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by the testimony of Mr. Jackson, one of Mr. Woodfall's assistants, who says; "the superscription of the Letters of Junius was invariably written in the same handwriting, but that the contents were not always so."

We have seen that Lord Sackville "belonged to an order of minds that make to themselves great reverses," as Lord Wellesley observed of Napoleon; and it is equally clear, that he possessed in a considerable degree those peculiar talents by which the ablest (but not the best) of men have in all ages cajoled and ruled mankind, namely, the talent of selecting with consummate tact and judgment, the fittest instruments for executing his various designs, and of attaching those instruments firmly to his interest. By likewise taking the precaution of not letting any one know more of his designs than suited his purpose, it became unnecessary to give his actors the advice which Hamlet impressed on the poor players, of "speaking no more than was set down for them."

We accordingly find, that Sir Nathaniel Wraxall and Mr. Richard Cumberland were patronised by Lord Sackville for very different purposes, and these gentlemen have in their respective Memoirs given many interesting particulars of his Lordship; but they were not the instruments of the noble Peer's vengeance, they had nothing to do with Junius, and therefore the important secret was so carefully concealed from them, that Mr. Cumberland deemed it utterly impossible that his kind patron should have been the author of such "execrable attacks," as are contained in the Letters of Junius; and Sir Nathaniel seems to have entertained a similar opinion, for he believed Sir Philip Francis to be their author.

If we examine the conduct of Sir Philip Francis and

Mr. D'Oyly, it will be found that they remained faithful to the compact made with their illustrious chief, and correctly performed the parts which were allotted to them, for they have descended to the tomb without leaving behind them either "Lives" or "Memoirs," or if they did, their labours have not been permitted to see the light; and for aught they have voluntarily done, the secret might have perished with them. But with all his splendid talents, Lord Sackville appears to have been wanting in what has ever been considered the consummation of art-the skill of concealing it; for Lord Orford discovered that "with a frankness in his speech, there was a mystery in his conduct which was far from inviting." And Sir Egerton Brydges remarked, that “he always moved with an impenetrable cloud around him.”

The opinion of the public respecting the claim of Lord Sackville has been remarkably fluctuating. We have seen that on the first appearance of the Letters, he was suspected in the highest military circles of being the author; and with what address Junius withdrew himself from the controversy with his military opponents Colonel Draper and Titus, and then adroitly suppressed all trace of his having noticed the attack of the latter, who had distinctly pointed out his Lordship as Junius.

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He then contrived to have his coadjutor and amanuensis, Sir Philip Francis, sent to India, and secured the silence of Mr. D'Oyly, by taking him into his own service as his private and confidential secretary. these artful means the first suspicion was effectually lulled, and the attention of the public was afterwards diverted from the further consideration of his Lordship's claim, by the dust and clamour raised by discussing the

pretensions of Hugh Macaulay Boyd, General Lee, the Rev. Philip Rosenhagen, and others.

Here the matter seems to have rested, until the publication of Mr. Woodfall's edition of Junius, which first brought to light the extraordinary letter from Junius to Woodfall about Swinney, and disclosed, in the private letters to Woodfall, strong additional evidence in support of Lord George's claim.

The right track being again opened to the public, was never afterwards entirely lost sight of; but in the interim, up started a new candidate in the person of Sir Philip Francis, between whom and Junius a similarity of style and handwriting was shewn to exist; and whose claim was likewise supported by a formidable array of remarkable coincidents, and enforced by many plausible arguments.

But when Sir Philip "died, and made no sign," the tide of public opinion, which for some time had been flowing fast in his favour, began to ebb. In the mean while Mr. Coventry was silently pursuing the right clue; and, in his "Critical Enquiry," presented to the world such a mass of facts, and so complete a chain of circumstantial evidence, in favour of Lord George Sackville, as appeared irresistible; and the Commentary of Mr. Butler on the rival pretensions of the Knight and the Nobleman, seemed all that was necessary to end the controversy.

Although the moralist cannot but condemn, and the christian must view with abhorrence the vindictive spirit which pervades the Letters of Junius, no person can withhold from their author the applause due to a GREAT WRITER, of whose genius any country might be justly proud.

In the powers of combination and generalization

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386 SIR P. FRANCIS AND LORD G. SACKVILLE.

requisite to strike out broad and philosophical views of politics, Junius may have been excelled by Burke; but in the ability to concentrate all the energies of a commanding intellect on any subject he chose to discuss, and to depict in a vivid and graphic manner, every varying shade of human character,-in the talent for presenting the results of a matured experience derived from an extensive intercourse with every grade of society; in just, striking, and profound axioms on human nature, and the affairs of the world,-few authors, besides Shakspeare, can be placed in competition with him. Whilst in the extraordinary union of keen and withering sarcasm, with a style condensed and clear to an eminent degree, and polished to intense brilliancy by the most delicate and refined taste, we believe him to stand unrivalled.

Thus it appears, that the materials for erecting a triumphal arch to the genius and glory of Junius had already been dug from the quarry by patient and persevering labourers; the structure itself had been raised, and all but finished, by the skill of able architects; and nothing more was wanting to complete the work, than to fix in and adjust the keystone, in order to bind and consolidate the mass into one perfect and harmonious whole, and on the superstructure should unquestionably be inscribed the name of

Lord George Sackville.

Here will I build him

A monument, and plant it round with shade

Of laurel ever green, and branching palm,

With all his trophies hung, and acts enrolled.—Milton.

APPENDIX.

PORTRAITS AND SKETCHES BY JUNIUS.

A flattering painter, who made it his care
To draw men as they ought to be, not as they are;
Until sick of pursuing each troublesome elf,
He grew lazy at last, and drew from himself.

Goldsmith.

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