By the Rev Canon Jackson, F.S.A. 207 



Fannen, dear Mr. Fannen, as if he wanted to say somewhat more." 

 The public were never quite satisfied with Ayliffe's execution. It 

 seemed cruel on the part of Mr. Fox, considering that he was in 

 the enjoyment of some thousands a-year from the Ayliffe estates, and 

 that he sustained very little pecuniary loss, to allow a man to be 

 put to death for altering £35 into £5 in his name and without his 

 authority. They insisted upon it that Mr. Fox was eager to get 

 him out of the way as being privy to some proceedings that would 

 tell unfavourably against himself. Mr. Fox was not a popular man. 

 He was a shrewd and clever politician, but not much liked. The 

 following character of him is given by one who knew him well, but 

 who, it is only fair to say, was at the same time his chief political 

 opponent — William Pitt the elder, afterwards created Earl of Chat- 

 ham, who " thought Mr, Fox the blackest man that ever lived ; that 

 he was a great dealer in anonymous letters to set people at variance 

 with each other, and suggest to each such opinions as he thought 

 convenient ; that he carried it so far that, to his latter end, whenever 

 he went about purchasing an estate, he had recourse to such methods 

 of undervaluing it and deterring others from bidding for it ; that he 

 dealt much also in newspaper abuse, though he was continually com- 

 plaining and crying about it ; that he educated his children without 

 the least regard to morality, and with such extravagant vulgar indul- 

 gence that the great change which has taken place among our youth 

 has been dated from the time of his son^s going to Eton. His letters 

 to his sons still exist in his family, inciting them to extravagance." * 

 He was for a time Secretary of State and leader of the House of 

 Commons, but the post to which he clung persistently amid all the 

 changes was that of Paymaster of the Forces. When he consented 

 to leave the House of Commons he still stipulated for keeping this 

 office, and held it to 1765. " His next passion was covetousness ; he 

 had an opportunity of satisfying this to the greatest degree in the 

 Pay Office, by taking proper advantage of the rise and fall of the 

 public stocks with the public money, a great deal of which necessarily 

 lay in his hands." ^ 



' " Life of William, Earl of Shelbume," by Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice, Vol. I., 

 p. 78. 



2 Ditto, p. 173. 



