Life of Sir Fofeph Mawbey. 
inacottage. His father was a peafant, and 
he himfelf was born at Ravenftone, in 
Leicefterfhire, where a fifter of his ftill re- 
fides: fhe married a farmer, and the wealth 
attained by her brother did not fo far harden 
his heart, as either to make him defert or dif- 
ewnhet. The fchoolmatter of the little vil- 
lage, proud perhaps of having educated fuch a 
pupil, is accuftomed to narrate, with great 
fatisfaction; how young Mr. Mawbey fet out 
from home for the county town, in order to 
travelin the ftage coachto London, where be 
became a great man, &e. 
It was toa rich uncle, at Lambeth, that he 
wasfent by his parents; by this relation ke 
was adopted, and at his death became princi- 
pal proprietor, in perhapsthe greateft diftil- 
lery in England. 
In the year 1760, it was his good fortune 
to marry Mifs Pratt, an amiable woman, 
with whom he lived many years in great con« 
jugal felicity; by this lady he had feveral 
¢hildrén, and he lamented her death with the 
fincereft affliction. 
The reign of George II. clofed, and that 
of George III. opened with the brighteft pro- 
fpeéts. But thefe were foorrchouded, and a 
fyitem is then thought to have commenced, 
which led to the American war, and the ftill 
greater calamities of the prefent day. 
At the general ele€tion in 1761,- Mr. 
Mawbey ftood a candidate on the popular inte- 
reff, to reprefent the borough of Southwark 
in parliament; and, notwithftanding a very 
warm oppofition from the court party, hap- 
pened to fucceed. No fooner had he taken 
his feat than he oppofed the Bute adminiftration, 
fhen fupported by a junto, who affected to 
arrogate to themfelves the title of ‘* the 
king’s friends,” a clafsef men, happily cha- 
racterifed by Davenant, as ¢* an ignorant, 
mercenary, and fervile crew; unanimous in 
evil, diligent in mifchief, variable in prin- 
ciples, conftant for flattery, talkers for liberty*, 
but flaves to power; ftiling themfelves the 
Court party, and the prince’s only friends.” 
On this occafion, he conduéted himfelf 
with fuch fpirit and uniformity, that his 
condué was noticed by the heads of the op- 
pofition, and when the Rockingham party 
came into favour, Mr. Mawbey had the offer 
of a baronetage +: this was ata period when 
titles were offered with a more fparing hand 
shan at prefent. 
- During the Grafton and North adminiftra- 
tions, Sir Jofeph fteadily adhered to the caufe 
of the people; exhibiting the moft marked 
diflike to the condu& of the ruling powers, 
and proving to his conftituents, and the ma- 
tion at large, that he had not~bartered his 
principles for a bit of parchment. 
Conceiving the rights of every freeholder 
in the kingdom to be injured in the perfon of 

* Whateves may have been the cafe in Sir 
William Davenant’s time, it is but juftice to 
remark, that they have of Mate ‘years been 
too honeft to make any pretenfidns of this kid. 
+ The patent is dated July 30, 1765. 
473 
Mr. Wilkes, he fupported that gentleman ia 
his conteft during the Middlefex eleétion, and 
not onl countenanced him with his prefence, 
but aided him with his purfe. His exertions 
were alfo confpicueus in the memorable cone 
teft about general warrants. 
When the Lord Mayor and Mr. Alderman 
Oliver were imprifoned in the Tower, for fo 
nobly maintaining the franchifes of the city 
of London, we find Sir Jofeph Mawbey 
walking in proceffion with the fociety of 
Antigallicans, to pay his refpeéts to them. 
On theappearance of Serjeant Glynn, as a 
candidate for the firft county in the kingdom, 
he contributed his affiftance and fupport, and 
fubfcribed thirty pounds towards the neceffary 
expences f. 
In common with the other friends of free- 
dom throughout the kingdom, he expreffed 
his indignation at the conduét of government, 
in refpect to the ‘¢ Brentford riots,” and 
protefted loudly againft the extenfion of the 
royal mercy td the guilty M‘Quirk, convié- 
ed on thisoccafion of murder. The ‘¢ maf 
facre in St. George’s Fields,” as it was then _ 
termed, was another fubject of juft aninvad- 
verfion and rigorous inquiry: in that cafe 
alfo, the culprits did not feel the weight of 
the avenging laws. : 
A conduct fo uniformly hoftile to minifte- 
rial defpotifm, of courfe drew down upon his 
head the vengeance of the court party: their 
hatred and perfecution, indeed, feem to have 
ended only with his retirement from public 
bufinefs. Sir Jofeph’s ‘* hogs” became the 
ftanding jeft of all the minor wits, and Mr. 
Burke himfelf, with a profeffional allufion, 
unworthy, of his talents, happening to be op- 
pofed by the ‘* popular haronet,”” as he was 
thencalled, afi:med, that all his arguments 
confuted his principles, ‘¢ and that, like a 
pig in fwimming, he was only cutting his 
own throat.” He is alfo faid to have been 
an object of daily ridicule, in a newfpaper 
conducted by a man who was a difgrace to his 
cloth, and fupported by one of the moftaban- 
doned mifcreants that ever difgraced nobility: 
At the general election in 1768, Sir Jofeph 
was once more returned for the borough of 
Southwark. Ona vacancy taking place for 
the county of Surry, he was foon after 
chofen one of its reprefentatives, and in this 
capacity was always found fteadily oppofing 
the encroachments of the prerogative, and 
voting on the fide of the people. 
Let it be recorded to his honour, that he 
was uniformly a foe to the American war, and 
conftantly oppofed the raifing of the fupplies 
by which it was ¢arried on. On Monday, 
Nov. 13th, 1776, heobjeéted to the addi- 
tional fhilling on the land tax, propofed by 
Lord North, and faid; ** that it was ynne@ ~ 
ceflary and wanton ;”” adding, ‘* it was difi- 
cult to determine, whether it was moit 
founded on folly or injuftice.” 
¢ He purchafed a freehold in Middlefex, 
exprefsly for the purpofe cf avete in that 
county. ; 
