has been the aggreffor by making such frequent incurfions into scandal, the natural province of the

women.

However, I will do your correfpondent Junius the juftice to fay, that I think him a very fine writer, a great master of compofition, and indeed upon the whole I have not seen a prettier fellowupon paper. His former letters have confifted of general declamation, or pointed personal abuse. In both of these he has proved himself an adept. There is a great deal of oratory in his declamations, though he is perhaps too flowery and metaphorical, and seems as fond of point and antithefis as any woman is of point lace and French filk. As to his perfonal attacks, they are irrefiftible; no character can stand before him; he is the very butcher of a reputation: Heaven pre⚫ ferve the characters of all my tribe from Junius!"

In the art of exaggeration he has no equal; molehills he magnifies into mountains, and views your smallest peccadillo through a double microscope. Should there be the least spot or speck on your reputation, Junius can fpread it out (with the help of a few drops of ink) till it covers you all over, and makes you as black as a fiend; in fhort, Junius is chief japanner or calumniator-ge neral to the oppofition; he is employed to be

fmear

fmear the miniftry with his very best liquid blacking; and when he has written them out of office, he will no doubt change his colours, take a different brush, and white wash their fucceffors. I wish he may make as diftinguifhed a figure in the fweet work of panegyric as he has done in the painful task of calumny and detraction!

But of all kinds of abuse, private scandal feems to be his favourite morfel; Junius lays hold of a fcandalous anecdote, with as much keenefs as a fpider feizes an unfortunate fly; he crawls forth from the dark hole where he lay concealed; how eagerly he clutches it; with what a malicious pleasure he drags it along; his eyes gloat upon it with cruel delight; he winds it round and round with his cobweb rhetoric, and fucks the very heart's blood of family peace!

-

Various has been the conjectures formed on the question, Who is this Junius?' I have heard at leaft twenty perfons named, whom fufpicion points the finger at; nay I have been affured at different times, that each of them was the author in queftion. They could not all be the writer; perhaps none of them is. But in fpite of all the curiofity which is imputed to our fex, I declare fincerely, that I would not give a pin for the fecret. 'Tis indifferent to me who the man is ?

and

and whether he was firft dipped in the Thames or the Tweed, the Liffy or the Shannon.

But though I can't tell who Junius is, I will tell you what he is like. Junius is like a racer in the field of politics, who walks over the course alone; no one venturing to start against him; I have for fome time had a violent inclination to enter at the poft, though I am fenfible the odds at starting would be greatly against the filly; but for all that, perhaps I fhould be up with him at the long run. But I have run out any fimile, and therefore muft beg leave to take a fresh one. Your paper, Mr. Woodfall, is become the grand political cockpit ; and Junius ftruts about in it like a cock whom nobody can match; fuppofe that I were pitted against him, how do you think the bets would go? And what are the odds that he does not come off henpecked? If I should happen to get the better of him, it would be as much a matter of public wonder as the late affair of the hen in Scotland-Yard, who attacked a prodigious large rat that was carrying off one of her chickens, and after fighting a confiderable time, killed the rat, to the great joy and furprize of the fpectators." And befides, how great will be the honour accruing to our fex from such a victory? It will be recorded amongst the most famous exploits in the annals

of

of female prowess; and I fhall be ranked with the moft renowned heroines of antiquity. Thomyrisand Semiramis, Judith and Deborah.

But perhaps the defeat of this political Holófernes may not be fo very difficult; and indeed on a nearer view he does not appear half fo formidable. When Junius ftalked upon the heights of declamation, he appeared of more than ordinary fize; but now that he has descended to the plain ground of reafon and argument, he appears nearly on a level with common men. His letters on the Middlefex election are moft fophiftically dull, unless where he throws in fome perfonalities by way of giving fpirit and flavour to his political olio. However, I don't believe that with all his fophiftry he has made a fingle convert to his opinion. I fancy there is hardly one cool, moderate, impartial perfon in England, who does not think that the houfe of commons are the only judges of their own privileges; that no power on earth can force a member upon them, whom they have declared incapable of being elected; and that if any perfon under fuch known and declared incapacity, happens to have the greatest number of votes, that candidate who has the next greatest number of legal votes, muft of course be the fitting member. This opinion feems to me to be perfectly agreeable VOL. I..

Y

to

to reason, to common fenfe, and the principles of the conftitution, and (notwithstanding the delufive appearance of petitions obtained we all know how) I do verily believe it is the opinion of every candid, impartial, unprejudiced perfon in England; in fhort, of all those who are not the tools of faction, or the dupes of party.

JUNIA

LET