THE pretty Bantling that has lately been laid to the charge of our four Parishes, and had probably as many (if not more) Fathers (for the Mother was without doubt true to the Troop, and the Babe has some of the features of several Faces well-known among us) one the B. of the Burrough, who (notwithstanding the pretences of Interest to byass him for Bethel and Smith) did certainly with his under- Janizaries engage for them as the French did for the English in the late Dutch War; another shrewdly suspected to be too much inclined to St. Thomas a Beckets Religion, though he appear an Anabaptist in that one instance of never having Christened any of his Children; a third so undeniably Popishly-affected that he has made choice to live in Tripple-Crown-Court; and the fourth, one who perhaps thought he might the more safely venture upon playing a trick of Youth because of his Interest in the Baudy-Court; (All which will yet doubtless be ready to declare themselves as in­nocent in the matter as the child unborn); this hopeful Babe I say, having as yet no other Name than that of it's Godfathers, How and Rich, I shall take the liberty to add to it the Title of a Scurrilous Jeering Pamphlet, which the following serious Exa­mination will make appear to be it's due.

After the reproachful term of Bromidgham-Prote­stant which they fasten upon the Intelligencer Mr. F. S. and which without question they hope will stick as a Brand upon the Sober-party in like manner as that of Papist in Masquerade does upon another sort of men. They hint at some strangers who concern'd themselves in our Election, and slily call them no small—with a space, which they knew common use would prompt any ordinary Reader to supply un­decently, whereas it is supposed that it was well known to the Authors, that among those strangers there were several true Protestant Peers that ap­pear'd in behalf of Bethel and Smith, against How and Rich; to whom though those famous Patriots were content to allow the Character of honest men, (which they may be for ought I know) yet cer­tainly our noble Friend was very much in the right, who at one of our meetings told us that we ought to chuse such hardy, rough-hewn Representatives as the present juncture of Affairs requir'd, and such as might effectually do the business of the King and Kingdom; and if Steward Smith be not such a one as well as his Partner, which I begin to suspect from the ac­count those Pamphleters (who it may be know him better than I) give of him, I recall my Vote, which before did him ho good, and my revocation of it I doubt can now do him no harm.

For it cannot be denied that that part of the Tory-Pamphlet which is purely Narrative, is agreeable e­nough to matter of Fact. And besides by compa­ring the Pole-book with the Poors-book of the se­veral Parishes, the Majority even of Scot and Lot men is on the one side of How and Rich by near a hun­dred; so that, I must be content to be represent­ed by those two persons whom the Protestant dis­senting Minister I mostly hear, and who is (I ima­gine) the person upon whom the Authors have in one part of the Pamphlet so scandalously reflected, has taught me not to make Arbitrators of my Reli­gion and Conscience.

The reasonably-to-be suspected-and not justly-to-be-defended-Authors of that Pamphlet have laid hold of all advantages to render the honest party obno­xious to censure; else they would not so industri­ously have exposed their slips and falls, particularly those of Mr. F. S. whom they would insinuate to the World to have been mad or drunk under the phrase of being overcharg'd with Ale and Zeal.

If by the Abuses said to be put upon How and Rich to weaken their Interest, are meant the scatter­ing abroad and posting up libellous Papers against them by some of our party, those who did so must answer at Law for their imprudence, if How and Rich, are not so good Christians and Gentlemen as the Scriblers of that Paper represent them to be; for I for my part am no more able to justifie such than our Tantivy-men are to defend what they are pleas'd to call Town-raillery.

We never pretended to make use of an Appeal but upon grounds, which the discovery about Scot and Lot men has now removed; and the Pamphle­ters cannot be thought to have been serious when they insinuated that the Inmates above all others had such a design; their condition in the World render­ing them less to be suspected to appear in behalf of a Member whose true English disposition might incline him to require the antiently accustomed compensa­tion for the trouble and charge of his service. So that the Scriblers might e'en have left off before they had begun; for I suppose that by this time I have made it appear that their Paper is a scurrilous jeering Pamphlet, Quod erat demonstrandum.