Revenues loaded with Pensions to worthless and vicious Persons, and given for Services which would be a Disgrace to publish.  Trade flourish’d, Money was plenty, none of their Neighbours durst encroach on their Commerce; their Taxes were inconsiderable:  In a Word, as I before said, they were what our happy Nation now is, admired for the Prudence of their Administration at home, and the Terror of their Arms abroad.  They are now directly the Reverse of what they were, and even in my Time, they were sinking in the Opinion of their Neighbours, who began to consider them as a declining Nation, which Alteration, I must own (for I love to speak the Truth) was not a little owing to the Administration of my Friend, the first Minister, who in taking upon him to manage the Interests of Nations, went out of his Depth, for Affairs of that Nature seemed to be above his Capacity.  His Education, his Study, his Practice, were rather mercantile, than otherwise, and all that Knowledge which his Partizans boast so much in him, was confined to the Business of the Taxes, a Road in which he was (as it were) grown old, and to Money-Projects, which was owing to a strict Correspondence he always kept with certain projecting and mercantile People, and being used to carry all Points at home by Gold, he knew no other way of doing Business abroad; so that when their Neighbours used to differ among themselves, about some Points of Interest, and one Side or other stood in Need of the Assistance of the Cacklogallinians, they sometimes push’d themselves into the Quarrel, and perhaps paid great Sums of Money for the Favour of sending Armies to the Succour of one Side or other, so that they became the Tools which other Nations work’d with.  They are naturally prone to Rebellion, have let the Cormorants chouse them out of several valuable Branches of their Commerce; and yet the Cormorants are People with whom they have kept the most lasting Friendship of all their Neighbours.  They love War, and rather than not fight, they will give Money to be let into the Quarrel (as has been hinted before) they know beforehand, however victorious they may prove, nothing but Blows will fall to their Share.  If they are under a mild Government, and grow rich, they are always finding Fault with their Superiors, and ever ready to revolt:  But if they are oppress’d and kept poor, like our Spaniels, they fawn on their Masters, and seem in Love with Tyranny; which should any dare to speak against, he is esteem’d an Enemy to the Happiness of his Country.  They are very proud, yet very mean in some Particulars, and will, for their Interest, sacrifice the Honour of their Families.  They look upon nothing infamous but Poverty, for which Reason, the most scandalous Methods of procuring Riches, such as Lying, Robbing the Publick, Cheating Orphans, Pimping, Perjury, _& c._ are not look’d upon with evil Eyes, provided they prove successful.  This Maxim holds with ’em, both in publick and private