are glorious monuments of your Grace's talents for negotiation. My Lord, we are too well acquainted with your pecuniary character, to think it poffible that fo many public facrifices fhould have been made, without fome private compenfations. Your conduct carries with it an internal evidence, beyond all the legal proofs of a court of justice. Even the callous pride of Lord Egremont was alarmed *. He faw and felt his own difhonour in corresponding with you; and there certainly was a moment, at which he meant to have refifted, had not a fatal lethargy prevailed over his faculties, and carried all fenfe and memory away with it. I WILL not pretend to specify the secret terms on which you were invited to support an adminiftration which Lord Bute pretended to leave in full poffeffion of their minifterial authority, and perfectly mafters of themselves. He was not of a temper to relin *This man, notwithstanding his pride and tory principles, had fome English stuff in him. Upon an official letter he wrote to the Duke of Bedford, the Duke defired to be recalled, and it was with the utmost difficulty that Lord Bute could appeafe him. Mr. Grenville, Lord Halifax, and Lord Egremont. quith power, though he retired from employment. Stipulations were certainly made between your Grace and him, and certainly violated. After two years fubmiffion, you thought you had collected a ftrength fufficient to controul his influence, and that it was your turn to be a tyrant, because you had been a flave. When you found yourself miftaken in your opinion of your gracious Mafter's firmnefs, difappointment got the better of all your humble difcretion, and carried you to an excess of outrage to his perfon, as diftant from true fpirit, as from all decency and respect *. After robbing him of the rights of a King, you would not permit him to preferve the honour of a gentleman. It was then Lord Weymouth was nominated to Ireland, and difpatched (we well remember with what indecent hurry) to plunder the treafury of the first fruits of an employment which well knew he was never to execute +. you The miniftry having endeavoured to exclude the Dowager out of the regency bill, the Earl of Bute determined to difmifs them. Upon this the Duke of Bedford demanded an audience of the -, reproached him in plain terms, with his duplicity, bafenefs, falfehood, treachery, and hypocrify,----repeatedly gave him the lye, and left him in convulfions. He received three thousand pounds for plate and equipage money. 2 THIS fudden declaration of war againft the favourite might have given you a momentary merit with the public, if it had either been adopted upon principle, or maintained with resolution. Without looking back to all your former fervility, we need only obferve your fubfequent conduct, to fee upon what motives you acted. Apparently united with Mr. Grenville, you waited until Lord Rockingham's feeble adminiftration fhould diffolve in its own weakness.-The moment their difmiffion was fufpected, the moment you perceived that another fyftem was adopted in the closet, you thought it no disgrace to return to your former dependance, and folicit once more the friendship of Lord Bute. You begged an interview, at which he had spirit enough to treat you with contempt. It would now be of little ufe to point out, by what a train of weak, injudicious measures, it became necessary, or was thought fo, to call back to a fhare in the adminiftration *. The friends, whom you did not in the last you * When Earl Gower was appointed Prefident of the council, the King, with his ufual fincerity, affured him, that he had not had one happy moment, fince the Duke of Bedford left him. inftance inftance defert, were not of a character to add ftrength or credit to government; and at that time your alliance with the Duke of Grafton was, I prefume, hardly forcfeen. We must look for other ftipulations, to account for that fudden refolution of the clofet, by which three of your dependants (whofe characters, I think, cannot be lefs refpected than they are) were advanced to offices, through which you might again controul the minifter, and probably engross the whole direction of affairs. THE poffeffion of abfolute power is now once more within your reach. The measures you have taken to obtain and confirm it, are too gross to escape the eyes of a difcerning judicious prince. His palace is befieged; the lines of circumvallation are drawing round him; and unless he finds a resource in his own activity, or in the attachment of the real friends of his family, the beft of princes muft fubmit to the confinement of a state prisoner, until your Grace's death, or fome lefs fortunate event shall raise the siege. For the present, you may fafely refume that stile of infult and menace, which even a private gen * Lord Gower, Weymouth, and Sandwich. tleman tleman cannot fubmit to hear without being contemptible. Mr. Mackenzie's history is not yet forgotten, and you may find precedents enough of the mode, in which an imperious fubject may fignify his pleasure to his Sovereign. Where will this gracious monarch look for affiftance, when the wretched Grafton could forget his obligations to his master, and defert him for a hollow alliance with fuch a man as the Duke of Bedford! LET us confider you, then, as arrived at the fummit of worldly greatnefs: let us fuppose, that all your plans of avarice and ambition are accomplished, and your most sanguine wishes gratified in the fear, as well as the hatred of the people: Can age itself forget that you are now in the last act of life? Can grey heirs make folly venerable? and is there no period to be referved for meditation and retirement? For fhame! my Lord: let it not be recorded of you, that the latest moments of your life were dedicated to the fame unworthy purfuits, the fame bufy agitations, in which your youth and manhood were exhaufted. Confider, that, although you cannot difgrace your former life, you are violating the character of age, and expofing the |