fequence of his not appearing to the indictments that were laid against him, was run to an outlawry. The great popularity which he had acquired, was, in confequence of fome circumftances that attended that profecution, a good deal lowered. A book written by him, of an obscene and immoral tendency, though, in appearance, not intend ed for general publication, and brought into public notice by means not very honourable to the managers of the profecution againft him, had however a confiderable influence on the public opinion, and, for a time, abated even the fervor of his warmeft advocates. Other matters, of great national import, became foon afterwards fubjects of general difcuffion, and drew away the attention of the public.

In this fituation, an exile from his country, diftreft in his circumftances, and, in a great measure, abandoned by his friends, Mr. Wilkes feemed not only totally ruined, but also nearly forgotten. The outlawry having run beyond the limits allowed by the law for a reverfal, he was apparently cut off from the benefit of the laws, and the protection of his country; and it feemed that nothing but a pardon from the crown could reftore him to the civil rights of a citizen.

This ray of hope feemed however to fhine upon his affairs, by the promotion to power of fome perfons lately in high office, and of fome who are fill in confiderable employments. Thefe had not only been his intimate friends, but they had alfo a great lead in the party with whom he had originally embarked, and in whofe caufe he had encoun

tered all his fufferings. It was therefore fuppofed by many, and not unnaturally, that thefe gentle men would ufe all their influence to procure a pardon for a man, who it was conceived had done them real fervices, and who at least had fuffered severely in the course of their common oppofition. Many of his friends alfo thought, that what he had already undergone, might fufficiently fatisfy the dignity of the crown; and that it would be better confulted and provided for, by an occafional act of grace and lenity, than by pursuing, with the appearance of a vindictive and perfonal refentment, the ruin of an individual, infinitely below its notice, to the utmoft line of extremity.

On the other hand, thofe who had been active in his original profecution, afferted, that his offences, and the popularity which, by a ftrange perverfenefs in the people, had arifen from them, had jointly rendered him a perfon of impor tance enough to be ftrictly watched, and feverely punished; that as his misfortunes feemed not to have infpired him with any degree of penitence for his crimes, a pardon from the crown would be an act rather of weakness than of benignity. Above all, they infifted that it was neceflary a fevere example should be made, to prevent other perfons from afpiring to a popular character by outrageous infults on government. We muft obferve, that notwithstanding the frequent changes in administration, the greatest number of the perfons who had been the moft direct ob jects of Mr. Wilkes's attacks still preferved their places, and feemed, at this particular time, to have

rather

rather rifen in intereft, and impor

tance.

This circumftance did not prevent Mr. Wilkes from applying, through the duke of Grafton, who was now at the head of the treafury, for a pardon; and it is probable made no doubt of his ufing all his influence to procure it. In this however he was difappointed. Whether it was, that the political fentiments of this noble perfon were changed, or that the opinion held of the man was altered, or that the application to be made, was of fo critical a nature as not to be attempted with fafety; from whatever caufe it proceeded, the request was not only rejected, but treated with fome appearance of neglect.

It may be conceived, from fome traits of Mr. Wilkes's character, that have appeared upon other occafions, that he was not likely to remain totally dormant, or to acquiefce in a treatment, which he probably confidered to be as unjuft, as it was full of indignity. He accordingly upbraided the firft lord of the treasury, and feveral other old friends, with the greatest acrimony, in a number of publications; and a letter to the D. of G, which was only wrote to be published, abounded with anec dotes, reflecting on the confiftency of their public conduct, and on their friendship and fincerity in pri

vate life.

Thefe difcuffions began again to draw the attention of the public, to a fubject that had nearly funk into oblivion, and a man whom they had almost forgotten. The defertion of his friends ftrongly excited their compaflion; they be gan to think his fufferings out of

measure; to reflect that he was at any rate a victim to the popular caufe, and that even the exposure of many faults in his private character, was a part of the punishment which he incurred upon that account. The ministry, by being fuppofed, (upon whatever foundation) even more than any former admini@ration, under an influence difrelifhed by the people, daily loft ground in the general opinion; and any very active inftrument of oppofition to them, was likely to advance confiderably in the public favour. Here he laid in a fresh claim to their approbation; and as his imputed private failings had formerly been taken in the grofs, to increafe the fum of his alleged public offences, fo now the meafures that fprung from accident, refentment, or neceffity, were li berally laid to the account of public virtue.

So far we have thought it neceffary to premife, as to matters which in order of time do not come within the line of our present narrative; but which lead to fucceeding points of great and immediate confequence. Mr. Wilkes, who was not ignorant of the great change fo much to his advantage, which had taken place in the public opinion, and whofe private affairs were in a moft desperate fitua tion, determined to make a bold attempt to benefit by it, fenfible that if it failed of fuccefs, the confequences could not place him in a much worfe ftate than that in which he was already. He accordingly came over to England previous to the general election, and to the aftonishment of mankind, though he ftill lay under the fentence of outlawry, declared him

felf

felfa candidate to reprefent the city of London in parliament.

The acclamations of joy with which he was received by the populace, are inconceivable; nor were the marks of public regard which he received, confined folely to the lower order of the people; feveral merchants, and other gentlemen of large property and of confiderable intereft, openly efpoufed his caufe, and a fubfcription was immediately opened in the city for the payment of his debts. The fuccefs however upon the poll, was not equal to what might have been expected from the firft fanguine appearance in his favour. The electors were obliged to record their names, and the confequences of an oppofition to great corporate and commercial connections, were too obvious not to be underfood.

Though foiled upon this occafion, Mr. Wilkes had however received fuch an earnest of the attachment of the people, that it encouraged him to another attempt, which appeared almost as hazardous. He accordingly fet up immediately for the county of Middlefex, in oppofition to the eftablished intereft of two gentlemen, who had reprefented it for feveral years; who were fupported by the whole intereft of the court; and who had confiderable fortunes and great connections in it. As the fame caufes did not here operate upon the freeholders at large, which had before prevented the inclinations of the livery of London from taking effect in his favour; fo, notwithstanding the natural intereft and ftrong connections that oppofed him, and the great weight and influence of the court in a

county in which it is refident, he was elected March 28, by a prodigious majo- 1768.

rity.

The legal proceedings upon the furrender of Mr. Wilkes, on the reverfal of his outlawry, on his fentence and imprisonment, have been circumftantially related in the year in which they happened, During these transactions a very great degree of extravagance and licentioufnefs prevailed among the populace; which being encouraged by the inactivity of the civil power, broke out at length in acts of the most lawless and outrageous manner. Upon the committal of Mr. Wilkes by the court of king's bench, the mob ftopped the coach upon Weftminfter bridge, and having taken off the horfes, dragged it back in triumph, notwithstanding his moft earneft intreaties, through the two great cities of Weftminster and London, all the way to Spitalfields, being almoft from the fartheft extremity of the one to that of the other of thefe cities. The officers of the court, in whofe cuftody the prifoner was, were happy to obtain leave to depart; and he, after being kept fome hours at a tavern, which was carefully furrounded and guarded, made his efcape with great difficulty and addrefs by night to the prifon, where he voluntarily furrendered himfelf. No oppofition was attempted to this act of violence, and no enquiry was made about the offenders. This remifsnefs of government brought on feveral other tumults and diforders. The enemies of administration did not hesitate to attribute this relaxation of civil authority, to defign rather than to neglect :

and

and that thefe diforders were permitted, and even encouraged, in order to justify a frequent and fevere ufe of the military power. Their friends alleged the time of year, when most of the ministry had retired for a fhort time from the labour of their employments: and the general relaxation of authority unavoidable at a time of general election. Befides, they accufed the principles of licentioufnefs and diforder industriously propagated among the populace, which they faid had rendered the ordinary civil power timid and irrefolute, and that it was unwilling to act, unless fupported by the military.

Whatever were the causes of the remiffness in government vifible at this period, it is certain that it had a confiderable fhare in the event of the Middlesex election, and in all its confequences. In all appearance the miniftry had formed no plan concerning him; and having at firft neglected the means which were rational and easy, they were driven afterwards upon those which feveral confidered as violent and imprudent. Mr. Wilkes was publicly known to have been in London for fome time previous to the election: if rigorous measures continued ftill to be the mode of procedure, no. thing could have been more eafy, than, by putting the outlawry in execution, to arrest and confine him; a measure that would have caufed no furprize, and would have been confidered only as an indifferent matter in the common courfe of law. In this fituation, he could have no chance for fucceeding in his election, nor is it probable that he would have made

the attempt. The people were not yet warmed by oppofition, nor grown confident by fuccefs. The popularity, which he afterwards acquired or revived by appearing in public, would by this means have been prevented; and he might have probably continued as ignorant of his influence with the people, as they would in general of the ftrength of their attachment to him.

If the more popular principle of lenity had been adopted, an im-. mediate pardon fhould have been granted. The people being by this means gratified, the ministry would have acquired great popularity by it in the general election; and he from gratitude and interest might probably have become attached to their fervice. If however he continued an enemy, he could be no longer formidable, as that importance which arose from his perfecution might probably have ended with it. Thus, in either cafe, it was thought the long train of evils would have been avoided, which have fince been attributed to a wavering, undecifive, and ungracious conduct.

The killing of feveral perfons, among a multitude riotously affembled in St. George's-fields, attended with many circumstances of misfortune, and many of commiferation, contributed on this occafion further to inflame the people. The proceedings at law upon the killing of fome of thefe perfons, proved fill lefs fatisfactory. They were not to be reconciled to the choice of the grand jury: they objected to the efcape of one of the foldiers, which they afferted to have been by connivance, if not by command; and they alleged

the acquittal of another, to have been in confequence of this escape, and of management of a very difingenious kind. They grew fill more impatient upon the publication of a letter of a fecretary of ftate, recommending in very strong terms to the magiftrates, an effectual and early ufe of the military power: and another from the fecretary at war, thanking the foldiers for their alacrity in the late fervice, and promifing them protection; and thefe encouraging words being attended with pecuniary rewards publicly given, the populace were actuated with the highest degree of fury and refentment. This temper was kept up and heightened by inflammatory publications, difcourfes, and even fermons. Every part of the tranfaction was represented in the moft odious colours; as if the military power kept up for the defence of the people, had been perverted to their destruction, and an enraged foldiery, already flushed in the flaughter of their countrymen, was to be encouraged by rewards to 'further bloodshed, and to be freed from every terror of the laws.

The miniftry did all in their power to ftem this popular torrent, and on their fide they painted in the ftrongest colours the licentioufnefs of the rabble; and that contempt of all government which made it neceffary to oppofe to a violent diftemper, remedies not lefs violent. They fated the unhappy difpofition of the people to be fuch, that juries, under the influence of the general infatuation, could hardly be got to do justice to foldiers under profecution, unless government interpofed in the molt effectual manner in the protection

of thofe who had acted under their orders. They faid, that fuch was the infolence of the populace, and the danger of the fame contagion becoming by degrees prevalent even among the foldiers, that it was neceffary to keep them firm to their duty by new and unusual rewards. They attributed the escape of one of the foldiers merely to defertion, and denied any other management at the trial of the reft, than a vigorous and juftifiable fupport by the council of the crown.

Whatever weight might have been in these reasons, they were but little prevalent; and the miniftry became, by this affair and its concomitant circumftances, ftill more unpopular, than by almost any other event. Some political circumftances, which happened nearly at the fame time, tended unfortunately ftill more to weak en government in the public opinion. The removal of general Amhurst from the government of Virginia, which had been confidered as a finecure employment, (the business having for half a century been done by deputy, and the governors fcarcely ever refident) and which had been avowedly bestowed upon the general in that fenfe, as a reward and a ftanding teftimonial of the great fervices he had done in America during the late war, became a fubject of general difcuffion, and was animadverted upon with great feverity. Nor did the conceffions that were afterwards made in any degree remove this impreffion; but on the contrary ferved rather to confirm and ftrengthen the principle upon which it was founded.

During this ftate of complaint, and dislike to public measures at

home.