Junius' Letter to the King on the Question of Free Speech in Britain in the 1760s - 1770s; [ПИСЬМО ЮНИУСА КОРОЛЮ: К ВОПРОСУ О СВОБОДЕ СЛОВА В БРИТАНИИ В 60-70-Х гг. XVIII в]

Abstract

The article is devoted to the journalistic activity of the famous British anonymous author Junius, who wrote sixty-one open letters to the government at the turn of the 60-70s of the XVIII century. The letters were published in the popular journal “The Public Advertiser” from 1768 to 1772 and were a detailed criticism of the policy pursued in Scotland, Ireland, and the English North American colonies. A special place in the letters was occupied by the incident of radical journalist J. Wilkes, who was persecuted for criticizing the king in the press. In this incident, Junius, who had no sympathy for Wilkes, saw the oppression of the “natural rights” of the people of Britain. This article presents a translation with comments of the thirty-fifth letter of Junius (XXXV) addressed to King George III. A direct appeal to the king, from the point of view of Junius, was the last argument in his fight against the corrupt and despised the letter of the English constitution by the government of the Duke of Grafton. The author of the article concludes that the letter dated December 19, 1769, was the culmination in Junius' career and had a significant impact on further political events. © 2024 Aquilo. All rights reserved.