ceived by ill-confidered precedents. For the reft, there is no colour of palliation or excufe. They have advised the King to refume a power of difpenfing with the laws by royal proclamation;§ and Kings we fee are ready enough to follow fuch advice. By mere violence, and without the fhadow of right, they have expunged the record of a judicial proceeding*.-Nothing remained, but to attribute to their own vote a power of topping the whole diftribution of criminal and civil justice.

The public virtues of the chief magistrate have long fince ceased to be in queftion.

But it is faid

that he has private good qualities, and I myself have been ready to acknowledge them. They are

now

That their practice might be every way conformable to their principles, the houfe proceeded to advise the crown to publish a proclamation universally acknowledged to be illegal. Mr. Moreton publicly protested against it before it was iffued; and Lord Mansfield, though not fcrupulous to an extreme, speaks of it with horror. It is remarkable enough that the very men, who advised the proclamation, and who hear it arraigned every day both within doors and without, are not daring enough to utter one word in its defence, nor have they ventured to take the least notice of Mr. Wilkes for discharging the perfons apprehended under it.

Lord Chatham very properly called this the act of a mob, not of a fenate.

now brought to the teft. If he loves his people, he will diffolve a parliament, which they can never confide in or refpect.-If he has any regard for his own honour, he will difdain to be any longer connected with fuch abandoned proftitution. But if it were conceivable, that a King of this country had loft all fenfe of personal honour, and all concern for the welfare of his fubjects, I confefs, Sir, I fhould be contented to renounce the forms of the conftitution once more, if there were no other way to obtain substantial justice for the people.

JUNIUS.

LE T

LETTER IV.

TO HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF GRAFTON.

MY LORD,

THE

June 22, 1771.

HE profound respect I bear to the gracious Prince, who governs this country with no lefs honour to himself than fatisfaction to his fubjects, and who reftores you to your rank under his standard, will fave you from a multitude of reproaches. The attention I should have paid to your failings is unvoluntarily attracted to the hand that rewards them, and though I am not fo partial to the royal judgment, as to affirm, that the favour of a King can remove mountains of infamy, it ferves to leffen at least, for undoubtedly it divides the burthen. While I remember how much is due to his facred character, I cannot, with any decent appearance of propriety, call you the meanest and the baseft fellow in the kingdom. I proteft, my Lord, I do not think you fo. You will have a dangerous rival, in that kind of fame to which you have hitherto

fo

fo happily directed your ambition, as long as there is one man living, who thinks you worthy of his confidence, and fit to be trufted with any fhare in his government. I confefs you have

great intrinfic merit; but take care you do not value it too highly. Confider how much of it would have been loft to the world, if the King had not gracioufly affixed bis ftamp, and given it currency among his fubjects. If it be true that a virtuous man, ftruggling with adversity, be a scene worthy of the gods, the glorious contention, between you and the best of Princes, deferves an audience equally refpectable. I think I already fee other gods rifing from the earth to behold it.

But this language is too mild for the occafion. The King is determined, that our abilities fhall. not be loft to fociety. The perpetration and description of new crimes will find employment for us both. My Lord, if the perfons, who have been loudeft in their profeffions of patriotifm, had done their duty to the public with the fame zeal and perfeverance that I did, I will not affert that government would have recovered its dignity, but at leaft our gracious Sovereign-mult have fpared his fubjects this laft infult*, which," if

The Duke was lately appointed Lord Privy Seal.

if there be any feeling left among us, they will refent more than even the real injuries they received from every measure of your Grace's adminiftration. In vain would he have looked round him for another character fo confummate as yours. Lord Mansfield fhrinks from his principles; his ideas of government perhaps go farther than your own, but his heart difgraces the theory of his understanding.-Charles Fox is yet in bloffom; and as for Mr. Wedderburne, there is fomething about him, which even treachery cannot truft. For the prefent therefore, the best of Princes must have contented himself with Lord Sandwich.-You would long fince have received your final difmiffion and reward ; and I, my Lord, who do not efteem you the more for the high office you poffefs, would willingly have followed you to your retirement. There is furely fomething fingularly benevolent in the character of our Sovereign. From the moment he afcended the throne, there is no crime, of which human nature is capable, (and I call upon the Recorder to witness it) that has not appeared venal in his fight. With any other Prince, the fhameful defertion of him, in the midst of that diftrefs, which you alone had created, in the very crifis of danger, when he VOL. II. fancied

H