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Article FURTHER MEMOIR OF JOHN WILKES. ← Page 6 of 7 →
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Further Memoir Of John Wilkes.
Wilkes and Liberty , had engaged in a newspaper and very bitter altercation with him . ' But thoug h we do not think that Mr . Wilkes deserved the . title of patriot , we are ready to acknowledge that he has been the cause of trreat utility to his country , by calling forth to the defence of the Constitution , and the opposition of profligate Ministers , a body of men love of their That irit
who were actuated by the purest conntry . sp , which the prosecution of Mr . Wilkes raised among the people , opposed with success many ministerial attempts to invade the boundaries of civil liberty . Under its impressive influence the illegality of general warrants was confirmed ; Secretaries of State were tried , and punished bheavy damages for illegal proceedings ; and at length
y an House of Commons thought it necessary to redeem its honour , by expunging from the records of a former Parliament the arbitrary proceedings on the Middlesex election . Nor- should it be forgotten that Mr . Wilkes was one of the three- Magistrates of London , who by their conduct in discharging the printers , who had been taken into custody in the city ,, for printing the debates in parliament , have
prevented any subsequent attempts to deprive the public of that important and valuable indulgence . As a writer , Mr . Wilkes has acquired some degree of eminence . His stile is generally animated and often vigorous . But the daring spirit which appeared in his writings , the acrimony of his expressions , and the bitter wit which sometimes enlivened his sarcasms , were peculiarlcalculated to interest and inflame the multitude . His
y merit as a writer , however , must be confined to his public addresses and political papers—for if we may judge from the specimen he gave of an History of England , which he proposed , while an inhabitant of the King ' s Bench , to publish by subscription , his pen was not equal to works . of length , or to detail , with spirit and with success , the events of a period in which he had no personal interest .
As a public speaker , Mr . Wilkes did not appear with advantage . He was not possessed of a ready elocution , and the huzzas of a mob form the only tribute of applause which has been paid to his eloquence . His speeches in parliament were always prepared , as they were spoken , to be condensed in a future volume . But if his oratory could not command the attention of public assemblies , his colloquial
talents proved an abundant source of entertainment in private society . A considerable portion of elegant knowledge , and an uncommon store of anecdote—a quick comprehension and a fertile fancy—an aptitude to India o is representation , and the long habit of repartee , enlivened by a constant , flow of animal spirits , and chastened by gentlemanly manners , qualified him to rank among the first ornaments of convivial life . Nay ' the nou-eleclric character of an Alderman could
, not check the sparks of his vivacity , and he has been sometimes known to'li ght up a flame of merriment around the tables of civic festivity . We cannot complete our sketch of this extraordinary person without adverting to some of the many contrasted circumstances of his life , which exhibit a transmigration of character that might be received among the articles of a Pythagorean creed .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Further Memoir Of John Wilkes.
Wilkes and Liberty , had engaged in a newspaper and very bitter altercation with him . ' But thoug h we do not think that Mr . Wilkes deserved the . title of patriot , we are ready to acknowledge that he has been the cause of trreat utility to his country , by calling forth to the defence of the Constitution , and the opposition of profligate Ministers , a body of men love of their That irit
who were actuated by the purest conntry . sp , which the prosecution of Mr . Wilkes raised among the people , opposed with success many ministerial attempts to invade the boundaries of civil liberty . Under its impressive influence the illegality of general warrants was confirmed ; Secretaries of State were tried , and punished bheavy damages for illegal proceedings ; and at length
y an House of Commons thought it necessary to redeem its honour , by expunging from the records of a former Parliament the arbitrary proceedings on the Middlesex election . Nor- should it be forgotten that Mr . Wilkes was one of the three- Magistrates of London , who by their conduct in discharging the printers , who had been taken into custody in the city ,, for printing the debates in parliament , have
prevented any subsequent attempts to deprive the public of that important and valuable indulgence . As a writer , Mr . Wilkes has acquired some degree of eminence . His stile is generally animated and often vigorous . But the daring spirit which appeared in his writings , the acrimony of his expressions , and the bitter wit which sometimes enlivened his sarcasms , were peculiarlcalculated to interest and inflame the multitude . His
y merit as a writer , however , must be confined to his public addresses and political papers—for if we may judge from the specimen he gave of an History of England , which he proposed , while an inhabitant of the King ' s Bench , to publish by subscription , his pen was not equal to works . of length , or to detail , with spirit and with success , the events of a period in which he had no personal interest .
As a public speaker , Mr . Wilkes did not appear with advantage . He was not possessed of a ready elocution , and the huzzas of a mob form the only tribute of applause which has been paid to his eloquence . His speeches in parliament were always prepared , as they were spoken , to be condensed in a future volume . But if his oratory could not command the attention of public assemblies , his colloquial
talents proved an abundant source of entertainment in private society . A considerable portion of elegant knowledge , and an uncommon store of anecdote—a quick comprehension and a fertile fancy—an aptitude to India o is representation , and the long habit of repartee , enlivened by a constant , flow of animal spirits , and chastened by gentlemanly manners , qualified him to rank among the first ornaments of convivial life . Nay ' the nou-eleclric character of an Alderman could
, not check the sparks of his vivacity , and he has been sometimes known to'li ght up a flame of merriment around the tables of civic festivity . We cannot complete our sketch of this extraordinary person without adverting to some of the many contrasted circumstances of his life , which exhibit a transmigration of character that might be received among the articles of a Pythagorean creed .