Letter to a noble lord: or, a faithful representation of the Douglas cause; AND Second letter to a noble Lord, or, The speeches of the Lord Chancellor, and of Lord Mansfield on the Douglas cause

[ '5 1
Charity, that thinketh no evil, will not fuffer me for
a moment to harbour an opinion fo cruel and prepof-
terous : or can we fuppofe, that two people who had
not wherewith to fupport themfelves, would be folli-
citous and ttiow all the tendernefs of parents towards
the children of creatures, who forgetting the firft
principles of inftinct and humanity, had fold their
children to people whom they did not fo much as
know by their names The aft of Jofeph's brethren
in felling him is reprefented as wicked and unnatural,
but indeed the crime of Madam Mignon and of Ma-
dam Sanry is ftill more black and atrocious ! — To
carry this a little further, fuppofe Lady Jane Douglas
had acted this out of a principle of revenge toward
the family of Hamilton, yet Sir John Stewart had no
occafion to do fo, much lefs continue the vindictive
farce after her death, efpecially when married to ano-
ther fpoufe. And here we may fee Sir John as much
a parent to the appellant as Lady Jane •, he was every
way fond of him ; it is in evidence •, I know it to be
true : my fitter and I have been frequently at Mr.
Murray's with them, and were always delighted with
the care we obferved. No mortal harboured any
thoughts of their being falfe children at that time, I
mean in 1750 and 1751. Every perfon looked upon
them as the children of Lady Jane Douglas and of
Colonel Stewart. The Countefs of Eglinton, Lord
Lindores, and many others, have, upon oath, de-
clared the fame thing.
No fooner does the Colonel hear of the afperfions
raifed at Douglas-Cattle, and of Mr. Archibald
Stewart's fwearing that Count Douglas, a French
Nobleman, had informed the Duke of Douglas that
they had been bought out of an hofpital, than
he