Politics & government > Letters of the celebrated Junius

LETTERS OF
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grace’s province, as surely it is his passion,' rather
to distribute than to save the public money, and
that while Lord North is chancellor of the ex¬
chequer, the first Lord of the treasury may be
as thoughtless and extravagant as he pleases. I
hope, however, he will not rely too much on the
fertility of Lord North’s genius for finance. His
Lordship is yet to give us the first proof of his
abilities : It may be candid to suppose that he
has hitherto voluntarily concealed his talents j
intending perhaps to astonish the world, when
we least expect it, with a knowledge of trade, a
choice of expedients, and of resources, equal to
the necessities, and far beyond the hopes of his
country. He must now exert the whole power
of his capacity, if he would wish us to forget
that, since he has been in office, no plan has been
formed, no system adhered to, nor any one im¬
portant measure adopted for the relief of public
credit. If his plan for the service of the current
year be not irrevocably fixed on, let me warn
him to think seriously of consequences before he
ventures to increase the public debt. Outraged
and oppressed as we are, this nation will not bear,
after a'six years peace, to see new millions bor¬
rowed, without an eventual diminution of debt,
or reduction of interest. The attempt might