There are two of your countrymen in a very exalted ftation between Parkgate and Chefter* your merits will certainly entitle you to as high, if not a higher poft than they poffefs; and that your deferts may meet with their due reward, is my most fincere and hearty with.. -Do you ever reflect? Or have you capabilities to reflect? Can the fluctuating favours of a minifter, or the lucrative offices of a court, recompence you, or compenfate to your children for the lofs of a father's honour? Does not the fight of an Irishman ftrike you with a filent awe? Are you not afraid of their just reproaches? Does not their glorious oppofition to the oppreffive meafures of an all forcing government, call the confcious blush into your cheek? To think, that while their noble, generous, free-born fpirits, deferve, poffefs, and have the voice of public favour; each hand is bent in fcorn, and every tongue is bound to hifs the wretch who trampled on all laws, and forged the fetters for a land of freedom. I do not thus addrefs you, from any hopes I entertain of your profiting by what I fay; far be it from me to harbour fo empty, fo vague a thought your aft unparalleled infult in placing yourfelf in the prefence, at the delivery of the city remonftrance, is a convincing proof you are too hardened in ill. All I wish is, to roufe the refentment of every Irishman against you, that you may never come into their prefence without receiving the moft ample chaftifment; for no gentleman is bound to fight the man, who, forfeiting his ho nour, degrades himself beneath the common highwayman: he robs individuals only; you have robbed a whole nation of its moft dear and invaluable privileges. Retire then to fome private corner; take your fhame and difgrace with you as companions. Repent, fincerely repent your paft execrable conduct and, as the greatest favour you can do your countrymen, never appear again in public, to put the world in mind that Ireland could produce a being fo worthless and undeferving. DUBLINIENSIS.

MY LORD,

TH

To the LORD MAYOR.

HE fteps you have hitherto taken in the fervice of your country, demand the warmest thanks the gratitude of 'an Englishman can give. That you will perfevere in the glorious tafk, is the wifh of every one who is a friend to the conftitution of this country. Your integrity infures you from falling into the infamy of apoftacy; and your understanding is a fufficient guard against the fecret measures of the miniftry, who are vile enough tổ stick at no villainy to complete their deteftable purposes: nor can your British heart ftoop to fear the contemptible threatenings of a fet of hireling wretches, who have no power but what they derive from a perfon who engroffes every power and every vice. The spirit of the city has been difplayed in that of its chief magiftrate, in a general, as well as orderly endeavour to recover our

* Between Parkgate and Chester is a gibbet which is graced with the bodies of two Irifhmen, there fufpended, for the murder of their companions.

1

liberties from the hands of a tyrannous junto of flaves, who would mu tilate every fhadow of right, law and juftice. The military has been creeping upon us expeditiously; it now begins to take large ftrides, in upholding the infamy of government, and inforcing that article of ftate faith, paffive obedience. The maffacres at St. George's fields and Bofton, ftill reek in our memories: the latter could not be gloffed over with the least colour of excufe. They had been threatened with a military plague; they endeavoured to avert the curse, but in vain. Obftinacy is one of the first attributes of the administration of the creatures of the Earl of Bute; and this diabolical firmness, in every wrong step he has taken, has not a little, fullied the character of his prefent M-y. Sent to protect their lives, and rob them of their liberty, every foldier had his commiffion. Infolence was to be observed to the inhabitants of the town, and implicit obedience to the commands of their villainous officers. What will not the refolution of a ruffian miniftry effect !-We exift to see our countrymen wantonly murdered, for the heinous offence, of a pretended riot; and murderers, avowed murderers, pardoned, from doubts which arife from within or without the royal breaft. If the maffacre of the Bostonians was not concerted, by the ministry, they were to be enflaved in confequence of a fettled plan; and as the one was the refult of the other, our, worthy ministers were the affaffins. Alas! the unhappy town,

had not a Beckford! He would have checked the audacious info-, lence of the army; and dared, as an Englishman, to make use of his freedom. Here, though under the eye of the fecretary, no officer has had the fortitude to engage in the bloody caufe, confcious that deteftation and public hatred will attend the unfa-, tisfactory promotion which the miniftry could beftow. The city. of London is too confiderable to be treated with the forced con-. tempt the hirelings of the crown attempt to look upon it with.. Its petition may be confidered as the voice of the nation; and none but a king, either loft to all feelings of humanity, or loft to himfelf in pride, would flight the petition of his fubjects. His. majesty's behaviour, when he received the complaints of his peo-: ple, (not to redress them, indeed, but to get rid of them an eafier way) was fomething particular: it was fet, formal, and ftudied. Should you addrefs again, my lord, it would not be amifs to tell his Majefty, that you expect his answer, and not the anfwer of his mother or minifters. You complain not to them, but of them; and, would they redress our grievances, they can. only do it by doing: juftice on themfelves, and being their own executioners. Your perfeverance in the glorious caufe will check the rapid progrefs of oppreffion, and extort a conclufive anfwer from the ministry, through the mouth of his Majesty, Whether they are refolved to continue the fyftem of tyranny, and brave the vengeance of an oppreffed, but injured people; or, conscious of the danger of their fituation, let the reins of arbitrary power relax, and endeavour to appeafe the fury of the public, by diffolving a parliament the moft venal and contemptible that ever. dfgraced the nation? A parliament which, not reprefenting the. people, are continually heaping additional oppreffions and impo Vol. VI. fitions

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tions to the infupportable burthen laid on us before; who have given fanction to an act which deprives themselves of their liberties and privileges, in the moft corrupt adminiftration of former times, held facred and inviolate. An Englishman, who petitions for a diffolution of this tainted body-and what Englishman, who has any regard for his own liberties, or the intereft of his country, that does not ?-The man who approves of the British spirit, which your lordship and your worthy affiftants difplay, cannot be bound by laws made by a parliament, whofe authority he does not allow, and to fubmit to laws iffued from fuch a house, is acknowledging their legality; an acknowledgment, I hope, you will never make. Their mifchiefs are now near being fuspended for a time. Would his M- take reason, and not prejudice, for his guide, that time might be prolonged, and a diffolution pave the way for a reformation in the state: a reformation, which might reftore us the bleffings of liberty, and of being represented by uncorrupted, patriotic Englifhmen: a bleffing which, I fear, whilft his M's prefent infatuation continues, we shall never poffefs. The chief violation of the rights of the nation, is in that of election. It is with propriety that this complaint is continually brought upon the carpet; fince, in this one oppreffion is involved every other oppreffion tyranny could invent. The conftitution could not be stabbed deeper, than by the proceedings of the miniftry in the Middlesex election; the wound is mortal: palliatives are of no fervice: nothing but an amputation of the member which truck the blow can be beneficial even that will fail, unless the k- pursues a conduct quite oppofite to that he is now erring in, and makes choice of minifters the reverse of the prefent creatures of adminiftration. The whole fabric of British Liberty is built on the Right of Election: how daring then muft that minifter be, who can, in defiance of confcience, law and juftice, violate this right and fupport that despicable creature Col. Luttrell, in his pretenfions to a feat in the Houfe of Commons! What a gross affront to the freeholders of Middlefex, to fuppofe him their reprefentative! I am forry to fay, there are many fuch representatives in the house; and, when we complain that Mr. Wilkes is not admitted, we have alfo fufficient reason to make an article of complaint, that many who were admitted are not expelled. It is not fo much a matter of wonder, that we find many whofe birth and fortune enable them to live independent, and in abfolute freedom, felling those invaluable bleffings for an empty title, or the greater meannefs of mercenary views, as to find a man, whofe elevated rank is temptation, preferve himself untainted with the too-general disease. Your lordship has proved the goodness of your heart, the foundness of your principles, and the merit of the cause in which you are engaged, by the rectitude of your conduct. Scandal maddens at your name, because the finds nothing to reproach you with; and the venal hirelings of the miniftry defpair of meriting their pay by blackening your character. Illiberate abuse, and grofs inconfiftencies and abfurdities, recoil upon the author; and only bear teftimony of the weakness of his head, or the badness of his heart. That man, whose enemies can find

nothing

nothing to lay to his charge, may well difpenfe with the incoherent Billingsgate of a minifterial writer.

his

A man in a public character is in a very tender fituation ; virtues are magnified, and his vices exaggerated. Your Lordship has maintained your reputation gloriously, though we are never at a lofs to give your merit a proper fhare of applaufe: the oppolite party muft have recourfe to falfhood, when they accufe you of vices, The city of London has, in an extraordinary manner, teftified the opinion of your abilities; and at a time when Liberty, and all an Englishman holds facred, was at ftake, repofed a truft in you; which, were you to betray would inevitably ruin the conftitution of this country.-I would ask a troop of gartered vaffals, could the moft mifguided favour of a King, the greatelt reward of a minifter, bestow fuch an honour as has been bestowed upon you? Birth and fortune were not the bribes which purchafed it an unshaken fidelity, a tried integrity, and the fpirit of a Briton, actuating a man whofe private life is irreproachable; that, and that only, deferved and received it. The important trufts thus repofed in you, could be no where in greater fafety. Thofe accomplishments which made you worthy to receive it, continue to make you worthy of keeping it. Every step you have taken speaks the patriot; and your undaunted perfeverance in infifting on redrefs, does honour to the choice of the city. Without fuch a check on their actions, whither might not the villainy of our minifters have carried them? Is there any privilege, ever fo facred, which they hefitate to violate. Your conduct, and the fteady oppofition of your friends, reftrain the torrent of their arbitrary proceedings. Though they have too much power to be quelled in an inftant, you have confined their il legal ravages within bounds; and may it be in your power to open the eyes of an unfortunate monarch, and restore liberty and tranquillity to an unfortunate people. As you only were thought capable of preferving the rights of the fubject, from the imminent danger which threatened us, exert your active spirit, and tell the tools of oppreffion, that the power of the chief ma giftrate of the city is capable of counteracting that of the fervants of the Earl of Bute: and, with the fame fpirited refolution which has dignified your conduct hitherto, fupport the glorious caufe in which you prefide. If we muft lofe the birthright of Englishmen, let us not tamely lofe it. However the mifrepresentations of the enemies of this country may mislead his Majefty's judgment, he may be yet open to conviction; he may redeem the errors of his paft conduct, by difcarding his pernicious counfellors, diffolving au infamous parliament, and repofing confidence in his people: but it behoves us, not to live idly in hope of this reformation: let us, as much as poffible, put it forward ourfelves. Let us with one united voice demand redrefs, if again refufed: let us take the fword of justice in our hands, and punish the wretches whofe evil councils have estranged his Majefty from the good of the fubject, and robbed him of his furelt fafeguard, the love of his people.

PROBU S.

Το

SIR,

To the PRINTER.

WHILE parliament was fitting, it would neither have been safe, nor perhaps quite regular, to offer any opinion to the public, upon the juftice or wisdom of their proceedings. To pronounce fairly upon their conduct, it was neceffary to wait, until we could confider, in one view, the beginning, the progrefs, and the conclufion of their deliberations. The cause of the public was undertaken and fupported by men, from whofe abilities and united authority, to fay nothing of the advantageous ground they stood on, might well be thought fufficient to determine a popular queftion in favour of the people. Neither was the Houfe of Commons fo abfolutely engaged in defence of the ministry, or 'even of their own refolutions, but that they might have paid fome decent regard to the known difpofition of their conftituents, and, without any difhonour to their firmnefs, might have retracted an opinion too haftily adopted, when they faw the alarm it had created, and how strongly it was oppofed by the general fenfe of the nation. The miniftry too would have confulted their own immediate intereft, in making fome conceffion fatisfactory to the moderate part of the people. Without touching the fact, they might have confented to guard againft, or give up the dangerous principle, on which it was established. In this ftate of things, I think it was highly improbable, at the beginning of the feffion, that the complaints of the people upon a matter, which, in their apprehenfion at least, immediately affected the life of the conftitution, would be treated with as much contempt by their own reprefentatives, and by the House of Lords, as they had been by the other branch of the legislature. Defpairing of their integrity, we had a right to expect fomething from their prudence, and fomething from their fears. The Duke of Grafton certainly did not forefee to what an extent the corruption of a parliament might be carried. He thought perhaps that there was ftill fome portion of fhame or virtue left in the majority of the Houfe of Commons, or that there was a line in public proftitution, beyond which they would fcruple to proceed. Had the young man been a little more practifed in the world, or had he ventured to mea fure the characters of other men by his own, he would not have been fo eafily difcouraged.

The prorogation of parliament naturally calls upon us to review their proceedings, and to confider the condition, in which they have left the kingdom. I do not question but they have done what is usually called the King's business much to his Majefty's fatisfaction. We have only to lament that, in confequence of a fyftem introduced or revived in the present reign, this kind of merit fhould be very confiftent with the neglect of every duty they owe to the nation. The interval between the opening of the laft and the clofe of the former feffion was longer than ufual. Whatever were the views of the minifter, in deferring the meeting of parliament, fufficient time was certainly given to every member of the House of Commons to look back upon the steps he had taken, and the confequences they had produced. The zeal of party, the violence of perfonal animofities, and the heat of contention had leifure to fubfide. From that period, whatever refolution they took was deliberate and prepenfe. In the preceding feffion the dependants of the miniftry had affected to believe that the final determination of the question would have satisfied the nation, or at leaft put a stop to their complaints; as if the certainty of an evil could din inifh the fenfe of it, or the nature of injuftice could be altered by decifion. But they found the people of England were in a temper very distant from fubmiffion; and, although it was contended, that the Houfe

of