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IT is well for men in office, that my pen has
taken this turn; and that I employ my&longs;elf in
writing harmle&longs;s non&longs;en&longs;e, rather than &longs;trictures on
their conduct In the ca&longs;e of the famous Gordon,
who, with Trenchard, was an author of what were
&longs;tiled Cato's Letters, it is well known that the &longs;hrewd
mini&longs;ter of that day, Walpole, dreading the effects
of the&longs;e writings, wi&longs;ely laid a plan to free his administration
from them; by affecting to admire the
&longs;tile; and &longs;aying, that it were a pity &longs;o noble a genius
were not employed in giving a &longs;ample of good
language, where there would be no occa&longs;ion to invent,
but merely to clothe ideas. For this rea&longs;on,
he would con&longs;ider it as a great happine&longs;s, could he
be induced to tran&longs;late &longs;ome work of merit; and
give it in the beautiful garb of his expre&longs;&longs;ion. By
this addre&longs;s, and the addition of a pen&longs;ion, the author
was induced to undertake the tran&longs;lation of
Tacitus.

Now, what government, with great art, got
Gordon to do, I have done of my own accord; that
is, to amu&longs;e my&longs;elf in ab&longs;tract compo&longs;ition; regarding
words only, and letting men of place alone.
Neverthele&longs;s, as the &longs;ale of the&longs;e is not certain; and
if I &longs;hould find it an expen&longs;e, rather than a profit, to
proceed in the work, I may quit it, and fall foul of
the public mea&longs;ures, tho&longs;e who di&longs;charge the public
tru&longs;t, at the pre&longs;ent time, may not be altogether
&longs;afe. It were, therefore, wi&longs;e policy in &longs;uch, to
a&longs;&longs;i&longs;t the &longs;ale as much as po&longs;&longs;ible; and it might not
be ami&longs;s, in the fir&longs;t in&longs;tance, to buy up, each of
them, a number of copies I do not know that I
have any thing to &longs;ay of the pre&longs;ident of the United

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States; or that I would &longs;ay it, if I had; nevertheless,
it might not be ami&longs;s for him, on the principle
of pre&longs;ervation, and, agreeably to that univer&longs;al
prudence he has ever &longs;hewn, to take a few; perhaps
50 might &longs;uffice. The &longs;ecretary of the trea&longs;ury,
and the &longs;ecretary at war, might take, between
them, about 500. As to the &longs;ecretary of &longs;tate, he
is &longs;uch a &longs;kin-dried philo&longs;opher, that an author would
make as little out of him, as a fly would out of a
weather-beaten bone; and &longs;o, it is of little consequence
to him, whether he buys one at all; for I
believe I &longs;hall not trouble my head about him. As
to the Congre&longs;s that have &longs;at &longs;ince the adoption of
the federal con&longs;titution, they need not put themselves
to the expence, individually or collectively,
of purcha&longs;ing one pamphlet; as I am determined
not to be bought off by them; but in a work which I
&longs;hall by and by publi&longs;h, will canva&longs;s, freely, the respective
demerit of their votes. I have not yet
written any of this work; but I have it all in my
mind; and if I had a ready amanuen&longs;is, to take it
down, could give a volume in a &longs;hort time.

The whole gradation of officers and place-men,
under government, are a good deal in my power.
Not that I would de&longs;cend to attack them; but I
might affect the &longs;y&longs;tem by which they are supported.
A pretty liberal purcha&longs;e, therefore, on their
part, might be money not ill laid out.

The men that are upon the government of Pennsylvania,
would find their account, in making it
worth my while to let my fingers run in this way,
a while longer. Peream ne &longs;cribam; I mu&longs;t write;
and if I &longs;hould break out upon them, I know not
where I might end.

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