He is urged to pursue the matter; but he protests his unwillingness to take up his time, and that of his readers, with personal matters. He has only done it now because it gives him an opportunity of showing up the “incomparable baseness” of Corruption; and the futility of her resistance to the impending Reform: the blind and passionate course which she is taking, in order to stifle inquiry.
One letter from Botley, referring to this matter, is worth quoting:—
“… As to the twenty-two letters, I have full copies of all the principal ones, and memorandum copies of all the others. But, is it not evident, internally evident, that letters were suppressed? Does the thing begin with my charge? No, I cannot take your advice in keeping the thing up. Those who like the fun of seeing me on my defence, have either very little regard for my reputation, or very little taste. It is useless to write any more about it. What! do you really think I would condescend to answer any one, who should call upon me to produce letters, from which I make extracts, and which I say I have before me? Why, don’t you see that even already the Post calls my extract from my letter to Pitt a ‘fabrication’? What nonsense is it, then, to talk of producing the letters! Would not they be called fabrications too? Oh, no! there may be just a sentence or two; but there must be no more defences, take my word for that.… I will, at any time, show Finnerty, Power, or any friend, the original letters from the Secretary-at-War to me, and mine to him; and also my letter to Pitt, and all the charges. But I cannot condescend to do this to the public; indeed, it is impossible. They must believe me, or let it alone.”
Again:—
“As to the public-robbers, one must lose by a continuation of the warfare with them. It is impossible to answer fellows who, in their very signature, call ‘Scoundrel.’ Seriously to sit down to answer such fellows would be to degrade oneself in an obvious manner. That will never do. Besides, the thieves are beaten.…”
Lose: indeed! the day had come, at last. On the very morrow of these swaggering lines being penned, the Political Register had committed itself.
As, when the heated pursuer, sure of his game as far as will, and equipment, are concerned, is brought to the ground by some mean and unconsidered obstacle: so this eager one, at the very heels of his adversaries, finds himself suddenly prostrate. And the now-exulting foe stands over him; while cries of Habet! Habet! sound upon his ears.
FOOTNOTES
[1] This enterprise attracted the notice of the Surveyor to the Board of Agriculture:—“Mr. Cobbett has been most particularly fortunate in raising, chiefly from seed, a vast nursery of almost all the different sorts of forest trees known on the Atlantic side of the middle states of North America. The vast variety of strong and flourishing plants which his seed-bed of oaks exhibited in the course of the last summer bids fair to render his success on this occasion of much importance to our country,” &c., &c. Vide Vancouver’s “Agricultural Survey of Hampshire,” 1808.