CHRONICLE. 



173 



proper to take judicial notice of 

 them, his influence and abilities of 

 course gave him the honour of be- 

 ing among the persons selected for 

 legal victims. On October 25, 

 ivy*, a memorable day ! he, with 

 several others, was arraigned for 

 high treason. After the acquittal 

 of Mr. Hardy, who was first tried, 

 little danger probably attended the 

 rest ; Mr. Tooke, however, had 

 the opportunit}' of distinguishing 

 himself by his characterestic acute- 

 ness, presence of mind, and intre- 

 pidity, on his trial ; and some of 

 the witnesses appeared much less 

 at their ease when examined by 

 him, than he was himself whilst 

 his fate was under determination. 

 His political consequence suffered 

 no diminution from the ordeal he 

 had undergone ; on the contrary, 

 it more attached his friends to him, 

 as an innocent and injured man; 

 and in 1801, Lord Camelford was 

 instrumental in procuring him a 

 seat in parliament, as representa- 

 tive of the noted borough of Old 

 Sarum. The figure he made in 

 the House of Commons probably 

 disappointed public expectation; 

 his appearance in that assembly, 

 however, was sufficiently dis- 

 pleasing to certain persons, to ex- 

 cite an attempt for his removal, on 

 the plea of ineligibility, as being 

 one in holy orders. The point 

 was settled by an express act of 

 ' parliament ; and from that time 

 Mr. Tooke ceased to be a political 

 character, at least publicly, though 

 his counsels are commnoly sup- 

 posed to have considerably swayed 

 the conduct of a popular baronet, 

 one of his most intimate and at- 

 tached friends. 



There was another character in 

 which Mr. Tooke, during the 



later years of life, appeared more 

 conspicuously, — that of a philolo- 

 gist. At the time of his confine- 

 ment in the King's-bench, he had 

 written a pamphlet, in the form of 

 a letter, to Mr. Dunning, concern- 

 ing the English particle, the sub- 

 ject of which was suggested by 

 something which occurred relative 

 to the information against him. 

 He further pursued his idea in 

 " The Diversions of Purley,'' pub- 

 lished in 1786. This was at length 

 enlarged to two quarto volumes, 

 forming a theory of grammar, 

 which, from its novelty and inge- 

 nuity, and the depth and acuteness 

 of its researches, obtained the ge- 

 neral concurrence of the learned, 

 and placed the author among the 

 first philosophical critics on lan- 

 guage. Mr. Tooke was reduced 

 to a state of great corporeal debility 

 for a considerable time before his 

 death, but without losing his pow- 

 ers of mind, or the cheerfulness 

 and serenity of his temper. He 

 was indeed happy to the last in 

 the habit of viewing every thing 

 on the bright side ; and although 

 few men had suffered more from 

 bodily pain, and undergone more 

 enmity and obloquy, he always 

 spoke of life as a source of enjoy- 

 ment. He had caused a vault to 

 be made in his garden at Wimble- 

 don, in which it was his purpose to 

 be interred, and had composed an 

 inscription for his tomb; but his 

 executors thought proper to alter 

 this disposition, and he was buried 

 in the family vault at Ealing, 

 wirh a respectable attendance of 

 friends. 



S^. Lady Williams, relict of Sir 

 Edward Williams, of Langoed 

 Castle, Wales. 



26. Lady Julia Percy, second 



daughter 



