they not confess, that to gratify your perfonal hatred to Mr. Wilkes, you facrificed, as far as depended upon your intereft and abilities, the cause of the country? I can make allowance for the violence of the paffions, and if ever I should be convinced that you had no motive but to destroy Wilkes, I shall then be ready to do justice to your character, and to declare to the world that I despise you somewhat less than I do at prefent. But, as a public 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 deteftable 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 good humoured fool. A fyftematical edu cation, with long practice, has made him a confummate hypocrite. Yet this man, to say 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 fcale, as by in creafing it in the other.

The mode of your attack upon Wilkes (though I am far from thinking meanly of abilities) your convinces me, that you either want judgment extremely,

extremely, or that you are blinded by your refentment. You ought to have foreseen that the charges you urged against Wilkes could never do him any mischief. After all, when we expected discoveries highly interefting to the community, what a pitiful detail did it end in!-Some old cloaths,-a Welch poney-a French footman, and a hamper of claret. Indeed, Mr. Horne, the public fhould, and will forgive him his claret and his footmen, and even the ambition of making his brother chamberlain of London, as long as he ftands forth against a miniftry and parliament, who are doing every thing they can to inflave the country, and as long as he is a thorn in the king's fide. You will not fufpect me of setting up Wilkes for a perfect character. But the question to the public is, Where shall we find a man, who, with purer principles, will go the lengths, and run the hazards that he has done? The feafon calls for fuch a man, and he ought to be fupported. What would have been the triumph of that odious hypocrite and his minions, if Wilkes had been defeated! It was not your fault, reverend fir, that he did not enjoy it compleatly. But now I promise you, you have fo little power to do mifchief, that I much question whether the ministry will adhere to the promises they have made you. It will be in vain to fay that I am a partizan of

Mr.

Mr. Wilkes, or perfonally your enemy. You will convince no man, for you do not believe it yourfelf. Yet, I confefs, I am a little offended at the low rate, at which you feem to value my underftanding. I beg, Mr. Horne, you will hereafter believe that I measure the integrity of men by their conduct, not by their profeffions. Such tales may entertain Mr. Oliver or your grandmother, but truft me they are thrown away upon Junius.

You fay you are a man. Was it generous, was it manly, repeatedly to introduce into a newspaper, the name of a young lady, with whom you muft heretofore have lived on terms of politeness and good humour?-but I have done with you. In my opinion, your credit is irrecoverably ruined. Mr. Townshend, I think, is nearly in the fame predicament.- -Poor Oliver has been shamefully duped by you. You have made him facrifice all the honour he got by his imprisonment.-As for Mr. Sawbridge, whose character I really respect, I am astonished he does not fee through your duplicity. Never was so base a design so poorly conducted.This letter, you fee, is not intended for the public, but if you think it will do you any service, you are at liberty to publish it. July 17th.

JUNIUS,

LET

LETTER XLV.

Το

JUNIUS.

July 31st, 1771.

SIR;

γου

YOU have disappointed me. When I told you that furmife and general abuse, in however elegant language, ought not to pafs for proofs, I evidently hinted at the reply which I expected but you have dropped your usual elegance, and feem willing to try what will be the effect of furmife and general abuse in very coarse language. Your anfwer to my letter (which I hope was cool and temperate and modeft) has convinced me that my idea of a man is much fuperior to yours of a gentleman. Of your former letters I have always faid Materiem fuperabat opus: I do not think fo of the prefent; the principles are more deteftable than the expreffions are mean and illiberal, I am contented that all those who adopt the one should for ever load me with the other.

I appeal to the common-fenfe of the public, to which I have ever directed my felf: I believe they have it; though I am fometimes half-inclined to fufpect that Mr. Wilkes has formed a truer judgment of mankind than I have. However, of this I am fure, that there is nothing elfe upon which to place a fteady reliance. Trick, and low cunning, and addreffing their prejudices and paffions, may be the fitteft means to carry a particular point; but if they have not common fenfe, there is no prospect of gaining for them ány real permanent good. The fame paffions which have been artfully used by an honest man for their advantage, may be more artfully employed by a dishonest man for their destruction. I defire them to apply their common-sense to this letter of Junius, not for my fake, but their own; it concerns them moft nearly, for the principles it contains lead to difgrace and ruin, and are inconfiftent with every notion of civil fociety.

The charges which Junius has brought against me are made ridiculous by his own inconsistency and felf contradiction. He charges me pofitively. with "a new zeal in fupport of administration;" and with "endeavours in support of the minifterial nomination of fheriffs." And he affigns two inconfiftent motives for may conduct either that