y
die than turn their backs.

It may reasonably be imagined, my lords, that the queen will place
more confidence in such forces, than in troops which are to fight only
for honour or for pay; and that she will expect from the affection of
her own subjects, a degree of zeal and constancy which she cannot hope
to excite in foreigners; and that she will think herself more secure
in the protection of those whose fidelity she may secure by the
solemnity of an oath, than those who have no particular regard for her
person, nor any obligations to support her government.

It is no inconsiderable motive to this method of assisting our ally,
that we shall entirely take away from France all pretences of
hostilities or resentment, since we shall not attack her troops or
invade her frontiers, but only furnish the queen of Hungary with
money, without directing her how to apply it. I am far, my lords, from
being so much intimidated by the late increase of the French
greatness, as to imagine, that no limits can be set to their ambition.
I am far from despairing, that the queen of Hungary alone, supported
by us with pecuniary assistance, may be able to reduce them to
solicitations for peace by driving them out of her dominions, and
pursuing them into their own. But as the chance of war is always
uncertain, it is surely most prudent to choose such a conduct as may
exempt us from danger in all events; and since we are not certain of
conquering the French, it is, in my opinion, most eligible not to
provoke them, because we cannot be conquered without ruin.

This method is yet eligible on another account; by proceeding with
frugality, we shall gain time to observe the progress of the war, and
watch the appearance of any favourable opportunity, without exhausting
ourselves so far as to be made unable to improve them.

The time, my lords, at which we shall be thus exhausted, at which we
shall be reduced to an absolute inability to raise an army or equip a
fleet, is not at a great distance. If our late profusion be for a
short time continued, we shall quickly have drained the last remains
of the wealth of our country. We have long gone on from year to year,
raising taxes and contracting debts; and unless the riches of Britain
are absolutely unlimited, must in a short time reduce them to nothing.
Our expenses are not all, indeed, equally destructive; some, though
the method of raising them be vexatious and oppressive, do not much
impoverish