98 'OLD q' 



What led Wilkes to indite and put in print his 

 Essay on Woman nothing but a debauched mind 

 could suggest. The few lines I have found, after a 

 prolonged search, convince me that only a heartless 

 roue could have compiled so indecent a pamphlet. 

 Only twelve or thirteen copies were printed; but 

 these were too many. Let us hope all were de- 

 stroyed. Had, however, this immoral publication 

 been issued from Grub Street, or similar founts of 

 inferior and indecent literature, it would, perhaps, 

 in those days have attracted little notice ; but its 

 emanating from one who posed as a patriot, and 

 being brought to the notice of the authorities by 

 Lord March, made not only the ' essay ' famous, but 

 that which its author did not bargain for — infamous. 



The discovery was brought about in a singular 

 way. Wilkes had intrusted the MS. of this precious 

 essay to his own foreman to strike off; one of his 

 subordinates, with more charity than judgment, 

 gave a fellow-typist — presumably during his dinner- 

 hour — employed at one Faden's, some butter in a 

 pull of one of the sheets. It is not assumed that 

 this was done purposely; but his friend, on un- 

 wrapping the butter, glanced at the matter contained 

 on the sheet, which so interested him that he 

 showed it to his fellow- workmen. At last it reached 



