ewise of being obstructed, by an accidental calumny.
The writer of The Daily Courant, a paper then published under the
direction of the Ministry, charged him with a crime, which, though very
great in itself, would have been remarkably invidious in him, and might
very justly have incensed the queen against him. He was accused by name
of influencing elections against the Court by appearing at the head of
a Tory mob; nor did the accuser fail to aggravate his crime by
representing it as the effect of the most atrocious ingratitude, and a
kind of rebellion against the queen, who had first preserved him from
an infamous death, and afterwards distinguished him by her favour, and
supported him by her charity. The charge, as it was open and confident,
was likewise by good fortune very particular. The place of the
transaction was mentioned, and the whole series of the rioter's conduct
related. This exactness made Mr. Savage's vindication easy; for he never
had in his life seen the place which was declared to be the scene of
his wickedness, nor ever had been present in any town when its
representatives were chosen. This answer he therefore made haste to
publish, with all the circumstances necessary to make it credible; and
very reasonably demanded that the accusation should be retracted in the
same paper, that he might no longer suffer the imputation of sedition
and ingratitude. This demand was likewise pressed by him in a private
letter to the author of the paper, who, either trusting to the
protection of those whose defence he had undertaken, or having
entertained some personal malice against Mr. Savage, or fearing lest, by
retracting so confident an assertion, he should impair the credit of
his paper, refused to give him that satisfaction. Mr. Savage therefore
thought it necessary, to his own vindication, to prosecute him in
the King's Bench; but as he did not find any ill effects from the
accusation, having sufficiently cleared his innocence, he thought any
further procedure would have the appearance of revenge; and therefore
willingly dropped it. He saw soon afterwards a process commenced in the
same court against himself, on an information in which he was accused of
writing and publishing an obscene pamphlet.

It was always Mr Savage's desire to be distinguished; and, when any
controversy became popular, he never wanted some reason for engaging in
it with great ardour, and appearing at the head of the party which
he had chos