The National Register.
London, England, 1809-06-18 00:00:00

398

TO WI4LIIIM COIMETT.-I.LTTER. 111.

Parturiunt monies r:dicul►ts nascitur inus ! !

SIR, •
You are really a great master of dramatic effect. You have
raised public expectations by the huUncss with which thegaunt-
let was thrown down, alTd have as completely digippointed P by
the silly delusive prevarication, and• the bowlful disgusting ego-
than with which your long long letter is stuffed. A dextrous
fencer is prepared for the thrusts of his antagonist, and antici-
pates what he is capable even of attempting in any passiblf si-

ttsation. I give you credit for your dexterity, but cunning,
sir, is no proof of wkdom ; you certainly have not, like the
• fencer mentioned by D'..rno:thenes, waited for a wound ; you
have been prepared to parry, before you were hit ; but the
gall which has flowed from your peu, skews that some how Of
other, from some butt/ or other,

Lateri hmsit letlvilis arqndo.

And 60 Mr. Conot:rt we are tobelieve the account which has been
published, and the ci,lcumeets w hick have been produced of the
Court Martial are ? have you pointed out one that is eith,c
tered, or that soneven dare to say, notwithstanding your effron-
tery, is not correct ? " Aye, but all of them are not published."
Yon are accused of a deliberate and malignant attempt to
injure the officers of the corps in lOich yos. were fmt a cor-
poral, and then a serjeant, by false charges. The evidence pro-
duced is sufficient to convict you, unless dZsproved ; you do not
even challenge it, which every thief does in some way or other,
and yet you expect we shall believe your bare assertion, that
yOur letters, and the charges, were sufficient, if they had been
published, to have sr.; istied the public thp.t these charges were
true. This is curious logic. Where did you pick this up, Mr.
Cobbett ? in the wilds of America ? or iu y:Air disgraceful re-
tirement at Kotley ?

You might as well endeavour to prove that you were not
44
guilty of highway robbery, house breaking, or any other of-
fence," because the documents by which the fact might be esta-
blished, are not complete. So the documents do contain some-
thing which is true in tcords, but the meaning is totattu perverted,
r the suppression of all the material parts of the transactions.
At the time of writing your letter you knew this was false. ,
You knew that every word of thee documents is correct, and
bears the stamp of truth, that the meaning is nut altered or'
perverted, and that the conclusion I% irresistible. When the
words in which the charge against you arc understood, it re-
quires no ingenuity, there is no necessity to pervert their
real meaning. You are dri:en, Sir, to a c:irner, and den; in
suppositions. These are the usual subterfuges of chi-
canery in the retreats of villainy, and ygtu do not even handle
them with your usual dexterity. They are fnlse in argu-
ment, and even if adtilitird mould not serve your purpose ;
but it is not true even in words, `•
that it would be a shame to
bang a poer fellow for iio:Le breaking." If I were to ask the
question in fewer words ; if it would he any shame to hang such
a fellow, I hel;eve there are not ten honest men in the country
Would hesitate about what answer should he given. In sending
copies of this charge into Hampshire, the Gentlemen have done
a public dut: ; nublic nuisances should not only be pointed out,
but removed too. The Winchester Clergy are as much above
your despicable sneer. as Sou are beneath their indiguation.—
Your proper situation is just upon a level rr ith their contempt.
y rot ba,e rep your di-cho,rge, written bg a Traiior.—Cc ;:e-
-rcl lit:Dull lc grants it at Ow request of FITZG RA 1.0. Was
the effrontery of this noblusliine document necessary to convince
any honest man of the nature of the connexioo between the only
Honest Officer in the regiment and •on WI c.LIA al CO 1111ETT.—
A rler such a declaration before Mr. PITT, can you wonder that
he refined to si: down a second time w ith such a man, I had almost
At rit tun a ------. Are we to endure from such a wretch as WIL-
k M (74106r,TT to be told that bit personal safety was not