The late Scotch DuelThe ExaminerAnonymous Markup and editing by David Hill Radcliffe Completed December 2009 Examiner.1822.Boswell2 Center for Applied Technologies in the Humanities Virginia Tech
Published under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
License
Lord Byron and his Times: http://lordbyron.org
The late Scotch DuelThe ExaminerLondon14 April 1822745232
Any dashes occurring in line breaks have been removed.
Obvious and unambiguous compositors’ errors have been silently corrected.
NINES categories for Genre and Material Form at
http://www.performantsoftware.com/nines_wiki/index.php/Submitting_RDF#.3Cnines:genre.3E on
2009-02-26BibliographyBook HistoryCollectionCriticismDramaEphemeraFictionHumorLawLettersLife WritingHistoryManuscriptNonfictionPeriodicalPoliticsReference WorksPoetryReligionReviewTranslationTravel
THE EXAMINER.No. 745. SUNDAY, April 14, 1822.THE LATE SCOTCH DUEL.(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)Wednesday, April 3, 1822.
One of the Scotch conspiring libellers has met his fate. We are not advocates for
duelling in general; but we think there are offences which cannot be repressed or punished but
by some such mode. Sir A. Boswell's was one of those;
and we confess we are no more sorry that one of the above dishonourable gang has been punished,
than we should be if the murderers of Mrs. Donelly were discovered and
hanged. The hanging, it is probable, would be ineffectual as to the prevention of other
murders; but we think that the pistolling will make these gentry cautious of assaulting private
character and wounding private feeling. We hear the affected shudder at our classing the
house-breaker and murderer with the writer of mere political squibs; and we despise it; first,
because it is cant; and next, because the offence which brought the punishment upon the
unfortunate man were not mere political squibs—they were gross, wanton, and malicious
abuse, upon points which had no more to do with the general question, than if we were to call
Sir Walter Scott “lame-footed;” and as far
as honour is concerned, there is no distinguishing between the wretch who robs, and him who
obtains a pitiful livelihood, or despicable title, by pandering to the vilest passions of those
who pay him.
God forbid that we should ever exult over the misfortune of any one; but, we
doubt not, Sir A. B. and his confederates have often enjoyed the agony
they saw their victims writhing in; and we ask, is it to be endured, that these men are to sit
in peace and quiet, while their unhappy victim is to be pointed out in every company to the
sneer and ridicule, and undisguised laugh, of every wanton fool?
We have been often disgusted with the abominable cant of these licentious
hypocrites; but never more so than on the present occasion. It appears Mr. Stuart obtained the manuscript of these libels through the
agency of one Borthwick, a cheated accomplice, who
played his employers a trick in return; and because Mr. S. made use of this man he is guilty of
an unjustifiable and dishonourable act! This is mere cant:—he was as justified in making
use of Borthwick, as the man who has a faithless wife is justified in
opening the desk which contains the proofs of her guilt; and he was no more bound to hold any
terms with the writers in the Sentinel and Beacon, than he should be with the seducer of his wife. But to hear such
fellows talk of honour!—the skulking subscribers to the Beacon-bond; the purchasers of the necessities of other
villains, to screen their own infamy; the branded tools of Blackwood; the inventors and publishers of all the lies, filth, and abominations,
which sent the persecuted Queen, heart-broken, to her
grave!