43 
my 
Sever’d its minion. 
cifed the magifterial funétions, with 
great fpirit and integrity, and in the. 
Jaft of them. he incurred frefh * debts, 
by fupporting the honour of his ftation. 
While oppreffed by the accufation of 
minifters, the gale of popular attachment 
fetin ftrongly in his favour, and he was 
never fo great, or perhaps fo happy, 
as when ailiéted by the perfecution of 
the court. His caufe was {upported by 
the beft and ableft men in the kingdom ; 
his debts were more than once paid by the 
generous care of his friends, and every 
ammediate want was anticipated by the 
ardour df ther bounty +. But this was 
not all: they were determineg to procure 
him a more permanent proviffon, and 
according.y fiarted him as a candidate for 
the lucrative office of chamberlain of the 
city of London. Mr. Hopkins however 
prevailed, notwithffanding his character 
was tainted refpeéting fome money ne- 
gotiations with a minor; and an annual 
conteft tock: piace until his death, which 
eccurred in 2779, fince which period. 
Mr. Wilkes cccupied that fituation, for 
the remainder of his life. . 
During the whole of the American 
war, he was-a ftrenuous oppofer of lord 
Nerth’s; adminiftration, and heartily 
joined his own perfonal enemies in op- 
pofing the meafures, aud difplaying the 
guilt of that juftiy odious ftatefman. 
No fooner was the noble lord ‘} 
into the toils, and brought within the 
délinguent, than Mr. Wilkes feized that 
q 1 
opportunity of procuring juftice to the 
public and to himfelf, refpeéting the 
Middlefex eleftion. The day this fcan- 
dalous decifion was refcinded from the 
‘journals of the houfe of commons, may 
be faid'to have been the laft of his poli- 
ticalcareer. Indeed, from that moment, 
he feems to have -fuppofed his zion at 
an end, and in his own exprefs words to 

* Thefe were the only debts incurred in the 
Original Anccdates.—Mr. Wilkese 
Ua 
have confidered himfelf as. an “ extin- 
guifhed volcano!” 
In his perfon, Mr. Wilkes was tall, 
agile, and fo very, thin towards the lat- 
ter part.of his life, that his limbs feemed. 
cadaverous. His complexion, was fal- 
low, and he had an unfortunate caft of his 
eyes, that rendered his face particularly. 
liable to be caricatured. The. miniftry 
of that day were fo. fenfible of the ad- 
vantages to be derived: from this fpecies 
of ridicule, that Hogarth * was actually 
bought of from the popular party, by 
means of a penfion, and earned a dif- 
honourable reward, by employing his 
graver, in fatirifing his former friends. 
Not withftanding the defects of his perfon, 
Mr. Wilkes. at one time aétually fet the 
fafhions, and introduced b/ve sau powder, 
on his return from France in 1769. 
_ Towards.the latter part of his life, he 
became regardleis of his drefs, and his 
wardrobe for the laf fifteen.years feems. 
to have confiified of a faded fcarlet coar, 
white cloth waiftcoat:and breeches, and 
@ pair of military boots, in which he was 
accuftomed co walk three or four times 
a week, from Kenfington to Grofvenor 
fquare, and from -Grofvenor feuare to 
Guildhall. Like.moit.of the old/chool, he 
never defcended from tht dignity 0& acocked 
bat, and itis but ef late that. he abjured the 
long exploded fafhion, of. wearing a gold 
button and loop: ee 
His ready wit was proverbial, and he 
never mified an epportunity ef being 
jocular, at the expence cf his colleagues. 
Sometimes he would -difcoveert’ the.gra- 
vity of a city feat by his fatire; and 
when he tald the late alderman Burnell, 
(formerly a bricklayer) who, feemed, to 
be unable to manage a knife, in the fim- 


* ‘When that great charter which our. 
With their bet blood, was into queftion brought, 
When big with ruin, o’er each Englifh head, 
Vile flavery hung fufpended by a thread, 
When liberty, all’ trembling and aghaft, 
Fear’d for the future; knowing what was pait, 
VZhen ev’ry breaft’ was chill’d with deep defpair, 
public fervice, and I underftand that they have -Tilj reafon pointed out that Pratt was there, 
been all liquidated. 
+-Among other prefents received by him 
was acupof s5ool. value, made by Mr. Ste- 
phenfon, of Ludgate hill, on which he cauféd 
-the following lines to be engraved : 
¢ Proud Buckingham, for law too mighty grown, 
A patriot dagger prob’d, and from the throne 
In fucceding times, 
May all thofe favourites who adopt his crimes 
Partake his fate, and ev’ry Villiers feel 
The keen deep fearchings of a Felton’s fteel.” 
Lurking moft.ryffan-like behind a fereen, 
So plac’d all things to fee, himfelf unfeen, 
Virtue with due contempt faw Hogarth ftand. 
The murd’rous pencil in his palfy’d dhand 
What was the caufe of liberty to him, 
. Or what was hononr.? let them fink or fwim, 
So he may-gratify without control, 
The mean refentments of his felfifh foul: © 
Let freedom perifh, if to freedom true, 
Inthe fame‘ruin Wi'kes may perith too.”’ 
Ghurchill’s epif, to. Hogarth. 
: a ple 
