Neighbours durst encroach on their Commerce; their Taxes were
inconsiderable: In a Word, as I before said, they were what our happy
Nation now is, admired for the Prudence of their Administration at home,
and the Terror of their Arms abroad. They are now directly the Reverse
of what they were, and even in my Time, they were sinking in the Opinion
of their Neighbours, who began to consider them as a declining Nation,
which Alteration, I must own (for I love to speak the Truth) was not a
little owing to the Administration of my Friend, the first Minister, who
in taking upon him to manage the Interests of Nations, went out of his
Depth, for Affairs of that Nature seemed to be above his Capacity. His
Education, his Study, his Practice, were rather mercantile, than
otherwise, and all that Knowledge which his Partizans boast so much in
him, was confined to the Business of the Taxes, a Road in which he was
(as it were) grown old, and to Money-Projects, which was owing to a
strict Correspondence he always kept with certain projecting and
mercantile People, and being used to carry all Points at home by Gold,
he knew no other way of doing Business abroad; so that when their
Neighbours used to differ among themselves, about some Points of
Interest, and one Side or other stood in Need of the Assistance of the
_Cacklogallinians_, they sometimes push'd themselves into the Quarrel,
and perhaps paid great Sums of Money for the Favour of sending Armies to
the Succour of one Side or other, so that they became the Tools which
other Nations work'd with. They are naturally prone to Rebellion, have
let the _Cormorants_ chouse them out of several valuable Branches of
their Commerce; and yet the _Cormorants_ are People with whom they have
kept the most lasting Friendship of all their Neighbours. They love War,
and rather than not fight, they will give Money to be let into the
Quarrel (as has been hinted before) they know beforehand, however
victorious they may prove, nothing but Blows will fall to their Share.
If they are under a mild Government, and grow rich, they are always
finding Fault with their Superiors, and ever ready to revolt: But if
they are oppress'd and kept poor, like our Spaniels, they fawn on their
Masters, and seem in Love with Tyranny; which should any dare to speak
against, he is esteem'd an Enemy to the Happiness of his Country. They
are very proud, yet very mean in some Particulars, and will, for their
Interest, sacrifice t