in
his dominions in a few hours, or destroy the whole metropolis, if ever it
should pretend to dispute his absolute commands." This I humbly offered
to his majesty, as a small tribute of acknowledgment, in turn for so many
marks that I had received, of his royal favour and protection.

The king was struck with horror at the description I had given of those
terrible engines, and the proposal I had made. "He was amazed, how so
impotent and grovelling an insect as I" (these were his expressions)
"could entertain such inhuman ideas, and in so familiar a manner, as to
appear wholly unmoved at all the scenes of blood and desolation which I
had painted as the common effects of those destructive machines;
whereof," he said, "some evil genius, enemy to mankind, must have been
the first contriver. As for himself, he protested, that although few
things delighted him so much as new discoveries in art or in nature, yet
he would rather lose half his kingdom, than be privy to such a secret;
which he commanded me, as I valued any life, never to mention any more."

A strange effect of narrow principles and views! that a prince possessed
of every quality which procures veneration, love, and esteem; of strong
parts, great wisdom, and profound learning, endowed with admirable
talents, and almost adored by his subjects, should, from a nice,
unnecessary scruple, whereof in Europe we can have no conception, let
slip an opportunity put into his hands that would have made him absolute
master of the lives, the liberties, and the fortunes of his people!
Neither do I say this, with the least intention to detract from the many
virtues of that excellent king, whose character, I am sensible, will, on
this account, be very much lessened in the opinion of an English reader:
but I take this defect among them to have risen from their ignorance, by
not having hitherto reduced politics into a science, as the more acute
wits of Europe have done. For, I remember very well, in a discourse one
day with the king, when I happened to say, "there were several thousand
books among us written upon the art of government," it gave him (directly
contrary to my intention) a very mean opinion of our understandings. He
professed both to abominate and despise all mystery, refinement, and
intrigue, either in a prince or a minister. He could not tell what I
meant by secrets of state, where an enemy, or some rival nation, were not
in the case. He confined the knowledge