continued still faithful to my secret, and never disclosed it till (as her declaration states it) "The "Princess of Wales recommended a fresh torrent "of outrage against Sir John; and Sir John disco"vered that she was attempting to undermine his “and Lady Douglas's character."

Those, then, who had the opportunity of seeing the whole of this Narrative, having had their jealousy awakened by these circumstances to the improbability of the story, and to the discredit of the informer, when they came to observe, how maliciously every circumstance that imagination could suggest, as most calculated to make a woman contemptible and odious, was scraped and heaped up together in this Narrative, must surely have had their eyes opened to the motives of my accusers, and their minds cautioned against giving too easy a credit to their accusation, when they found my conversation to be represented as most loose, and infamous; my mind uninstructed and unwilling to learn; my language, with regard to your Majesty and the whole of your Royal Family, foully disrespectful and offensive; and all my manners and habits of life most disgusting, I should have flattered myself, that I could not have been, in character, so wholly unknown to them, but that they must have observed a spirit, and a colouring at least in this representation, which must have proved much more against the disposition, and character of the informers, and the quality of * See Appendix, p. 9.

their information, than against the person who was the object of their charge. But when, in addition to all this, the Declaration states,* that I had, with respect to my unfortunate and calamitous separation from His Royal Highness, stated that I hadacknowledged myself to have been the aggressor, from the beginning, and myself alone; and when it further states, that if any other woman had so played and sported with her husband's comfort and popularity, she would have been turned out of his. house, or left alone in it, and have deservedly forfeited her place in society; and further still, when, alleging that I had once been desirous of procuring. a separation from His Royal Highness, and had pressed former Chancellors to accomplish this purpose, it flippantly adds, that "The Chancellor may now, perhaps, be able to grant her request. The malicious object of the whole must surely have been most obvious.

For supposing these facts to have been all true; supposing this infamous and libellous description of my character had been nothing but a correct and faithful representation of my vices, and my infamy, would it not have been natural to have asked why they were introduced into this Declaration? What effect could they have had upon the charge of crime, and of Adultery, which it was intended to establish? If it was only, in execution of a painful duty, which a sense of loyalty to your Majesty,

See Appendix, (B) p. 65. † Appendix (B) p. 59, the note,

and obedience to the commands of the Prince of Wales, at length reluctantly drew from them, why all this malicious accompaniment ?* "His Royal

Highness" indeed they say, "desired that they would communicate the whole circumstances of their acquaintance with me, from the day they first spoke with me till the present time; a full detail of all that passed during our acquaintance," and "how they became known to me, it appearing to His Royal Highness, from the representation of his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, that His Majesty's dearest interests, and those of this country, were very deeply interested in the question," and "that he particularly commanded them to be very circumstantial in their detail, respecting all they might know relative to the child that I affected to adopt."

But from the whole of this it is sufficiently apparent, that the particularity of this detail was required, by his His Royal Highness, in respect of matters connected with that question, in which the dearest interests of Your Majesty and this country were involved; and not of circumstances which could have no bearing on those interests. If it had been therefore true, as I most solemnly protest it is not, that I had in the confidence of private conversation, so far forgot all sense of decency, loyalty, and gratitude, as to have expressed myself with that disrespect of your Majesty which is imputed

* See Appendix, p. 90.

to me;-If I had been what I trust those who have lived with me, or ever have partaken of my society, would not confirm, of a mind so uninformed and uncultivated, without education or talents, or without any desire of improving myself, incapable of employment, of a temper so furious and violent, as altogether to form a character, which no one could bear to live with, who had the means of living elsewhere;-What possible progress would all this make towards proving that I was guilty of adultery? These, and such like insinuations, as false as they are malicious, could never have proved crime in me, however manifestly they might display the malice of my accusers.

Must it not, then, have occurred to any one, who had seen the whole of this Narrative, if the motive of my accusers was, as they represent it, merely that of good patriots, of attached and loyal subjects, bound, in execution of a painful duty, imposed upon them by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, to disclose, in detail, all the facts which could establish my guilt, that these circumstances never would have made a part of their detail? But on the other hand, if their object was to traduce me ;~~ if, falsely, attributing to his Royal Highness, sentiments which could belong to no generous bosom, but measuring his nature by their own, they thought, vainly and wickedly, to ingratiate then selves with him, by being the instruments of accomplishing my ruin;-if aiming at depriving me of my rank and station, or of driving me from this

country, they determined to bring forward a charge, of Treason against me, which, though they knew in their consciences it was false, yet they might hope would serve at least as a cover, and a pretence, for such an imputation upon my character, as, rendering my life intolerable in this country, might drive me to seek a refuge in another;―if, the better to effectuate this purpose, they had represented all my misfortunes as my faults, and my faults alone, drawn an odious and disgusting picture of me, to extinguish every sentiment of pity and compassion, which, in the generosity, not only of your Majesty's royal bosom, and of the members of your Royal Family, but of all the inhabitants of your kingdom, might arise to commiserate the unfortunate situation of a stranger, persecuted under a charge originating in their malice ;if, for this, they flung out, that I had justly forfeited my station in society, and that a separation from my husband was, what I myself had once wished, and what the Chancellor might now, perhaps, procure for me; or, if in short, their object was to obtain my condemnation by prejudice, in flamed by falsehood, which never could be obtained by justice informed by truth, then the whole texture of the declaration is consistent, and it is well contrived and executed for its purpose. But it is strange, that its purpose should have escaped the detection of intelligent and impartial minds. There was enough, at least, to have made them pause before they gave such a degree of