against his opinion.

It has been urged with great appearance of reason, that an inquiry, such
as is now proposed, with whatever prospects of vengeance, of justice, or
of advantage, it may flatter us at a distance, will be in reality
detrimental to the publick; because it will discover all the secrets of
our government, lay all our negotiations open to the world, will show
what powers we most fear, or most trust, and furnish our enemies with
means of defeating all our schemes, and counteracting all our measures.

This appears to me, sir, the chief argument against the motion, an
argument of which the force cannot but be discovered by those whose
interest it is to confute it, and of which, therefore, by appearing to
neglect it, they seem to confess that it is unanswerable; and therefore,
since I cannot find the motion justified otherwise than by loud
declarations of its propriety, and violent invectives against the
ministry, I hope that I shall escape at least the censure of the calm
and impartial, though I venture to declare, that I cannot approve it;
and with regard to the clamorous and the turbulent, I have long learned
to despise their menaces, because I have hitherto found them only the
boasts of impotence.

Mr. CORNWALL made answer to the following purport:--Sir, if to obtain
the important approbation of the gentleman that spoke last, it be
necessary only to answer the argument on which he has insisted, and
nothing be necessary to produce an inquiry but his approbation, I shall
not despair that this debate may be concluded according to the wishes of
the nation, that secret wickedness may be detected, and that our
posterity may be secured from any invasion of their liberty, by examples
of the vengeance of an injured people.