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fition to an oath taken at his admission not to do it? And was he not in confequence of this publickly expelled." NO; there is not a fyllable of this true. At a place called Medmenham-abbey in Buckinghamshire indeed was a fociety of gentlemen, who had fometimes a mock celebration of the ridiculous rites of the Monkish orders; but all the other circumstances are falfe. The fecrets of that fociety are not yet known, and I believe never will, anlefs an administration, equally loft to all sense of honour as that of this country in 1763 fhould corrupt a domeftic to commit a robbery; and then, Sir, you may go to the King's- and hear the account read by the order of Lord M, when it is not publifhed any other way. I own, Sir, Mr. Wilkes did belong to that fociety; fo do at this hour fome perfons in high confidence with the K. For all these fallies and indifcretions I believe repentance has come to him, and I hope it will to others. I would only justify him by what he now is, as a private as well as a public man; and Horace is ftill more candid,

Nec lufiffe pudet, fed non incidere ludum.

Mr. Inquifitive goes on, "did he not make application to a certain nobleman, requefting his interceffion with Lord Bute, faying,

Lord Bute thinks me his enemy; I am so far from it, that, if he will take me under his patronage, I will turn my pen wholly in his favour" NO; he never harboured fuch an idea. He thought very early, from the conduct of Lord Bute, that his Lordship was an enemy to this nation and to its fovereign, and therefore he became the declared and determined enemy of his Lordship, from whom to this hour he has never received any perfonal difobligation. His hatred to Lord Bute is in common with every good Englishman for public wrongs to this country. There is nothing private or perfonal in the cafe. When the infolent Scot first began to trample on the ancient nobility of this kingdom, when he would be the unconftitutional prime Minifter, and the will of fuch a man, a subject too, became the rule of obedience to a corrupt majority of members in the laft parliament, a few were found, who were faithful, and among them I with pleafure name Mr. Wilkes. The others I forbear to mention, for most of them have fince fallen down in the Pagoda, and worshipped the foreign God. When the fame hoftile hand gave us an infamous Peace, and a wicked Excife, Mr. Wilkes went on with the fpirited oppofition he had begun, and fet himself against the destructive measures, which were car rying on from day to day. I hope, from the confiftency of his character, that he will never quit the public caufe of purfuing this great delinquent, till justice has overtaken his crimes; and I think from all appearances, that he will not long escape with impunity. The next query is about his being often urged by an intimate friend not to run fuch lengths, and his anfwer, that he was fo far in, he must go through it. This too is a notorious fiction. All his friends are those of this country, and will themselves run all lengths to fave the liberties of England; and any minifter, who fhews that he wishes to enflave us, will find this to his coft. Mr. Wilkes too will always be found in the midst of such a sacred Theban band, G 2

he

who are every day becoming a more numerous, more firm, and united phalanx against tyranny and oppreffion. The laft query ref pecting the government of Canada, was made many weeks ago by Mr. Smith of Gray's-Inn, and fully anfwered by a Friend to Truth.

I imagine, Sir, neither Mr. Wilkes, nor any of his friends, have the inclination or leifure to answer every trifling queftion of every anonymous writer. Whatever has been thrown out of importance, or relative to the cause, has been regarded, and a reply always made; but to a man, who only afks of what country the cook of Mr. Wilkes is, no anfwer ought to be given, nor to another, who is angry that Mr. Wilkes is chearful in a prison, when he fees around him the chearful faces of gentlemen of worth and honour, whom he loves; nor to a third who can think it a crime at the King's-Bench, rather than the King's-Arms, to eat the turtle and drink the champaign, of fome generous friends, who prefer the humble cell of Liberty to the proud dome of titled fla

very.

The Question to Mr. Wilkes, in the Gazetteer of last Wednesday, what history of England before the revolution he would recommend to his friends is rather embarrafling. Perhaps, as an advocate for Liberty, and a gallant man, he might defire to drop the handkerc ief to the fair Kitty Macaulay, and might even with for an Essay on that celebrated Woman, if he was not afraid that the could never be brought to practife the Tory doctrine of Paffive Obedience and Non-Refiftance: But then he muft immediately have a literary quarrel with fo many doughty heroes of his own fex, with all the other modern hiftorians. They will all rife in arms, and make a common cause against him. Has he time to carry on fuch a paper war; and, in juftice, Sir, muft he not firft read them? But how can he? David Hume, Tobias Smollett, and William Gutherie, are not yet tranflated into English, and he does not underftand a word of Scotch. I hope therefore he will confine himfelf to recommend his own hiftory by fidelity and exactnefs; to others he will leave the fame way to recommend theirs; and to the public the choice of reading all, or one, or-none.

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Our readers will not be displeased to hear that MR. SMITH, OF GRAY'S-INN, has at length met with an adverfary worthy of him in the perfon of MR. JOHNSON, OF LINCOLN'S-INF. The public begin already to be divided into parties, and the English Pafquin and Marforio engage all attention.

From the St. James's Chronicle,

A CARD.

MR. [R. Smith, of Gray's-Inn, prefents his compliments to a late E- Ambaffador at Conftantinople: He defires to know if the following fact may not be depended upon.-The Ambaf

fador

fador of the French King, a very few years ago, affembled all the Jefuits at Conftantinople, and declared to them, in the name of his Sovereign, "That they were no longer under the protection of the crown of France." The Ambaffador of a Proteftant crown, which formerly dreaded and expelled the Jefuits, by a total change of all principles and politics, afterwards affembled the fame artful and ambitious priefts, and faid to them publicly, "Gentlemen, in my master's name, I take you under the protection of the crown of E

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MR

A CAR D.

R. Smith, of Gray's Inn, prefents his compliments to the E of Sh, and wishes his Lordship would indulge him with the reafon, why his nomination, as Joint PostmasterGeneral, was fo long delayed in the London Gazette after he actually did the duty of that office; and likewife, why he was not fooner admitted to the public honour of kiffing the K- hand on that occafion; and if the delay has any reference to the part his Lordship is fupposed to have taken in the late election for the County of H

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[R. Smith of Gray's Inn defires to be informed whether the

Mfollowing report is true.

It is faid, that on Sunday the 22d of last month, a certain perfon, in the parish of Stanwell, faw two little boys (the elder not ten years old) bird-nefting in his park. He went after them with his gun, and accofted them in his ufual style, with oaths, menaces, and imprecations. The poor boys, being extremely frightened, ran for it, and the heroic B- fhot one of them, Powel, a fhoemaker's fon, in the leg. Mr. Smith defires to know whether the poor child is ftill living? and whether the parents intend profecution? and, if so, how the B

action?

can justify his

June 1, 1768.

M

From the St. James's Chronicle.

A CAR D.

R. Johnson, of Lincoln's-Ian, has for fome time past obferved, with much dilguft, the repeated questions of Mr. Smith of Gray's-Inn; becaufe Mr. Smith generally takes care to interrogate fuch perfons who, he is well affured from the nature of his questions, can return him no anfwer. Mr. Johnson thinks this manner of proceeding extremely unfair, to fay no worfe of it; and therefore Mr. Johnfon, of Lincoln's-Inn, will undertake

for

1

for the future to reply to Mr. Smith, of Gray's-Inn, for all thofe who cannot, or will not, anfwer for themfelves.

A late Ambaffador at Conftantinople has all the prudence and caution becoming a man in high life and public ftation. He never was known to anfwer directly what it was o'clock. It is always dark and foggy weather with him, and Caput inter nubila condit. As Mr. Smith therefore has little chance with him, Mr. Johnfon ventures to fay, that the fact is truly ftated, and the reafon not hard to guefs. We have been very long under the happy guidance of the Scots; the Scots are known to be Prefbyterians; now Mr. Johnfon fubmits whether there is any animal in nature fo like a Jefuit as a Scottish Prefbyterian. Fraud, hypocrify, equivocation, diffembling, mental refervation, &c. have always been the favourite virtues of both. In one point only they have differed; the Jefuits have had a plenary indulgence for favourite vices; and the vices of favourites; the Scottish Prefbyterians have been very rigid, morofe, and forbidding. The Kirk of Scotland has indeed always been an ill-natured, ill-bred, peevish, and cenforious Prude; the Church of Rome a flanting, tawdry, lying, and impudent Whore; when we have had the happiness of fecing at honre a prudent, fober, and decent matron, in the Church of England. Can Mr. Smith now wonder that the Scottish Prefbyterians fhake hands with the Jefuits, and both feek our destruction ?

Now, Sir, for his fecond queftion, about the E― of Sh and the Huntingdon fhire election. Why fhould Mr. Smith with Lord S in more fcrapes? It was furely fufficient for him to have committed a high infringement of the liberties and privileges of the Commons of Great Britain, by concerning himself in the election of members to ferve for the Commons in Parliament, without putting it in the power of a hundred freeholders to fue him under the ftatute. Mr. Johnfon will venture to fay, that there is an exprefs ftatute, which would have reached his Lordfhip, who feems to have been well aware of it; for nature, as ufual, having denied him wifdom, has fupplied him well with cunning; and he knows much better than either Mr. Smith or Mr. Johnfon all the claufes against perfons in certain offices, endeavouring to perfuade any elector to give, or diffuade from giving, his vote for the choice of any Knight of the Shire, &c. and the various penalties annexed.

Mr. Johnson will now gratify Mr. Smith's inquifitive difpofition as to his third queftion, relative to a late tranfaction at Stanwell. Mr. Johnfon therefore anfwers: The report, as ftated by Mr. Smith, is true. The child is ftill living, but lamed. A profecution is intended by the parents.

How the B- will justify himself, Mr. Johnfon prefumes not to fay; but he will tell Mr. Smith how Mr. Johnfon would juftify him, fhould he be happy enough to be employed as counfel in this

cause.

We will fuppofe the worft that can happen, that the child fhould die of his wound. In that cafe the indictment would probably lie for murder. Thus then Mr. Johnfon would argue-This thing

might

might happen either by chance in felf-defence, or from a fudden gust of paffion.

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First, by chance. And here Mr. Johnfon will be fupported by one of the best authorities in this kingdom. Mr. S G pleading t'other day for the foldiers to be admitted to bail, fum'd up the matter thus, "My Lord, it appears by the evidence, that one of the foldiers faid, By G-d, here is one we were looking "for. D-m him, I'll shoot him. To which the other foldier replied, Aye, d-m his eyes, shoot him. The first foldier then "levelled his piece at him, and fo the gun went off." Juft fo it happened in the prefent cafe. The B- faw the little children, he followed them with his gun, they ran, he fwere, and fo the piece went off. If Mr. Johnfon was pleading before the Judges only, who are men of education and profound learning, he would leave his argument just as the S-G- did; but to a jury fomething more might be neceffary; and therefore to them he would explain the nature of found, how it is caused by impulfes of the air; he would produce experiments to fhew its effects; fuch as the found of one inftrument, by the vibration of the air, putting the chords of another inftrument in motion; and the still stronger inftance of men who can break a glafs with their voice; and, if fo, why may not a man with his voice move the trigger of a gun? It is certain this happened in the first cafe, of the foldiers; and therefore, in order to prove it in the prefent cafe, it would only be neceffary to bring witneffes that the B- can fwear as heartily, and as horridly, as any foldier in the third regiment of guards.

Next, for felf-defence. And here Mr. Johnson will not avail himself of the authority of another crown lawyer, Mr. Thurlow, who fays, It is very indifferent whether the common people die by the foot, or the rot. But Mr. Johnfon will take it upon a new ground. He fays then, that the B- did it in his own defence: Not that he had any reafon to apprehend a dangerous refiftance to his perfon from thefe harmicfs little children: But he knew very well that, by the infinuations of fome freeholders of Stanwell, no regard at all would be paid to his affertions; and had he afterwards accufed thefe little boys of bird-nefting in his park, no one would have believed a word he faid. And, therefore, by felfdefence here is meant the defence of his character, which made it neceffary for him to shoot them, to make people believe they had ever been there.

But fuppofe neither of thefe pofitions defenfible, it must then have been the confequence of a fudden guft of paffion: For it is impoffible to imagine the B- could have any premeditated malice to them, however their parents might have voted, or wifhed, or subscribed to a law-fuit against him. The helpless fiate of infancy can never be the object of a man's relentment. But would it not vex any man whofe name was graced with titles of honour, and his perfon diftinguished with blushing marks of favour, would it not vex fuch a man to fall at la beneath the refentment of men, and to become the contempt and ridicule even of children?

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