upon what principle could this be done, but the hope of thereby laying the foundation of fecurity to himself?

When the favourite had gained the afcendancy, and formed defigns incompatible with the honour of the crown, and the interest of the kingdom; when he had drawn the fubftance and the thadow likewife of ftrength from the great commoner, and defeated him alfo in his mighty defign upon Spain; then, even then, notwithstanding this infult, and many others, fuch was either his luft for office, or his friendfhip for the favourite, that he would have facrificed his haughty overbearing spirit to a fufferance of remaining in office, and submitted to a controul not only contradictory of all his former principles, but infamous in the eyes of the public; had it not been for the fpirited and truly patriotic refentment of his moft noble friend and relation, earl Temple, who with a magnanimity, almoft peculiar to himfelf, difdained to wear the chains, or put on the livery of fuch an incompetent Statefman, fuch a contemptible being; and first strongly urged, and at length, forced the commoner into refignation; (4) which he accompanied with his own, in order to give an example of spirit and refiftance to an ufurpation, fo exceedingly dangerous to both court and people.

Notwithstanding the moft virulent and unjustifiable proscription carried on against the late commoner and his friends, by the influence of the favourite; and notwithstanding the most iniquitous facrifices made of the honour and faith of the crown, and of the glory and intereft of the people; yet did he on that day, when the permanency of England was under confideration, fhrink back; and cover his boafted patriotilm in a three hours fpeech

NOTE.

(4) It is evident that the acrimony of the writer, has carried him too far, as the fact was, Mr. Pitt, finding his influence was now entirely at an end in the council, drew up his motives for retiring from public affairs; a method which the earl Temple alfo purfued; and both gave in thefe motives, figned with their own hands, to his majefty. The king is faid to have expreffed a gracious concern for the lofs of Mr. Pitt, who, together with his brother the lord Temple, refigned their employments on the 9th of October.

he

upon equilibriums (5). He was for and against the preliminaries of peace; liked and disliked them; and, in a word, he was full of nothing but doubts, and hopes, and fears. If he really did not approve of them, and in his own heart he could not do otherwife, why did he not declare his fentiments boldly like a true patriot? The reafon is, he knew the peace to be the favourite measure of the minion, and he was afraid that a spirited and nervous oppofition on that question might destroy for ever his purpose of obtaining a reconciliation with the earl of Bute (6). And

It is more than probable he knew his channel of conveyance to Mr. Pitt; and that a communication had, for some time, been opened between them, else what reafon can be given for Mr. Beckford's conduct, who was lord mayor of London at the time of making the peace, in not calling a court of common council, to prepare and prefent petitions to parlia ment against the preliminary articles. This behaviour would have been spirited, and worthy the metropolis of England, which fo zealously condemned thofe articles, and the treaty itself. If that ftep had been taken, it is not very probable the vote of approbation would have been so much to the favourite's honour." Hiftory of Minority.

NOTE.

(5) Mr. Pitt was no way relaxed in the fervice of his country, for tho' reduced by a violent illness to a molt declining fituation, he came to the houfe of commons in the arms of his friends, and obtaining permiflion from the speaker to deliver his fentiments fitting, he spoke for more than three hours, without intermiffion In the courfe of his fpeech, he obferved, that the British affairs were now in a very different pofture to what they had been during his negotiation with France-That the important increase of our conquests should now naturally lead us to demand an encrcafe of conceffions from our enemies; and that, though the fupport of Portugal had neceffarily incurred an additional burden of public debt, the kingdom was ftill in a capacity to raife fresh fupplies, and another blow would fo effectually annihilate the power of France, that he would be utterly unable ever more to rife up as an enemy to England.

(6) Mr.

And fo firmly perfuaded was the favourite of the great commoner's wilhes to accomplish fuch an union, that he foon afterwards employed Sir Harry Erskine to open a negotiation for that purpofe. There are not wanting those who know of Sir Harry's going from place to place, and from man to man, in fearch of a channel to convey the favourite's deûgns, in a proper manner (as it was phrafed) to Mr Beckford, who was Mr. Pitt's great and confidential friend. As foon as the plan was known, it was accepted. And ford Bute went in difguife in the middle of the night, in August 1763, to Mr. Pitt's own houfe in Jermyn-street. And it is as certain, that the great commoner, in his fubfequent conferences, with a greater perfonage, to whom the door was opened for him by the minion, would have accepted, and united with the favourite, had he not been preferved by the strong efforts of his friends (7).

NOT E.

(6) Mr. Pitt by his behaviour fhewed a contrary difpofition, and in a manner that must have been very disgusting to lord Bute; it must be remembered by every individual, that the folicitations for addrefses was never upon any occafion fo much prostituted. The Bath addrefs which was procured through the influence of Mr. Allen, was fent by the corporation to Mr. Pitt and Sir John Seabright to be prefented; Mr. Pitt fo far refented this, that in a letter to Mr. Allen, he requests the corporation would think of a proper reprefentative against the next general election, as he could not any longer think himself a proper reprefentative of conftituents, who in fentiments were fo very different, and declined having any fhare in the prefent tranfaction.

(7) On the contrary, fome very injudicious measures being taken by the government, particularly in a duty upon cyder, and a reftriction upon the commerce of the colonies, the public clamour became louder than ever; and it was found expedient to invite Mr. Pitt into a thare of the adminiftration, on purpo:e to quiet the murmurs of the kingdom; whole fervice he was inclined to engage in, but upon terms that would have been effectual, they were refuled him, fo the negotiation ceafed, which was again renewed and rejected by Mr. Pitt, refolute not to engage but when he might give

As a proof how much the miscarriage of this negotiation, and of course this intended connection with the favourite, was against the commoner's wishes, let us only recollect the extraordinary language of his friends upon that occafion; I mean of thofe few who were exclufively attached to him. It were foolish,? faid one of them, if a womanish idea of confitency, that is, of acting always with the fame man, fhould influence Mr. Pitt to go wrong. The great and noble confiftency of a patriot is teadily [fine bombaft!] to pursue his country's good, and whether in the changes of time a Newcastle, a German whore, or a lord Bute, may be the inftrument, it matters little to his country. Here is a clear avowal of the wish to come into office with fuch a connexion: And I appeal to the members of the lower houfe, for what he himself has faid there upon the subject of a connexion with the favourite. Did he ever say that he had any objections to it? On the contrary, has he not repeatedly declared, that he had none? and that the favourite might, if he pleased, lead him into the clofet? This is speaking pretty plainly, fo plain that it needs no comment. There is one circumstance more; a particular friend of his at that time, faid, That an union between Mr. Pitt and lord Bute was the only thing that could give us our just weight and importance abroad, and restore peace and harmony at home.' And this friend was known to be a retailer of the late commoner's fentiments. From thefe particulars, and the manner in which the negotiation was fet on foot, it appears, beyond a doubt, that the great commoner withed for fuch a junction; and that he was as ready to pay court to the reigning favourite, as ever he had been to the counters of Y-m-th, but was obstructed by the means of his friends.

How did the great commoner behave after this? Did he not join the favourite's party in their purfuit of an unfortunate exile?-Did he not previously declare in NOTE.

that protection to his country it required. "I have had the honour to ferve the crown, and if I could have submitted to influence, I might have ftill continued to ferve; but I would not be refponfible for others." Not in a corner, but this he faid in the face of the house of commons.

the

the lobby to one of the Surry members, that that unfortunate perfon must be fupported? But a few hours afterwards was he not the first to put a poniard in his heart, (with his ufual diffimulation and affected piety) at the mention of a poem, which he had feen and read before? Did he not with a bitterness of expreffion that could be dictated by nothing but his zcal of foliciting the favourite's esteem, condemn and traduce that unhappy man? Did he not emphatically call him. "The blafphemer of his God, and the libeller of his king?" and this before any judgment could be had, although the neceffary process was going forward in the courts below? It was a cenfure and condemnation which the favourite had much at heart, and the affiftance of the great commoner, was doubtlefs, very acceptable (8); and very probably, as it was intended, there is no doubt but it was favourably reported elsewhere.

In the courfe of the fame feafon, we faw him firft efpoufe, and then fly from the great caufe of public liberty, which his honourable relation had been indefatigable in his attempts, and had expended immenfe fums to bring to a determination. It is true, he affifted in the first debate upon general warrants; but finding that fome of the party were in earneft in their defigns of going further, and had prepared a motion against the feifure of papers, which was in fact the great griev. ance; and alfo finding, that the favourite

They were afraid of attempting any thing further, left they should thereby ruin the probability of their fuppofed fuccefs: Which was the reafon for their not making a fecond effort, upon a motion they had formed against the seizure of Papers, which was generally expected. That was a point of real importance to the Liberty of the fubject; and a conNOTE.

(8) Mr. Pitt was the first that fpoke to fupport Mr. Wilkes, in the motion of the breach of privilege, in anfwer to Mr. Grenville; he infifted on the propriety of the motion, and that the privilege of the houfe was facred, and in the courfe of the debate infifted strongly, to have the words to incite them to traiterous infurre&tions against his majefty's government, left out of the refolutions of the houfe; and even went fo far in a reply to the attorney general, to fay; you are frong, be merciful.

demnation of a practice fo horrid and illegal as the feizure of Papers undoubtedly was, would have given the moft fenfible pleasure to every Englishman. But the real truth is, thefe patriots by halves only, when they were in office, were as ftrong prerogative men as those whom they now oppofed; and hoping fhortly to be in office again, they did not chufe to condemn a practice which many of them held to be both juftifiable and neceffary. So that this Minority were not fuch warm and fincere friends to Li berty as they pretended: though they were at infinite pains, and fome expence, to make the public believe their profeffions, from their attempt to condemn General Warrants. But not a step would they take towards either remedying or condemning the greatest grievance, relative to papers; not an inch further would they go, although they were fure of carrying the question. If it be legal to feize papers (and fuch filence almost imports it) it is a matter of indifference to the unfortunate perfon whofe houfe is plundered for them, whether the fearch and feizure are made under the authority of a general or a particular warrant : if a general warrant will not do, a particular one may foon be had: a Secretary of State can never be many minutes in getting a Juftice of Peace to iffue a warrant for him. queftion is, Is fuch a practice legal? The Minority could not fay, No. Many of them are fuppofed to approve of it, in certain cafes; as in high treason, &c. but they would neither tell the public what thofe cafes were, nor under what reftrictions it ought to be put. They hung out a fpecious, but deceitful, appearance of Liberty, a kind of a will with a wifp, and intreated the public to follow it. The evasion of the Habeas Corpus, and the clofe imprisonment, were wholly indefenfible, and would have afforded them most excellent queftions. Those actions were clearly against law, and therefore ought to have been cenfured Perhaps, with refpect to the warrants, their right and best way of proceeding would have been to have moved a complaint against the Secretary himself; at least it would have been the most constitutional, and most becoming the dignity of Parliament. But the Minority did not aim at doing justice to the laws of their country. The bent of their defires was to get into office." Hiflory of the Minority.

The

dreaded

dreaded the minority gaining a victory, left the party fhould be afterwards turned against him; and that the favourite had therefore fupported the administration with all his might upon this occafion; the great patriot fcandaloufly withdrew from the caufe and the party; and thereby prevented any point being then gained to wards that fecurity of public liberty, which the whole kingdom fo ardently wifhed for, and expected (9).

A fhort time afterwards, when an impeachment of the favourite was privately rumoured among a few only; and it was faid, that there was ftrong evidence ready to be given, particularly with regard to the peace: when a certain baronet, and others, who took fome pains, in order to come at this evidence, and the conditions upon which it might have been obtained were trifling (not pecuniary) and who thought it neceffary, that the great commoner should be confulted upon a fubject of fuch importance, efpecially too as he was looked upon to be the fitteft perfon to lead, or principally to fupport fuch a procedure; and when, in confequence of that idea, he was applied to by one of his

NOTE.

(9) In the debate relative to general warrants, Mr. Pitt, in a very fpirited manner, exclaimed against fuch arbitrary ftretches of the minifterial power, notwithstanding he, at the fame time, acknowledged that fuch warrants had been once iffued under himself. He, however, obferved, that the time in which they were thus iffued by his own direction, was extremely critical, and the occafion no lefs extraordinary: it was during the war, when information had been given him of a fufpicious foreigner, who was preparing to leave the kingdom. He faid, that he had even then confulted his friend Mr. Pratt, the attorney-general, about the lawfulness of the affair, and was told that the action was illegal; but, faid Mr. Pitt," the fafety of the nation required an inftant dispatch, and I hazard, ed my head with pleasure, left that fafety fhould be any ways endangered by waiting for formalities." And upon another occafion he declared, " for the defence of liberty upon a general principle, upon a conftitutional principle, it is a ground on which I ftand firm; on which I dare meet

any man."

August, 1766.

own friends, and in fome measure a diftant relation, he checked the whole in the bud, by declaring vehemently against it.

In the fucceeding year, 1765, the favourite and the adminiftration being at variance, the great commoner kept aloof. He withed to fee them deftroyed, from his perfonal animofity to fome of them; and he did not therefore interrupt the minion in any of his favourite meatures, neither on the question of the regency, nor any other; but waited for the opportunity, or rather the neceffity, which he thought the dittrefs of the public fervice, and the impoflibility of carrying on the public bafinefs, in uch a fcene of continual warfare between the court and the miniftry, would indifpenfibly produce, of calling him to the itate: not merely as one lefs hoftile against the favourite than any other perfon, but because there then was, and had been for fome time, a good understanding between them. A negotiation was accordingly opened; and it was apparently with the defign and expectation, of getting certain great and favourite conditions complied with, that fuch pains were taken to prevail upon a royal perfonage (now no more) to become the negotiator. But unfortunately for this fcheme, they began with the wrong man. His royal highness first sent for lord Temple. That noble lord refused

the conditions with a firmnefs that does honour to his integrity. He then knew nothing of what Mr. Pitt would do. His royal highnets went to Mr. Pitt; and offered him the fame conditions which had been refufed by the noble iord. And why the great commoner did not chuse to accept of them, cannot be accounted for, unless it was because he thought them too hard; and apparently favouring fo much of the Butean fyftem, that he was afraid to defert his noble relation (10), who obviously ftood upon fuch a public ground; and befides, having no ubterfuge to cover the deceit and treachery of fo fcanda lous a connection, as that with the favourite, muft, and would have been confidered.

In the fucceeding negotiation (which

NOT E.

(10) It may be prefumed he was as ig. norant of lord Temple's difpolition on this occafion, as his lordship was of Mr. Pitt's.

sff