On their ideas, the new Whig party have, in my opinion, acted as became them.  The author of the Reflections, however, on his part, cannot, without great shame to himself, and without entailing everlasting disgrace on his posterity, admit the truth or justice of the charges which have been made upon him, or allow that he has in those Reflections discovered any principles to which honest men are bound to declare, not a shade or two of dissent, but a total, fundamental opposition.  He must believe, if he does not mean wilfully to abandon his cause and his reputation, that principles fundamentally at variance with those of his book are fundamentally false.  What those principles, the antipodes to his, really are, he can only discover from their contrariety.  He is very unwilling to suppose that the doctrines of some books lately circulated are the principles of the party; though, from the vehement declarations against his opinions, he is at some loss how to judge otherwise.

For the present, my plan does not render it necessary to say anything further concerning the merits either of the one set of opinions or the other.  The author would have discussed the merits of both in his place, but he was not permitted to do so.

* * * * *

I pass to the next head of charge,—­Mr. Burke’s inconsistency.  It is certainly a great aggravation of his fault in embracing false opinions, that in doing so he is not supposed to fill up a void, but that he is guilty of a dereliction of opinions that are true and laudable.  This is the great gist of the charge against him.  It is not so much that he is wrong in his book (that, however, is alleged also) as that he has therein belied his whole life.  I believe, if he could venture to value himself upon anything, it is on the virtue of consistency that he would value himself the most.  Strip him of this, and you leave him naked indeed.

In the case of any man who had written something, and spoken a great deal, upon very multifarious matter, during upwards of twenty-five years’ public service, and in as great a variety of important events as perhaps have ever happened in the same number of years, it would appear a little hard, in order to charge such a man with inconsistency, to see collected by his friend a sort of digest of his sayings, even to such as were merely sportive and jocular.  This digest, however, has been made, with equal pains and partiality, and without bringing out those passages of his writings which might tend to show with what restrictions any expressions quoted from him ought to have been understood.  From a great statesman he did not quite expect this mode of inquisition.  If it only appeared in the works of common pamphleteers, Mr. Burke might safely trust to his reputation.  When thus urged, he ought, perhaps, to do a little more.  It shall be as little as possible; for I hope not much is wanting.  To be totally silent on his charges would not be respectful to Mr. Fox.  Accusations sometimes derive a weight from the persons who make them to which they are not entitled from their matter.