this great country from 1760 to 1810; a period of half a century in length, but far more remarkable for the birth of the American republic and the vicissitudes of the French Revolution.

George III. was animated by a conscientious principle and a ruling passion. The conscientious principle was an honest desire to perform his duty; and the ruling passion was a strong determination to make the conclusions of his narrow intellect and ill-furnished mind prevail over the opinions of the wisest, and the combinations of the most powerful, of his subjects.

For the space of fifty years these two traits of his character had a mighty influence on the fortunes of Great Britain and of Europe. His domestic life, the virtuous example which he gave in his own Court, his sincere piety, contributed much to the firmness with which the nation resisted the example of the French Revolution, and gave solid support to the throne on which he sate. But his political prejudices prolonged the contest with America; his religious intolerance alienated the affections of Ireland; his national pride, and his hatred of democracy promoted the wars against France, whether monarchical or Jacobin.

On the other hand, it was the task of Mr. Fox to vindicate, with partial success, but with brilliant ability, the cause of freedom and the interests of mankind. He resisted the mad perseverance of Lord North in the project of subduing America. He opposed the war undertaken by Mr. Pitt against France, as unnecessary and unjust. He proved himself at all times the friend of religious liberty, and endeavoured to free both the Protestant and Roman Catholic dissenter from disabilities on account of their

religious faith. He denounced the slave trade. He supported at all times a reform of the House of Commons.

These views and sentiments made him through life obnoxious to the King. We shall see the results of this antagonism, which was throughout, on both sides, not only political, but also in some degree personal. Thus, for a great part of his life, he appears as a kind of rival to the Sovereign upon the throne. We shall see that in 1784 this opposition of character produced a contest which is one of the most memorable in the history of our Parliamentary struggles.

CHAPTER III.

MR. FOX'S CONDUCT IN PARLIAMENT TILL HIS FINAL RUPTURE WITH
LORD NORTH IN 1774.

MR. FOX made his first speech in the House of Commons on the 9th of March, 1769, when he was little more than twenty years of age. It seems to have been on a point of order, a singular topic for so young a man.

At this time the only popular and effective opposition to the Court came from a tainted source. John Wilkes, one of the most unprincipled of men, had become notorious for the profligacy of his private life. In public he had affected a patriotism which he was far from feeling-indeed, he rather made a boast of his insincerity. Standing on the hustings at Brentford, his opponent said to him, "I will take the sense of the meeting."—" And I will take the nonsense," replied Wilkes, "and we shall see who has the best of it." Some years after, when his popularity had declined, the King, receiving him at his levee, asked him after his friend Sergeant Glyn. "Sir," said Wilkes, “"he is not a friend of mine; he was a Wilkite, which I never was." Yet this man, by pandering to the national prejudice against the Scotch, and a certain low talent for invective, raised a popular storm, was saluted with the cry of "Wilkes and Liberty!" and was compared by his friend Churchill to the most illustrious patriots of antiquity.

The contest on general warrants, the denunciation of Wilkes's "Essay on Woman" by the Earl of Sandwich, one of his boon companions, the expulsion of Wilkes by the House of Commons, and his re-election for Middlesex, hardly require notice from a biographer of Mr. Fox; yet these occurrences all served to illustrate the disordered state of public affairs, the violent and illegal conduct of the Ministry, the intemperance and faction of the leaders of the multitude. In this state of affairs constitutional statesmen found some difficulty in resisting the undue pretensions of authority without abetting the encroachments of an unprincipled demagogue.

On the 14th of April Charles Fox spoke in favour of the expulsion of Wilkes. On this occasion Horace Walpole says: Stephen Fox indecently and indiscreetly said Wilkes had been chosen by the scum of the earth; an expression after retorted on his family, his grandfather's birth being of the lowest obscurity. Charles Fox, with infinite superiority in parts, was not inferior to his brother in insolence."

On the 8th of May Mr. Fox spoke against the petition of the electors of Middlesex in favour of their right of electing Wilkes. Of this speech Horace Walpole observes: "Charles Fox, not yet twenty-one, answered Burke with great quickness and parts, but with confidence equally premature.”* Sir Richard Heron, in a letter to Sir Charles Bunbury, says: "Mr. Charles Fox, who I suppose was your schoolfellow, and who is but twenty, made a great figure last night upon the petition of the Middlesex freeholders. He spoke with great spirit, in very Parliamentary language, and entered very deeply into the question on constitutional principle."

"Memoirs of the Reign of George III." by Lord Orford.

Lord Holland, proud of his favourite boy, writes thus to his friend Mr. Campbell of Cawdor: "I delayed thanking you for your kind letter of April 27th, till the Parliament should be up; which it was on Tuesday, after a debate of Monday till two o'clock on Tuesday morning, in which I am told (and willingly believe it) Charles Fox spoke extremely well. It was all off-hand, all argumentative, in reply to Mr. Burke and Mr. Wedderburne; and excessively well indeed. I hear it spoke of by everybody as a most extraordinary thing, and I am, you see, not a little pleased with it. My son Ste. spoke too (as they say he always does), very short and to the purpose. They neither of them aim at oratory, make apologies, or speak of themselves, but go directly to the purpose, so I do not doubt they will continue speakers; but I am told Charles can never make a better speech than he did on Monday."*

Although these early speeches of Charles Fox displayed quickness, and were the more promising, as his father, an old debater, remarks, because they were "all off-hand," his doctrines at this time of his life were neither favourable to 'popular liberty nor agreeable to the practice of the constitution. Mr. George Grenville, provoked by an observation of Mr. Onslow, that Alderman Beckford was not at liberty to speak against a resolution of the House of Commons, exclaimed, with great animation of manner-" Sir, he who will contend that a resolution of the House of Commons is the law of the land is a violent enemy of his country, be he who or what he will. The law of the land and the usage of Parliament is to be the guide of every man in the kingdom. No power-not an order of the House of Commons--can set that aside, can change, diminish, or augment it."

*"Memoirs and Correspondence of C. J. Fox," vol. i. p. 54.