1765 The North Briton. John Wilkes, Free Press / Speech Pioneer 1stEd

Description: 1765 The North Briton. John Wilkes, Free Press / Speech Pioneer 1stEd THE WORKS OF THE CELEBRATED JOHN WILKES, Esq.; FORMERLY PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE OF THE NORTH BRITON. IN THREE VOLUMES The last of which was privately printed by the Author for the Use of a few trusty Friends; They contain all the important Events of Government, with their secret Springs and Causes, during the Administrations of Lord Holland, William Pitt, Esq; Lord Bute, Lord Halifax, and George Greenville, Esq; Anecdotes and Characters of many great Personages, at this Time struggling for Power and Office; the Lampoons which occasioned his Duels with Earl Talbot, and Secretary Martin; his Controversies with Dr. Smollett, Author of the Briton; Mr. Murphy, Writer of the Auditor; and Mr. Scott, under the Name of Anti-Sejanus: The Detection of Mr. Pownal; Mr. Wilkes's Affair with Lord Bute's Son, a School Boy; Specimens of Mr. Beckford's Parliamentary Eloquence, &c. &c. Forming a lively and an instructive History of Men, Principles and the Times; written with such Freedom and Elegance, as is not to be parallel'd in the Productions of any Age or Language VOLUME I LONDON Printed for J. Williams, in Fleet-Street London, undated but 1765 (or 1763). First edition, thus. (This edition preceded the revised corrected edition which was published in 1766.) Volume I only of a three volume work. Full brown leather, ribbed spine, black spine label with gilt lettering. Duodecimo (6.5 x 4 inches). Title page, Dedication page, 282 text pages. Volume I includes Issue No. 1 (June 5 1762) to Issue No. 23 (November 6, 1762). John Wilkes FRS (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English radical journalist and politician, as well as a magistrate, essayist and soldier. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of his voters – rather than the House of Commons – to determine their representatives. In 1768, angry protests of his supporters were suppressed in the Massacre of St George's Fields. In 1771, he was instrumental in obliging the government to concede the right of printers to publish verbatim accounts of parliamentary debates. In 1776, he introduced the first bill for parliamentary reform in the British Parliament. During the American War of Independence, he was a supporter of the rebels, adding further to his popularity with American Whigs. In 1780, however, he commanded militia forces which helped put down the Gordon Riots, damaging his popularity with many radicals. This marked a turning point, leading him to embrace increasingly conservative policies which caused dissatisfaction among the radical low-to-middle income landowners. This was instrumental in the loss of his Middlesex parliamentary seat in the 1790 general election. At the age of 65, Wilkes retired from politics and took no part in the social reforms following the French Revolution, such as Catholic Emancipation in the 1790s. During his life, he earned a reputation as a libertine. Radical journalism Wilkes began his parliamentary career as a follower of William Pitt the Elder and enthusiastically supported Britain's involvement in the Seven Years War of 1756–1763. When the Scottish John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, came to head the government in 1762, Wilkes started a radical weekly publication, The North Briton, to attack him, using an anti-Scots tone. Typical of Wilkes, the title made satirical reference to the pro-government newspaper, The Briton, with "North Briton" referring to Scotland. Wilkes became particularly incensed by what he regarded as Bute's betrayal in agreeing to overly generous peace terms with France to end the war. On 5 October 1762, Wilkes fought a duel with William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot. Talbot was the Lord Steward and a follower of Bute; he challenged Wilkes to a pistol duel after being ridiculed in issue 12 of The North Briton. The encounter took place at Bagshot – at night to avoid attracting judicial attention. At a range of eight yards, Talbot and Wilkes both fired their pistols but neither was hit. Somewhat reconciled, they then went to a nearby inn and shared a bottle of claret. When the affair later became widely known, some viewed it as comical, and a satirical print made fun of the duelists. Some commentators even denounced the duel as a stunt, stage-managed to enhance the reputations of both men. Wilkes gave rancorous journalistic support to Earl Temple’s campaign against the ministry of Lord Bute, not hesitating to evoke popular English hatred for the Scots and to write libellous innuendos about Bute’s relations with George III’s mother. His incitement of anti government feeling was partly responsible for Bute’s decision to retire in April 1763. Temple, equally hostile to the new ministry formed by George Grenville, encouraged Wilkes to publish (April 23) the now famous “No. 45” of the North Briton, a devastating attack upon ministerial statements in the King’s speech, which Wilkes described as false. The new ministers, anxious to rid themselves of so vituperative a critic, and encouraged by the King’s personal animus against the traducer of his mother, instituted immediate proceedings against him. A general warrant (one that did not name the persons to be arrested) was issued. Forty-eight persons were seized in the search for evidence before Wilkes himself was arrested. Wilkes faced a charge of seditious libel over attacks on George III's speech endorsing the Paris Peace Treaty of 1763 at the opening of Parliament on 23 April 1763. Wilkes was highly critical of the King's speech, which was recognised as having been written by Bute . He attacked it in an article of issue 45 of The North Briton. The issue number in which Wilkes published his critical editorial was appropriate because the number 45 was synonymous with the Jacobite Rising of 1745, commonly known as "The '45". Popular perception associated Bute – Scottish, and politically controversial as an adviser to the King – with Jacobitism, a perception which Wilkes played on. The King felt personally insulted and ordered the issuing of general warrants for the arrest of Wilkes and the publishers on 30 April 1763. Forty-nine people, including Wilkes, were arrested. He was thrown into the Tower of London. But general warrants were unpopular and Wilkes gained considerable popular support as he asserted their unconstitutionality. At his court hearing a week later Wilkes claimed that parliamentary privilege protected him, as an MP, from arrest on a charge of libel. The Lord Chief Justice Pratt ruled that parliamentary privilege did indeed protect him and he was soon restored to his seat. Wilkes and others instituted actions for trespass against the secretary of state, the Earl of Halifax, and his underlings that led to awards of damages and established the illegality of general warrants. Assuming his immunity, Wilkes prepared to continue his campaign. Asked by a French acquaintance how far liberty of the press extended in England, he said: “I cannot tell, but I am trying to find out.” As a result of this episode, people were chanting, "Wilkes, Liberty and Number 45", referring to the newspaper. Parliament swiftly voted in a measure that removed protection of MPs from arrest for the writing and publishing of seditious libel. Influence Wilkes was at one point a hero to radicals in Britain and North America, and the slogan "Wilkes and Liberty" was heard on both sides of the Atlantic. A radical contemporary Irish politician Charles Lucas, who sat for Dublin City in the Irish Parliament, was known as the "Irish Wilkes".[30] The Dutch politician Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol (1741–1784), who advocated American independence and criticised the Stadtholder regime, was inspired by Wilkes. British colonists in the American colonies closely followed Wilkes's career. His struggles convinced many colonists that the British constitution was being subverted by a corrupt ministry, an idea that contributed to the coming of the American Revolution. Wilkes was widely admired in the American colonies as a political journalist, a radical politician, and a fighter for liberty. He greatly influenced the revolutionaries who fought for American independence and played a role in establishing the right to freedom of the press in the United States. In reaction, after the Revolution, representatives included provisions in the new American constitution to prevent Congress from rejecting any legally elected member and to proscribe general warrants for arrest. CONDITION: Leather on covers is rubbed; moderate wear at lower fore corners and light wear at the edges of the boards. The endpapers and pastedowns are darkened at the margins (from binders glue) and are spotted. The Contents are complete and intact with owner’s signature at top of title page, some darkening of the title page. The text pages are age tanned and generally have light or moderate foxing and occasional spotting. Check our other auctions and store listings for additional unusual items Check our other auctions and store listings for additional unusual items Listing and template services provided by inkFrog

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End Time: 2025-01-20T03:24:29.000Z

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