iefly upon vegetables for his other
sustenance: he was one day recommending his regimen to one of his
friends who loved wine, and who, perhaps, might somewhat contribute to
the prosperity of this _spirituous manufacture_, and urged him, with
great earnestness, to quit a course of luxury by which his health and
his intellects would equally be destroyed. The gentleman appeared
convinced, and told him, that he would conform to his counsel, and
thought he could not change his course of life at once, but would
leave off strong liquors by degrees. By degrees, says the other, with
indignation! if you should unhappily fall into the fire, would you
caution your servants not to pull you out but by degrees?

This answer, my lords, is applicable in the present case; the nation
is sunk into the lowest state of corruption, the people are not only
vitious, but insolent beyond example; they not only break the laws,
but defy them; and yet some of your lordships are for reforming them
by degrees.

I am not easily persuaded, my lords, that our ministers really intend
to supply the defects that may hereafter be discovered in this bill;
it will doubtless produce money, perhaps much more than they appear to
expect from it; I doubt not but the licensed retailers will be more
than fifty thousand, and the quantity retailed must increase with the
number of retailers. As the bill will, therefore, answer all the ends
intended by it, I do not expect to see it altered, for I have never
observed ministers desirous of amending their own errours, unless they
are such as produce a deficiency in the revenue.

Besides, my lords, it is not certain, that when this fund is mortgaged
to the publick creditors, they can prevail upon the commons to change
the security; they may continue the bill in force for the reasons,
whatever they are, for which they have passed it, and the good
intentions of our ministers, however sincere, may be defeated, and
drunkenness, legal drunkenness, established in the nation.

This, my lords, is very reasonable; and therefore we ought to exert
ourselves for the safety of the nation, while the power is yet in our
own hands, and without regard to the opinion or proceedings of the
other house, show that we are yet the chief guardians of the people,
and the most vigilant adversaries of wickedness.

The ready compliance of the commons with the measures proposed in this
bill, has been mentioned here with a view, I suppose, of influe