PREFACE.

"WHO was Junius ?" has, from the first appearance of his Letters, been asked with equal avidity by all parties in England, Ireland, Scotland, and America. To the protraction of the mystery in which the subject has hitherto been so completely involved, an interest has succeeded proportionate to the high merit of the philippics, the importance of their matter, and the extraordinary dexterity with which the author evaded discovery. The restless resentment of govern ment, and the growing admiration of the people, conspired to sharpen the search after the author, and to increase the difficulty of his concealment. Yet, though not always free from alarm, he uniformly baffled pursuit, and repaid all its labours with tantalizing disappointment. His admirers could not find a sensible object to honour with their applause, nor did his enemies know towards whom to launch the bolt of their revenge.f

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* See No. 41 of the Private Notes to Woodfall, in G. Woodfall's Junius.

+ I learn from indubitable authority, that the ministry hired an apartment opposite Mr. H. S. Woodfall's premises, at the windows of which some person was constantly stationed, to notice every one who came to that printer. The search after JUNIUS was indefatigable and incessant. It must have been not a little encouraged by the inadvertency of Mr. H. S. Woodfall, in inserting in his Notices to Correspondents, (July 18, 1769,) the following answer to a request of Junius, concerning Newbury's recent edition of his

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Among the many distinguished persons suspected, were the late Marquis of Lansdowne, Lord George Sackville, Mr. Dunning (afterwards Lord Ashburton,) General Lee, Mr. Burke, Mr. Wilkes, Mr. Flood, Mr. Glover, author of "LEONIDAS," Dr. Johnson, Mr. Boyd, &c.* To some of these individuals, circumstances attached sufficient to sanction the supposition. Had the author been one of them, their nearly equal qualifications, and supposed opportunities of learning facts, a knowledge of which JUNIUS obtained, would have confounded suspicion, perplexed research, and increased his safety. Much more secure, then, would he be, if out of this list, even though an Englishman and a Statesman; still farther from danger if neither in an official nor parliamentary capacity; more distant still from detection, if a foreigner.

Sensible how gratifying the removal of a perplexity which has existed so long, would be to the Public, I prosecuted my search with a solicitude and a perseverance which, however earnest and arduous, have been fully compensated. In this investigation, the attainment of a desirable truth, not the corroboration of a favourite hypothesis, has been my object; seek

letters. "Reasons why the hint was not printed," says the editor,

are sent to the last-mentioned coffee-house in the Strand, from whence our old correspondent will be pleased to send for them." This, as appears by several subsequent notes of the author, increased his danger and anxiety. (See Note 2 to number 4 of Junius's privat Correspondence with Woodfall.)

*Though I could never wholly free my mind from the impression originally made by the eulogistic allusion to De Lolme in the fifth paragraph of Junius's Preface, and the forcible recommendation of the

Essay on the English Constitution" in the last paragraph but one of the same preface, yet, for a long time, my prevailing persuasion was, I confess, that the Letters had been written by Mr. Wilkes.

ing rather to ascertain who Junius really was, than to prove that De Lolme was Junius, I adopted a circle of examination that embraced many individuals: but as I widened my area, the rays of conjecture became attenuated and vague, till, reverting, they centered in the CITIZEN of GENEVA.

Though appearances and arguments in favour of the opinion, that the Letters signed JUNIUS were written by JOHN LEWIS DE LOLME, rapidly accumulated and strengthened, yet, determined not to be swayed by evidences, or proofs, short of what were by any means attainable, I not only procured such of the acknowledged works of that author as enquiry could discover, but made my acquaintance with his style the clue to his anonymous productions.

My first measure, however, (after attentively perusing the Letters in their chronological order, including those denominated miscellaneous, collating the whole, and keeping in view the Private Notes of JUNIUS to Mr. Wilkes, and to the late Mr. Henry Sampson Woodfall,*) was to apply to Mr. G. Woodfall, for a sight of such manuscripts of JUNIUs, as he might possess. I next minutely examined the " ESSAY on the English Constitution," in company with the "LETTERS OF JUNIUS." Having succeeded in obtaining De Lolme's "History of the Flagellants," and his "Parallel between the English Constitution and the former Government of Sweden," a close collation of these with the former works, considerably augmented the bulk and power of my evidence. The general search threw into my hands

* See G. Woodfall's Edition.

† Mr. W. obligingly shewed me all the manuscripts that remained in his hands, and also gave me some useful information.

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five anonymous publications, all of which associate De Lolme with Junius, while one of them (a pamphlet) proves itself to be an original piece,* of which the celebrated letter to the King (the thirty-fifth) is only a partial though polished copy.† From these

very scarce productions, the "History of the Flagellants," "JUNIUS'S LETTERS," exclusively so called, his "Miscellaneous Letters," his " Private Communications to Mr. Wilkes," and "Notes to Mr. H. S. Woodfall," such quotations have been made as were deemed necessary for the purposes of general comparison, circumstantial inference, and literal illustration.

Facts and arguments which, many months since, would have appeared, had not events occurred too important to permit attention to inferior objects, are now submitted to the Public. In ushering these to my readers, I make one request (my only one) that they will fairly examine, and duly weigh, the whole body of the evidence adduced, before they pronounce upon its validity.

*It is a curious fact, that the portions of this pamphlet not transposed into the Letter addressed to the King in the PUBLIC ADVERTI SER, formed the principal topics and language of another Letter, addressed to the same GREAT PERSONAGE, (and on the same day) in the MORNING CHRONICLE.

This composition will be found in its proper place, printed collaterally with the improved transcript.

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