This was all very well; but when King James had been driven out, the Lords and Baronets and Squires conceived the notion of ruling for ever over king and people.  They made Parliaments, which used to be annual, three years of duration; and when the members had been elected for three years, the members themselves made a law to make the people obey them for seven years.  Thus was the usurpation completed; and from that time to this the Boroughmongers have filled the seats just as it has pleased them to do it; and they have, as I said before, done with our property and our persons just what they have pleased to do.

Now it will naturally be matter of wonder to you, friend Jack, that this small band of persons, and of debauched wretched persons too, any half dozen of whom you would be able to beat with one hand tied down; it will be matter of wonder to you that this contemptible band should have been able thus to subjugate, and hold in bondage so degrading, the whole of the English people.  But, Jack, recollect that once a parcel of fat, lazy, drinking, and guttling monks and friars were able to make this same people to work and support them in their laziness and debaucheries, aye, and almost to adore them, too; to go to them, and kneel down and confess their sins to them, and to believe that it was in their power to absolve them of their sins.  Now how was it that these fat, these bastard-propagating rascals succeeded in making the people do this?  Why by fraud; by deception; by cheatery; by making them believe lies; by frightening them half out of their wits; by making them believe that they would go to hell if they did not work for them.  A ten-thousandth part of the people were able to knock the greasy vagabonds on the head; and they would have done it too; but they were afraid of going to hell if they had no priest to pardon them.

Thus did these miscreants govern by fraud.  The Boroughmongers, as I shall by and by show, have of late been compelled to resort to open force; but for a long while they governed by fraud alone.  First they, by the artful and able agents which they have constantly kept in pay, frightened the people with the pretended dangers of a return of the old king’s family.  The people were amused with this scarecrow, while the chains were silently forging to bind them with.  But the great fraud, the cheat of all cheats, was what they call the national debt.  And now, Jack, pray attend to me; for I am going to explain the chief cause of all the disgraces and sufferings of the labourers in England; and am also going to explain the reasons or motives which the Boroughmongers have for setting on foot this new fraud of Savings Banks.  I beg you, Jack, if you have no other leisure time, to stay at home instead of going to church, for one single Sunday.  Shave yourself, put on a clean shirt, and sit down and read this letter ten times over, until you understand every word of it.  And if you do that, you will laugh at the parson and tax-gatherer’s coaxings about Savings Banks.  You will keep your odd pennies to yourself; or lay them out in bread or bacon.