money on the supposition: (an indignity which I protest I would not have offered to you, though you had negotiated the matter and given the promise yourself,) and yet I do not find you at all angry with them when they tell you their opinion of you without scruple. On the contrary, you pity Mrs. Burns in the kindest manner, which shews plainly that your honour is not like Cæsar's wife. Nay, you seem almost to doubt whether you "might beg the favour of Mr. Burns to meet you at your house in Curzon Street;" that is, you humbly solicit Mr. Burns to do you the favour of accepting your assistance in the recovery of his money. Archbishop Laud thought to clear himself to posterity from all aspersions relative to popery, by inserting in his diary his refusal of a Cardinal's hat; not perceiving the disgrace indelibly fixed on him by the offer. "Mr. Burns has had the strongest recommendations from persons of undoubted veracity, and I believe on all accounts will be found to be perfectly capable and worthy the employment." The letter from Mrs. Burns to you does by no means declare her to be an ideot. Colonel (whom you forbear to mention) is a man of sense, and well acquainted with the world. It is strange they should all three believe you capable of this crime, which" of all others you most hold in abhorrence." Mr. Pownal, Mr. Bradshaw, and their principals, are supposed to know something of men and things, and therefore I conclude they did not believe you concerned in this business though I wonder much that, not believing it, both the secretaries should wait on you so seriously about it; but perhaps they may think, that when honour and justice are not the rules of men's actions, there is nothing incredible that may be for their advantage. But, Sir, whatever may be their sentiments of you, I must intreat you to entertain no resentment to me, my opinion of your character would never suffer me to doubt your innocence. If indeed the charge of corruption had been brought against a low and ignorant debauchee, who, without

VOL. I.

N

without the gratifications and enjoyments of a gentleman, had wasted a noble patrimony amongst the lowest prostitutes; whose necessities had driven him to hawk about a reversion on the moderate terms of one thousand for two hundred; whose desperate situation had made him renounce his principles and desert his friends, those principles and those friends to which he stood indebted for, his chief support; who for a paltry consideration had stabbed a DEAR OLD FRIEND, and violated the sacred rights of that grateful country that continued to the son the reward of his father's services: if the charge had been brought against such an one, more fit to receive the public charity than to be trusted with the DISPOSAL and ManageMENT of the public money, small proof would have been sufficient; and instead of considering it as a crime the most to be abhorred, we might have suffered corruption to pass amongst the virtues of such a man. But yours, Sir, is a very different character, and situation. In the clear and unincumbered possession of the paternal estate with which your ancestors have long been respectable; with a pension of three thousand, and a place of one thousand a year; with the certain prospect of Lord Onslow's large fortune, which your prudence will not anticipate; grateful to your country, faithful to your connexions, and firm to your principles, it ought to be as difficult to convict you of corruption, as a cardinal of fornication; for which last purpose by the canon law, no less than seventy-two eye-witnesses are necessary. Thus, Sir, you see how far I am from casting any reflection on your integrity: however if notwithstanding all I have said you are still resolved to try the determination of a jury, take one piece of advice from me: do not think of prosecuting me for an INSINUATION: alter your charge before it comes upon record, to prevent its being done afterwards; for though Lord Mansfield did not know the difference between the words when he substituted the one for the other, we all know very well now that it is the TENOR and not

the

the PURPORT that must convict for a libel, which indeed almost every student in the law knew before.

ANOTHER Freeholder OF SURRY.

The names of Lord Hillsborough and Mr. Pownal having been introduced into the preceding letter, they thought proper to deny any other knowledge of Mr. Onslow's supposed turpitude, than that proceeding from common report, and accordingly inserted the following letters in the Public Advertiser on the day after their respective dates. Long as this note is, we cannot, in justice to Mr. Onslow, here omit them.

TO H. S. WOODFALL,

Printer of the Public Advertiser.

HAVING observed in a newspaper of the 28th of July last, that it is insinuated that I have been the detector of a supposed crime, imputed to the Right Honourable George Onslow, Esq. I do think it an act of common justice to declare, in this public manner, that I am entirely ignorant of the said supposed crime, and of all circumstances relative to it, except that I have heard the story mentioned in common conversation, and constantly treated as a calumny propagated to injure Mr. Onslow's reputation. Hanover Square, August 2, 1769.

HILLSBOROUGH.

Ir having been suggested in a letter addressed to the Right Honourable George Onslow, Esq. published in a newspaper dated the 28th of July last, that I was, together with Mr. Bradshaw, sent to Mr. Onslow, on the subject of a scandalous transaction, in which Mr. Onslow is, in the said letter, stated to be concerned; it is become necessary for me, in justice to that gentleman, to declare, that I never was sent to Mr. Onslow, on that or any other occasion; but having heard this story, I thought it but common justice to communicate it to Mr. Onslow, which I did through the channel of Mr Bradshaw. J. POWNAL.

Whitehall, August 2, 1769.

An action for defamation against Mr. Horne, was brought by Mr. Onslow, agreeably to his menace, and the damages were laid at £10,000. It was tried before Mr. Justice Blackstone, at the Surry Assizes held at Kingston, April 6, 1770, and terminated in Mr. Onslow's nonsuit, in consequence of the word pounds being inserted in the record, instead of the word pound. The cause was re-heard before Lord Chief Justice Mansfield at the ensuing Summer Assizes, held at Guildford, when Mr. Onslow was again nonsuited. The trial is supposed to have cost Mr. Onslow upwards of £1500 in consequence of his having retained all the principal counsel upon the occasion.

SIR,

N° 6.

Sunday, Aug. 6, 1769.

THE spirit of your letter' convinces me that you are a much better writer than most of the people whose works you publish. Whether you have guessed well or ill must be left to our future acquaintance. For the matter of assistance, be assured, that if a question should arise upon any writings of mine, you shall not want it. Yet you see how things go, and I fear my assistance would not avail you much. For the other points of printing, &c. it does not depend on us at present. My own works you shall constantly have, and in point of money, be assured you never shall suffer. I wish the in

'The substance of Mr. Woodfall's reply to Private Letter, No. 3. is not known.

closed' to be announced to-morrow conspicuously for Tuesday. I am not capable of writing anything more finished.

Your friend,

C.

2

Your Veridicus is Mr. Whitworth. I assure you I have not confided in him.

SIR,

N° 7

Wednesday night, Aug. 16, 1769. I HAVE been some days in the country, and could not conveniently send for your letter until this night. Your correction was perfectly right, the sense required it, and I am much obliged to you. When I spoke of innumerable blunders, I meant Newberry's pamphlet; for I must confess that upon the whole your papers are very correctly printed.

Do with my letters exactly what you please. I should think that, to make a better figure than Newberry, some others of my letters may be added, and so throw out a hint, that you have reason to suspect they are by the same author.

JUNIUS, Letter xx.

2 Veridicus was a frequent writer in the Public Advertiser, in the year 1769, and, as already observed in the Preliminary Essay, was Richard Whitworth, Esq. M. P. for Stafford.