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William Pitt. At the time when he was seeking to propagate his views upon the question of inoculation, he delegated an official of the Government to place himself in communication with the conductors of the leading provincial journals, and to offer a gratuitous supply of the London newspapers containing certain articles scored in red ink, on the understanding that they were to insert as many of them as the space of their journals would conveniently admit.'

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Anonymity, and the adoption of some nom-de-guerre, were very favourite devices of the members of both the literary and the journalistic professions in the last century. One reason of this was that, the powers that were possessed a knack of putting the law of libel into force rather sharply if they happened to be particularly desirous of catching hold of any obnoxious party-writers. The 'Tatler,' it will be remembered, was edited by Mr. Isaac Bickerstaff;' the 'Guardian' was conducted by 'Mr. Nestor Ironsides;' the 'Female Tatler' was edited by 'Mrs. Crackenthorpe;' the 'Medley,' by 'Jeremy Quick ;' the 'Observator,' by 'Humphrey Medlicott;' the 'Universal Spectator,' by 'Henry Stonecastle;' the 'Gentleman's Magazine,' by Sylvanus Urban, Gent.' (a figment which to this very day is maintained); Bolingbroke wrote in the Craftsman' under the signature of Humphrey Oldcastle;' Dean Swift took refuge in 'M. B. Drapier in Dublin' when penning his famous 'Drapier's Letters ;' Fielding conducted the 'Covent Garden Journal' under the name of 'Sir Alexander Drawcanzir;' Horace Walpole adopted the nom-de-guerre of William Marshall' when he published his novel called the 'Castle of Otranto; the mysterious author (who, it is now generally supposed, was Sir Philip Francis, sometime chief clerk of the War Office) of that remarkable series of political letters published at intervals in the columns of the 'Public Advertiser' between 1769 and 1772-a series of letters which contributed to elevate journalism to a far more important position than it had hitherto ever held-shielded himself

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Knight-Hunt, The Fourth Estate, i. 279.

effectually under the aegis of Junius;' 'Simon Gentletouch, of Pall Mall, Esquire,' edited the 'Westminster Journal;' Nathaniel Amherst conducted the 'Craftsman' as 'Caleb D'Anvers ;' and Dr. John Wolcot's coarse though lively satires were published under the appellation of Peter Pindar.'

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CHAPTER XV.

THE POLITICAL WORLD.

Bitterness of party spirit-Intensity of political feeling and its causesPolitical societies-Elections and electioneering tactics-Hogarth's Election series-The case of New Shoreham-William Wilberforce and the Hull freemen-The Westminster election of 1784-Bribery and corruption in high places-Cowper and the visit of the candidate-Fierceness of the electoral contests for Leicester, Middlesex, and Nottingham in last century.

HINTS which have more than once been dropped in these pages will have fully prepared the reader for the assertion that the antipathy which existed between the two great political parties in the state during the period under review was bitter in the extreme. The eighteenth century was essentially an age of party, and almost everything took its shape and hue. By its means the columns of the newspapers were continually flooded with libels, and with outpourings of the most virulent acerbity and personal abuse; by its means, also, the streets were filled with riots and tumults. At one time party spirit extended itself to everyday attire, a yellow waistcoat and breeches denoting a staunch Whig; a scarlet waistcoat, ornamented with gold buttons, and a pair of black silk breeches, a supporter of Pitt, among men ; a fox's tail placed by way of decoration in the head-dress, and a large muff made of the skin of the common red fox, proclaimed the fair wearer an adherent of Charles James Fox.2 Heads of families neglected their wives and their children, tradesmen forsook their counters, and divines their pulpits, that they might bear their part in the interminable

Autob. of Lord Dundonald, p. 46.

Mackenzie, Lounger, No. 10; Bland Burges Papers, ed. Hutton,

pp. 122-6.

political discussions of the coffee-houses and clubs. Men, metaphorically speaking, lived upon politics. Who that has ever read it will easily forget Addison's humorous sketch, contained in the Tatler,' No. 155, of the 'Political Upholsterer' (the prototype of whom, it is said, was the father of the eminent musician, Dr. Arne), an individual who rose before day to read the Postman,' and 'who would take two or three turns to the other end of the town before his neighbours were up to see if there were any Dutch mails come in,' and who was 'much more inquisitive to know what passed in Poland than in his own family'? Or who will easily forget, that has once read it, that excellent paper contained in No. 403 of the 'Spectator,' in which he describes his progress through the coffee-houses in the several districts and parishes of London and Westminster, in order to make himself acquainted with the opinions which their respective 'particular statesmen' entertained on the current report of the French king's death? Beginning as near the fountain head as possible,' he called first at St. James's, 'and there heard the whole Spanish monarchy disposed of, and all the line of Bourbon provided for in less than a quarter of an hour.' Next he strolled to St. Giles's, where he beheld 'a board of French gentlemen sitting upon the life and death of their Grand Monarque. Those among them who had espoused the Whig interest very positively affirmed that he departed this life about a week since, and therefore proceeded, without any further delay, to the release of their friends on the galleys, and to their own re-establishment.' Finding that upon this question considerable diversity of opinion reigned, Mr. Spectator went on his way. He noticed that there was little variation in the politics of the coffee-houses situated between Charing Cross and Covent Garden; but upon stepping into 'Wills',' he perceived that the theme of conversation of the politicians therein assembled had changed from the French king's death 'to that of Boileau, Racine, Corneille, and other poets, whom they regretted on this occasion as persons who would have obliged the world with very noble elegies on the death of so great a prince and so eminent a patron of learning.' Proceeding onwards to a coffee-house in St. Paul's churchyard, Mr. Spec

tator 'listened with great attention to a learned man who gave the company an account of the deplorable state of France during the minority of the deceased king.' Turning on his right hand into Fish Street, he heard 'the chief politician of that quarter' observe, 'If the King of France is certainly dead, we shall have plenty of mackerel this season; our fishery will not be disturbed by privateers, as it has been for these ten years past.' While this politician was discussing in what manner the king's death would affect the pilchard fisheries, Mr. Spectator ' entered a by-coffee-house that stood at the upper end of a narrow lane.' Here he discovered a non-juror hotly debating with a laceman, who was the chief supporter of a meeting house in the vicinity, as to whether the late French king was most like Augustus Cæsar or Nero. Mr. Spectator did not stay to hear the conclusion of the whole matter, but thence made the best of his way to Cheapside, where he 'gazed upon the signs for some time before he found one to his purpose.' When he did so the first person he met 'expressed a great grief for the death of the French king.' But this sorrow arose from its touching his worldly possessions, he having sold out of the bank about three days before he heard the news. Just at this point 'a haberdasher who was the oracle of the coffee-house, and had his circle of admirers about him, called several to witness that he had declared his opinion above a week before that the French king was certainly dead ; to which he added that, considering the late advices we had received from France, it was impossible that it could be otherwise.' He had scarcely given utterance to these words when a gentleman fresh from Garraway's entered, and informed the company that it appeared by the latest advices from France that the king was enjoying excellent health, and that he joined in the chase on the very morning that the post left for England. Whereupon we are told that the oracle 'stole off his hat that hung upon a wooden peg by him, and retired to his shop with great confusion.'

And as it was in the days of Queen Anne so was it in the days of King George III. The interest in politics continued to be unabated.

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