DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70301#0024
12
KIRBY S WONDERFUL MUSEUM.
suspicion of guilt ? How will Lord Halifax excuse himself
to his sovereign for suffering so atrocious a calumny to spread
and take root, to the evident hazard of his royal reputation ?
And what amends will he make to the nation for the heart-
burnings and jealousies which are the natural fruit of such
procedure ? Yet, these, gentlemen, are the least of the mis-
chiefs that may be apprehended from his behaviour, upon the
footing of his own plea.
“ I will venture, however, to assert, that so far as hitherto,
appears, the weight of evidence and probability is on the
contrary side. Now, supposing the charge to be true, there,
can be no need of long arguments to convince you of the in-
jury done to the nation by suffering such capital offenders to,
escape. For what is this but to defraud us of the only com-
pensation we can expect for the loss of so many important
territories, a loss rendered still more grievous by the indignity
of paying a pension, as we notoriously do, to the foreign mi-
nisters who negotiated the ruinous bargain; yet even these,
considerations are infinitely outweighed by the danger to
which the whole nation must be exposed, from the continued
operation of so much authority, influence, and favour, to.
their prejudice, and above all, from a possibility that the su-
preme government of the kingdom, may, by the regency act,
devolve to a person directly and positively accused of high
treason. Even the encouragement that such impunity must
give to future treasons is enough to fill a thinking mind with
the most painful apprehensions. We live in an age not
greatly addicted to scruples, when the open avowal of do-
mestic venality seems to lead men by an easy gradation to
connections equally mercenary with foreigners and enemies.
How then can we expect ill-disposed persons to resist a temp-
tation of this sort when they find that treason may be detect-
ed, and proofs of it offered to a magistrate, without produ-
cing either punishment or enquiry ? The consequence of this
may be our living to see a French party, as well as a court
KIRBY S WONDERFUL MUSEUM.
suspicion of guilt ? How will Lord Halifax excuse himself
to his sovereign for suffering so atrocious a calumny to spread
and take root, to the evident hazard of his royal reputation ?
And what amends will he make to the nation for the heart-
burnings and jealousies which are the natural fruit of such
procedure ? Yet, these, gentlemen, are the least of the mis-
chiefs that may be apprehended from his behaviour, upon the
footing of his own plea.
“ I will venture, however, to assert, that so far as hitherto,
appears, the weight of evidence and probability is on the
contrary side. Now, supposing the charge to be true, there,
can be no need of long arguments to convince you of the in-
jury done to the nation by suffering such capital offenders to,
escape. For what is this but to defraud us of the only com-
pensation we can expect for the loss of so many important
territories, a loss rendered still more grievous by the indignity
of paying a pension, as we notoriously do, to the foreign mi-
nisters who negotiated the ruinous bargain; yet even these,
considerations are infinitely outweighed by the danger to
which the whole nation must be exposed, from the continued
operation of so much authority, influence, and favour, to.
their prejudice, and above all, from a possibility that the su-
preme government of the kingdom, may, by the regency act,
devolve to a person directly and positively accused of high
treason. Even the encouragement that such impunity must
give to future treasons is enough to fill a thinking mind with
the most painful apprehensions. We live in an age not
greatly addicted to scruples, when the open avowal of do-
mestic venality seems to lead men by an easy gradation to
connections equally mercenary with foreigners and enemies.
How then can we expect ill-disposed persons to resist a temp-
tation of this sort when they find that treason may be detect-
ed, and proofs of it offered to a magistrate, without produ-
cing either punishment or enquiry ? The consequence of this
may be our living to see a French party, as well as a court