“If the Begums think themselves aggrieved to such a degree as to justify them in an appeal to a foreign jurisdiction,—­to appeal to it against a man standing in the relation of son and grandson to them,—­to appeal to the justice of those who have been the abettors and instruments of their imputed wrongs,—­let us at least permit them to be the judges of their own feelings, and prefer their complaints before we offer to redress them:  they will not need to be prompted.  I hope I shall not depart from the simplicity of official language, in saying, that the majesty of justice ought to be approached with solicitation, not descend to provoke or invite it, much less to debase itself by the suggestion of wrongs and the promise of redress, with the denunciation of punishment before trial, and even before accusation.”

My Lords, if, since the beginning of the world, such a paper as this was ever before written by a person standing in the relation of a servant to his master, I shall allow that every word we have said to your Lordships upon this occasion to mark his guilt ought to be expunged from your minutes and from our charges.

Before I proceed to make any observations upon this act of open rebellion against his superiors, I must beg your Lordships to remark the cruelty of purpose, the hostile feeling, towards these injured women, which were displayed in this daring defiance.  Your Lordships will find that he never is a rebel to one party without being a tyrant to some others; that rebel and tyrant are correlative terms, when applied to him, and that they constantly go together.

It is suggested by the Directors, that the Nabob is the persecutor, the oppressor, and that Mr. Hastings is the person who is to redress the wrong.  But here they have mistaken the matter totally.  For we have proved to your Lordships that Mr. Hastings was the principal in the persecution, and that the Nabob was only an instrument.  “If I am rightly informed,” he says, “the Nabob and the Begums are on terms of mutual good-will.  It would ill become this government to interpose its influence by any act which might tend to revive their animosities:  and a very slight occasion would be sufficient to effect it.”  What animosities had they towards each other?  None that we know of.  Mr. Hastings gets the Nabob to rob his mother; and then he supposes, contrary to truth, contrary to fact, contrary to everything your Lordships have heard, that the Nabob would fall into a fury, if his mother was to obtain any redress,—­and that, if the least inquiry into this business was made, it would create a flame in the Nabob’s mind, on account of the active, energetic, spirited part he had taken in these transactions.  “Therefore,” says he, “oh, for God’s sake, soothe the matter!  It is a green wound; don’t uncover it; do nothing to irritate.  It will be to little purpose to tell them that their conduct has in our estimation of it been very wrong, and at the same