Crown, with an expence and oppreffion to the people, which would be unneceffary in an arbitrary government. The best of our minifters find it the eafieft and moft compendious mode of conducting the King's affairs ; and all ministers have a general interest in adhering to a system, which, of itself, is fufficient to fupport them in office, without any affiftance from perfonal virtue, popularity, labour, abilities, or experience. It promifes every gratification to avarice and ambition, and fecures impunity.These are truths unqueftionable.-If they make no impreffion, it is because they are too vulgar and notorious. But the inattention or indifference of the nation has continued too long. You are roused at last to a fenfe of your danger.The remedy will foon be in your power. If Junius lives, You fhall often be reminded of it. If, when the opportunity prefents itself, You neglect to do your duty to yourselves and to pofterity,-to God and to your country, I fhall have one confolation left, in common with the meanest and basest of mankind: Civil liberty may ftill last the life of

JUNIUS.

PRE.

PREFACE.

THE furious, mangled publications of the HE encouragement given to a multitude. letters of Junius, perfuades me, that a complete edition, corrected and improved by the author, will be favourably received. The printer will favourably_received. readily acquit me of any view to my own profit. I undertake this troublesome tafk, merely to ferve a man who has deferved well of me, and of the publick; and who, on my account, has been expofed to an expensive, tyrannical profecution. For these reasons, I give to Mr. Henry Sanpfon Woodfall, and to him alone, my right, intereft, and property in these letters, as fully and completely, to all intents and purposes, as an author can poffibly convey his property in his own works to another.

THIS edition contains all the letters of Junius, Philo Junius, and of Sir William Draper and Mr. Horne to Junius, with their respective dates, and according to the order in which they appeared in the Publick Advertiser. The auxiliary part of Philo Junius was indifpenfibly neceffary to defend or explain particular paffages in Junius, in anfwer to plaufible objections; but the fubordinate character is never guilty of the indecorum of praifing his principal. The fraud was innocent, and I always intended to explain it. The notes will be found not only useful, but nécefA

fary.

fary. References to facts not generally known, or allufions to the current report or opinion of the day, are in a little time unintelligible. Yet the reader will not find himself overloaded with explanations. I was not born to be a commentator, even upon my own works.

IT remains to fay a few words upon the liberty of the prefs. The daring fpirit, by which these letters are fuppofed to be diftinguifhed, feems to require, that fomething ferious fhould be faid in their defence. I am no lawyer by profeffion, nor do I pretend to be more deeply read than every English gentleman fhould be in the laws of his country. If, therefore, the principles I maintain are truly constitutional, I fhall not think myfelf anfwered, though I fhould be convicted of a mistake in terms, or of mifapplying the language. of the law. I fpeak to the plain understanding of the people, and appeal to their honeft, liberal conftruction of me.

Goon men, to whom alone I addrefs myself, appear to me to confult their piety as little as their judgment and experience, when they admit the great and effential advantages accruing to fociety from the freedom of the prefs, yet indulge themfelves in peevish or paffionate exclamations against the abuses of it. Betraying an unreasonable expectation of benefits pure and entire from any human institution, they in effect arraign the goodness of providence, and confess that they are diffatisfied with the common lot of humanity. In the present instance, they really create to their own minds, or greatly exaggerate, the evil they complain of. The laws of England provide as effectually as any human laws can do, for the protection of the subject, in his reputation, as

well

well as in his perfon and property. If the characters of private men are infulted or injured, a double remedy is open to them, by action and indicament. If, through indolence, falfe fhame, or indifference, they will not appeal to the laws of their country, they fail in their duty to fociety, and are unjust to themselves. If, from an unwarrantable diftruft of the integrity of juries, they would wish to obtain justice by any mode of proceeding more fummary than a trial by their peers, I do not fcruple to affirm, that they are in effect greater enemies to themselves than to the libeller they profecute.

WITH regard to ftrictures upon the characters of men in office, and the measures of government, the cafe is a little different. A confiderable latitude must be allowed in the difcuffion of publick affairs, or the liberty of the prefs will be of no benefit to fociety. As the indulgence of private malice and perfonal flander hould be checked and refifted by every legal means, fo a conftant examination into the characters and conduct of minifters and magiftrates fhould be equally promoted and encouraged. They, who conceive that our newspapers are no reftraint upon bad men, or impediment to the execution of bad measures, know nothing of this country. In that ftate of abandoned fervility and proftitution, to which the undue influence of the crown has reduced the other branches of the legiflature, our minifters and magiftrates have in reality little punishment to fear, and few difficulties to contend with, beyond the cenfure of the press, and the spirit of refiftance which it excites among the people. While this cenforial power is maintained, to fpeak in the words of a moft ingenious foreigner, both minifter and magistrate

A 2

giftrate is compelled, in almoft every inftance, to choose between his duty and his reputation. A dilemma of this kind perpetually before him, will not indeed work a miracle in his heart, but it will affuredly operate, in fome degree, upon his conduct. At all events, these are not times to admit of any relaxation in the little difcipline we have left.

BUT it is alleged, that the licentioufnefs of the prefs is carried beyond all bounds of decency and truth :—that our excellent ministers are continually exposed to the publick hatred or derifion; -that, in profecutions for libels on government, juries are partial to the popular fide; and that, in the most flagrant cafes, a verdict cannot be obtained for the King.-If the premises were admitted, I should deny the conclufion. It is not true, that the temper of the times has in general an undue influence over the conduct of juries. On the contrary, many fignal inftances may be produced of verdicts returned for the King, when the inclinations of the people led ftrongly to an undiftinguishing oppofition to government. Witnefs the cafes of Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Almon.In the late profecutions of the printers of my addrefs to a great perfonage, the juries were never fairly dealt with.-Lord Chief Justice Mansfield, confcious that the paper in queftion contained no treasonable or libellous matter, and that the fevereft parts of it, however painful to the King, or offenfive to his fervants, were strictly true, would fain have reftricted the jury to the finding of special facts, which, as to guilty or not guilty, were merely indifferent. This particular motive, combined with his general purpofe to contract the power of juries, will account for the charge he delivered in Woodfall's trial.

He