presses himself well pleased.

"When you see

Mr. Wilkes," says he in a note of February 29, 1772, "pray return him my thanks for the trouble he has taken. I wish he had taken more ':" intimating hereby that there were still errors of which he was aware, and which he would have corrected if possible.

Yet though he thus continued to adhere rigidly to his determination never again to appear before the public in his full dress, or under the signature of JUNIUS, as he expresses it in his Private Letter of November 8, 1771, he did not object occasionally to introduce his observations and continue his severe strictures in a looser and less elaborate form, and under some appellative or other, that might not interfere with the claims of JUNIUS as a whole, as in the case of his series of letters to lord Barrington, see No. cv, cvII, &c. These, however, it was not easy, in spite of the characteristic style that still, to an acute eye, pervaded them, for the world at large to bring completely home to the real writer, though many of them were frequently charged to the account of JUNIUS by the political critics of the day, in different addresses to the printer upon this subject.

To judge of the moral and political character of JUNIUS from his writings, as well private as 1 Private Letter, No. 57.

public, he appears to have been a man of a bold and ardent spirit, tenaciously honourable in his personal connexions, but vehement and inveterate in his enmities, and quick and irritable in conceiving them. In his state principles he was strictly constitutional, excepting perhaps upon the single point of denying the impeccability of the crown; in those of religion he, at least, ostensibly professed an attachment to the established church.

Of his personal and private honour, we can only judge from his connexion with Mr. Woodfall. Yet this connexion is perhaps sufficient; for throughout the whole of it he appears in a light truly ingenuous and liberal. "If undesignedly," says he in one of his letters, " I should send you any thing you may think dangerous, judge for yourself, or take any opinion you think proper. You cannot offend or afflict me, but by hazarding your own safety'." To the same effect in another letter, "For my own part I can very truly assure you that nothing would afflict me more than to have drawn you into a personal danger, because it admits of no recompense. A little expense is not to be regarded, and I hope these papers have reimbursed you. I never will send you any thing that I

! Private Letter, No. 43.

think dangerous; but the risk is yours, and you must determine for yourself'."

Upon another occasion, being sensible that he had written with an asperity that might alarm his correspondent, he again begged him not to print if he apprehended any danger; adding that, for himself he should not be offended at his desisting; and merely requesting that if he did not chuse to take the risk he would transmit the paper as sent to him, to a printer who was well known to be less cautious than himself. "The inclosed," says he in one of his notes, "is of such importance, so very material, that it must be given to the public immediately. I will not advise, though I think you perfectly safe. All I say is that I rely upon your care to have it printed either to-morrow in your own paper, or to-night in the Pacquet "."-To the same effect is the following upon another occasion. "I hope you will approve of announcing the inclosed JUNIUS to-morrow, and publishing it on Monday. If, for any reasons that do not occur to me, you should think it unadviseable to print it, as it stands, I must entreat the favour of you to transmit it to Bingley, and satisfy him that it is a real JUNIUS, worth a North Briton extraordinary. It will be impossible for me to have an opportunity of altering any part of it 3."

I Private Letter, No. 33.

2 Id. No. 38.

Id. No. 34.

Upon the printer's being menaced with a prosecution on the part of the duke of Grafton, in consequence of the publication of JUNIUS'S letter to him of the date of December 12, 1769, accusing this nobleman of having, in the most corrupt and sinister manner, either sold or connived at the sale of a patent place in the collection of the customs at Exeter, he writes as follows: "As to yourself I am convinced the ministry will not venture to attack you; they dare not submit to such an enquiry. If they do, shew no fear, but tell them plainly you will justify, and subpoenâ Mr. Hine, Burgoyne, and Bradshaw of the Treasury: that will silence them at once'." The printer, however, was still fearful, and could not avoid expressing himself so to his invisible friend; who thus replied to his proposal of volunteering an apology: "Judge for yourself. I enter sincerely into the anxiety of your situation; at the same time I am strongly inclined to think that you will not be called upon. They cannot do it without subjecting Hine's affair to an enquiry, which would be worse than death to the minister. As it is, they are more seriously stabbed with this last stroke, than all the rest. At any rate, stand firm: (I mean with all the humble appearances of con

1 Private Letter, No. 15.

trition;) if you trim or faulter, you will lose friends without gaining others'." The friendly advice thus shrewdly given was punctiliously followed; and the predictions of JUNIUS were more than accomplished: for the minister not only did not dare to enforce his menaces, but at the same time thought it expedient to drop abruptly the prosecution of Mr. Vaughan, which this attack upon him was expressly designed to fight off, and to drop it too, after the rule against Vaughan had been made absolute.

Upon the publication of JUNIUS's letter to the King, Woodfall was not quite so fortunatebut his invisible friend still followed him with assistance; he offered him, as has already been observed, a reimbursement of whatever might be his pecuniary expenses, and aided him in a still higher degree with the soundest prudential and legal advice. Upon a subsequent occasion also, he makes the following observation. "As to yourself, I really think you in no danger. You are not the object, and punishing you would be no gratification to the King"."-But upon this subject, the following is one of the most important notes, as, although he expressly denies all professional knowledge of the law, it sufficiently proves that he was better acquainted with it than many who are actual practitioners.

Private Letter, No. 17.

2

* Id. No. 43.