WHO WAS "JUNIUS" ?

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 99, 23 October 1936, Page 7

WHO WAS "JUNIUS" ?

MYSTERY OF HISTORIC

HIS FAMOUS LETTERS

During a period of exactly twentythree years.there shone in the political firmament of England a mysterious luminary whose identity has been a subject of controversy for over a century and a half, says the "Winnipeg Free Press." In a series of letters commencing in the London "Public Advertiser" on January .21, 1769, and ending on January 21, 1792, this unknown ■ genius's .vitriolic pen flayed both King George 111 and the Ministry of the Duke of Grafton with a brutal violence that was inspired by the. most venomous hatred and scorn. The. publisher of the "Public Advertiser," Henry Sampson Woodfall, 'was ignorant of the'identity of his clever correspondent, who, unquestionably, was a distinguished man of affairs, sharing many of the deepest secrets of- State, who uttered his bitter invectives-in a clever' classic style superior to that of any political writer in the realm., ■■,:•; All of these letters were' signed "Junius," some of them ."Philip Junius." In the same scholarly handwriting Woodfall at previous times had received similar communications signed "Candor," "Nemesis,". "Anti-Sejanus"; also "Lucius" and "Brutus." ' The pseudonym selected for the final series was believed to have been chosen to complete the name of the Kohiaa patriot, Lucius Junius Brutus. ; FEARS OF THE LEADERS. One by one. the henchmen of'the Prime' Minister twere selected as'targets for this cruel satirist's vituperation, and.many great lords and distinguished, commoners ' trembled 1 in their shoes, fearing: that their turn would come next. Vainly did many politician's and' their* agents strive to get into personal communication with Junius and to track'this literary enigma to his lair. But fortified within his hidden sanctum he continued to throw javelins,into the Government party leaders without. hindrance, although not without fear, for in one of his communications he admits his consciousness ■of peril in • the following words:— . •; ■•'■■■■ ~■ ' • • "I must.be.more cautious than ever. I am sure I would not'survive discovery three days.. .-. Though you: would fight, there are others who would assassinate.. .I am the sole depository of my own secret, and it shall perish, with me!" • ■ ■: Several editions of '■ Junius's letters were printed in book form, one of:the most' notable of which, published 'by Woodfall, contained facsimiles of . his handwriting as well as that of some of the prominent people accused of writing under his pseudonym. .' More than forty personages were suspected, of being Junius. Some of the most notable suspects Edmund. Burke, Lord Chesterfield, v Gibbon, Horace Walpole, Lord Ashburton, arid General Charles Lee. , Lee. had a' fault-finding disposition and an extremely caustic tongue;-fond of abusing superior officers]' Ah Englisman by birth, he had served .with distinction in the French and Indian War, and at the time4 that the Junius letters were written hie had just concluded several years of fruitless endeavour to obtain promotion from George m. He was engaged, during this period in writing, ironical, "'.epistlejj.' to -the papers. It is an 'interesting*;facV'that about the time 'the: Junius - letter* ■ ceased, ;he succeeded in gaining a promotion, although it was only on hall pay. ,; .. •■ ;■ .; ,'•. THEORY CHALLENGED. ' Three handwriting experts'reported that they had proved to their satisfaction that Lee's and Junius's chirography were identical; but about a.dozen experts were quite as" emphatic in the support of other theories.'.: Authorities who have devoted deep study to the identity of Junius ) now. attach very little importance to the theory that Lea was the author of that genius's mysterious letters. .. . One theory accepted for a time by some authorities was that the norn de plume "Junius" was used by a committee of writers inimical to the ministry, and one of whose members invariably • inscribed '• communications drafted by the whole body. "I know no man but Edmund Burka who is capable of writing these letters,'^ said Dr. Samuel Johnson to BoswelL Yet in Parliament Burke had once made an impassioned address* in which he said:— . "How comes this Junius to have broken through the cobwebs of lav/ and to range uncontrolled, unpunished, through the land?. The myrmidons of the court are pursuing all their snares. When I read his attack upon the kins my blood ran cold!" ■ ... .' The favourite theory has been' that Junius was Philip Francis,, a distinguished British politician. When confronted with the evidence .• of his authorship, he uttered denials so veiled that they were thought to be evasions. Being at the time a candidate for the Governor-Generalship of India, it was pointed out that Sir Philip did not dare to confess that he was .Junius. His handwriting was very similar-to that of the mysterious writer, and a copy, of some verse which he had. once addressed to a young lady was pronounced to be unquestionably in the same writing. TDERNEY'S REASON. Tierney, when asked if he believed Francis to have written the celebrated letters, said: — ■ , "I know no better reason for supposing the fellbw to be Junius than that he was always confoundedly proud of something, and no one could ever guess what it could be." Junius's identity is said to have been' fathomed by Lord Lansdowne, who pro. mised.that he would publish the facts. But his death intervened before ha could do so. Pitt, whom Junius had championed in . his writings, also claimed that he knew absolutely who the hidden writer was, but. would go no further than to say it was not Sit. Philip Francis, whose son was at the time striving to prove his father's authorship. Several persons actually, confessed themselves to be Junius, but all of these were soon discredited. Who this man of mystery,was will probably never be known.