Such are the tender Mercies of the Wicked! Such are the Gangs of ferocious Banditti, whom the MURDERER OF JAFFA let loose on the civilized World! Such, and ten thousand times worse, is the Fate prepared _for England, if the valour of her people do not avert it; for England will assuredly be more oppressed, in proportion as she is more dreaded, envied, and hated_. To shew any symptom of Neutrality in such a Cause, not to support it with all our might, IS THE FOULEST TREASON AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND; and the poorest honest Labourer, who has a Mother, or a Sister, a Wife, or a Daughter, has, in truth, as much reason as the highest Duke in the Land to detest the Traitor. Englishmen think of this and profit by Example. These were the kind of handbills (of which there are hundreds in variety) which were circulated, to arouse and stimulate martial fire and patriotic ardour in the Britannic mind. Their name is Legion, and I have had to read them all, in order to pick out the examples given in this book. They are curious, and help us, more than any other history, to gauge the temper of the times. It was a veritable scare. Hardly having felt any of the benefits of peace, the English were once more involved in war, with the almost certainty, this time, of having their, hitherto almost inviolate, islands invaded by the French. We can hardly wonder, therefore, at the hearty hatred our forefathers felt for the ‘Corsican Ogre,’ to whom all this turmoil was due; and, to do them justice, they did hate him with a thoroughly genuine detestation--so much so, that they did not always scrupulously investigate the truth of some of the very questionable statements dished up for them (and they were highly spiced). There can be no manner of doubt but that these broadsides and handbills, together with the caricatures, had the desired effect in rousing the nation to a fervid patriotism, and, as they did so, it is perhaps hardly right to question the legality of their statements, but accept them according to the doctrine that ‘the end justifies the means.’ CHAPTER XXVII. PATRIOTIC HANDBILLS. On June 10, 1803, Gillray published an extra-sized picture of ‘French Invasion--or Buonaparte Landing in Great Britain.’ The French fleet is nearing land, and boats, full of armed men, are putting off. Bonaparte, and a large body of troops, including cavalry, have landed; but, before they can scale the cliffs, and are yet on the shore, a few artillerymen, with two guns, have utterly routed them. It is _Sauve qui peut_. Napoleon, joining in the flight, throws away his sword; the army is utterly demoralised, the ground being strewn with dead.