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you must trust the government, or it must trust you: and the government that could violate an engagement so solemnly entered into, could neither stand nor deserve to stand." Such was the sacred character given to this engagement, to which I was also a party, by the minister who was the agent in it. Another of these ministers, lord Castlereagh, as I have before stated, acknowledged to another of the prisoners (Doctor M'Nevin) "that they (the prisoners) had honorably fulfilled their part," and assured them, "that the government would as religiously observe its part." And Mr. Cooke only desired to know of the prisoners how much time would be necessary for them to dispose of their property previous to their going abroad." Yet now I found that they were, in defiance of every obligation by which men not lost irredeemably to honor could be bound, to be once more emerged in dungeons; and now, at the time I write to you, four long years of the flower of their lives have been consumed in hard captivity!

Of what avail then, to draw distinctions between their case and mine? To say that I did not invite the French, that I had labored to save the lives of my enemies, that I had endeavored to prevent both civil war or bloodshed, that I had sacrificed every thing to love and compassion for my country. If the certainty that I was pure, humane and disinterested, could be any protection to me, it would have been so to others; for amongst those immolated to the dæmon of destruction, were men of as perfect truth, and as exalted virtue, as ever yet the light of heaven had shone on. No! but the love of country was the general crime. Corruption was the thing to be destroyed or be maintained; and those who lived by it, who rioted in it, could never forgive those who would oppose it. This was

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the great secret.

knew that I had

They knew it and I knew it. But they exposed it with some effect, and I was

never to be forgiven. I might indeed, and could upon just occasion, forgive; but they could not.

"Forgiveness to the injured does belong;

"They never can forgive that do the wrong."

I scorned, therefore, to draw any distinction between my case and that of any other of the prisoners. They were rebels undoubtedly, and so was I. I had not invited the French; but my enemies had invited the Hessians. And I did not hesitate to say, that in the general prostration of law, constitution, humanity and justice; whilst the heaven was red with the corruscations of cottages in flames, and the earth crimsoned with the blood of human victims; whilst the groans of those agonizing in torture, ascended with the thick smoke that rolled as the incense of cannibals to the idols of their bloody worship; when justice winked as she went by, and villany exulted; and the tears of innocence deflowered, dropped heedless and unavenged upon the blood-stained earth; whilst the darkness alone sheltered the houseless fugitives from their pursuers, and the despairing mother, lurking in the hiding places of the wild tenants of the fields, stretched out her powerless hands to feel if her shivering offspring, without other covering than the mantle of the night, were yet alive and near her! I did not hesitate to say, in such a moment, we must rebel! we must not be disarmed! Whatever specious pretext may be urged for the commission of such crimes, they are not to be endured by honorable men: but if they be committed in furtherance of usurpation and of robbery, they are to be resisted as treasons of the blackest

die. Horrid alternative! On the one hand stood rebellion, on, the other treason and murder! The fury of party left no middle course. I preferred rebellion to murder and treason, and it is for this that traitors have called me traitor, whilst I have cast the appellation in their teeth. I do call heaven to witness, that in whatever I have done against my enemies, further than a few sportive sallies of imagination, with which I have been charged, I have never listened to any other voice than that of conscience; and that neither interest nor resentment ever governed me, nor did I yield too easily to the warm feelings of my heart. I never acted but from conviction that I was scrupulously right. It required courage to face the dangers of those times; and,

"WHERE I COULD NOT BE JUST, I NEVER YET WAS VALIANT."

I would not willingly be a rebel; yet if driven to the cruel extremity of deciding between treason and rebellion, I felt for which I was best fitted, and that I should rather die a rebel, than live a traitor. You may judge, however, with what confidence I could address a minister, whom I knew to be already in possession of my case; and who had, for so great a length of time, left it unnoticed, and me unprotected. Yet that no blame might be imputed to me hereafter, for my omitting to accept of this occasion, or any pretext remain to my enemies to misrepresent the facts, I consented, as you shall be informed in my next.

LETTER XV.

Mr. Walpole-A Trick-Minister of Police-Correspondence-Sweet Meats.

I began my letter to Mr. Walpole, by referring him to the communications which I knew had been already made to him: reminding him, very respectfully, of the protection it was his duty to afford me, and how little it would tend to his good reputation hereafter, when better times should come, and enquiries be made, to have been consenting to so very refined and barbarous an execution, of a man to whom he could impute no crime. I told him, moreover, of the dangerous state of my health, and requested, that since he would not see me, a medical person might at least be allowed to visit me. I added, that upon the faith of a solemn agreement, I had written to my wife and children to come to me. And that all communication between us having been intercepted, I remained in a state of most cruel uncertainty, and therefore begged for permission to write, in order to prevent, if it were not yet too late, so great a calamity. I told him, that cut off from all pecuniary resources, I wished to discharge a servant, who had already, for being my servant, suffered torture and imprisonment; and that my papers, which were the guarantees of my personal safety, being seized, I begged they might be restored to me. For the rest, I was better pleased to remain where I now was, than to be exposed to any new insult or atrocity.

A messenger was called who, instead of taking my letter to the British ambassador, took it to the intendente of the police, which I discovered from him on his return to be paid, and complained of it to the gaolers. They all with one consent set up a hyprocritical lamentation for the ruin brought upon them by permitting me to write. I paid no more regard to this, than to any other of their vile farces, but offered Joachim a cruzada nova, to carry another letter to the British ambassador, and bring me an answer, I wrote without any opposition and without any difficulty. Joachim undertook to carry my letter. This letter was only to inform Mr. Walpole, that a former one addressed to him had been carried to the intendente of the police, and to request that he would have the goodness to send for it, and favor me with an answer,

Sir,

ANSWER,

Lisbon, April 17, 1799.

AS I have no intercourse with the intendente of the police, to authorise me to send for the letter you allude to, I must confine myself to acknowledging the re ceipt of that which has been just delivered to me,

And am, Sir,

Your most obedient humble servant,

ROBT. WALPOLE,

The next day I sent my servant with a guide to Mr, Walpole's, who delivered him a letter as nearly as possible in the words of that which had been given to the intendento of the police, and received this answer;

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