lf." That is, the maxim that "The
king can do no wrong," was yet admitted by the people, and for Junius
to attack the king instead of the prime minister, would have thwarted
his design, which was, as before stated, _Revolution_. Nor does Junius
dare to assault the throne till he has brought forth a response in
defense of Grafton, knowing that when it came it must reflect on the
king. The last of May of the first year he had brought all his charges
against Grafton, and to them there had been no response but "the flat
general charge of scurrility and falsehood." This Junius did not deign
to answer. He now appears over the signature of Philo Junius, compiling
the facts and giving them in their order. The principle charges were: an
invasion upon "the first rights of the people and the first principles
of the constitution" by the arbitrary appointment of Mr. Luttrell as a
member of the House of Commons in the place of Mr. Wilkes, who, at the
king's solicitation, had been expelled: the disgraceful conduct of
Grafton in associating with a prostitute in public: the charge of
bastardy upon the duke: the desertion of Lord Chatham: the betrayal of
Rockingham and Wilkes: his vascillating and weak action in regard to the
colonies: and marrying the near relative of a man who had debauched his
wife. But nothing could provoke any reply worthy of an answer by Junius
till he, near the close of the year, brought forward the charge against
Grafton of "selling a patent place in the collection of customs at
Exeter to one Mr. Hine." Junius says of this: "No sale by the candle was
ever conducted with greater formality. I thank God! there is not in
human nature a degree of impudence daring enough to deny the charge I
have fixed upon you." To aggravate this charge, Junius works up
another, which is as follows: "A little before the publication of this
and the preceding letter, the Duke of Grafton had commenced a
prosecution against Mr. Samuel Vaughan for endeavoring to corrupt his
integrity by an offer of five thousand pounds for a patent place in
Jamaica." But now the duke is charged by Junius with the acceptance of a
bribe from Mr. Hine, and to save the duke from impeachment, and Lord
Mansfield from embarrassment, the prosecution is immediately dropped.
See Let. 34. In a note to the above Letter Junius says: "From the
publication of the preceding to this date, not one word was said in
defense of the Duke of Grafton. But vice and impudence soon re