⚫ the letter I had the I onour of receiving and anfwering by Mr. Secker.' I am, my Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient, Directed to Earl Talbot. JOHN WILKES. SIR, I fuppofe you have by this time found the letter I wrote directed to you at Winchester, and that hath acquainted you why I addressed myself to Mr. Wilkes, to enquire if the North Briton of the 21st of Auguft was written by him. I well know every gentleman who contributes to fupport periodical papers by his pen, is not anfwer⚫able for all the papers that appear under the title of that which he affifts, but I cannot conceive that any man should refuse to affure a person who hath been the object of the wit of any paper, that he was not the author of a paper he did not ⚫ write. Every man's sense of honour ought to • direct his conduct, if you prefer a perfonal engagement to the denying being the author of a that hath been fo free with my name; I who am publicly affronted by that paper, cannot ❝ in honour avoid requiring the fatisfaction you feem moft defirous to give. Be pleased to write or fend to me as foon as you have determined what ' part you will act. I fhall be in London Thurf 6 paper day and Friday next, and this day fe'nnight, after which I fhall not be in London till Thursday • the 23d." I am, Sir, My Lord, Winchester, Sept. 16, 1762. I had not till yesterday the honour of your Lordship's letter of the 12th, and embrace this ⚫ earliest opportunity of acknowledging it. Your Lordship has not yet, in my poor idea, afcertained the right you claim of interrogating me about the paper of the 21ft of August, and I will first know the very good authority on which I am thus queftioned, before I will return any anfwer whatever. Your Lordship defires me to write or fend to • you as foon as I have determined what part I fhall act. I intended my first letter should have made that fufficiently clear.' I am, my Lord, Your Lordship's very humble fervant, Directed to Earl Talbot. JOHN WILKES. I have this inftant received your's of the 16th. It is your own declaration before men of truth and honour that you occafionally affifted the pa• per called the North Briton with your pen, that is the foundation of my interrogating you about the North Briton of the 21st of Auguft-and whatever may be your idea, mine is that when a 'gentleman owns himself an occasional author of an anonymous fatyrical paper, any person by name ridiculed in fuch an hebdomadal performance hath a right to ask the occafional avowed • writer, if he was the author of the offending paper. You may now, Sir, anfwer my question or not, I have offered to put myself upon that footing with you that became a man who hath spirit, and is influenced by honour-if you do not deny the paper I muft and will conclude you wrote it.' Your humble fervant, Sunday's poft brought me your Lordship's of the 17th, and by the return of it this waits on your Lordship. • You are pleafed to fay that it is my own declaration before men of truth and honour that I ⚫ occafionally affifted the paper called the North • Briton. I wish your Lordship had been more ex•plicit, and had mentioned the name of any one gentleman before whom I had made that declaration. Was it made in public? or was it in private conversation? Still I have the misfortune of not yet seeing your Lordship's right of putting ⚫ the question to me about the paper of the 21st of Auguft, and 'till I do, I will never refolve your Lordship on that head, though I would any friend I have in the world, who had the curiofity of afking me, if it was in a civil manner. Your Lordship fays that if I do not deny the paper, you must and will conclude I wrote it. • Your Lordship has my free confent to make any * conclufions you think proper, whether they are well or ill grounded; and I feel the most perfect • indifference about what they are, or the confe1 quences of them. 'I intend at present to make a tour on Thurfday to the Isle of Wight. I fhall return to this city the beginning of the next week.' I am, my Lord, Your Lordship's Directed to Earl Talbot. moft humble fervant, JOHN WILKES. SIR, Winchester, Sept. 30, 1762. Lord Talbot by your meffage has at laft brought this most important question to the precife point, where my firft anfwer to his Lordship fixed it, if he preferred that. As you have only feen the two laft letters, I muft entreat you to • caft your eye over those preceding, because I apprehend they will justify an observation or two I made this morning, when I had the honour of paying my compliments to you at camp. Be affured that if I am between heaven and earth, I will be on Tuesday evening at Tilbury's the Red Lion at Bagfhot, and on Wednesday morning will play this duet with his Lordship. It is a real fatisfaction to me that his Lordship is to be accompanied by a gentleman of Colonel Berkeley's worth and honour. • This will be delivered to you by my adjutant, who attends me to Bagshot. I shall not bring any fervant with me, from the fear of any of the parties being known. My piftols only, or his Lordship's, at his option, fhall decide this point. I beg the favour of you to return me the letters, as I mean to leave Winchester this even |