mart
Expressions) will be apt to say, "Who are those Persons against whom your
Insinuations are levelled? Name them, if you are able: And as you ought to
be furnished with the most positive Proofs, before you are entitled to
throw out such Invectives, give them to the Public, in order that we may
hold these Traitors to their Country in just Abhorrence."

To all which strong Words I would beg Leave to suggest the following
Answers.

1. I think it may be allowed, without injuring the Cause of Truth, or even
Charity, that a Man may be fully convinced of a bad Design, or a wicked
Scheme being in Agitation, without being able to prove, who are the
Persons concerned in it. It is not usual for the Guilty to call upon the
Innocent to step forwards and be their Accusers: Nor can it be expected,
that the Names of the Conspirators should be the first Thing in any
Conspiracy which is to be brought to Light. Indeed, generally speaking,
this is the last Part of any Plot, or of any bad Design, which can be
fully known, or legally ascertained. And therefore, if either the
Experience of former Times, or the Nature of the Case, can afford probable
Reasons, and circumstantial Evidence in Support of this Assertion, _That
there are Numbers of Pensioners to Foreign Powers now among us_--surely
we have obtained all the Proofs that are necessary at present towards
establishing a general Belief of the Fact, (which is the only Point here
contended for;) and we must leave to Time, that great Discoverer of
political Machinations, to unravel the rest.

Wherefore, 2dly. Let it be observed, that the History of this very Country
furnishes us with striking Examples in Confirmation of the above
Assertion. Particularly during the memorable Reigns of CHARLES the Second,
and WILLIAM the Third, that is, just before, and just after the
Revolution, there were many venal _Englishmen_, both in the Senate and out
of it, the Pensioners of _France_; who, to be sure, meant nothing by what
they said or did on these Occasions, and for such Pay, but the Good of
their dear bleeding Country; who therefore stormed and thundered,
speechified and harangued, printed and published out of pure,
disinterested Zeal for the Welfare of poor, old _England_!

Hence therefore I infer, 3dly, That the like may happen again, or rather
has happened already, unless it can be shewn, either, that _France_ and
_Spain_ want no such Agents at present; or if they did, that they cannot
now,