fubmiffion of the people, and to engage their affections to government. It is not fufficient that queftions of private right and wrong are justly decided, nor that judges are fuperior to the vileness of pecuniary corruption. Jefferies himself, when the court had no intereft, was an upright judge. A court of justice may be fubject to another fort of bias, more important and pernicious, as it reaches beyond the intereft of individuals, and affects the whole community. A judge, under the influence of government, may be honeft enough in the decifion of private causes, yet a traitor to the public. When a victim is marked out by the miniftry, this judge will offer himfelf to perform the facrifice. He will not fcruple to prostitute his dignity, and betray the fanctity of his office, whenever an arbitrary point is to be carried for government, or the refentment of a court to be gratified.

Thefe principles and proceedings, odious and contemptible as they are, in effect are no less injudicious. A wife and generous people are roufed by every appearance of oppreflive, unconstitutional measures, whether thofe meafures are fupported openly by the power of government, or masked under the forms of a court of justice. Prudence and felf-prefervation will oblige the

moft

moft moderate difpofitions to make common caufe, even with a man whose conduct they cenfure, if they fee him perfecuted in a way which the real fpirit of the laws will not justify. The facts on which these marks are founded, are too notorious to require an application.

This, Sir, is the detail. In one view behold a nation overwhelmed with debt; her revenues wafted; her trade declining; the affections of her Colonies alienated; the duty of the magif trate transferred to the foldiery; a gallant army, which never fought unwillingly but against their fellow-fubjects, mouldering away for want of the direction of a man of common abilities and fpirit; and, in the laft inftance, the adminiftration of justice becomes odious and fufpected to the whole body of the people. This deplorable scene admits but of one addition-that we are governed by counfels, from which a reasonable man can expect no remedy but poifon, no relief but death.

If, by the immediate interpofition of providence, it were poffible for us to escape a crifis fo full of terror and defpair, pofterity will not believe the hiftory of the prefent times. They will either conclude that our diftreffes were immaginary, or that we had the good fortune to be governed by men of acknowledged integrity and wifdom:

they

they will not believe 'it poffible that their anceftors could have furvived, or recovered from fo defperate a condition, while a duke of Grafton was Prime Minifter, a lord North Chancellor of the Exchequer, a Weymouth 'and a Hillsborough Secretaries of State, a Granby Commander in Chief, and a Mansfield Chief criminal Judge of the kingdom.}

JUNIUS.

LET

LETTER 11.

A LETTER OF SIR WILLIAM DRAPER TOTHE PRINTER OF THE PUBLIC ADVERTISER.

SIR,

THE

January 26, 1769.

HE kingdom fwarms with fuch numbers of felonious robbers of private character and virtue, that no honeft or good man is fafe; especially as these cowardly bafe affaffins ftab in the dark, without having the courage to fign their real names to their malevolent and wicked productions. A writer, who figns himself Junius, in the Public Advertiser of the 21ft inftant, opens the deplorable fituation of his country in a very affecting manner; with a pompous parade of his candour and decency, he tells us, that we fee diffentions in all parts of the empire, an univerfal fpirit of diftrust and diffatisfaction, and a total lofs of refpect towards us in the eyes of foreign powers. But this writer, with all his boafted candour, has not told us the real caufe of the evils he fo pathetically enumerates. I fhall take the liberty to explain the caufe for him. fuch writers as himself, occafion all

Junius, and the mischief

complained

complained of, by falfely and maliciously traducing the best characters in the kingdom. For when our deluded people at home, and foreigners abroad, read the poisonous and inflammatory libels that are daily published with impunity, to vilify those who are any way diftinguished by their good qualities and eminent virtues when they find no notice taken of, or reply given to thefe flanderous tongues and pens, their conclufion is, that both the minifter and the nation have been fairly defcribed; and they act accordingly. I think it therefore the duty of every good citizen to fland forth, and endeavour to undeceive the public, when the vileft arts are made use of to defame and blacken the brightest characters amongst us. An eminent author affirms it to be almost as criminal to hear a worthy man traduced, without attempting his juftification, as to be the anthor of the calumny against him. For my own part, I think it is a fort of mifprifion of treafon against fociety. No man therefore who knows lord Granby, can poffibly hear fo good and great a character moft vilely abused, without a warm and juft indignation against this Junius, the high-priest of envy, malice, and all uncharitableness, who has endeavoured to facrifice our beloved Commander in Chief at the altars of his VOL. I. horrid

D