DEAR MISS TOWNLEY,

May the 29th, 1804.

In what wondrous manner is the Lord now working, to bring every shadow to the substance and yet it is in so easy a manner as though all came by chance. But I remember how deeply it was said to me years agone, that all these times, seasons, and chances, were ordered and ordained by the Lord. From the newspaper that you sent me, of an advertisement being put in the paper by my friend, who desires the religious Society for the Suppression of Vice to examine my books and writings, and to point out every false doctrine they contain; or, if on the contrary they should be found true explanations of the Bible, the society must feel it a duty to make every laudable effort to spread the knowledge of her books in the world. When I had read the advertisement, I was ordered to look the paper over, and found a trial in the court of King's Bench, May 24th, the King v. William Cobbett. It was an Information filed, ex officio, by the attorney general against Mr. Cobbett, for an alledged libel on Lord Hardwicke, the lord lieutenant of Ireland; Lord Redesdale, lord high chancellor of Ireland; Mr. Justice Osborne, one of the puisne judges of the court of King's Bench in Ireland; and Alexander Marsden Esq. under secretary in the civil departinent in Ireland. I was ordered to take out this part of the trial:

"I beg leave to say, gentlemen of the jury, that the question for you to try, is the quo animo with which this writing has been published. It compli ments the private virtues of Lord Hardwicke, but it points out his defects as a political character.

It in

culcates the most loyal principles, and execrates rebellion throughout. His object is clearly to excite the vigilance of the well affected of both countries, in order to secure them from the dreadful conse quences of sudden insurrections, and the calamities

An awefill Week

occasioned by it, such as unfortunately took place in Ireland, in the month of July last."

After I had copied these words, I was ordered to mark the letter sent me, the same day, of the eight men that are printing a Book against my Writings. -Now I shall give the Communication that was given to me, in answer to the above

"In all thy Writings I have gone from Types and Shadows; and this year I have told thee that the Types and Shadows shall stand together. Now in the newspaper, that thy friend points out thỷ Writings and Books to be examined by the Society, the libel against Hardwicke stands. Now I tell thee, no men, by all the learning they can invent, can bring thine as a libel against man; because thou hast done all in my Name, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, who feareth no man's person; and thou hast done all by my command; so if they indict thee, it must be for a libel against the Lord, whose private goodness to mankind thou hast pointed out through all thy writings; but the public threatenings are pointed out to man the same. So here is the libel that men must try, not as against man, but as against ME, whose

Private Virtues' are all unknown to man,
That's in thy writings and shall ever stand;
And that my private Friends they all shall see
My private virtues are made known to thee;
And so to man they're publish'd all abroad,
To have my private Love for man made known;
But for the public it may now appear
That hard the threatenings to this nation here,
If they in silence now these words do hear,
And do not seek the truth in all to clear;
Because a week they'll surely find to come,
That I'm the Lord and will them all condeman,
If they bring Trials for men's honour here,
And will not seek my honour for to clear:
To prove the calling if it be of God,

I tell them plain that hard they'll feel my rod.
Because an awful week I'll bring to man-

My public threatenings are throughout your Land;
And if my honour you'll not here maintain,
To act for ME as you do act for men,

To bring the Trial, you say the Truth you'll see,
For with this libel it doth all agree,

My private footsteps and my Love for man
Are surely publish'd by her written hand;
But for my public theatenings that are here
You judg'd them hard, but they shall be severe,
If now I see you shew more love to man,
To clear his honour, than for mine you'll come
The Truth to try-If you'll not seek to know,
I tell you plain, that hard my hand shall go;
For I'm the Lord, that she has written here,
My private Love to man she hath made clear;
But public threatenings and my wrath severe,
I tell you now, shall come upon the Land,
If not for ME you will the Trial stand,
To know if she has forg'd my Name or no
And to the press these threatenings now must go,
Because this shadow here I did ordain;
And see the Bill is put in by my friend,
To have the truth in all be fairly tried.
And now they'll surely find, if I'm denied,
That hard my Judgments now shall be for man,
If for my honour they refuse to stand
The Truth in every thing to prove and try,
Since now for man they easy did comply,
To bring the Trial hasty on for man;"
And for my honour now I bid them stand,
For I am the Lord, that every soul shall see,
That now commands this Bill put in to be;
And if to prove it you do not regard,
I tell you plain, my hand you'll find it hard;
For there are Libels printing now I see,
Against my honour, and they cast shall be,
Because they're printing now against my Name,
Against thy writings men are going on.
Then sure I say they're printing against ME,
And that with fury all your Land shall see,
If men don't hasty come for to prevent,
And say, we'll try the cause with one consent,
To know from whence the Bill doth now appear
Against my honour men are printing here.
They must confess it is in man or thee;
For if thy writings do not come from ME,
Then thou art wrongly printing in my Name;
And then mankind I'll surely put to shame,
If they in love for ME do not appear,

To prove from whence it came, and see all clear;
Whether or no they do come from the Lord
They all must judge it by the written word,
Which from the world is now seal'd up from man.
For there in secret I have laid my plan,
The faith and wisdom first in men to try,
And then behind they'll find my wisdom lie,
The truth of all I then shall surely clear,
And they shall find the Lord of Lords is here.
That men in libels printing now they be
Against my honour I do plainly see;
And so I say they surely shall be cast-

For that's the way my Jury now shall bursts
1 say, these ignorant men for to condemn.
And now to try the Cause I'm boldly come;
So with their libels let them to appear

Before my Jury, and I'll cast them there;
Because their words they never can defend :
To write against the Lord will man pretend,
When I do tell them, I AM LORD of all
That in thy writings do this Nation call?
And LORD of LORDS I'll surely prove to be;
And hard is my hand, that every soul shall see,
If men don't find a week for to appear
To bring the Trial, and to see all clear.
So here the words are parted into three,
And as they are parted so 'twill surely be,
If men don't hasty bring thy Trial on,

To know from whence the libel now doth come.
For every soul that now have eyes to see,
They sure must know 'tis in the Men or thee;
And now I tell them it is in the Men,

And that they'll find, I'll prove it in the end."

These last words were given to me, in answer to the letter you sent me, the same day with the newspapers, of the men at Stourbridge, that are now printing a book against my writings, which is so clearly explained, if my writings are of God, they are printing against the Lord; but if my writings are not of God, men shew no love to his honour to let me go on in his Name, to say the Lord saith, if they can prove the Lord hath not spoken by me; and that is as equally impossible for man to do, without searching into every truth, and trying them the way the Lord hath commanded them to be tried, as it is for a man that is stark blind to judge of colours. Neither can any man judge colours in the dark, yet in the dark they pretend to judge them, but are afraid to come to the light, fearing their deeds should be reproved. This Communication I am ordered to send to you to have it put in print with all speed. I am ready and willing to stand every trial to prevent the Judgments that threaten us, and that hang over our heads.-I shall give you part of the letter I received from my friend: "There is a book now in the press, printing, and where seve

ral heads have been engaged in it, that are attacking yourself, your writings, and your abettors."-In answer to myself, no man can injure my character without he doth it by falsehood and lies: for my character will bear the strictest scrutiny as to any thing the world can lay to my charge; but as to my writings, and from what Spirit they come, I am ready to stand the trial. If they can be proved from any Spirit, but the Spirit of the living Lord, I will freely give them up, and burn the whole. But I cannot suffer my judgment to be so easily imposed upon as to believe such wondrous wisdom, council, and truth, can come from any Spirit but from the God of Wisdom and of Truth, before it is tried by the touchstone of truth, and then the Lord will make the truth clear before them. Then how can men pretend to judge of things they know nothing about? For none but them that have searched into my writings can be judges of the truth they contain; and as to the manner of the writings that men condemn, it is but the fulfilling the Scriptures; for it is written, The wisdom of God is foolishness to men-and the wisdom of man is foolishness with God; and this truth is plain and easy to be understood, as men so foolishly pretend to explain the hidden mysteries of the Bible by their own wisdom; and they have explained it so many ways that the Bible can have no meaning or explanation at all by the wisdom of men for the wise men, the learned, and the good men, have drawn so many judgments different from each other, that they have made the Bible like a rope of sand, that cannot join together; and so they make their own wisdom, that will soon break in sunder. But the foolishness of God is wiser than all the wisdom of men, like a threefold cord, that cannot be broken. As soon as I had written these words, from my own observation, I was answered in the following lines: