for the &s;peedier de&s;troying of Antichri&s;t, to &s;eize on his Pouch or Pur&s;e: It was rea&s;onable the <HI>Spaniard</HI> &s;hould make u&s;e of the &s;ame Maxim, and imitate <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> after his de&s;cending from the Mount, in taking away the Golden Calf from his Brethren, and &s;uch In&s;truments of Idolatry.</P>
<P>But if the <HI>Spaniard</HI> has been guilty of all our Author lays to his Charge, and hath not an|&s;werd the End of the Pope's Donation, pray
<PB N="42" REF="22">whether is the Pope or the <HI>Scotch</HI> Company judge of it? If the Pope thinks fit to revoke the <HI>Spa|ni&s;h</HI> Charter, 'tis time enough then for the Com|pany to take the Charge of the <HI>American</HI> Souls upon them; but as he has done nothing like this as yet, but on the contrary has granted a large Sub&s;idy on the <HI>American</HI> Church to &s;up|port it, the Company may appear officious in meddling with his Holine&s;s's Bu&s;ine&s;s, and give the World too much rea&s;on to believe that their De&s;ign is not only to expel the <HI>Spaniard</HI> out of <HI>Darien,</HI> but likewi&s;e out of <HI>Mexico</HI> and <HI>Peru,</HI> under this Religious Pretext. I want to know whether <HI>Pater&s;on's</HI> and the Companies Project was to take the Cure of the <HI>American</HI> Souls, or Trea&s;ure upon them? If the former, then 1048 Levites and two Soldiers, had been fitter Mi&s;&s;io|ners to <HI>Darien,</HI> than two Preachers and 1048 &s;uch Lay Elders; and in&s;tead of 2 or 3000 Buchaniers Pieces, Pi&s;tols, Daggers, and Drums proportio|nable; they ought to have follow'd the In&s;tru|ctions annex'd to the Original Commi&s;&s;ion of, <HI>ite &amp; pradicate,</HI> and gone without <HI>Staff</HI> or <HI>Scrip.</HI></P>
<P>Altho our <HI>Author</HI> by the &s;train of his Pen, &s;hews that he has been a con&s;iderable time from Home, yet he betrays &s;omething now and then, to confirm us, that good &s;tore of the Kirk Milk lurks &s;till in the rece&s;&s;es of his No&s;e; for he is not &s;atisfy'd with beating the <HI>Spaniards</HI> out of <NOTE N="*">The ju&s;t and mode&s;t Author of the <HI>Vindicat.</HI> pag. 84, and 85, admits the <HI>Spaniards</HI> Title to be valid to his <HI>American</HI> Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ious. But in other Places where he is Angry, he curs them off again with a &s;trook of the &s;abe Pen.</NOTE><HI>A|merica</HI> with his Religious Cant, but mu&s;t &s;tick to the good Old Way of Murdering his Adver&s;a|ries Reputation, that by once rendring him Odi|ous, he may mu&s;ter the whole Kennel of Curs to bark him out of Town. In the 7th, 8th, and 9th Pages, he Whines in the &s;ame Strain as the
<PB N="43" REF="22">Hypocrites in the Go&s;pel did, when they had a devouring De&s;ign on Widows Hou&s;es.</P>
<P>But to return to the Subject in Debate, &s;ince our <HI>Author</HI> after all his Railing, is &s;uch a Hero as to admit the Pope's Donation to be &s;o valid as to give the <HI>Spaniard</HI> &s;ome Claim to <HI>America,</HI> I'll be quits with him in Civility, and pa&s;s from the Pope's Donation altogether, and &s;tick to the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion; which they have had not only of <HI>Mexico</HI> and <HI>Peru</HI> in Geneal, but of the Pro|vince of <HI>Darian</HI> in Particular, by Pre&s;cription of a great many Years; where their &s;everal Towns, Forts, Gari&s;ons and Mines, are &s;ufficient Evidences of it; and be&s;ides the&s;e Legal Infe&s;t|ments, can bring 50 of tho&s;e <HI>Darien</HI> Indians un|der their Banner, to one that will appear again&s;t them, to ju&s;tifie their Right of Dominion. All this being duly con&s;ider'd, I can't &s;ee where the Audacious Affront lyes that's offer'd to His <HI>Brita|nick</HI> Maje&s;ty, by the <HI>Catholick</HI> King, who only a&s;|&s;erts his Right, and &s;ays, That &s;ome <HI>Scots</HI> in the time of Peace, without any Injury Offer'd, have Invaded the Heart of his <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Dominions: 'Tis very unaccountable, that this Cholerick Gentle|man &s;hould take his <HI>Catholick</HI> Maje&s;ty by the No&s;e, for &s;aying, That the Church &s;tands in the Church-yard.</P>
<P>So much then for the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Title to <HI>Darien,</HI> by Inheritance, Marriage, Donation, Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion and Conque&s;t; as for the Purcha&s;e and Surren|der, I was not Witne&s;s to tho&s;e Tran&s;actions; but Rea&s;on will allow the&s;e to follow in Cour&s;e, if the others be good. As for Rever&s;ion, I can't well comprehend our <HI>Author</HI>'s Meaning; for it cannot be &s;aid, That the <HI>Spaniard</HI> has either Quit|ted, or Mortgag'd that Province to the <HI>Indians,</HI> &s;ince he remains &s;till on the Spot, and in Po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion of it, and in all appearance is like to do after we are Dead.</P>
<PB N="44" REF="23">
<P>If what I have offer'd in An&s;wer to this An|thor's Challenge, will &s;erve to demon&s;trate the <HI>Spaniard</HI>'s Right to that <HI>I&s;thmus;</HI> there will be no more occa&s;ion for <HI>Puffendorf</HI> nor <HI>Hugo Grotius;</HI> &s;o that the only Standard we are left to walk by, is the Treaties of Peace between <HI>Spain</HI> and <HI>Eng|land,</HI> which both the&s;e Authors, the Defender and Vindicator of the <HI>Darien</HI> Settlement, can neither wre&s;t nor &s;queeze any thing from to &s;erve their Turn: After they have &s;aid all they can think of on that Head, they tell you, <Q><NOTE N="*">Def. of the <HI>Scots</HI> Settlement <HI>pag.</HI> 11.</NOTE> That all that can be in|ferr'd from tho&s;e <HI>Treaties,</HI> is, that they are a Mutual Security for the peaceable Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of what each Crown Po&s;&s;e&s;t, and no more.</Q> The <HI>Spaniards</HI> de&s;ire no more benefit of the&s;e Treaties, than what tho&s;e Authors herein allow them. 'Tis evident e|nough, That by tho&s;e <HI>Treaties,</HI> His Maje&s;ty got con&s;iderably from the <HI>Spaniard,</HI> to wit, Not on|ly a Title to the I&s;land of <HI>Jamaica,</HI> which was taken from the <HI>Spaniard</HI> during the <HI>Exile</HI> of <HI>Charles</HI> II. but likewi&s;e a full Right to all the Colonies in <HI>America,</HI> his Subjects were then po&s;|&s;e&s;t of. And if tho&s;e <HI>Treaties</HI> were no Fence to the <HI>Spaniard</HI> in <HI>America,</HI> I don't know what &s;hould oblige him to make &s;uch large Gifts, and renounce his Title to Place wwhich &s;ome time or other he might be in a condition to Recover. If the Subjects of <HI>Great Britain,</HI> may when they plea&s;e, Seat them&s;elves on <HI>Darien,</HI> or el&s;ewhere on the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Coa&s;t, then the <HI>Spaniard</HI> has no Benefit by tho&s;e <HI>Treaties:</HI> But I am rather apt to believe, (as our Author has hit it) <HI>That they were made for a Mutual Security of what oach Crown po&s;&s;e&s;t,</HI> and no more.</P>
<P>What our <HI>Authors</HI> would &s;queeze from tho&s;e <HI>Treaties,</HI> is, <HI>That neither Party is excluded from en|larging
<PB N="45" REF="23">his Dominions in</HI> America <HI>upon Wa&s;tes, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Def. of the <HI>Scots</HI> Settlement <HI>pag. 11.</HI></NOTE> or by con&s;ent of the Na|tives in fuch Places, as have never yet been po&s;&s;e&s;t by</HI> Spain, <HI>or</HI> Great Britain. Altho there's nothing expre&s;t &s;o in tho&s;e <HI>Trea|ties,</HI> and if I &s;hould yield them this Glo&s;s they &s;et on them, yet I can't &s;ee how the <HI>Caledonian</HI> Settlement can take any place here, becau&s;e Do|minion can't properly be enlarg'd before there be a Footing; and when tho&s;e <HI>Treaties</HI> were conclu|ded, there was no word of a <HI>Caledonian</HI> Colony.</P>
<P>The <HI>Caribdee</HI> I&s;lands cannot well be enlarg'd, but if the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> or <HI>French</HI> have not Room e|nough on them, they may remove to &s;uch Neigh|bouring Ones as are not the Property of a|nother Prince in Alliance with their Sovereigns. As for the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and <HI>French</HI> Colonies on the main Land, they may enlarge their Dominions far enough round them, if they will, and the <HI>Spaniard</HI> never quarrel with them, &s;o long as they don't come within the Tropicks, and meddle with his <HI>Noli me tangere.</HI></P>
<P>As for Dr. <HI>Cox</HI> and the <HI>Creolians,</HI> who &s;ettl'd and remov'd in the Bay of <HI>Campechy,</HI> they were in the Right, in Forming, &s;uch Flying-Camps, for when any of them were caught by the <HI>Spa|niard,</HI> they pay'd for it, and had their Mends in their own Hands: And the Author of the <HI>ju&s;t and mode&s;t Vindic.</HI> p. 168, is as good as &s;ati&s;|fy'd as to that Part of it, altho' he does not ap|prove of the Judgment of his Maje&s;ty, the Lords Ju&s;tices, and the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Council, who being ad|dre&s;s'd by &s;ome <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Marchants for a Patent to &s;ettle on the &s;ame <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> of <HI>Darien,</HI> &s;ome Time before the <HI>Scotch</HI> Company had got the Pro|ject, refus'd it on the Score of its being contrary to the Treaties of Peace. He would in&s;inuate, that the King, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> refus'd it for other Rea&s;ons:
<PB N="46" REF="24">But if our Author will look back and enquire a little further, he will find, that Sr. <HI>Tho. Mud|diford,</HI> Governor of <HI>Jamaica</HI> propos'd the &s;ame in the Reign of <HI>Charles</HI> the 2d. and it being can|va&s;s'd at Court, and the Legality of it exami|ned, it was refus'd on no other State-Rea&s;ons than its being contrary to the Treaties between their Britannick and Catholick Maje&s;ties; but our Author being dexterous, never wants a Hole to creep out at, by In&s;inuating, that his Maje&s;ty's and the Lords Ju&s;tices refu&s;ing the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Subjects that Patent, was not on the Ac|count of its Inju&s;tice, but upon Motives of State, which is as much to &s;ay, that it was not Time to di&s;oblige his Catholick Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P>As for their In&s;tances of the independent So|vereignties in <HI>Europe</HI> and <HI>Affrica,</HI> which are inclos'd with other Princes Dominions, the Ca&s;es are no ways parallel, &s;o long as the <HI>Spaniards</HI> are Ma&s;ters of all the fortify'd Places and Towns on the <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> and the <HI>Indians</HI> &s;carce of a Wigwam they can call their own. <HI>And as for the King of</HI> <NOTE N="*">Def. of the <HI>Scots</HI> Settlement, <HI>p. 13.</HI></NOTE> Darien'<HI>s inviting the Buccaniers to a&s;&s;i&s;t him to retake his Country.</HI> Altho' the King were not Fictitious yet by this innocent Story our Author concedes, that he had lo&s;t his Country to the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> when he wanted A&s;&s;i&s;tance to recover it out of their Hands: At this Rate the <HI>Scotch</HI> Company may not only elbow the <HI>Spaniards</HI> out of <HI>Darien,</HI> but likewi&s;e out of <HI>Mexico</HI> and <HI>Peru,</HI> &s;ince in the &s;ame <HI>Page</HI> he means as much by declaring the <HI>Indians</HI> the natural Lords of <HI>Darien,</HI> and the <HI>Spaniards</HI> only Tyrannical U&s;urpers. But to dive a little further into the Probability of this Story, I want to know where that People, call'd Buccaniers liv'd, whom the King of <HI>Darien</HI> in|vited to his A&s;&s;i&s;tance, or when they joyn'd
<PB N="47" REF="24">him and recover'd &s;ome of tho&s;e <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Towns, they did not leave him in Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of them? 'Tis more rea&s;onable to believe, that that Kind of Vermin which feeds on the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Spoil, went to the <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> on the Account of its Communication with the South Sea, and the Pa&s;&s;age by which the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Riches are tran&s;ported to the Galleons on the North Side, and per&s;waded tho&s;e poor <HI>Indians</HI> to revolt, and pilot them to &s;uch Places where they thought to get Booty, which is the more probable, by rea&s;on the&s;e <HI>Indians</HI> paid dear for it always when the Buccaniers de&s;ert|ed them.</P>
<P>As for Capt. <HI>Saukins</HI> his &s;ending a Letter to the Gover|nor of <HI>Panama,</HI> wherein he ju&s;tify'd his Proceedings, and a&s;&s;erted this imaginary King of <HI>Darien</HI> to be natural Lord of <HI>Panama;</HI> I know that old Buccaneer &s;o very well, that I believe it to be true, if <HI>Saukins</HI> had carry'd the Me&s;&s;age him&s;elf, he might perhaps have got a &s;uitable An&s;wer.</P>
<P>As in the <HI>Def. of</HI> Scots <HI>Abdicat.</HI> I declin'd An&s;wering the fiery Ejaculations of the fir&s;t Author, either by offering any Thing again&s;t the Legality of the <HI>Octroy</HI> it &s;elf, or the Intere&s;t of the <HI>Scots</HI> Nation in applying them&s;elves to Po|reign Trade, believing the former to be great and well de|&s;ign'd, for the Advantage and Pro&s;perity of the Country in general, and that the latter is &s;o ju&s;t, that I yield both the Theme and Doctrine of the ju&s;t and mode&s;t Vindicator to be good &s;o far as it relates thereto; &s;o I &s;till &s;hun med|ling with any Pa&s;&s;ages, either in the Fir&s;t or Second Author that relates to the &s;eparate Intere&s;t of the Two Nations, but ftick clo&s;e to the <HI>Darien</HI> Title which is the main Subject in Debate, and as the Original Author cites. <HI>Pag.</HI> 3. from Dr. <HI>Saffold&mdash;Sublata cau&s;a tollitur Effectus,</HI> if the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Title to that <HI>I&s;ihmus</HI> be found to be good; <HI>Then the Cau&s;e of the Complaint cea&s;es; and the Company ought to apply them|&s;elves to that which will turn to Account, and not run on Mea&s;ures to imbroil not only the I&s;le of</HI> Great Britain, <HI>but per|haps all</HI> Europe <HI>in a new War.</HI> If the thinking Part of Man|kind will but reflect on the Steps that have been made to <HI>Darien,</HI> to wit, in &s;ending their Ships and Men to &s;o fo|reign a Country which was &s;o lyable to be di&s;puted, and that with Six Months Provi&s;ions, 2. The Companies Ne|glect in Supplying them with more. And <HI>La&s;tly,</HI> The Di&s;per&s;ing &s;uch Declarations clande&s;tinly over the <HI>We&s;t-In|dia</HI> I&s;lands and Plantations (which of Nece&s;lity mu&s;t meet with Oppo&s;ition) to invite People thence to &s;ettle on <HI>Da|rien;</HI> they will find that there have been &s;ome private Wheels in this Machin that have brought it to the State wherein it now is, to &s;ay no more on't.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="postscript">
<PB N="48" REF="25">
<HEAD>POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>IF I have treated the la&s;t <HI>Caledonias</HI> Author with more Civility than he merits, 'tis becau&s;e the&s;e Sheets were fini&s;h'd and in the Pre&s;s before I was &s;ire that <HI>Ferga&s;on</HI> was the <HI>ju&s;t and mode&s;t Man,</HI> till now his Looks &s;ticking in the &s;everal Book&s;ellers Hands obliges him to di&s;per&s;e them a|bout <HI>Gratis,</HI> as the other Quack-bills, and &s;o gives me the Opportunity of being fully confirm'd in the Matter. His Employment and Morals are &s;o notorions already, that any thing I &s;hould &s;ay of him would add but little to his Infamy, and would be &s;o much loft on him. Wherefore, in reply to tho&s;e Scurrilities he fal&s;ly a&s;per&s;es me with, I &s;hall only put him in mind, that his Pot had not boil'd &s;o well, if he had not been better paid for his Shuffling, Plotting and Tricking, than I have for what I have ju&s;tly offer'd in Vin|dication of His Maje&s;ty's Proceedings, and to unblind a great Number of well-meaning Per&s;ons, who are indu&s;tri|ou&s;ly led into this Mi&s;take, by &s;ome particular Gentlemen behind the Curtain, who po&s;&s;e&s;s them with a Notion, that the Mi&s;management and Mi&s;carriage of their Affairs was not occa&s;ion'd by the Directors of that Company, but by the Government of the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Nation: And how far this will appear to be true, when it comes to be either calmly or warmly canvas'd, Time will di&s;cover: The greate&s;t Pro|&s;pect that I have of any Reward at pre&s;ent is the Daggers and Pi&s;tols, wherewith I am daily threaten'd, and nightly way|laid; again&s;t which Dr. <HI>Fergu&s;on</HI> in all his Machinations was always &s;ure to fence him&s;elf. Trade being very dead of late, he is re&s;olv'd to play at &s;mall Game rather than &s;tand out; but altho' the conceited Polltician &s;hades him&s;elf under the Skreen of <HI>Patria &s;ua,</HI> to calumniate the Government of that <HI>Ho&s;pitium,</HI> who&s;e Bread he hath &s;o long eat, and where|with hath been &s;o pamper'd; it is neither out of Friend&s;hip to the Company, Nation, or Kirk, (the la&s;t of which he plainly enough demon&s;trates, <HI>p.</HI> 205, &amp; 206.) but to blow the Coal of Sedition, &s;et <HI>Great Britain</HI> in a Flame, and bring his own Marks to bear; which may be the ea&s;ier conceiv'd by minding of what Sect and Kindney tho&s;e Gentlemen are, who e&s;pou&s;e the <HI>Darien</HI> Intere&s;t with the mo&s;t Heat. To flab the <HI>Knave</HI> in <HI>Newgate,</HI> were but to incourage the old Sinner in his Trade, and put him in a Way to get Money; whereas giving him his <HI>Mittimus,</HI> and &s;ending hith home to his own Country, to drive the Trade there, and giving him leave freely to make what he can of this Text, would be the mo&s;t mortifying and &s;uitable Puni&s;hment that could be in|flicted on him.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
