diaryweseethathewasneverbetrayedintoasolitaryexpressionofpity
orconcernforthesceneswehavedescribed，andasforBurdett，hewasall
fordragooningthediscontentedcountiesandplacingthemundermartiallaw。
AndevenRadnor，whoasafriendofCobbettwasmuchlessacademicinhis
Radicalism，satontheWiltshireCommissionwithoutmakinganyprotestthat
hasreachedposterity。
AllthecircumstancesthenmadeiteasyforGreyandhiscolleaguesto
slipintoapolicyofviolenceandrepression。Theybreathedanatmosphere
ofpanic，andtheydreadedtherecoilofthatpanicontheirownschemes。
Yetwhenallallowanceismadeforthisinsidiousclimate，whenweremember
thatnomanissodangerousasthekindmanhauntedbythefearofseeming
weak，atamomentwhenhethinkshispowerofdoinggooddependsonhischaracter
forstrength；whenweremember，too，thetoneofSocietycaughtbetweenscare
andexcitement，thebadinspirationoftheCourt，themalevolentinfluence
ofanalarmedOpposition，theabsorbinginterestofmakingaministry，the
gameapartfromthebusinessofpolitics，itisstilldifficulttounderstand
howmenlikeGreyandHollandandDurhamcouldeverhavelentthemselves
tothecrueltiesofthissavageretribution。Whenfirsttherewererumours
oftheintentionoftheGovernmenttoputdowntheriotswithseveremeasures，
Cobbettwroteapassageinwhichhereviewedthecharactersofthechief
ministers，Greywithhis’humanedisposition，’Holland’whonevergavehis
consenttoanactofcruelty，’Althorp’whohasneverdippedhishandin
blood，’Brougham’whowithallhishalfScotchcrotchetshasatanyrate
nobloodabouthim，’toshowthatthenewministers，unlikemanyoftheir
Torypredecessors，mightbetrustedtobelenientandmerciful。Twoofthese
men，GreyandHolland，hadmadeanoblestandagainstallthepersecutions
ofwhichToryGovernmentshadbeenguilty，defendingwithpassionmenwhose
opinionstheyregardedwithhorror；ifanyrecordcouldjustifyconfidence
itwastheirs。UnfortunatelythepoliticianwhowasmadeHomeSecretarydid
notshareinthispast。ThecommontalkatthetimeofMelbourne’sappointment
wasthathewastoolazyforhisoffice；therealcriticismshouldhavebeen
thathehadtakenthesideofCastlereaghandSidmouthin1817。AsHomeSecretary
hestoppedshortoftheinfamousmeasureshehadthenapproved；herefused
toemployspies，andtheHabeasCorpuswasnotsuspended。Butnobodycan
followthehistoryofthisrising，andthehistoryoftheclassthatmade
it，withoutrecognisingthatthepunishmentwhichexiledthesefourhundred
andfiftylabourersisastain，andanindeliblestain，onthereputation
oftheGovernmentthatlivesinhistoryonthefameoftheReformBill。It
isdifficulttobelievethateitherFoxorSheridancouldhavebeenparties
toit。ThechiefshameattachestoMelbourne，wholetthejudgesdotheir
worst，andtoLansdowne，whosatbesidethejudgesontheSalisburybench，
butthefactthatthePrimeMinisterwasimmersedinthepreparationofa
reform，believedbyhiscontemporariestobearevolution，doesnotrelieve
himofhisshareoftheodium，whichisthedueofGovernmentsthatarecruel
totheweak，andcarelessofjusticetothepoor。
Oneeffortwasmade，apartfromtheintercessionofpublicopinion，to
inducetheGovernmenttorelaxitsrigours。Whenthepanichadabatedand
thelastechooftheriotshadbeenstilledbythissummaryretribution，
amotionwasproposedintheHouseofCommonsforageneralamnesty。Unhappily
thecauseofthelabourerswasinthehandsofHenryHunt，amanwhosewisdom
wasnotequaltohiscourage，andwhoseegregiousvanitydemoralisedand
spoilthisnaturaleloquence。Ifthosewhowereinclosesympathywithhis
generalaimscouldnottoleratehismanners，itisnotsurprisingthathis
advocacywasadoubtfulrecommendationintheunsympatheticatmosphereof
theHouseofCommons。Hewasamanofpassionatesincerity，andhadalready
beentwiceinprisonforhisopinions，buttherulingclassthinkingitself
onthebrinkofasocialcatastrophe，whileveryconsciousofHunt’sdefects，
wasinnomoodtotakeadetachedviewofthisvirtue。Thedebate，which
tookplaceonthe8thofFebruary1831，reflectslittlecreditontheHouse
ofCommons，andthedivisionstillless，forHumewasHunt’sonlysupporter。
ThechiefspeakersagainstthemotionwereBenettofWiltshire，GeorgeLamb，
brotherofMelbourneandUnder-SecretaryattheHomeOffice，andDenman，
theAttorney-General。LambamusedhimselfandtheHousewithjestsonthe
illiterateletterforwritingwhichtheboyLookerwasthenonthehighseas，
andDenmanthrewoutasuggestionthatLooker’sfatherhadhadasharein
theboy’sguilt。Denmanclosedhisspeechbypouringscornonthosewhotalked
sentimentality，anddeclaringthathewouldeverlookbackwithprideon
hispartinthescenesofthismemorablewinter。
SofartheGovernmenthadhaditalltheirownway。Butintheiranxiety
toshowaresolutefrontandtoreassurethosewhohadsuspectedthatareform
Governmentwouldencouragesocialdisorderbyweakness，LordGreyandhis
colleaguesweredrawnintoascrapeinwhichtheyburnttheirfingersrather
badly。Theydecidedtoprosecutetwowritersforincitingthelabourersto
rebel。ThetwowriterswereRichardCarlileandWilliamCobbett。Carlile
wasthenaturalpreyforaGovernmentinsearchofavictim。Hehadalready
spentsixorsevenyearsofhislion-heartedlifeinprisonforpublishing
thewritingsofPaineandHone：hiswife，hissister，andhisshopmanhad
allpaidasimilarpenaltyfortheirassociation，voluntaryorinvoluntary，
withhispublic-spiritedadventures。Thedocumentforwhichhestoodinthe
dockattheOldBaileyearlyinJanuaryl831wasanaddresstotheagricultural
labourers，praisingthemforwhattheyhaddone，andreviewingtheirmisfortunes
inthissentence：’Themoretameyouhavegrown，themoreyouhavebeenoppressed
anddespised，themoreyouhavebeentrampledon。’Carliledefendedhimself
inaspeechthatlastedfourhoursandahalf。Thejurydisagreed，butafter
severalhourstheyunitedonaverdictofacquittalonthechargeofbringing
theCrownintocontempt，andofguiltyonthechargeofaddressinginflammatory
languagetothelabouringclasses。Hewassentencedtoimprisonmentfortwo
years，topayafine，andtofindsureties。
Cobbett’strialwasamoreimportantevent，forwhereasCarlilewasthe
DonQuixoteoflibertyofmind，Cobbettwasagreatpoliticalforce，and
hisacquittalwouldgiveaveryseriousshocktotheprestigeoftheGovernment
thatattackedhim。TheattentionoftheauthoritieshadbeencalledtoCobbett’s
speechesveryearlyinthehistoryoftheriots，andtheHomeOfficePapers
showthatappealstotheGovernmenttoprosecuteCobbettwerethemostcommon
ofalltherecommendationsandrequeststhatpouredintoWhitehallfromthe
country。SomeoftheseletterswereaddressedtoSirRobertPeel，andone
ofthemisendorsedwiththedraftofareply：’MydearSir，——Ifyoucan
givemethenameofthepersonwhoheardCobbettmakeuseoftheexpression
towhichyoureferyouwouldprobablyenablemetorendernosmallpublic
servicebytheprosecutionofCobbettforsedition——VeryfaithfullyYours，
RobertPeel。’
Inanevilmomentforthemselves，Peel’ssuccessorsdecidedtotakeaction，
notindeedonhisspeeches，butonhisarticlesinthePoliticalRegister。
Thecharacterofthosearticlesmightperhapsbedescribedasmilitantand
uncompromisingtruth。Theywereinflammatory，becausethetruthwasinflammatory。
Nobodywhoknewtheconditionofthelabourerscouldhavefoundinthema
singlemisstatementorexaggeration。Theonlyquestionwaswhetheritwas
inthepublicinteresttopublishtheminatimeofdisturbance。Fromthis
pointofviewthepositionoftheGovernmentwasseriouslyweakenedbythe
factthattheTimeshadusedlanguageonthisverysubjectwhichwas
notonewhitlesscalculatedtoexciteindignationagainsttherich，and
theTimes，thoughitwastheorganofwealthymen，wasinpointof
factconsiderablycheapertobuythantheRegister，thepriceofwhich
Cobbetthadraisedtoashillingintheautumnof1830。Butthiswasnot
theonlyreasonwhytheGovernmentwasindangerofexposingitselftoa
chargeofmaliceinchoosingCobbettforaprosecution。Theunrestinthe
southerncountieshadbeenduetoaspecialsetofeconomiccauses，butthere
wasunrestduetoothercausesinotherpartsofEngland。Itwasnotthe
miseryofploughboysandlabourersinHampshireandKentthathadmadeWellington
andPeeldecidethatitwasunsafefortheKingtodineattheGuildhall
inthewinterof1830：thePoliticalUnions，whichstrucksuchterrorinto
theCourtandthepoliticians，werenotbredinthevillages。Therewasa
generalandacutediscontentwithextravagantgovernment，withswollenlists
andtheburdenofsinecures，withthewholesystemofthecontrolofthe
boroughsanditsmockeryofrepresentation。Nowinsuchastateofopinion
everypaperonthesideofreformmightbechargedwithspreadingunrest。
Statisticsofsinecures，andpensions，andthefatrevenuesofbishopricks，
werescatteredalloverEngland，andthefactspublishedineverysuchsheet
werelikesparksthrownaboutnearapowdermagazine。Theprivatecitizens
whowrotetotheHomeOfficeinthewinterof1830mentionedthesepapers
almostasoftenastheymentionedCobbett’slectures。Manyofthesepapers
werebasedonapamphletwrittenbySirJamesGraham，FirstLordoftheAdmiralty
intheveryGovernmentthatprosecutedCobbett。OneoftheBaringscomplained
intheHouseofCommonsinDecember1830，thattheofficialpapersonoffices
andsinecureswhichtheReformGovernmenthaditselfpresentedtoParliament
tosatisfypublicopinionofitssincerityinthecauseofretrenchmentwere
thecauseofmischiefanddanger。Atsuchatimenowriter，whowishedto
helpthecauseofreform，couldmeasuretheeffectsofeverysentenceso
nicelyastoescapethechargeofexcitingpassion，andtheGovernmentwas
guiltyofanextraordinarypieceoffollyinattackingCobbettforconduct
ofwhichtheirownchiefsupporterswereguiltyeverytimetheyputapen
topaper。
ThetrialtookplaceinJuly1831attheGuildhall。Itwasthegreattriumph
ofCobbett’slife，ashisearliertrialhadbeenhisgreathumiliation。There
wasverylittleofthelionintheCobbettwhofalteredbeforeVicaryGibbs
inl810；therewasverylittleofthelambintheCobbettwhotoweredbefore
Denmanin1831。Andthecourtthatwitnessedhistriumphpresentedastrange
scene。Thetrialhadexcitedintenseinterest，andCobbettsaidthatevery
countyinEnglandwasrepresentedinthecompanythatbroke，fromtimeto
time，intostormsofcheering。ThejudgewasTenterden，theChiefJustice，
who，asabitterenemyofreform，hatedalikeaccusersandaccused。Sixmembers
oftheCabinet，thePrimeMinisterhimselfandtheLordChancellor，Melbourne
andDurham，PalmerstonandGoderichlistened，fromnochoiceoftheirown，
tothescathingspeechinwhichCobbettrenewedtheirconduct。Benettof
PytHousewasthere，aspectreofvengeancefromoneCommission，andthe
fatheroftheboyCookofMicheldever，ashadowofdeathfromanother。All
thememoriesofthoseterribleweeksseemedtogathertogetherinthesuspense
ofthateagercrowdwatchingthismomentousencounter。
Denman，whoprosecuted，employedaverydifferenttonetowardsCobbett
fromthetonethatPercevalhadusedatthefirstofCobbett’strials。Perceval，
whenprosecutingCobbettforsomearticlesonIrelandintheRegisterin
1803，askedthejurywiththepatricianinsolenceofaclassthatheldall
theprizesoflife，’Gentlemen，whoisMr。Cobbett？Isheamanwritingpurely
frommotivesofpatriotism？Quishomohicest？Quopatrenatus？’Nocounsel
prosecutingCobbettcouldopenwiththiskindofrhetoricin1831：Denman
preferredtodescribehimas’oneofthegreatestmastersoftheEnglish
language。’Denman’sspeechwasbrief，anditwasconfinedmainlytoaparaphrase
ofcertainofCobbett’sarticlesandtocommentsupontheireffect。Itwas
nodifficulttasktopickoutpassageswhichsettheriotsinaveryfavourable
light，andemphasisedtheundoubtedfactthattheyhadbroughtsomeimprovement
inthesocialconditions，andthatnothingelsehadmovedtheheartorthe
fearsoftherulingclass。Butthespeechwasnotlongoverbeforeitbecame
evidentthatCobbett，likeanothergreatpoliticaldefendant，thoughbeginning
astheaccused，wastoendastheaccuser。Hisreplytothechargeofexciting
thelabourerstoviolencewasimmediateandannihilating。InDecember1830，
afterthepublicationofthearticleforwhichhewasnowbeingtried，Brougham，
asPresidentoftheSocietyforthediffusionofUsefulKnowledge，hadasked
andobtainedCobbett’sleavetoreprinthisearlier’LettertotheLuddites，’
asthemostlikelymeansofturningthelabourersfromriotingandthebreaking
ofmachines。TherestoodtheLordChancellorinthewitness-box，inanswer
toCobbett’ssubpoena，toadmitthatcrushingfact。Thiswasathunderclap
toDenman，whowasquiteignorantofwhatBroughamhaddone，and，aswelearn
fromGreville，heknewatoncethathiscasewashopeless。Cobbettpassed
rapidlyfromdefencetoattack。Grey，Melbourne，Palmerston，Durham，and
Goderichhadallbeensubpoena’dinordertoanswersomeveryawkwardquestions
astothecircumstancesunderwhichThomasGoodmanhadbeenpardoned。The
LordChiefJusticerefusedtoallowthequestionstobeput，butatleast
thesegreatMinistershadtolistenasCobbetttoldthestoryofthosestrange
transactions，includingavisitfromaparsonandmagistratestoa’manwith
aroperoundhisneck，’whichresultedinGoodman’sunexplainedpardonand
thepublicationofastatementpurportingtocomefromhimascribinghis
