1775. Underneath, the President caused to be engraved the following lines from the fifth book of Paradise Lost-the conduct of the good Abdiel; a strong allusion, to the recent political quarrel, and expressive of his own sense of the pro. ceedings of Opposition, as well as of their treatment of his great friend

"So spake the fervent Angel, but his zeal
None seconded, as out of season judged,
Or singular and rash

Unshaken, unseduced, unterrified.

unmoved,

His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal;

Nor number nor example with him wrought

To swerve from truth, or change his constant mind
Though single. From amidst them forth he passed
Long way through hostile scorn, which he sustain'd
Superior nor of violence fear'd aught;

And with retorted scorn his back he turn'd

On those proud towers to swift destruction doom'd."

His humility, which if really unaffected, was as distinguished as any other of his qualities took the alarm on this occasion, not having seen the plate until a considerable number of impressions had been worked off, and he then urged the strongest remonstrances against the application of such lines to him; insisting as the condition of continued friendship that they should be obliterated, or the plate and all the impressions which had not been distributed, destroyed. Sir Joshua submitted to this determination with great reluctance, and it was so unrelentingly carried into effect that very few are now to be found. So far did Burke carry this feeling, squeamish or affected as some may consider it, that whenever he met with one of these prints in the house of a friend, he used to beg it as a favour in exchange for one without the lines, and it was no sooner obtained than destroyed.

At this period also, the war of caricatures which had been carried on against him for many years with some wit and address as well as against Fox and others of the Opposition, now turned in some degree in his favour. The Jesuit's dress, by which and his spectacles he had been commonly represented, was exchanged for other forms in which he was drawn as confounding or exposing in debate the apologists of the Revolution. A collection of these fleeting memorials of the whim or satire of the day, made by Mr. Haviland Burke, affords some amusing scenes in his career, the like

ness being as faithful as caricature pretends to be, and some of his oratorical attitudes have been correctly caught. This pictorial wit even when most hostile, far from inflicting pain, frequently became a source of amusement, as the following anecdote will testify. Dining at Lord Tankerville's, the conversation turning on caricatures, a gentleman remarked that he believed Mr. Fox had been oftener exhibited in that way than any other man in the kingdom-“I beg pardon," said Mr. Burke, "but I think I may put in my claim to a greater number and variety of exhibitions in that line than my honourable friend." " I hope," observed Mr. Fox, "they give you no uneasiness." "Not in the least," was the reply, "I have I believe, seen them all, laughed at them all, and pretty well remember them all; and if you feel inclined to be amused and it would not be trespassing on the indulgence of the company, I can repeat the different characters in which I have figured in the shops, obedient to the powers of the pencil." Accordingly he began, and detailed them all so humourously as to keep the table in continual laughter during the description.

CHAPTER XII.

Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs-French Emigrants-Letter to Mr. (now Baron) Smith-Writings on French Affairs, and on the Roman Catholic Claims-Sir Joshua Reynolds-Parliamentary Business-Letter on the Death of Mr. Shackleton-War with France-Letter of Mr. R. Burke, Jun. to Mr. Smith.

His early friend Shackleton, having visited London in the spring, to attend meetings of the Friends' Society, usually spent as has been said, a portion of time at Butler's Court or in town. The following note was dispatched this year as

soon as his arrival was known.

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My dear Shackleton,-I shall be most happy to see you. My wife will be in town on this day; at least I hope so. Why can't you dine with us also? I have refused two invitations this morning to keep myself for you. Yours, most truly, EDMUND BURKE."

"Friday.

About a week after the rupture with Mr. Fox, a broad timation in the Morning Chronicle conveyed the wish of

1791. APPEAL FROM THE NEW TO THE OLD WHIGS. 317

the party that he should retire from Parliament.* This being deemed gratuitous impertinence, caused the withdrawal of his name from the Whig Club. He had, however, previously expressed the wish to seek private life as soon as the proceedings against Hastings permitted an honourable retreat. But as the hint in the newspaper paragraph hinged upon the purer Whiggism of his great opponent, an answer was deemed necessary to test the alleged correct principles of that day, with those maintained at the Revolution, the era of their supposed greatest purity.

For this purpose appeared toward the middle of summer, "An Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs." In this pamphlet, which is couched in a calm tone and written in the third person, he successfully accomplishes the purpose of proving that his doctrines were in accordance with the allowed standard of correctness; and that from these he had not swerved. He defends his conduct in the recent dispute, with moderation of manner and a statement of circumstances, simple, and in themselves undeniable. He maintains his consistency as one of the most valuable parts of his public character, and retraces the general complexion of his exertions, as well as the words made use of on several important occasions, in order to prove their conformity with those advanced in that work (the Reflections) which the party had taken so much pains to condemn. "He proposed, he says, to prove that the present state of things in France is not a transient evil, productive, as some have too favourably represented it, of a lasting good, but that the present evil is only the means of producing future and (if that were possible) worse evils. That it is not an undigested, imperfect, and crude scheme of liberty, which may gradually be mellowed and ripened into an orderly and social freedom, but that it is so fundamentally wrong as to be utterly incapable of correcting itself by any length of time, or of being formed into any mode of polity of which a member of the House of Commons could publicly declare his approbation." The decisive boldness of this and many similar predictions and their sub

*May 12, 1791-"The great and firm body of the Whigs of England, true to their principles, have decided on the dispute between Mr. Fox and Mr. Burke; and the former is declared to have maintained the pure doctrines by which they are bound together, and upon which they have invariably acted. The consequence is that Mr. Burke retires from Farlia Dent."

sequent exact fulfilment, will often astonish the reader in the writings of this extraordinary man.

The king and chief ministers took an opportunity of expressing their approval of the work. He writes to his son-"I was at the levee yesterday, as the rule is, when the king sends you a civil message. Nothing could be more gracious than my reception. He told me that he did not think any thing could be added to what I had first written, but he saw he was mistaken; there was very much added, and new, and important, and what was most material, what could not be answered.” Lords Fitzwilliam and Camden, Sir William Scott, and others expressed their warm approval; and his old friend Lord Charlemont disagreeing on some points while applauding others, writes in a most affectionate strain-" Though I admired you as the first of writers, though I love you as the best of men, though there be not a word even in your first pamphlet which does not if possible increase my admiration for your genius and my love for your heart, &c." The old Whig party while privately commending the work, preserved silence in public-probably from delicacy to their nominal chief. Burke writes to his son in the middle of August"Not one word from one of our party. They are secretly galled. They agree with me to a tittle; but they dare not speak out for fear of hurting Fox. As to me, they leave me to myself; they see that I can do myself justice. Dodsley is preparing a third edition."

Few things affected his sensibility more at this period, than the hordes of emigrants driven from opulence and respectability in their native country, to poverty and obscurity in this, by means of the secret menace or open violence of the sanguinary characters who exercised authority in a large portion of France. For the relief of the poorer class, besides giving as much in the way of relief as his own means permitted, he exerted his influence in raising private subscriptions among his friends, by appeals to the public soon afterward, and eventually by applications to government. To others of higher rank, his house and table were open until a more permanent residence could be secured; and in performing this work of Christian beneficence it should be mentioned to his honour that some of the pecuniary difficulties with which he had to struggle, were incurred. A late writer (Mr. Charles Butler,) gives the following account of

the almost daily levees of Mr. Burke, to these unfortunate persons, at which he was present:

"Some time in the month of August, 1794, the reminiscent called on that great man, and found him, as he usually was at this time, surrounded by many of the French nobility and haranguing with great eloquence on the horrors of the French revolution, and the general ruin with which it threatened every state in Europe. One of his hearers interrupted him by saying, with somewhat more of levity than suited either the seriousness of the subject, or the earnestness with which Mr. Burke was expressing himself—" Mais enfin, Monsieur, quand est ce que nous retournerons dans la France ?" "Jamais". was Mr. Burke's answer.-It was a word of woe: he pronounced it in a very impressive manner, and it evidently appalled the whole audience. After a short silence, during which his mind appeared to be labouring with something too big for utterance-"Messieurs," he exclaimed, "les fausses esperances ne sont pas une monnoie, que j'ai dans mon tiroir:-dans la France vous ne retournerez jamais." 'Quoi donc," cried one of the audience, ces coquins!" "Coquins!" said Mr. Burke, "ils sont coquins; mais ils sont les coquins les plus terribles que le monde a connu!"-" It is most strange," he then said in the English language" I fear I am the only person in France or England who is aware of the extent of the danger with which we are threatened." "But," said the Reminiscent, wishing to prolong the interesting conversation, "the Duke of Brunswick is to set all right."-"The Duke of Brunswick!" exclaimed Mr. Burke "the Duke of Brunswick to do any good! A war of posts to subdue France !"-Another silence.-"Ce qui me désespère de plus," he then said—“ est que quand je plâne dans l'hemisphere politique je ne vois guères une tête minis terielle à la hauteur des circonstances.'

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Among his visitors from France about this time was the celebrated Madame de Genlis, who with her suite took up their abode for a short time at Butler's Court, and of whom the following anecdotes became current in the family. Her chamberlain as soon as he had secured a footing in the house, communicated that Madame la Comtesse could not sleep if the least portion of light gained admission into her bed-room. The darkest was therefore appropriated to her use, but this would not do; the shutters were fitted afresh to exclude the