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<DATE>2014-11-12</DATE>
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<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD><HI>REFLEXIONS</HI> On two late Letters concerning the Affairs of the City of <HI>Gla&s;gow: By a Citizen thereof,</HI> In <HI>ANSWER</HI> to his Friend at <HI>Edin|burgh,</HI> who de&s;ired an <HI>Impartial Account</HI> of that Matter.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>YOU write, that you di&s;commend, on the <HI>one Hand,</HI> the Conde&s;cention in &s;ubjecting the Towns Accompts to <HI>privat Men:</HI> tho indeed it is the cleare&s;t evidence that the Magi&s;tracy thought the &s;ame <HI>Prooff</HI> again&s;t the <HI>nicest Cavill:</HI> And on the <HI>other Hand,</HI> you tell me how it's obvious enough to your &s;elf; that the Author who pretends to <HI>Animadvert</HI> on them, &s;hifts the <HI>chief matter,</HI> and &s;eems <HI>glad of the opportunity</HI> of diverting to the writing a <HI>Satyre against</HI> Dovehill; At the reading whereof you were quite amazed, con&s;idering not only that Gentlemans <HI>Character</HI> among&s;t <HI>good Men</HI> in the Na|tion, but likeways, that in your conver&s;e <HI>here,</HI> you never found even tho&s;e who would have the Government go in <HI>another Chanel</HI> then it has been &s;ince the <HI>Revolution,</HI> traduce him in <HI>&s;uch manner.</HI></P>
<P>You &s;ay, That for retriveing your Thoughts, you took a &s;econd &s;urvey of that Letter, and then &s;oon perceived that it <HI>proved its &s;elf</HI> to be a very <HI>de&s;pi|cable Paper,</HI> which no man of Sen&s;e could credite: &s;eing it hath manifold <HI>incon&s;i&s;tencies</HI> in its <HI>own</HI> bo&s;om. Yet for your clearance in &s;ome <HI>matters of
<PB N="2" REF="2"> Fact,</HI> you asked <HI>Dovehill</HI> him&s;elf: but he, in a very generous and Chri&s;tian temper, having told that he would <HI>detract from none,</HI> but <HI>leave his Integrity to be vindicat by the &s;ucce&s;s, which Truth obtains over Calumny, in Providence:</HI> Only, he was &s;ure that the <HI>body of the Inhabitants of</HI> Gla&s;gow <HI>knew the contrary of the&s;e A&s;per&s;ions:</HI> and that he <HI>no ways charged them even on the Gentlemen who would have a change made of the Admini&s;trators:</HI> whence, you are nece&s;|&s;itate to inquire at me the <HI>true &s;tate</HI> of the Ca&s;e.</P>
<P>In an&s;wer whereunto, you cannot expect that I &s;hould follow the <HI>confu&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Ramble</HI> of that Letter; which would make mine too long. Nor are you to think that it contains the Sentiments <HI>of the City:</HI> for I a&s;&s;ure you, the Writers <HI>a&s;&s;uming</HI> their <HI>Name,</HI> for gaining &s;ome countenance to his <HI>Imposture,</HI> is a meer Forgery. Neither are you to be amu&s;ed with the Author's <HI>Cenfidence</HI> in what he vouches: for (be&s;ides what you have ob&s;erved of his <HI>contradicting</HI> him&s;elf, and the many <HI>Fal&s;hoods</HI> of which I &s;hall convict him hereafter) he is a <HI>Deist,</HI> if the per&s;on &s;u&s;pected be not mi&s;taken; and con&s;equently of that Gang who&s;e <HI>Testimony</HI> again&s;t a <HI>Christian</HI> is no more to be received then that of the <HI>Devil;</HI> the inveterat enemy of all <HI>good men</HI> and <HI>goodne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>This la&s;t leads me to point unto you the probable <HI>&s;ource</HI> of the de&s;perate <HI>malice</HI> which is con&s;picuous in every Paragraph of this Letter. For you know that the Inhabitants of <HI>Gla&s;gow,</HI> being left to <HI>a free Pole</HI> at the happy Revo|lution, while <HI>Dovehill</HI> was <HI>out of the Kingdom,</HI> yet &s;uch was his reputation both of <HI>&s;ufficiency</HI> and <HI>integrity,</HI> that, tho he was thus ab&s;ent, the <HI>Pole</HI> elected him unanimou&s;ly Commi&s;&s;ioner to the <HI>Convention of the E&s;tates:</HI> and, there|after the Town Council <HI>cho&s;en by the Pole,</HI> did likeways, when he was ab&s;ent, elect him to be Provo&s;t.</P>
<P>According to expectation, tho he found the Towns Affairs in a de&s;ponden<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> State, yet his conduct and diligence, in conjunction with others in the Go|vernment, have in good mea&s;ure retrived them: By procuring the Royal Gift for their <HI>free Election:</HI> by paying &s;o <HI>great Sums</HI> of their Debts: by ob|taining the Grant of <HI>Two Pennies</HI> in the Pint: by indefatigable Pains about &s;etting their <HI>Bu&s;ine&s;s in order;</HI> particularly by keeping <HI>a Book</HI> of Charge and Di&s;charge, extracted from the authentick The&s;aurers Accompts and Acts of Council of every Provo&s;t's time and mannadgement, and <HI>&s;tating the Ballance</HI> each two year, which made them know whether they were Sinking or Swim|ing, the want whereof was one great occa&s;ion of the Confu&s;ion before, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> be&s;ides particular <HI>Services</HI> for the profite of the Inhabitants.</P>
<P>As a further evidence, and that after <HI>trial,</HI> of the Cities con&s;ciou&s;ne&s;s of <HI>Dovehill</HI>'s <HI>merit,</HI> the Council <HI>elected by the Pole,</HI> alledging former <HI>Precedents,</HI> and that they had <HI>no Sett</HI> to the contrary, pre&s;&s;ed him to continue, by a Re-election, after the two fir&s;t years of his being Provo&s;t: but he would not
<PB N="3" REF="2"> <HI>&s;uffer</HI> him&s;elf &s;o much as to be put in the <HI>Leet;</HI> whereupon Provo&s;t <HI>Peadie</HI> (a mo&s;t de&s;erving per&s;on) was prevailed with, tho &s;truggling much again&s;t it, (for it can be no &s;atisfaction and plea&s;ure for any to engage him&s;elf in a place where he mu&s;t con&s;tantly wre&s;tle with a burden of Debts and other heavy Im|po&s;itions) to accept: and after his two years were elap&s;ed, he likeways declin|ing to continue longer, <HI>Dovehill</HI> was urged to &s;ucceed. But <HI>Dovehill</HI> of new gave his <HI>Rea&s;ons</HI> for refu&s;ing, and when he could not prevail, he withdrew from the Council and went Home, prote&s;ting that he would not accept tho he were named; whereupon Provo&s;t <HI>Naper</HI> was cho&s;en, a per&s;on of great In|tegrity and Ingenuity, who continued other two years: &s;o that the&s;e <HI>four years</HI> interveend before <HI>Dovehill</HI>'s la&s;t acce&s;&s;ion to the place. In all which it's to be ob&s;erved, that the Council all this time is &s;o far from being <HI>Dovehill's Sett,</HI> (as the Letter impudently calls them) that they are the <HI>&s;ame per&s;ons</HI> who were cho&s;en <HI>by the Pole,</HI> for the Letter it &s;elf does not alledge that there are any more changed then <HI>five,</HI> and as I have heard <HI>Dovehill</HI> commend the&s;e as very ho|ne&s;t men, &s;o of the&s;e <HI>five,</HI> there are but two of them which were elected by the <HI>Pole.</HI></P>
<P>You may &s;ee already from the quality of the <HI>Author</HI> of this defamatory Libel; from the <HI>thing it &s;elf,</HI> which is the be&s;t prooff; and from the <HI>&s;en&s;e of the Community,</HI> that <HI>Dovehill</HI> is unju&s;tly arraigned. But in the <HI>fourth</HI> place, I &s;hall now proceed to conde&s;cend on &s;ome of many <HI>particulars,</HI> wherein the Writer of the Letter makes down-right <HI>Lyes,</HI> or publi&s;hes to the World noto|rious <HI>Incon&s;i&s;tencies:</HI> whence you may conjecture how he is to be believed as to <HI>the re&s;t,</HI> viz.</P>
<P N="1">1. 'He a&s;&s;erts that <HI>Dovehill</HI> keeps the Charter &s;uch a <HI>&s;ecret,</HI> as that to this Hour it has not been &s;o much as entered in the Town-Records. Whereas it is <HI>verbatim</HI> in&s;ert therein, upon the 11th of <HI>August</HI> 1690: And the publick <HI>Act of Parliament,</HI> ratifying and containing the tenor of it, which goes in Print through the Nation, makes it an odd kind of <HI>&s;ecret</HI> with a Witnes.</P>
<P N="2">2. In &s;everal places of this Libel, he avers that there is <HI>a Sett</HI> of the Burgh, for making men believe that plain <HI>Rules</HI> are contraveened. Whereas there never was, nor is any &s;uch <HI>Sett,</HI> as to the Election of <HI>Magi&s;trats,</HI> but the &s;ame is regulate meerly by the <HI>Cu&s;tom</HI> of the Burgh, which has been preci&s;ely ob&s;erved ever &s;ince the Revolution by the&s;e per&s;ons who were elected by the whole Inhabitants in their <HI>Pole</HI> above-narrated.</P>
<P N="3">3. He affirms that the Town was Stented for the Money payed in to the <HI>Affrican Company:</HI> being probably difficulted to find <HI>plau&s;ible Names</HI> for Stents, whereas this is a down-right untruth: For that Money was borrowed con|form to the power allowed by the Act of Parliament, &amp; lyes yet as Debt upon the Town.</P>
<P N="4"><PB N="4" REF="3" MS="y">4. He &s;ays <HI>p.</HI> 8. That <HI>Dove-hill</HI> wrote a Letter to Provo&s;t <HI>Peadie,</HI> declaring <Q REND="margQuotes">his being obnoxious to &s;everal eminent Per&s;ons, and that the Town had re|ceived prejudice on his account, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> of de&s;ign that another whom he might <HI>load,</HI> might be &s;ent Commi&s;&s;ioner to the Burrows 1699.</Q> Whereas there could not be a gro&s;&s;er mi&s;repre&s;entation: And it's &s;o far again&s;t Sen&s;e, that the <HI>very telling of it</HI> does confute it.</P>
<P>It's true indeed, <HI>Dove-hill</HI> did Write a Letter de&s;iring not to be cho&s;en, be|cau&s;e he had been &s;o long from home, attending his <HI>management at</HI> Edinburgh, in <HI>May</HI> and <HI>June:</HI> But it is &s;trange how it could enter in the Writers Head to Forge &s;uch a Narrative, as may bring in <HI>Dove-hill</HI> acknowledging his <HI>own guilt:</HI> And for&s;ooth it mu&s;t be added that he traduced others, whom not|with&s;tanding, he acknowledges to have done all that was po&s;&s;ible for them to award the Towns further burden.</P>
<P N="5">5. The Libeller pretends <Q REND="margQuotes">that there is 126700 <HI>lib.</HI> mo&s;t di&s;ingenuou&s;ly &s;uppre&s;t, or at lea&s;t omitted, in <HI>Dove-hills</HI> Printed account;</Q> whereas all that is <HI>true</HI> in this Li&s;t is fairly &s;tated and compted for in the Books, and is virtu|ally <HI>included</HI> in the Printed Account. But the alledgance is a <HI>plau&s;ible de|lu&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>For clearing whereof, it is to be con&s;idered in the fir&s;t place, that there is only Printed the &s;everal <HI>Ballances</HI> Extracted out of the fore&s;aid Book of Charge and Di&s;charge: But the particular <HI>Accounts</HI> of which, the&s;e Ballances are made up, conform to the &s;everal Acts of Council, and The&s;auries Accounts warranting the &s;ame, are not mentioned in the Print: As indeed that would have made it Volumnious, the Ballances of every two years Compts made up of the&s;e particulars being on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> Printed, as &s;aid is. And in the next place, as to parti|culars them&s;elves; The <HI>fir&s;t</HI> Article &s;tated by him at 36700 <HI>lib.</HI> or thereby, if he means the Burrow-mi&s;&s;ive-dues, the&s;e extend only to 13200 <HI>lib.</HI> And as to deficiencies, notwith&s;tanding all that has been laid on for making up other former deficient Stents, it has been, and can &s;till be made appear, that the Town of <HI>Gla&s;gow</HI> has lo&s;t above 500 <HI>lib. sterling, by what</HI> they have payed out for Ce&s;s and Mi&s;&s;ive dues, more than they have got in by tho&s;e Stents. As to the &s;econd, of 16000 <HI>lib.</HI> gained by the Exci&s;e, the &s;ame, with all the other Ar|ticles, are fairly counted for, and are a part of the 30000 <HI>lib.</HI> of Debt payed the fir&s;t two years of <HI>Dove-hills</HI> management, it being well known that the Towns Revenue cannot pay a &s;ix pence of Debt, being in&s;ufficient to pay the Towns Annualrents; whence it tannot &s;pare any thing even to &s;upport the Government. But as to the fourth Article of 6000 <HI>lib.</HI> on account of a Tack of Exci&s;e from Mr. <HI>John Cochran,</HI> it extends only to 3626 <HI>lib.</HI> Out of which was payed to the &s;aid Mr. <HI>John,</HI> as owing to him 2600 <HI>lib.</HI> So that there was only got of free Money 1026 <HI>lib.</HI> as the Accompt Folio 32 does in&s;truct; and
<PB N="5" REF="3"> the Revi&s;ers cannot but acknowledge that both this, and all the other true Ar|ticles are fairly counted for, and if they &s;hould refu&s;e it, (as I'm &s;ure they will not) the Compts them&s;elves will make it appear, and if need be may be &s;een to any who de&s;ire it.</P>
<P>Neither ought it to be objected that <HI>Dove-hill</HI> was Provo&s;t and <HI>Book-keeper.</HI> For, as the keeping a regular <HI>Book</HI> is a great &s;ervice in the Towns bu&s;ine&s;s, that they may to purpo&s;e know the increa&s;e and decrea&s;e of their Debts, and can be only done by a per&s;on of Judgment, and known in Bu&s;ine&s;s: So this is no more than a <HI>Copy,</HI> for orders &s;ake, being founded upon the &s;everal Acts of Council, and &s;everal The&s;aurers Accompts cleared from time to time by the Town Council, to which the &s;ame <HI>relates,</HI> and which <HI>con&s;equently Dove-hill</HI> could neither eik nor pare in <HI>one Article,</HI> nor change from one Provo&s;ts time to another.</P>
<P N="6">6. The Letter quite mi&s;repre&s;ents the &s;tate of the Revi&s;ing of the Books.</P>
<P>For, when <HI>Dove-hill</HI> was <HI>pre&s;ent;</HI> the Town Council having appointed the two Hou&s;es of Merchants and Trades to choi&s;e &s;ix of each <HI>to Revi&s;e the Books, and Report</HI> (tho there was never a former Precedent of &s;uch a conde&s;cen&s;ion) all the Books, al&s;e well the <HI>general</HI> Records of the Town, and the Town <HI>The&s;aurer's</HI> Books, and the particular Accounts to which the&s;e relate, <HI>as well</HI> as tho&s;e Books <HI>keep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d by Dove-hill,</HI> were fairly expo&s;ed to their cen&s;ure. Nei|ther were any Records which they required keeped back, as all the Revi&s;ers mu&s;t acknowledge. And after their fir&s;t Meeting, they Adjourned them&s;elves from time to time, and &s;at al&s;e long at each time as they thought fit; and made what remarks they plea&s;ed, being no ways &s;tinted in any manner what&s;om|ever. After conclu&s;ion whereof, it being de&s;ired that their remarks might <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">e expo&s;ed; one of the Revi&s;ers, who took ob&s;erves, and having read <HI>all</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">he Articles, mo&s;t narrowly in&s;pected <HI>every one</HI> of them, <HI>an&s;wered,</HI> that he <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">nd the re&s;t &s;hould meet among&s;t them&s;elves; and having con&s;erted their ob|<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">erves, make report to the two Hou&s;es. But to this hour they could never <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">e prevailed with to do it. The plain Rea&s;on whereof does <HI>thence</HI> appear to <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">e, that they found, contrary perhaps to their expectation, that all had been <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">aithfully managed: (as &s;everals of them, of good <HI>note,</HI> have acknowledged <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">n all occa&s;ions, &s;ince that In&s;pection) and that if they had made a report, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">ither in Writ, or <HI>viva voce,</HI> they could have quarrelled nothing, but what <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">ight have been in&s;tantly removed, and the Article in&s;tructed. And tho&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">ho ob&s;truct it, can no ways ju&s;tifie them&s;elves in their not making a report <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> the Hou&s;es, if not in Writ, yet by Word; for they are expre&s;ly oblidged <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> it by their Commi&s;&s;ion from the Hou&s;es.</P>
<P N="7">7 The Leter alledges, that <HI>Dove-hill</HI> made the payment of Debt to be during <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">his being Provo&s;t, <HI>particularly</HI> 1100 <HI>lib.</HI> whereas it was during the time of
<PB N="6" REF="4">
'<HI>another.</HI> But this is not only fal&s;e, but likewi&s;e impo&s;&s;ible in Fact; for every Provo&s;t, having The&s;aurers in his time, who&s;e Accounts are cleared in face of Magi&s;trats and Town Council, their Accounts could <HI>not be altered</HI> from one Provo&s;t's time to another. And what <HI>Dove-hill</HI> affirms, is contained in The&s;aurers <HI>Peter's, Buchannan, Muirhead,</HI> and <HI>Dickies</HI> Accounts, who were all The&s;aurers during the time of his being Prouo&s;t. And the alledgance a|nent the 1100 <HI>lib.</HI> is utterly calumnious, as appears by the Books.</P>
<P>But this derogats nothing from Provo&s;t <HI>Pead<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e,</HI> or Provo&s;t <HI>Napier:</HI> For I know that <HI>Dove-hill</HI> is more ready than the Writer, to vindicate their inte|grity, and <HI>other</HI> good Services to the Town, as having better experience there|of. It having only &s;o happened from circum&s;tances, that this Debt was pay|ed in <HI>Dove-hills</HI> time; whom I have heard &s;olemnly offer, that if the Writer, or any other, could make appear, that ever he intrometted with a Six pence of the Towns Money, not counted for, he &s;hall make every Penny a Pound <HI>Sterling.</HI></P>
<P N="8"><Q REND="margQuotes">8. The Print proceeds to tell Non-&s;en&s;e; that <HI>Dove-hill</HI> does over-bur|burden the Town with <HI>Stents:</HI></Q> Whereas, in the fir&s;t place, this is <HI>impo&s;|&s;ible,</HI> it not being in <HI>his power,</HI> he having but a Vote, when he is Provo&s;t; and that only when it comes to it: which it never did in the matter of Stents. And, in the next place, I have heard <HI>Dove hill</HI> regrate more than any, that there &s;hould be &s;o many Burdens on the Town, whereof the Magi&s;tracy, and particularly <HI>Dove-hill</HI> him&s;elf bear their <HI>full &s;hare.</HI></P>
<P>However, it is certain that what-ever is impo&s;ed, is <HI>fairly and legally</HI> done by the Magi&s;trats and Town Council, remitting the &s;ame to Sworn Stent-ma|&s;ters, with in&s;tructions; who &s;ubdivide the &s;ame: And that al&s;e <HI>&s;paringly</HI> as the <HI>nece&s;&s;ities</HI> of their Affairs can po&s;&s;ibly allow.</P>
<P N="9"><Q REND="margQuotes">9. The Libeller <HI>draws in</HI> over-head, mention of Major <HI>Menzies,</HI> that he might have occa&s;ion to alledge, the Major might have been taken alive.</Q> But as the Article of this expence <HI>was long &s;ince</HI> payed, and could not be contain|ed in the Printed State, which contains only the <HI>la<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ge Ballances:</HI> So it is an impudent Arraigning, not only the Town, but likeways the A&s;&s;ize and Ju|&s;tice-Court, who a&s;&s;oilzied <HI>Dove-hill</HI> and the re&s;t: And it is certain that he was at a con&s;iderable di&s;tance by the door of the Garden, when that misfor|tune nece&s;&s;arly fell out; as appears by the extant Probation thereof.</P>
<P N="10">10. He charges <HI>Dovehill</HI> with &s;ingular Practices in relation to <HI>Elections,</HI> which are utterly <HI>fal&s;c,</HI> or <HI>di&s;gui&s;ed,</HI> as appears by the Particulars following: The Town-Council then being meet to elect their Magi&s;trats, the fir&s;t <HI>Tue&s;da<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"></HI> after <HI>Michaelma&s;s,</HI> to wit, their Provo&s;t and three Baillies only; upon the <HI>Friday</HI> thereafter, the Magi&s;trats newly elected, with the Magi&s;trats of the two preceding years, making up in all Twelve, (and if any be dead or ab&s;ent
<PB N="7" REF="4"> one is cho&s;en of the Town-Council of the &s;ame quality to make the fore&s;aid number of Twelve,) meet and do choo&s;e their new Council for the year fol|lowing. There is in effect no Council or Coun&s;ellors, except the new elected Magi&s;trats, betwixt the <HI>Tue&s;day</HI> and the <HI>Friday,</HI> that a new Council for the en&s;uing Year is elected by the fore&s;aid Twelve Electors. So that it's fal&s;e that <HI>John Leckie</HI> could not be turned out, for there is no &s;uch <HI>Sett,</HI> and <HI>de facto,</HI> the Year immediatly before, when he had been one Year Dean of Gild, he was turned off the Council, and was again brought on the &s;econd Year to be Dean of Gild, by vertue of which Office he came to be a Coun&s;ellor, by which means at the Election of the Council the Year thereafter there came to be One Coun&s;ellor more then by the Cu&s;tom they ought to have, &s;o that of nece&s;&s;ity one behoved to be laid a&s;ide, and <HI>John Leckie</HI> &amp; <HI>John Spreul</HI> being Li&s;ted together, the Electors laid by their Votes <HI>John Spreul</HI> a&s;ide. The Dean of Gild and other Officers are not elected till the <HI>Wedne&s;day</HI> the next Week after; and the con&s;tant cu&s;tom of Electing the Magi&s;trats, Coun&s;ellors, and other Offi|cers, have been inviolably ob&s;erved, without variation, ever &s;ince the happy Revolution, as the Town Council-Books will make appear.</P>
<P N="11">11. You may ob&s;erve, that this Writer turns him&s;elf into &s;uch &s;hapes, as &s;erve his purpo&s;e: without any re&s;pect to <HI>truth.</HI></P>
<P>For in&s;tance, he, when it &s;erves his turn, advances that <HI>Dove-hill</HI> can do <HI>all</HI> in the Town Council; and yet he would Artfully deny him the <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">onour of allowing in&s;pection of the Accounts to the Committee of the two Hou&s;es: Tho' <HI>Dove-hill</HI> was pre&s;ent then, al&s;e well as at other occa&s;ions.</P>
<P N="12">12. I intreat you to ob&s;erve how this Libeller would <HI>load,</HI> and yet either wants the <HI>memory</HI> or <HI>wit,</HI> to do it without <HI>incon&s;i&s;tency:</HI> as your &s;elf has <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">inted. Which I do mention only to clear further, that he <HI>Rambles,</HI> with|<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">ut regarding whether right or wrong?</P>
<P>'<HI>Page</HI> 11. He a&s;&s;erts that <HI>had</HI> Dove-hill <HI>given full and free in&s;pection of his Books, it were an ea&s;ie matter to co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">fute his &s;ham Account,</HI> and <HI>demon&s;trat</HI> that it was calculat only for a new Trick, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Now, how is it <HI>po&s;&s;ible</HI> for <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">e Libeller to <HI>know</HI> that it's ea&s;ie, he <HI>knows not what?</HI> And how is it po&s;&s;ible <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">or him to know a <HI>demon&s;tration,</HI> without <HI>knowledge of the matter</HI> by which <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">'s to be made?</P>
<P>'So <HI>Page</HI> 13. He &s;ays, that <HI>many concealed particulars amount to a great Sun, and can ea&s;ily be made appear,</HI> if <HI>Dove-hill</HI> could be prevailed with to allow the Inhabitants to in&s;pect his Books more narrowly, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But how <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">n the Scribler <HI>know</HI> what is <HI>concealed?</HI> And how can he <HI>&s;ee</HI> with any certain|<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">, <HI>further than he is allowed?</HI></P>
<P>And to Crown, or rather make Feazible all that he does advance, &s;o that <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> may be imputed allanerly to <HI>Dove-hill,</HI> He expre&s;ly a&s;&s;erts, <HI>p.</HI> 12. '<HI>That <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="left margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">he Council were all of</HI> Dove-hill's <HI>own choo&s;ing.</HI> Which, as it is non-&s;en&s;e,
<PB N="8" REF="5"> <HI>Dove-hill</HI> having but one Vote, even when he happens to be an Elector: S<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> it appears by what is premi&s;ed, that the <HI>&s;ame per&s;ons</HI> (except a few) are Coun|&s;ellors, who were <HI>cho&s;en</HI> to be &s;uch <HI>by the Pole</HI> of the City.</P>
<P>On the whole, what el&s;e is inter&s;per&s;ed in this &s;currilous Pamphlet, of Ve+nom again&s;t <HI>Dove-hill,</HI> &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ves only to <HI>di&s;cover</HI> the Author by his <HI>reviling</HI> no<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> to be a <HI>Christian,</HI> by his <HI>lies</HI> not to be a <HI>Gentleman,</HI> by his <HI>&s;colding</HI> not to be a per&s;on of <HI>breeding;</HI> and by his <HI>abu&s;ing</HI> a Magi&s;tracy in &s;uch an in&s;olent Print to de&s;erve (at lea&s;t) the <GAP DESC="blank" EXTENT="1+ words"> So that I &s;hall not detain you any longer with particular An&s;wers thereunto, e&s;pecially con&s;idering that I a<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> &s;ure, tho' I have proceeded hitherto out of zeal to <HI>innocence,</HI> for the <HI>Public<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Interest</HI> of the City, and in obedience to your <HI>Reque&s;t;</HI> yet <HI>Dove-hill,</HI> if h<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> come to di&s;cover what I have done, will reprehend me for taking &s;o muc<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> notice of <HI>&s;uch Stuff.</HI> And as to the <HI>Author,</HI> I have heard him &s;ay plainly, h<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> knew not <HI>who</HI> it was?</P>
<P>I know <HI>Dove-hill</HI> to be a per&s;on of &s;uch <HI>Religion</HI> and <HI>Sen&s;e,</HI> that he con<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters">+ders no more in this matter, than that the <HI>be&s;t</HI> Men have been <HI>most</HI> Tra+duced by <HI>De&s;igners,</HI> who have <HI>no Principle</HI> to withhold them: and will<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> ready to conclude with <HI>David, They compa&s;&s;ed me about with words of hatred and fought again&s;t me without a cau&s;e: For my love they are my adver&s;aries; b<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> I give my &s;elf unto Prayer,</HI> P&s;alm 109. ver&s;. 3, 4. Yet this could not hinder m<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1+ letters"> on your de&s;ire, to &s;et the matter &s;omewhat in its true light.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>I am with all po&s;&s;ible Re&s;pect,</SIGNED><SALUTE> <HI>Sir,</HI></SALUTE> <SIGNED> <HI>Your mo&s;t humble Servant.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
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