mily. The mode of your defcent from Charles the Second, is only a bar to your pretenfions to the crown, and no way interrupts the regularity of your fucceffion to all the virtues of the Stuarts.

The unfortunate fuccefs of the Reverend Mr. Horne's endeavours, in fupport of the minifterial nomination of fheriffs, will, I fear, obftruct his preferment. Permit me to recommend him to your Grace's protection. You will find him copioufly gifted with thofe qualities of the heart,. which ufually direct you in the choice of your friendships. He too was Mr. Wilkes's friend, and as incapable as you are of the liberal refentment of a gentleman. No, my Lord;-it was the folitary vindictive malice of a monk, brooding over the infirmities of his friend until he thought they quickened into publick life, and feafting with a rancorous rapture upon the fordid catalogue of his diftreffes. Now let him go back to his cloister. The church is a proper retreat for him. In his principles he is already a bishop.

The mention of this man has moved me from my natural moderation. Let me return to your Grace. You are the pillow upon which I am determined to reft all my refentments. What idea. can the best of Sovereigns form to himself of his own government?-In what repute can he conceive that he ftands with his people, when he fees, beyond the poffibility of a doubt, that, whatever be the office, the fufpicion of his favour is fatal to the candidate; and that, when the party he wishes well to has the fairest profpect of fuccefs, if his royal inclination fhould unfortunately be difcovered, it drops like an acid, and turns the election ?

This event, among others, may perhaps contribute to open his Majefty's eyes to his real ho nour and intereft. In spite of all your Grace's ingenuity, he may at laft perceive the inconvenience: of felecting, with fuch a curious felicity, every villain:

villain in the nation to fill the various departments of his government. Yet I fhould be forry to confine him in the choice either of his footmen or his friends. JUNIUS.

LETTER

LI.

FROM THE REVEREND MR. HORNE TO JU

SIR,

NIUS.

July 13. 1771. FARCE, Comedy, and Tragedy, Wilkes, Foote, and Junius, united at the fame time against one poor parfon, are fearful odds. The two former are only labouring in their vocation, and may equally plead in excufe, that their aim is a liveli hood. I admit the plea for the fecond; his is an honeft calling, and my clothes were lawful game: but I cannot fo readily approve Mr. Wilkes, or commend him for making patriotifm a trade, and a fraudulent trade. But what fhall Ifay to Junius? the grave, the folemn, the didactick! Ridicule indeed has been ridiculously called the test of truth; but furely, to confefs that you lofe your natural moderation, when mention is made of the man, does not promise much truth or justice when you speak of him yourself.

You charge me with "a new zeal in support of "administration," and with " endeavours in fupport of the minifterial nomination of Sheriffs." The reputation which your talents have defervedly gained to the fignature of Junius, draws from me a reply, which I difdained to give to the anonymous lies of Mr. Wilkes. You make frequent use of the word Gentleman; I only call myfelf a Man, and defire no other diftinction: If you are either, you are bound to make good your charges, or to confefs that you have done me a hafty injuftice, upon no authority

I put the matter fairly to iffue.-I fay, that fo far from any "new zeal in fupport of adminiftration," I am poffeffed with the utmost abhorrence of their measures; and that I have ever fhown myfelf, and am ftill ready, in any national manner, to lay down all I have my life, in oppofition to thofe meafures. I fay, that I have not, and never have had, any communication or connection of any kind, directly or indirectly, with any courtier or minifterial man, or any of their adherents: that I never have received, or folicited, cr expected, or desired, or do now hope for, any reward of any fort, from any party or fet of men in administration or oppofition. I fay, that I never ufed any " endeavours "in fupport of the minifterial nomination of She"riffs;" that I did not folicit any one liveryman for his vote for any one of the candidates, nor employ any other perfon to folicit; and that I did not write one fingle line or word in favour of Meffis. Plumbe and Kirkman, whom I understand to have been fupported by the ministry.

You are bound to refute what I here advance, or to lose your credit for veracity. You muft produce facts: furmife and general abufe, in however elegant language, ought not to pass for proofs.You have every advantage; and I have every difadvantage: you are unknown; I give my name. All parties, both in and out of adminiftration, have their reafons (which I fhall relate hereafter) for uniting in their wishes against me: and the popular prejudice is as ftrongly in your favour, as it is violent against the Parfon.

Singular as my prefent fituation is, it is neither painful, nor was it unforeseen. He is not fit for publick bufinefs, who does not, even at his entrance, prepare his mind for such an event. Health, fortune, tranquillity, and private connections, I have facrificed upon the altar of the Publick; and the only return I receive, because I will not concur to

dure

dupe and mislead a fenfelefs multitude, is barely, that they have not yet torn me in pieces. That this has been the only return is my pride, and a fource of more real fatisfaction than honours or profperity. I can practise, before I am old, the leffons I learned in my youth; nor fhall I ever forget the words of my ancient Monitor,

""Tis the laft key-ftone

"That makes the arch: the reft that there were put "Are nothing, till that comes to bind and thut: "Then ftands it a triumphal mark! then men "Observe the strength, the height, the why and "when

"It was erected; and ftill, walking under, "Meet fome new matter to look up and wonder!" I am, Sir, your humble fervant,

I

JOHN HORNE.

LETTER LII.

TO THE REVEREND MR. HORNE.

SIR, July 24. 1771. CANNOT defcend to an altercation with you in the newspapers: but fince I have attacked your character, and you complain of injustice, I think you have fome right to an explanation. You defy me to prove that you ever folicited a vote, or wrote a word, in fupport of the minifterial aldermen. Sir, I did never fufpect you of fuch grofs folly. It would have been impoffible for Mr. Horne to have folicited votes, and very difficult to have written in the newspapers in defence of that cause, without being detected and brought to fhame. Neither do I pretend to any intelligence concerning you, or to know more of your conduct than you yourself have thought proper to communicate to the publick. It is from your own letters I con

clude

clude that you have fold yourself to the miniftry; or, if that charge be too fevere, and supposing it poffible to be deceived by appearances fo very ftrongly against you, what are your friends to fay in your defence? Muft they not confefs, that, to gratify your personal hatred of Mr. Wilkes, you facrificed, as far as depended on your intereft and abilities, the caufe of the country? I can make allowance for the violence of the paffions; and if ever I fhould be convinced that you had no motive but to deftroy Wilkes, I fhall then be ready to do juftice to your character, and to declare to the world, that I defpife you fomewhat lefs than I do at prefent. But as a publick man, I must for ever condemn you. You cannot but know,-nay you dare not pretend to be ignorant, that the highest gratification of which the most detestable in this nation is capable, would have been the defeat of Wilkes. I know that man much better than any of you. Nature intended him only for a goodhumoured fool. A fyftematical education, with long practice, has made him a confummate hypocrite. Yet this man, to fay nothing of his worthy minifters, you have most affiduously laboured to gratify. To exclude Wilkes, it was not neceffary you fhould folicit votes for his opponents. We incline the balance as effectually by leffening the weight in one scale, as by increasing it in the other.

*

The mode of your attack upon Wilkes (though I am far from thinking meanly of your abilities) convinces me, that you either want judgment extremely, or that you are blinded by your refentment. You ought to have forefeen, that the charges you urged against Wilkes could never do him any mifchief. After all, when we expected difcoveries highly interefting to the community, what a pitiful detail did it end in !-Some old clothesa Welsh poney-a French footman, and a hamper

of