\ 
CHARACTERS. 
2opics to be printed at his apart- 
aments. The real author was.a fon. 
of an Archbifhop of Canterbury. 
In both inftances, the works in 
queftion were obtained by the baf- 
eft fraud ; his own fervants having 
been bribed and fuborned for that 
very purpofe. 
At length a change of miniftry 
having taken place, and the parlia- 
ment being diffolved, Mr. Wiikes 
returnéd to his native country; and 
notwithitanding the terrors of an 
outlawry, actually ftood candidate: 
for the firft city in the empire, and 
only loft his election by a imall 
majority. He proved more fuccefs- 
ful in the firft county, as he was re- 
turned a knight of the fhire for Mid- 
’ wdlefex, after a great and decifive 
sconteft. 
The violated laws were, how- 
ever, {till to be atoned for; and ac- 
cordingly the new member, with 
‘his ufual intrepidity, voluntarily fur- 
rendered himfelf, in the court of 
King’s Bench, on the 20th of April, 
1768; and on Saturday morning, 
June 18th, fentence was pronoune- 
ed; in confequence of which he 
was imprifoned for twenty-two ca- 
Jendar months, and obliged to pay 
j@ fine of 10001. He found means, 
however, to get his -outlawry re- 
werfed; and this was.accomplifhed 
with lefs difficulty than had been 
expected, as Lord Mansfield, who, 
on great occafions, exhibited evi- 
dent fymptoms of -timidity, was 
alarmed at the odium attached to 
all thofe concerned in the proceed- 
ings, and did not perhaps think the 
bench itfelf, although furrounded 
by mace-bearers and tipftaves, fa- 
‘cred from the fury of an incenfed 
multitude, . ; 
No fooner was this neceflary pre- 
Aiminary atchieved, than the aétion 
375 
againft Lord Halifax, who had hi- 
therto pleaded the outlawry as a bar, 
was recommenced, and a verdict of 
40001. obtained.) This'fum, toge- 
ther with 10001. recovered trom 
Mr. Wood, thé Under Secretary. of 
State, and, the-amount of the ver- 
dicts, damages, and. cafts of fuit, 
were all paid out of the civil lift, by 
an exprefs order of council. 
‘To balance the victory, he was: 
doomed to fuffer a frefh profecu- 
tion. His long and rigorous im- 
prifonment having enfured the in- 
dignation of all liberal and indepen- 
dent men, and inflamed large bo- 
dies of the populace to a degree of 
frenzy little fhort of madnefs, ma- 
ny riots now took place; and St. 
George’s Fields became the feene of 
much confufion. There were two 
legal modes of proceeding: in. this: 
cafe. The firft,'moft gracious and 
affuredly moft politic, would have! 
been a fpontaneous exercife of the 
royal mercy, which, by its: exten- 
fion to the prifener, would have 
difloived the affociatioms entered in= 
to for his protection and fupport,: 
and left him without complaint, 
and confequenily without adhe- 
rents. The fecond was the confti- 
tutional employment of the civil. 
power, in order to keep the peace, 
and, in cafe of infraction, to punith 
the offenders. A third was, how-: . 
ever, recurred to, unknown to our 
ancient laws, equivocal in its naturey. 
and problematical in its application; 
this was the calling in a military 
force: a meafure ftrenuoufly re- 
commended by Lord Weymouth, 
then Secretary of State, and as 
warmly combated by, Mr.’ Wilkes. 
This produced a fecond expulfion ; 
and as one injuitice naturally leads 
to another, gave birth to the nomi- 
nation of Mr, Lutterell, now Lord 
Aad Carhampton, 
