Letters to Sir William Windham and Mr Pope | Page 4

that I should be remembered only to be
condemned loudly by one half of them, and to be tacitly censured by
the greatest part of the other half. As soon as I was separated from the
Pretender and his interest, I declared myself to be so; and I gave
directions for writing into England what I judged sufficient to put my
friends on their guard against any surprise concerning an event which it
was their interest, as well as mine, that they should be very rightly
informed about.
As soon as the Pretender's adherents began to clamour against me in
this country, and to disperse their scandal by circular letters everywhere
else, I gave directions for writing into England again. Their groundless
articles of accusation were refuted, and enough was said to give my
friends a general idea of what had happened to me, and at least to make
them suspend the fixing any opinion till such time as I should be able to
write more fully and plainly to them myself. To condemn no person
unheard is a rule of natural equity, which we see rarely violated in

Turkey, or in the country where I am writing: that it would not be so
with me in Great Britain, I confess that I flattered myself. I dwelt
securely in this confidence, and gave very little attention to any of
those scurrilous methods which were taken about this time to blast my
reputation. The event of things has shown that I trusted too much to my
own innocence, and to the justice of my old friends.
It was obvious that the Chevalier and the Earl of Mar hoped to load me
with the imputation of treachery, incapacity, or neglect: it was
indifferent to them of which. If they could ascribe to one of those their
not being supported from France, they imagined that they should justify
their precipitate flight from Scotland, which many of their fastest
friends exclaimed against; and that they should varnish over that
original capital fault, the drawing the Highlanders together in arms at
the time and in the manner in which it was done.
The Scotch, who fell at once from all the sanguine expectations with
which they had been soothed, and who found themselves reduced to
despair, were easy to be incensed; they had received no support
whatever, and it was natural for them rather to believe that they failed
of this support by my fault, than to imagine their general had prevailed
on them to rise in the very point of time when it was impossible that
they should be supported from France, or from any other part of the
world. The Duke of Ormond, who had been the bubble of his own
popularity, was enough out of humour with the general turn of affairs
to be easily set against any particular man. The emissaries of this Court,
whose commission was to amuse, had imposed upon him all along; and
there were other busy people who thought to find their account in
having him to themselves. I had never been in his secret whilst we were
in England together: and from his first coming into France he was
either prevailed upon by others, or, which I rather believe, he concurred
with others, to keep me out of it. The perfect indifference I showed
whether I was in it or no, might carry him from acting separately, to act
against me.
The whole tribe of Irish and other papists were ready to seize the first
opportunity of venting their spleen against a man, who had constantly
avoided all intimacy with them; who acted in the same cause, but on a
different principle, and who meant no one thing in the world less than
raising them to the advantages which they expected.

That these several persons, for the reasons I have mentioned, should
join in a cry against me, is not very marvellous; the contrary would be
so to a man who knows them as well as I do. But that the English
Tories should serve as echoes to them--nay more, that my character
should continue doubtful at best amongst you, when those who first
propagated the slander are become ashamed of railing without proof,
and have dropped the clamour,--this I own that I never expected; and I
may be allowed to say, that as it is an extreme surprise, so it shall be a
lesson to me.
The Whigs impeached and attainted me. They went farther--at least, in
my way of thinking, that step was more cruel than all the others- -by a
partial representation of facts, and pieces of facts, put together as it best
suited their purpose, and published to the whole world, they did all that
in them lay to expose me for a fool,