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been brought into queftion till the prefent inaufpicious æra. I have an entire con fidence, my Lord, that a right left uninvaded by every tyrant of the Tarquin race, will be facredly preferved under the government of our prefent fovereign, because his majefty is perfectly informed that in confequence of their expulfion his family was chofen to protect and defend the rights of a free people, whom they endeavoured to enflave.

It cannot escape your Lordflip's recollection, that at all times, when the privileges of the capital were attacked, very fatal confequences enfued. The inva fion of the liberties of the nation we have generally feen fucceeded by attempts on the franchifes of the first city of the kingdon, and the fhock was fpread from the centre to the most diftant point of the circumference of this wide extended empire. I hope his majefty's goodness will revoke an order, which might perhaps, in this light, be looked upon as ominous by the people at large; no less than injurious to the citizens of this metropolis. Such a measure only could quiet the alarm, which has already spread too far, and given gloomy apprehenfion of futu

rity.

The privilege, my Lord, for which I contend, is of very great moment, and peculiarly ftriking. When his majesty receives on the throne any addrefs, it is read by the proper officer, to the King, in the prefence of the petitioners. They have the fatisfaction of knowing that their fovereign has heard their complaints. They receive an answer. If the fame addrefs is prefented at a levee, or in any other mode, no answer is given. A suspicion may arife, that the address is never heard or read, because it is only received, and immediately delivered to the Lord in waiting. If he is tolerably verfed in the fupple, infinuating arts practifed in the magic circle of a court, he will take care not to remind his prince of any difagreeable and difgufting, howEver important and wholefome, truths. He will frangle in its Birth the fair offSpring of liberty, because its cries might awaken and alarm the parent; and thus the common father of all his people may remain equally ignorant and unhappy in his moft weighty concerns..

Important truths, my Lord, were the foundation of the laft humble addrefs, remonftrance, and petition to the King, refpecting our brave fellow-fubjects, in America. The greatnefs, as well as goodnefs of the cause, and the horrors of an approaching civil war, juftified our appli

cation to the throne. It comprehended every thing interefting to us as a free and commercial people, the first principles or our common liberty, and the immense advantages of the only trade we enjoy unrivalled by other nations. I greatly fear that your Lordship's letter immediately following his majesty's unfavourable anfwer to the remonstrance will be confidered as a fresh mark of the King's anger against our unhappy brethren, as well as of his difpleasure against the faithful citizens of his capital. The Livery, poffeffing the pureft intentions, the moft noble and exalted views for the public good, will comfort themselves with the appeal to that justice in the fovereign's heart, which cannot fail of foon rettoring them to the royal favour; but the Americans may be driven to despair, unless a merciful providence should gracioufly interpofe, and change the obdurate hearts of thofe unjust and wicked minifters, who have been fo long permitted by a divine vengeance to be a fcourge both to us and our brethren. The true friends of liberty, I am fure, will not be remifs in their duty. I doubt not, my Lord, from that love of your country and zeal for his majefty's glory, which have equally distinguifhed your lordship, that the Livery of London will have your hearty concurrence with them, as well as your powerful interceffion with the King for the revocation of the late order. Such a conduct will fecure to your Lordship the esteem and affection of all good men, and add to the unfeigned refpect with which I have the honour to be,

My Lord, your Lordship's

Moft obedient, humble fervant, JOHN WILKES. The right hon. the Earl of

Hertford, Lord chamberlain of the King's houfhold. Character of William III. from MacpherJon's Hiftory of Great Britain.

WILLI

LLIAM the third, king of GreatBritain and Ireland, was in his perfon of a middle fize, ill fhaped in his limbs, fomewhat round in the shoulders, light-brown in the colour of his hair and in his complexion. The lines of his face were hard, and his nofe aquiline. But a good and penetrating eye threw a kind of light on his countenance, which tempered its feverity, and rendered his harsh features, in fome measure, agreeable. Though his conftitution was weak, delicate and infirm, he loved the manly exercifes cf the field; and often indulged

himfelf

and even a great Prince. During the

himself in the pleasures, and even, fome times, in the exceffes of the table. Iaft twenty years of his life, his abilities,.

his private character, he was frequently by a dextrous management of the events harfh, paffionate, and severe, with re of the times, raised him to an influence gard to trifles. But when the subject in Christendom, fcarce ever before carrofe equal to his mind, and in the tumult ried by a Prince beyond the limits of his of battle, he was dignified, cool, and fe own dominions. Peculiarly fortunate in rene. Though he was apt to form bad the fuccefs of his political measures, her impreffions, which were not eafily re obtained his authority through channels moved, he was neither vindictive in his the most flattering, because the most undifpofition, nor obftinate in his refent common. He was placed at the head of ment. Neglected in his education, and, his native country, as the last hopes of perhaps, deftitute by nature of an eles her fafety from conqueft and a foreign gance of mind, he had no tafte for literaoke. He was raised to the throne of ture, none for the fciences, none for the Great Britain, under the name of her debeautiful arts. He paid no attention to diverer from civil tyranny and religious mufic, he understood no poetry. He difperfecution. He was confidered in the regarded learning. He encouraged no men of letters, no painters, no artifts of any kind. In fortification and in the mathematicks, he had a confiderable de gree of knowledge. Though unfuccefs ful in the field, he understood military operations by land. But he neither po felfed nor pretended any skill in maritime affairs.

fame important light by the reft of Europe. The Empire, Spain, and Italy, looked up to his councils, as their only refource against the exorbitant ambition and power of Lewis the fourteenth; and France herself, when the affected to defpife his power the most, owned his importance, by an illiberal joy upon a false report of his death.

"In the diftribution of favours, hel "But if the private character of Wilwas cold and injudicious. In the punih liam has been too critically examined, ment of crimes, often too easy, and fome here the praise bestowed on his public times too fevere. He was parfimonious conduct ought to terminate. Though he where he should be liberal; where he was brave in action, and loved war as ought to be sparing, frequently profufe an amusement, he poffeffed not the taIn his temper he was filent and referved lents of a great General, and he was too in his addrefs ungraceful; and though not prodigal of the lives of men. Though deftitute of diffimulation, and qualified he obtained the name of a deliverer in for intrigue, lefs apt to conceal his paffi England, and though, in fact, he might ons than his designs. Thefe defects, ra be confidered in that light, with regard ther than vices of the mind, combining to Europe, more is owing to his own amwith an indifference about humouring bition, than to a general love of mankind. mankind through their ruling paffions In Holland, where he obtained the chief rendered him extremely unfit for gaining authority; in a time of public distress, he the affections of the English nation. His frequently exercised his power in a manreign, therefore, was crouded with mor ner inconfiftent with the rights of a free tifications of various kinds. The difconftate. In England, he scarce adhered, tented parties among his subjects found no difficulty in eitranging the minds of the people from a Prince, poffeffed of few talents to make him popular. He was trufted, perhaps, lefs than he deferved by the most obfequious of his parliaments but it seems, upon the whole, apparens that the nation adhered to his government more from a fear of the return of his pre deceffor, than from any attachment to his own perfon, or respect for his right to

the throne.

"Thefe harfh features of the mind of King William, presented themselves only to those who took a near and critical view of his conduct. To men who ob ferved him at a distance, and as a prin cipal object in the great scale of Europe he appeared a respectable, a prudent,

in any thing. to the moderate declaration which paved his way to the throne. Though he obtained the crown by election, he fhewed no difpofition to relinquith any of its hereditary ornaments; and though he affected to defpife royalty, no Prince was ever more fond of the diftinction paid to a King. His intrigues to expel his uncle from a throne, which he himself intended to mount, were by no means fuitable with any frict adherence to virtue. To gain to his intereft the fervants of King James, may not have been inconsistent with thofe allowances generally made for ambitious views. But there was a confiderable degree of im→ morality, in his being acceffary to fuggefting thofe unpopular meafures which he turned, afterwards, with so much fuc

cefs,

cefs, against that unfortunate as well as imprudent Monarch. Upon the whole, if we must allow that King William, with all his faults, was a great Prince, it ought alfo to be admitted, that virtue was never an unfurmountable obstacle to his ambition and views on power."

MR

contented with spending his yearly income in riot, he leffened his eftate by felling part of it. So ftrange a conduct astonished the whole town! Those who had highly difapproved of the fon's marriage, felt themselves touched with compaffion for him.

The young man and his wife lived the A remarkable Discovery of a Murder. first years of their marriage on what he R. Patrier poffeffed great riches, had carried with him; but his family and had only one fon, in whofe growing numerous, he was very foon reeducation he fpared nothing. The fonduced to the greatest neceffity. A thouanfwered the wishes of his father, and there was reafon to hope fo perfect an union would not have ended but with life: but an unfortunate paffion tore from both that tenderness which feemed to be eternal, and plunged them into the greateft crimes, and foon into the misfortunes which inevitably follow guilt.

and times, with his young ones, he watched the moment when he could find his barbarous father in fome houses where he had accefs, and throwing himself at his feet, conjured him to have pity on those innocent victims of his wrath; a hundred times the most confiderable people in the place employed themselves in endeavouring to foften him in favour of this unforunate family; but he always replied, he never had but one fon, and had lookon him as dead from the moment he was married.

Young Patrier made an acquaintance with a girl, who lived in the best part of the town. Birth, wit, talents, all feemed to contribute to render her accom-ed plifhed. Patrier found her fo, and foon became the most amorous of all men. In All the friends of that unnatural father fpite of the difproportion that there was abandoned him, and he was reduced to betwixt his fortune and her's, he flattered the fociety of a few miferable wretches, himself, that his father would not obfti- who thought only of enriching themselves nately render him miferable, by refufby his diffipations. The fon fubfifted a ing to unite him to the only perfon whom he thought capable of making him happy for life. What was then, his aftonifhment, when his father, by a caprice of which he could never divine the motive, abfolutely refused him his mistress, telling him he had other views for him!

long while on the many fuccours which his friends procured him; but these refources diminished by degrees, and his wife faw him obliged to manual labour, to procure bread for his wretched chilren. Till then she had engaged the afteem of the whole world by her fweetDuring fome months our lover used nefs, patience and good conduct. But every means in his powe to touch the whether the had naturally a bad heart, heart of his father; and finding it in for whether misfortune had foured her chavain, the violence which he used to tear racter fo as entirely to change it, the now from his heart a paffion which could not began to murmur highly at the inflexibi fubfift with the refpect which he owed to ity of her father-in-law, who had arrithe author of his being, threw him into ved at his fixtieth year, and much weaka disease which brought him to the gates ened by debauches. This gave occafion of death. Happy had it been for him, to a friend of young Patrier to say to if fate had then cut fhort his days, and him, one day, in prefence of his wife, preferved his virtue. The ftrength of that he ought to comfort himself by hope his conftitution, and the care which was of the death of his father; for the parliataken of him, reftored his health: butment of Rouen, who had a juft indigna feeing that the danger he had been in tion for his behaviour, would undoubthad been infufficient to foften his father, edly, in fpite of his will, put the fon in he thought he owed nothing to his ten poffeffion of the wreck of his fortune. dernefs; and hearkening only to his de Mrs. Patrier heard with pleasure this con< fpair, he dared to marry without his con- verfation; fhe looked on the remains of fent. The father did not appear fur- her father-in-law's fortune as what would prifed at this action, but fent for a Nota- one day be her's; and in confequence of ry, and coolly difinherited his fon, ap-this idea fhe confidered his diffipations, pearing abfolutely to forget he was any as a real injury done to her and her chillonger a father: he even went fo far as dren. to plunge himself into the noft frightful debauches, and made his houfe a feraglio for the most abandoned wretches. Not

This difpofition led her very foon to with the death of her father-in-law; and as in fpite of her wishes he continued to

enjoy

enjoy a perfect ftate of health, the conceived the horrid design of taking away his life. She communicated to her hufband, and reprefented fo ftrongly the cruelty of his father, and the fad fituation, of ten children, of which their family was then compofed, that this unhappy fon confented to her propofal. He found an accomplice, who took the execution of it upon himself: the friend whofe fatal difcourfe had given birth to fo criminal a thought was gained, and he was promifed 10,000 livres as a reward for the murder.

Mr. and Mrs. Patrier passed the evening which was to clofe the days of their wretched Sire, at the houfe of a friend, who had invited them to a chriftening. Such a quick progrefs had they made in guilt, that they fhewed in their firft effay an intrepidity, of which we thould have thought the moft hardened criminals fcarcely capable. Never had they appear ed more tranquil. It being fummer, they did not parttill day light. They had been at home fome few hours, when news was brought, that their father's neighbours had been alarmed by feeing a ladder againft his window; that they had acquainted the Juftice, and were preparing to break open his chamber, his fervants having in vain knocked at his door. The fon, without being difconcerted, was running like others; but he was prevented by one of his friends, who told him, that they had found his father ailaffinated, and advised him and his wife to fecure themselves, as he thought they had reafon for fear.

Patrier rejected this counfel, with difdain; and as it was publicly faid, that they could only be accused of the murder whofe intereft it was to commit it, he was put in prifon, and made in his own name to fearch for the aflaffin. He had nothing to fear from this fearch, Drouin, who was the murderer, had fent to Mrs. Patrier a box of ivory, which was to be the fignal by which the was to know that he was embarked for England.

Though there was no one proof a-, gainst the wife of Patrier, the was arreited, as well as the fervants of the deseafed; but thofe were foon discharged, and all the fufpicion fell on him who really had committed the murder. Drouin was a mason, and he had ordered one of his masons to carry a ladder and fet it up against the house of the unhappy deceafed. The labourer, who knew his own innocence, declared this circumflance, which, joined to the abfence of Drouin, convinced the Judges that he

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was the murderer. But Drouin had never had any thing to do with Patrier the father; he was an intimate friend of the Son: thefe circumftances appeared fulticient to the Judges to detain the Son in prifon, as well as his wife. They were confined four years, at the end of which time he went out under a guard; but as he had been arrested at the fuit of the Procurator of the King, it was neceflary he fhould be cleared by the law, and he and his wife returned back to Paris for form fake only, their affair being to be finished the next day.

But if they escaped the eyes of men, they could not thofe of Heaven. That very day a man, who covered his face with his cloak, came to the prifon; and demanded to speak to Patrier. The Goaler, who thought he recollected Drouin even through his difguife, introduced him, but having taken care of the doors, he placed himself in a corner, where he could hear all that paffed between him and the prifoner.

"Ah wretched man!" cried Patrier, when he perceived him, "at what a time doft thou prefent thyfelf! Have you refolved we fhould all be loft together? In a few days I fhould be in a fiate to recompenfe the service you have done me; haften to depart if it is not yet too late, and expect to hear of me by the firft opportunity."

Drouin heard him with a mournful air, and raifing on Patrier a distracted eye. "Of what fervice can your promises or your benefits be to me, when I carry about me a Fury, which leaves me not a moment's repofe? For thefe four years that I have lived in England, I have been torn by remorfe; and not being able any longer to fupport my being, I am conie to expofe a life which is grown odious to me through the most cruel torture."

Patrier and his wife, confounded at fuch difcourfe, threw themselves on their knees before Drouin, and employed alternately careffes, prayers, and menaces; in fine, they prevailed on this new Cain to go back to England, and promised very foon to join him, and fhare their fortune with him, which was fill confiderable : maugre the diffipations of the defunct; for they did not doubt having the power to fet afide their difinheriting. But the goaler, who from the first words of this converfation had known what it was upon, advertised the Judges. Drouin was taken and thrown into a dungeon, and Mr. and Mrs. Patrier were put into a closer confinement. They were all tried, and the unhappy Drouin was condemned to

be

be broken on the wheel, and Patrier and his wife to be burnt alive, being drawn on a hurdle to the place of execution.

The Golden Speech of Queen Elizabeth to her laft Parliament, November the 30th,

Anno Domini 1601.

Her Majefly being fet under State in the Council-chamber, at Whitehall, the Speaker, accompanied with PrivyCounsellors, befides Knights and Burgees of the lower Houfe, to the Number of eight-fcore, prefenting themselves at her Majefty's Feet, for that fo graciously and Speedily fhe had heard and yielded to her Subjects defires, and proclaimed the fame in their hearing as followeth :

་་

Mr. Speaker,

charge you thank them of the lower houfe from me: for had I not received knowledge from you, I might have fallen into the lap of an error, only for want of true information. Since I was to any grant but upon pretext and femyour queen, yet did I never put my pen blance made me that it was for the good and avail of my fubjects generally, though a private profit to fome of my antient fervants, who have deferved well. But that my grants shall be made grievances to my people, and oppreffions to be privileged under colour of our parents, our princely dignity fhall not fuffer it,

"When I heard it, I could give no reft to my thoughts, until I had reformed it, and those varlets, lewd perfons, abufers of my bounty, thall know I will not

WE perceive your coming to pre- fuffer it. And, Mr. Speaker, tell the

fent thanks to us: know I accept them with no less joy than your loves can have defire to offer fuch a prefent, and do more efteem it than any treasure or riches, for those we know how to prize, but loyalty, love, and thanks, I account them invaluable: and though God hath raised me high, yet this I account the glory of my crown, that I have reigned with your loves. This makes that I do not fo much rejoice that God hath made me queen, as to be queen over fo thankful a people, and to be the means, under God, to conferve you in fafety, and preferve you from danger, yea, to be the inftrument to deliver you from difhonour, from fhame, and from infamy: to keep you out of fervitude, and from flavery under our enemies, and cruel tyranny, and vile oppreffion intented against us: for the better withstanding whereof, we have taken very acceptable their intended helps, and chiefly, in that it manifefteth your loves, and largeness of hearts to your fovereign. Of myself I must fay this, I never was any greedy, fcraping ufurer, nor a ftrict fast-holding prince, nor yet a wafter. My heart was never fet upon any worldly goods, but only for my fubjects good. What you beftow on me I will not hoard up, but receive it to beftow on you again; yea, mine own properties I account your's, to be expended for your good, and your eyes fhall fee the bestowing of it for your welfare..

"Mr. Speaker, I could wish to fee you and the reft to stand up, for I fear I fhall yet trouble you with longer fpeech.

"Mr. Speaker, you give me thanks, but I am more to thank you, and May, 1775...

house from me, I take it exceeding grateful that the knowledge of these things are come to me from them. And though among them the principal members are fuch as are not touched in private, and therefore need not speak from any feeling of the grief, yet we have heard that other gentlemen alfo of the house, who ftand as free, have spoken as freely in it; which gives us to know that no respect or intereft have moved them, other than the minds they bear to fuffer no diminution of our honour, and our subjects love unto us. The zeal of which affection tending to eafe my people, and knit their hearts to us, I embrace with a princely care. Far above all earthly treasures, Lefteem my people's love, more than which I defire not to merit. And God that gave me here to fit, and placed me over you, knows that I never refpected myself, but as your good was conferved in me: yet what dangers, what practices, and what perils I have paffed! fome, if not all of you know, but none of these things do move me, or ever made me fear, but it is God that hath delivered me.

"And in my governing this land, I have ever fet the laft judgment day before mine eyes, and fo rule as I fhall be judged, and anfwer before a higher judge, to whofe judgment-feat I do appeal, in that never thought was cherished in my breast that tended not to my people's good.

"And if my princely bounty have been abused, and my grants turned to the hurt of my people, contrary to my will and meaning, or if any in authority under me, have neglected or converted what I have committed unto them, I hope Qq

God

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