I have kept an
impartial register of your actions, and no merit has passed unnoticed. I
have, with a most exact hand, divided to every man his due portion of our
common stock, and have had no worthless favourite nor useless officer to
eat the honey of your labour. And for all these I have had my reward, in
seeing the happiness, and having the love of all my subjects. I depart,
therefore, in peace, to rest from my labours; it remains only that I give
you my last advice, which is, that in choosing my successor, you pay no
partial regard to my family, but let him only that is most worthy rule
over you." He said no more, but, leaning back in his chair, died without
a sigh.

Never was there a scene of more real distress, or more unfeigned grief,
than now appeared among his children and subjects. Nothing was heard but
sighs and exclamations for their loss. When the first transports of
their grief were over, they sent the sorrowful news to all the houses
that were frequented by their community in every part of the kingdom; at
the same time summoning them to repair to the city of London on a certain
day, in order to proceed to the election of a new king.

Before the day appointed for the election a vast concourse of mendicants
flocked from all parts of the kingdom to the city of London; for every
member of the community has a right to vote in the choice of their king,
as they think it inconsistent with that of natural liberty, which every
man is born heir to, to deny any one the privilege of making his own
choice in a matter of so great importance.

Here, reader, as thou wilt be apt to judge from what thou hast seen, thou
already expectest a scene of riot and debauchery; to see the candidates
servilely cringing, meanly suing, and basely bribing the electors,
depriving themselves of sense and reason, and selling more than Esau did
for a mess of pottage; for, what is birthright, what is inheritance, when
put in the scale against that choicest blessing, public liberty! O,
Liberty! thou enlivener of life, thou solace of toils, thou patron of
virtue, thou encourager of industry, thou spring of justice, thou
something more than life, beyond the reach of fancy to describe, all
hail! It is thou that beamest the sunshine in the patriot's breast; it
is thou that sweetenest the toil of the labouring mechanic! thou dost
inspire the ploughman with his jocund mirth, and thou tunest the merry
milk-maid's song; thou canst make the d