236 THE MAYORALTY OF TRURO. 



has offered to pa}^, wliicli amount to about tlii'oe hundred pounds, 

 :nust be satisfied by us, and tliis will not only settle the town for 

 the present, but for ever. Mr. Manley, who knows the particular 

 state of this whole matter, will better inform you, but 'tis certain, 

 if this opportunity be lost, 'tis never to be retrieved." 



Two days after the election, Henry Vincent, junior, wrote as 

 follows to the earl of Oxford : "In obedience to your Lordship's 

 commands, I here present you with an account of the most 

 material occurrences at Truro since mj being in the country ; 

 and, as that relating to bribery is the most remarkable, I shall 

 beg leave to begin with it. Cha. Herle,*' whom you.r Lordship 

 lately favoured with a commission, was told his commission was 

 only a sham that would be attended with no pay, but if he would 

 vote for Mr. Boscawen, he should immediately have £600 to buy 

 him a commission in a standing regiment, and two hundred 

 guineas to ecj^uip him, with promises of future favours when the 

 Whigs came uppermost, which was to be very soon, the present 

 ministry being a parcel of beggarly, worthless fellows, whom the 

 Queen was weary of, and would discard within three months, but 

 all that was said could not prevail with him to alter his resolu- 

 tion of continuing firm as before. Hickman, who was thought 

 to be a lover of money, was three times attacked by Mr. 

 Boscawen in person the day before the election of Mayor, the 

 last time, late at night, when he told him if he would engage in 

 his interest, he should have £1,000 on the spot, and this, too, 

 backed by entreaties in the meanest manner, saying : — ' Pray, 

 Mr. Hickman, for God's sake, sir, if you don't vote for me, I 

 shall be undone, my interest will be totally lost.' Hickman's 

 reply was that if he expected his vote was to preserve (him) he 

 would be mistaken, for he could not nor would not be for him. 

 The Mayor was taken to the tavern and kept till morning, and 

 then told that if he would come over to Mr. Boscawen, he should 

 have £1,200 instantly carried to his house, and it being then a 

 private time, nobody could know of it ; but he rejected their 

 proposals with contempt, saying he would not sell his principles 

 for money, and that he had heard Mr. Boscawen had called him 

 rogue behind his back, but was resolved he should never make 



* Son of Henry Herle. 



