and virtues that difgrace him. A faultless, infipid equality in his character, is neither capable of vice nor virtue in the extreme; but it fecures his fubmiffion to those perfons, whom he has been accustomed to refpect, and makes him a dangerous inftrument of their ambition. Secluded from the world, attached from his infancy to one set of perfons, and one fet of ideas, he can neither open his heart to new connexions, nor his mind to better information. A character of this fort is the foil fittest to produce that obftinate bigotry in politics and religion, which begins with a meritorious facrifice of the understanding, and finally conducts the monarch and the martyr to the block.

At any other period, I doubt not, the fcanda lous diforders, which have been introduced into the government of all the dependencies in the Empire, would have roufed and engaged the attention of the public. The odious abuse and proftitution of the prerogative at home, the unconftitutional employment of the military,—the arbitrary fines and commitments by the house of Lords, and court of King's-Bench ;-the mercy of a chafte and pious prince extended chearfully to a wilful murderer, because that murderer is the brother of a common prostitute, would, I think, at any other time, have excited universal indigna

tion. But the daring attack upon the conftitution, in the Middlesex Election, makes us callous and indifferent to inferior grievances. No man regards an eruption upon the furface, when the noble parts are invaded, and he feels a mortification approaching to his heart. The free election of our reprefentatives in parliament comprehends, because it is, the fource and fecurity of every right and privilege of the English nation. The miniftry have realised the compendious ideas of Caligula. They know that the liberty, the laws, and property of an Englishman have in truth but one neck, and that to violate the freedom of election strikes deeply at them all.

JUNIUS.

LETTER

XXXVII,

To Lord NORTH.

My LORD,

MR.

August 22, 1770.

R. Luttrell's fervices were the chief fupport and ornament of the Duke of Grafton's adminiftration. The honour of rewarding them was referved for your Lordship. The Duke, it seems, had contracted an obligation he was afhamed to acknowledge, and unable to acquit. You, my Lord, had no fcruples. You accepted of the fuc

ceffion

ceffion with all its incumbrances, and have paid Mr. Luttrell his legacy, at the hazard of ruining the estate.

When this accomplished youth declared himfelf the champion of government, the world was bufy in enquiring what honours or emoluments could be a fufficient recompence, to a young man of his rank and fortune, for fubmitting to mark his entrance into life with the univerfal contempt and deteftation of his country. His noble father had not been fo precipitate. To vacate his feat in parliament; to intrude upon a county in which he had no intereft or connexion ;-to poffefs himfelf of another man's right, and to maintain it in defiance of public fhame as well as juftice, befpoke a degree of zeal or of depravity, which all the favour of a pious Prince could hardly requite. I protest, my Lord, there is in this young man's conduct a ftrain of proftitution, which, for its fingularity, I cannot but admire. He has difcovered a new line in the human character;-he has degraded even the name of Luttrell, and gratified his father's moft fanguine expectations.

The Duke of Grafton, with every poffible difpofition to patronife this kind of merit, was contented with pronouncing Colonel Luttrell's panegyric. The gallant fpirit, the difinterested zeal of

the

the young adventurer, were echoed through the House of Lords. His Grace repeatedly pledged himself to the House, as an evidence of the purity of his friend Mr. Luttrell's intentions;-that he had engaged without any prospect of personal benefit, and that the idea of compenfation would mortally offend him. The noble Duke could hardly be in earneft; but he had lately quitted his employment, and began to think it neceffary to take some care of his reputation. At that very moment, the Irish negotiation was probably begun.-Come forward, thou worthy reprefentative of Lord Bute, and tell this infulted country, who advised the King to appoint Mr. Luttrell ADJUTANT-GENERAL to the army in Ireland. By what management was Colonel Cuninghame prevailed on to refign his employment, and the obfequious Gisborne to accept of a penfion for the government of Kinfale*? Was it an original ftipulation with the Princess of Wales, or does he owe his preferment to your lordship's partiality,

*This infamous tranfaction ought to be explained to the public. Colonel Gisborne was quarter-mater-general in Ire. land. Lord Townshend perfuades him to refign to a Scotch officer, one Frafer, and gives him the government of Kinfale; Colonel Cuninghame was Adjutant-General in Ireland. Lord Townshend offers him a penfion, to induce him to resign to Luttrell. Cuninghame treats the offer with contempt. What's

to

partiality, or to the Duke of Bedford's friendship? My Lord, though it may not be poffible to trace this measure to its fource, we can follow the stream, and warn the country of its approaching deftruction. The English nation must be roused, and put upon its guard. Mr. Luttrell has already fhewn us how far he may be trufted, whenever an open attack is to be made upon the liberties of this country. I do not doubt that there is a deliberate plan formed.-Your Lordship best knows by whom ;-the corruption of the legislative body on this fidea military force on the other-and then, Farewell to England! It is impoffible that any Minister shall dare to advise the King to place fuch a man as Luttrell in the confidential poft of AdjutantGeneral, if there were not fome fecret purpofe in view, which only fuch a man as Luttrell is fit to promote. The infult offered to the army in general is as grofs as the outrage intended to the people of England. What! Lieutenant-Colonel Luttrell to be Adjutant-General of an army of fixteen thousand men! one would think his Majesty's

to be done? poor Gisborne must move once more.-He accepts of a penfion of 500l. a year, until a government of greater value fhall become vacant. Colonel Cuninghame is made Governor of Kinfale; and Luttrell, at laft, for whom the whole machinery is put in motion, becomes Adjutant-General, and in effect takes the command of the army in Ireland.

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