VINDICATING THE CHARACTER OF LORD RUSSELL AND THE TRIAL OF LORD WILLIAM RUSSELL FOR HIGH TREASON, Extracted from the State Trials. EMBELLISHED WITH THREE ELEGANT ENGRAVINGS. THE SEVENTH EDITION. LONDON: Printed by J. M'Creery, Black-Horse-Court, Fleet-street, FOR J. MAWMAN ; J. WALKER; LONGMAN, HURST, REES, AND ORME; 1809. English Grant 1-31-41 42041 ADVERTISEMENT. THE quick sale of the Four Former Editions, proves that this VINDICATION of the immortal SIDNEY, and the virtuous LORD RUSSELL, and also the LETTERS of the excellent LADY RUSSELL, have some merit, and that there is not the least occasion to employ any of the too common artifices to establish the character of the book, and promote its circulation among the Public. However, as there are some persons who pay that great deference to the judgment of certain critics, as neither to esteem, nor purchase a book, till they have read an account of it in the Critical and Monthly Reviews, the following extracts are submitted to their consideration: Critical Review, May 1773. In the Introduction, several arguments are produced, vindicating the propriety of Lord Russell's conduct, relative to the charge of his intriguing with the court of France, which certainly have great weight."—" If good sense, social sympathy, fortitude, and fervent piety, have any claim to attention, these Letters of Lady Russell will communicate deep impressions to the mind of a serious reader, and afford a striking example of female virtue. Monthly Review, July 1773.-"It must afford a considerable entertainment to peruse the Letters of Lord William Russell's Lady, and especially as the Lady was a woman of the most distinguished merit.-Some farther light is here thrown on the conduct of several eminent persons; and it gives a striking exhibition exhibition of Lady Rachell's character, which was not only an excellent, but an uncommon one. We see in her the most affectionate and tender regard to the memory of her noble husband, and the most exquisite, unconquerable, and almost unabating grief for the loss of him, united with an highly exalted piety, a profound submission to the Divine Will, and a wisdom. and fortitude which enabled her to maintain a propriety and dignity of behaviour in every situation."" The Introduction to this collection contains some valuable remarks in vindication of Lord Russell." It is evident, the Reviewer thought they were valuable remarks, for in his animadversions on Dalrymple's Memoirs, he hath borrowed a number of them, sometimes in the very words, but without the least acknowledgment. Probably this was the reason that the ingenuous Reviewer would give no extracts from the Introduction. He also acknowledges, "The Editor's notes add to the entertainment and utility of the work:" and the Editor hopes that to every candid reader, they will appear both accurate and perspicuous. The several quotations in the Introduction, from different historians, would have been "needless," had it not been for the late aspersions of Sir John Dalrymple on the character of Lord Russell and others; but are now necessary, to shew that the historians of every party were all agreed in the point of Lord Russell's inflexible integrity, and genuine patriotism. |