Memoirs of the Life of The first account we have of this remarkable perfonage, Sir George Jefferies, is, that he was recorder of the city of London. In the year 1680, the court-party having by their influence over their conftituents protured addreffes to his majesty, Charles II. in which they expreffed their abhorrence of the licentious freedom, which had been expreffed in demanding a parliament; and the city of London at that time taking the lead in this demand, Sir George Jefferies was voted by the Commons a betrayer of the rights of the Jubject, because he had fubfcribed the petition of the abhorrers; an addrefs was made to his majefty to remove him out of all public offices, and the members, who ferved for the city, were ordered to communicate this vote to the court of alder men. The difpleafure of the countryparty is too often a recommendation to the favours of the court; and fo it proved in this inftance. For in April following his majefty made Sir George Jefferies one of his council for the marches of Wales, and chief juf tice of Chefter. The reafon of this promotion is well affigned by an hiftorian of fome note. He informs us, That the most unhappy partiality iu the difpofal of royal favours was to find out thofe lawyers, who were thought moft inclinable to carry the prerogative beyond the law, and it was with this view that Jefferies re'ceived the king's writ." 43. Sir George Jefferies, &c. We find no notice taken of this remarkable perfonage after this, in 'the general history of this reign, till the year 1683, and then he fhewed, how judicious the court had been in preferring him. In this year came on the trial of Algernon Sidney, brother to the earl of Leicefter, an in'trepid republican, who, in principles and magnanimity, was equal to any of the fenators of Rome. 'Tis true he had been deeply engaged with F 2 chan than the effufions of the heart: he infifted likewife that he could not be convicted of treafon, because in a charge of that kind two living witneffes were required for conviction. His arguments, though unanfwerable, had no effect. For the jury had been packed for his trial, and he was convicted of courfe. The behaviour of Sir George Jefferies on this occafion, was virulent and inhuman, and incredibly partial. Inftead of the calm reafoner, he fhewed himself an angry party, and without regarding the noble family, of the earls of Leicefter, or the name of the Sidneys, was pleased to tell the jury, "that Algernon was born a traitor." Services of this kind could not but recommend Sir George Jefferies to the efteem of the miniftry, and he who had approved himself fo ready to facilitate their measures upon the late occafion, had fhewn himself fit to be confided in upon any other of a fimilar nature. To enfure the condemnation of all thofe, whofe profecutions were refolved upon, the king made Sir George Jefferies lord chief juftice of the court of king's bench, in the courfe of this year, in the room of Sir Edmund Saunders, and he was fworn in at Michaelmas. He was indeed a man proper for the defigns of the court, having neither honour nor confcience, being impudent, if not infolent, to the laft degree; and ready to betray his duty, the intereft of justice, and the welfare of the kingdom, to recommend himself to thofe who were in power. Both the views of the court, and the fervility of the lawyers of thofe times, may eafily be deduced from hence; that the ferjeants who were called to the bar, had the following motto on their rings, which they prefented on the occafion, A DEO REX, A REGE LEX, the king is from God, the law from the king In February 1683-4, John Hamden, or Hampden, Efq; grandfon of the celebrated patriot of that name, in the reign of Charles I. was tried as one of the confpirators in the Ryehoufe plot, juft mentioned. The fole evidence against him was lord Howard, who depofed," that the council of fix meeting in Mr. Hampden's house, Mr. Hampden addreffed them in an introductory speech; and that he was concerned in fending Aaron Smith into Scotland. Mr. Hampden's council by way of invalidating his lordship's evidence, infifted upon his bad character and fcandalous life, and represented him as little better than an atheift. Besides this, Mr. Hampden produced witneffes to his own character, who gave teftimony to his virtue, piety and integrity. But as if no teftimonies are of any avail to fome judges: Jefferies in a long and tedious fpeech, expatiated upon virtue and religion in general; and at laft, addreffing himself to Mr. Hampden, fays, "Was it not under the fhape of religion, that the bleffed martyr king Charles I. came to the block? Nay, fome men were at a lofs to know which way they should put a spirit into the common people to oppose the king, and fome among them (Mr. Hampden the firft) bid them be fure to put religion to be the pretence, and that would make them run head-long to what they would have them." As there was but a fingle evidence against him, Mr. Hampden could not be condemned for treafon; but this righteous judge, by a fineffe, altered the mode of his trial, and had him indicted for a mifdemeanor; upon which he was caft by the fole evidence of lord Howard, and fined forty thousand pounds. [To be continued.] On I On the Re-electing Mr. Wilkes Alderman of London. Rara temporum felicitas, ubi fentire quæ velis et quæ fentias dicere licet." Now glory in the title of a Londonner, tho' in a late mayoralty I thought it a difgrace. The intrepid conftancy which my brother citizens have fhewn in efpoufing the cause of a man, who has been facrificed to an and unrelenting ry, difplays the value they fet upon their liberties, and the hatred they bear to every appearance of cruelty. The reft of the nation have generally caught the noble flame from them, and by concurring with the members of the city, have frequently rescued the nation from impending ruin. The electing a man into the high office of an Alderman, who has abilities to understand, and courage to execute his duty, is an illuftrious proof of unbiaffed integrity. When we find that no power which m― -1 influence could procure, was omitted on this remarkable occafion, and that threats were laughed at, and promifes rejected with fcorn, we may flatter ourselves that patriotism is not quite extinct, and we may congratulate the city for fhewing us, that her members are as much above venality, as they are above pufillanimity. They enjoy the greateft privileges of any other city, and while they act thus confiftently with the call of liberty, they richly deserve all the privileges they enjoy. This effort of patriotifm is the more laudable, as it did not proceed from a tranfient fit of generofity, but from a fettled habit; not from the precipitate emotions of rashness, but from the dictates of calm deliberation. Tho' the first election of Mr. Wilkes difplayed the heroifm of the citizens to advantage, their re-election of him raifes their character beyond the acclamations of applaufe, and establishes their intre Tacit. 1 Hift. 1. 6. pid wisdom beyond the poffibility of a doubt. What a thunderbolt must their conduct have been to the abject tools of m- -rs, when they placed the object of their vengeance in the feat of honour? and by adopting him among their magiftrates, whom the freeholders of Middlesex had returned as one of their fenators, they caft fuch a glory round the fuffering patriot, as no ftorm of oppreffion can obscure. Cicero, the greatest Roman patriot, was, like our Alderman, driven from his country; but, on his return, loft all the fenfe of his fufferings in the univerfal acclamations of his fellowcitizens. Mr. Wilkes no doubt did the fame. The Roman orator returned to triumph over his adverfaries, and fo may the English patriot. Tho' the laws have been strained to oppress him, he has more than once triumphed over the wiles of oppreffion. Tho' he has fometimes been overcome, yet his very fall has been glorious. He is the reviver of patriotism, whose facred flame was nearly extinct. And in profecuting his own caufe, and punishing his private adverfaries, has vindicated the caufe of liberty, and established the fabric of law upon the best and fureft bafis. We need not particularife what he has done; but we cannot but figh for what he ha been prevented from doing. As the common good has fuffered upon this account, his oppreffion interefts all the friends of the nation in his caufe; and the mere efpoufing of his intereft is a tacit deteftation of oppreffion either in m- s, or the hirelings of m-s. His re-election then is a means of fhewing the fenfe of the people with respect to him and his adverfa ries; ties; it is a kind of admonition to power to keep clear from the boundaries of injuftice; and may be a means of keeping a nation free, which has always been the freeft nation upon earth. While the gene rous glow of patriotifm animates his friends in the fenate; we have little to fear on this account; for though they may be prohibited to write, yet there is no inhibition against their fpeaking. In this refpect we may boast that we have arrived to that condition which Timoleon boafts of "I have now obtained my utmost with, and it has always been my prayers, that I might leave the Syracufans in fuch a flate, that every one might speak of what he pleafed with impunity." A good miniftry will al ways adopt this with of the Corinthian; and they who reject it, plainly declare what they are, and what they would be at. An Apology for the Populace on a recent Occafion. HE very humane apologifts for the murder of young Allen, Redburn and Mr. Clark, have been extremely vehement againft, what they are pleased to call, an inhuman triumph over the Brentford rioters lately convicted at the Old Bailey. I mean the fhout of approbation, which rang through the hall, when the foreman of the jury brought in the prifoners guilty. I will not undertake to justify either the decency or propriety of fuch an acclamation, at fuch a time and place. It was, perhaps, both illtimed and improper. Mr. Recorder, however, feems to have a treacherous memory, by faying that he never heard the like on a fimilar occafion. At the conviction of Mrs. Brownrigg, the exclamation of the populace was much louder; nor do I think, even in that cafe, where it evidently arofe from an univerfal deteftation of the prifoner, it was any proof of the inhumanity of the people; but rather of their abhorrence of the unparalfelled cruelties laid to her charge. In the prefent cafe I cannot think fuch motive operated to any confider able degree. On the contrary, I looked upon this offenfive acclamation, not as arifing from a vindictive fpirit, or perfonal resentment against the prifoners, but as an involuntary tribute of applaufe paid to the jury for having difcharged their important truft with juftice and integrity. This fuggeftion is evidently confirmed by the known difpofition of the public towards thefe unhappy convicts, and the means fince taken by the profe cutors themselves to fave their forfeited lives. It is plain, therefore, no particular defire of revenge was previously entertained against them. Nor will this public mark of ap probation given the jury appear in fo heinous a light as hath been reprefented, if we reflect how lately and how frequently packed juries have, on popular occafions, betrayed the caufe of justice, by a flavifh obedience to the inftructions of their fuppofed fuperiors; whofe unconstitutional interpofition in fuch cafes hath long threatened deftruction to the civil liberties of this country. I do not by any means, therefore, think this circumftance fo degrading to humanity, as the venal fcribblers of party have induftrionfly reprefented it. But be this as it may, this at leaft I may venture to prophecy, that, if that fpirit of venality and fubjection, which has diffused itfelf through all ranks of people, fhould not receive a falutary check in its progrefs, there will foon be nò fuch opportunities afforded the peo Motives of the Middlefex Freeholders." ple of teflifying their approbation of juries. A gloomy and melancholy filence, under the mask of peace and order, will prefide in all our courts; even flavery herself will not dare to rattle her chains too loud, and the tongue of liberty be for ever fealed within her lips. Motives for the Inftructions given by the Freeholders of Middlefex, to their Reprefentatives in Parliament. HE late meeting of the free Tholders of Middlefex, being a tranfaction which, both from the nature of the meeting itself, and the refolutions paffed at it, highly concerns the public, it is proper that the electors of members of parliament throughout the whole kingdom, fhould, as early as poffible, be informed of the general grounds upon which the gentlemen prefent at that meeting acted, and upon which the different heads of inftruction, agreed by them to be prefented to their members, were founded, in order to induce fuch other counties and boroughs as approve of it, to follow the example of the county of Middlesex. The Commons of this realm are, and ever have been, an effential branch of the fupreme legiflative power, not only by the right unalienably vefted in the people of all nations, by the laws of God and nature, but by the ancient established conftitution of this happy country, But though the power of legiflation (antecedent to the establishment of any particular form of government) was originally vefted in, and muft ever be confidered as ultimately derived from, the people at large, yet the actual exercife of it (being found inconvenient, and inadequate to the purposes of government, when difperfed in fo many hands) has, by the fame ancient conftitution of this kingdom, been intrufted to the king, the lords, and a certain body of men chofen by, and from among the Commons, to act for them as their repre fentatives in the great council of the nation. When, therefore, the electors have delegated the exercife of the powers, and the protection of the rights in herent in them, to any perfons, by electing them to ferve as their reprefentatives in parliament, it is their most undoubted, legal, and conftitutional right, to inftruct them from time to time, and at all times, in what manner, and for what purposes, the powers and privileges derived to them from their conftituents fhall be exerted. It was to exercife that right the freeholders of Middlefex affembled. In what manner they have exercised it, will appear from the heads of inftruction agreed upon. The two inftructions which relate to the tranfactions in St. George's Fields and at Brentford, require no comment. Thofe tranfactions have alarmed the fears, and excited the terror and indignation, not only of every lover of the conftitution and liberties of his country, but of every man who has any regard to his own perfonal fafety. It may, perhaps, be objected, and will not be denied, that the immediate actors in those outrages may, and that some of them actually have been profecuted in the ordinary courfe of law. But it is of ftill greater importance that the fecret advifers, promoters, and abettors of thofe measures, fhould be brought forth to the public view, and meet with the punishment they deferve; and furely no way can be fo proper, or |