After all, as Sir William may poffibly be in earn.eft in his anxiety for the Duke of Bedford, I fhould be glad to relieve him from it. He may reft affured this worthy nobleman laughs, with equal indifference, at my reproaches, and Sir William's diftrefs about him. But here let it stop. Even the Duke of Bedford, infenfible as he is, will confult the tranquillity of his life, in not provoking the moderation of my temper. If, from the profoundest contempt, I fhould ever rife into anger, he should foon find, that all I have already faid of him was lenity and compaffion.

OUT of a long catalogue, Sir William Draper has confined himself to the refutation of two charges only. The rest he had not time to difcufs; and indeed it would have been a laborious undertaking. To draw up a defence of such a series of enormities, would have required a life at least as long as that, which has been uniformly employed in the practice of them. The public opinion of the Duke of Bedford's extreme œconomy is, it feems, entirely without foundation. Though not very prodigal abroad, in his own family at least, he is regular and magnificent. He pays his debts, abhors a beggar, and

makes a handsome provision for his fon. His charity has improved upon the proverb, and ended where it began. Admitting the whole force of this fingle inftance of his domestic generosity (wonderful indeed, confidering the narrowness of his fortune, and the little merit of his only fon) the public may still perhaps be diffatisfied, and demand some other lefs equivocal proofs of his munificence. Sir William Draper fhould have entered boldly into the detail-of indigence relieved—of arts encouraged-of fcience patronized; men of learning protected, and works of genius rewarded-in short, had there been a single inftance, befides Mr. Rigby *, of blushing merit brought forward by the duke, for the fervice of the public, it fhould not have been omitted.

I WISH it were poffible to establish my inference with the fame certainty, on which I believe the principle is founded. My conclufion however was not drawn from the principle alone. I am not fo unjust as to reason from one crime to another; though

* This gentleman is supposed to have the same idea of q lushing, that a man blind from his birth, has of fearlet or fkyblue.

I

I think, that, of all the vices, avarice is moft apt to taint and corrupt the heart. I combined the known temper of the man with the extravagant conceffions made by the ambaffador; and though I doubt not fufficient care was taken to leave no document of any treasonable negociation, I still maintain that the conduct of this minifter carries with it an internal and convincing evidence against him. Sir William Draper feems not to know the value or force of such a proof. He will not permit us to judge of the motives of men, by the manifest tendency of their actions, nor by the notorious character of their minds. He calls for papers and witneffes, with a triumphant fecurity, as if nothing could be true, but what could be proved in a court of juftice. Yet a religious man might have remembered, upon what foundation fome truths, most interesting to mankind, have been received and established. If it were not for the internal evidence, which the pureft of religions carries with it, what would have become of his once well-quoted decalogue, and of the meekness of his Christianity ?

* If Sir W. D. will take the trouble of looking into Torcy's Memoirs, he will fee with what little ceremony a bribe may be offered to a Duke, and with what little ceremony it was only not accepted.

THE generous warmth of his resentment makes him confound the order of events. He forgets that the infults and distresses which the Duke of Bedford has fuffered, and which Sir William has lamented with many delicate touches of the true pathetic, were only recorded in my letter to his Grace, not occafioned by it. It was a fimple, candid narrative of facts; though, for aught I know, it may carry with it fomething prophetic. His Grace undoubtedly has received several ominous hints; and Ithink, in certain circumstances, a wife man would do well to prepare himself for the event.

BUT I have a charge of a heavier nature against Sir William Draper. He tells us that the Duke of Bedford is amenable to juftice;-that parliament is a high and folemn tribunal; and that, if guilty, he may be punished by due courfe of law and all this, he fays, with as much gravity as if he believed one word of the matter. I hope indeed, the day of impeachments will arrive, before this nobleman efcapes out of life; ---but to refer us to that mode of proceeding now, with fuch a ministry, and such a house

of commons as the present, what is it, but an indecent mockery of the common sense of the nation? I think he might have contented himself with defending the greatest enemy, without infulting the diftreffes of his country.

His concluding declaration of his opinion, with respect to the present condition of affairs, is too loose and undetermined to be of any service to the public. How ftrange is it that this gentleman should dedicate so much time and argument to the defence of worthless or indifferent characters, while he gives but feven folitary lines to the only subject, which can deserve his attention, or do credit to his abilities.