And What if the Pretender should Come? Or Some Considerations of the Advantages and Real Consequences of the Pretender's Possessing the Crown of Great Britain

"And What if the Pretender should Come?" by Daniel Defoe is a political piece that considers a hypothetical scenario: what if James Francis Edward Stuart, the Pretender, took the British throne? In this exploration, Defoe weighs the potential good and bad outcomes of trading the current Hanoverian rulers for a Stuart king. The author looks at worries about the Pretender's right to rule, the risk of French power and Catholic influence, and the unease caused by shifting political landscapes. He hints at the possibility of a stronger, more united Britain under the Pretender, where the country's debt could be relieved, peace could be assured through an alliance with France, and political conflicts could be avoided. The purpose of the pamphlet is to encourage a debate about the possible upsides of the Pretender's reign, contrasting common anxieties with a vision of national success and security.