. 
7797-1 
_In the year, 1768, Mr. Fox made his 
<ébut in public. While yet an infant— 
for he was literally fo in the Janguage of 
the law, being only nineteen years of age 
—he fat in parliament for Midhurft, m 
Suffex, and thus by a ridiculous concur- 
-rence of circumftances, a minor was feen, 
not unaptly reprefenting a borough, in 
which was_neither houfe nor inhabitant ! 
Mr. Burke, who held his feat by a te- 
nure equally unconftitutional (for I be- 
jieve at this time he aéted as Jord VER- 
NEY’s sominee for Wendover) was fin- 
gled.out by the young orator, as.an anta- 
gonift worthy of: his talents, and it is a 
well. known fa, that one of his firft 
.fpeeches was levelled direétly at him. 
‘Fhey were fated however, to become faft 
friends, then colleagues; &c.. Mr. Fox 
has often been heard to fay, that ‘to this 
eifcumftance jhe ftands indebted for his 
knowledge of the true principles of the 
Englifh conftitution. Indeed, he could 
not have ftudied in a better fchool. Mr. 
Burkes, with all the learning of the an- 
cients, had imbibed their love of liberty, 
and was aceuftomed at that period, tothink 
and to fpeak likea Roman. In refpeét to 
tie forms and effence of our government, 
he had been induced by his profeffional 
fiudics to fearch beyord the furfaceg and 
in Sydney, Locke, Milton, and Harring- 
ton, he had developed the great and lead- 
ing points in the mafculine polify of our 
anceftors. 
During the whole of the American war, 
he difplayed the moft uniform and honour- 
able confiftency. He was the ftrenuous 
oppofer of all-the wild meafures of that 
day, and was accuftomeéd, in a firain of 
mnrivalled eloquence, to denounce the con- 
duct of the premier to the indignation of 
mankind, and threaten him with the well- 
earned terrors of an impeachment. 
But no fodner had lord North been 
hunted into'the toils of the oppofition, than 
it was feén that his enemiés, or rather his 
rivals, were more attentive to the fpeils of 
office, than to-thofe calls of public juftice, 
. which they themfelves had aroufed, and 
- 

ee et, 
** And thought of convincing, 
thought of dining ; 
* Though equal to ali things, for all things 
unfit, 3 
*¢ Too nice for a ftatefman, too proud for a wit, 
‘* For 2 patriot too cool ; for a drudze difobedieat 5 
* And too fond of the vigzr, to purfue the ex- 
fecdient, , 
* In fhort, ’twas his fate unemploy’d or in 
place, nr, 
To eat mutton cold. and cut’ bloslks 
razor”? 
while they 
with a 
» Original Anecdites=Right Hons Edmund Burke. 
-dant materials, fuddenly bereft of the prin- 
Heat a ii, 
43 
echoed wnceafingly from one end of the 
kingdom to the other. The Rockingham 
adminiitration muft, notwithftariding, be 
acknowledged, in point of ability, to have 
been fuperior to any cabinet formed dut- 
ing the prefent reton; and Mr. BURKE, 
who had become one of the moft confpi- | 
cuous members of this party, was gratified | 
with a feat at the council board, and the | 
appointment to alucrative office. Onthe - 
déath however, of the nobleman whofe 
virtues formed the key-ftone of this poli- 
tieal archy all the heterogeneous bodies of 
which it was compofed, loft their tenacity, 
and prefented a mafs of jarring and difcor= 
































ciple of adhefion. 
In confeguence of fame fufpicions relae 
tive to the fincerity of the earl of SHete 
BURNE, Mr. Fox foon after chofe to re- 
fign, and was followed into retirement by 
his friend, who had added another wreathe - 
to-his fame, by meafis of his ‘* Reform 
Bill,” a fplendid but illufory projeét, cal- 
culated: to dazzle and to deceive 3 which, 
as experience now fully demonfirates, did 
not even {cratch the pinion of prerogative, 
and was formed of {fo flimfy a texture, as 
to prefent an aperture, through which the 
crown was enabled in a very. few years to 
remunerate the political ceconomift him- 
felf with a penfion, in exprefs oppofition 
to its fpirit and intentions. 
‘On the ever memorabie coalition, of 
of which power alone was the objeét, and 
which, if not the immediate, is at leaft 
the proximate caufe of all our prefent mif || 
fortunes, Mr. Burxe moft cordially 
united with the offenfble author of the | 
American war, while his affociate in office 
became the penman of the Tndia bill, which 
gave the coup de grace to their political 
labours. . 
On the acceffion of Mr. Pitt, his rage 
exceeded all common bounds ; and witha 
degree of juftice correfpondent to his in- 
dignation, while alluding to the arts by |) 
which he had acquired and retained power, || 
he compared his adminiftration to the ||! 
*¢ heroic ages of corruption.” He appear= | || 
ed, however, to be a little foftened at ||) 
times, during the impeachment of Mr. ||) 
Haftings, when the minifter occafionally | 
lent him amajority. On the regency bill, || 
his ancient enmity returned, and it was| 
not until the memorable epoch. of the|| 
French revolution, that fomething lke ait | 
uniform congeniality of fentiment was dif- | 
covered between twoymen, who had in ge=- 










i| 
neral difplayed¢ the moft rancorous hotti-| 
lity. ‘. 
- 
Ge 
