Transcriber's Note: This e-book, a pamphlet by Daniel Defoe, wasoriginally published in 1713, and was prepared from The Novels andMiscellaneous Works of Daniel De Foe, vol. 6 (London: Henry G. Bohn,1855). Archaic spellings have been retained as they appear in theoriginal, and obvious printer errors have been corrected without note.
LONDON:
Printed, and Sold by J. Baker, at the Black Boy
in Pater-Noster-Row. 1713. [Price 6d.]
If the danger of the pretender is really so great as the noise whichsome make about it seems to suppose, if the hopes of his coming are sowell grounded, as some of his friends seem to boast, it behoves us whoare to be the subjects of the approaching revolution, which hissuccess must necessarily bring with it, to apply ourselves seriouslyto examine what our part will be in the play, that so we may prepareourselves to act as becomes us, both with respect to the government weare now under, and with respect to the government we may be under,when the success he promises himself shall (if ever it shall) answerhis expectation.
In order to this it is necessary to state, with what plainness thecircumstances of the case will admit, the several appearances of thething itself. 1. As they are offered to us by the respective partieswho are for or against it. 2. As they really appear by an impartialdeduction from them both, without the least bias either to one side orother; that so the people of Britain may settle and compose theirthoughts a little in this great, and at present popular, debate; andmay neither be terrified nor affrighted with mischiefs, which have noreason nor foundation in them, and which give no ground for theirapprehensions; and, on the other hand, may not promise to themselvesgreater things from the pretender, if he should come hither, than hewill be able to perform for them. In order to this we are to considerthe pretender in his person and in his circumstances. 1. The personwho we call the pretender; it has been so much debated, and suchstrong parties have been made on both sides to prove or disprove thelegitimacy of his birth, that it seems needless here to enter intothat dispute; the author of the Review, one of the most furiousopposers of the name and interest of the pretender, openly grants hislegitimacy, and pretends to argue against his admission fromprinciples and foundations of his own forming; we shall let alone hisprinciples and foundations here, as we do his arguments, and only takehim by the handle which he fairly gives us, viz., that he grants theperson of the pretender legitimate; if this be so, if the person wecontend about be the lawful true son of King James's queen, thedispute whether he be the real son of the king will be quite out ofthe question; because by the laws of Great Britain, and of the wholeworld, a child born in wedlock shall inherit, as heir of the mother'shusband, whether begotten by him, as his real father, or not. Now tocome at the true design of this work, the business is, to hear, asabove, what either side have to say to this point. The