Eliza Gould at South Molton to John Feltham at Mr. Northcote’s, Honiton, Easter Sunday, 5 April 1795.

“Your valuable & enlightening Intelligencer has caus’d no small stir at Southmolton. Alarm guns have fired from every quarter—which signal of distress was attended to, by those Watchmen of State, the Mayor & Corporation, who in consequence assembled for tyrannical purposes—like so many Infernals in Pandemonium, intent on devilish deeds—Xians here in danger—& entrench’d under the Ramparts of Castle Hill (Lord Fortescue’s Seat) with his Lordship their chosen Generalissimo at their head, declar’d open Hostilities against the Editor of the Cambridge Intelligencer, & his adherents in this place. Supposing me to have been the means of introducing the paper here, I was of course the first object of their resentment—a Council of War was called, & the result of their determinations I knew by the general orders, that have forthwith issued, namely “to crush me”—their diabolical schemes have too well succeeded, & no wonder, since power has obtain’d so great and insurmountable an ascendency, over privelege & Truth. During the conflict I took my stand, within the mouldering walls of an antique Edifice, (once the pride & glory of the Nation)—the Bulwark of Liberty—but oh how chang’d!—the mutilated Ruin, was no longer tenable—by some faint remaining traces of its pristine glory I could judge of the devastation. On attempting to decypher the curious inscriptions written on the letter’d fragments—which not Time,—but Tyranny had nearly obliterated. I could (tho with difficulty) spell Locke—Rights—Liberty of Speech—[the Press]—[freedom of religion][3]—Habeas Corpus—&c—in fact, this once venerable Pile, appeared a confus’d heap, of chaotic incongruities. Philanthropy drop’d a Tear, a tribute to the memory of fallen greatness. One consolation yet remain’d, (& one only) to cheer the drooping spirits, of the Votaries of Freedom. On an Eminence near the citadel, was plac’d a small Fort, call’d Trial by Jury, it has stood impregnable against every assault, tho I am told there was an attempt made about thirty years since, to blow it entirely up, the singular advantage of this Fortification to Englishmen (tho mounting twelve pounders only) has lately been felt, both individ­ually & collectively—so this healthy spot is situated so near the old garrison, I tremble for its future fate—as a contagious complaint, worst of all its brave defenders, which was occasioned by the stench of Rotten Boroughs—[their] walls being yet impregnated with the deadly infection. Some attempts have [been] made to purify this mass of corrupt matter but they have hitherto prov’d ineffective & I am inclin’d to think that a total erasure must take place, & an entire removal of the polluted rubbish ere we can enjoy the blessings of breathing free uncontaminated air, the best restorative for a decay’d, unsound [constitution] etc. etc. etc. Treasonous papers have too general a circulation—meer [composite] draughts, prescribed by our national quack doctr Pittachio—but as opiate medicines have a tendency to debilitate the Constitution, & having both now, & heretofore, been unskilfully administered, hope the stimulating matter, your Intelligencer contains, will prove a universal Catholican. Poor deluded multitude! how long will you suffer yourselves to be deceived by this Empiric of State? Bear witness of his baneful & destructive influence—ruin’d families—weeping Mothers,—mourning Widows—orphan children—limping soldiers—& half starved poor misery’s hard & unsatisfying crust, is your regimen—& leaden Pills, he has wantonly—wickedly & profusely imposed on thousands, & with them death in all its painful & horrid forms—&c &c &c. Whilst our great national Quack was preparing by a general Fast, the Stomach of his patients, the swinish multitude, for the reception & digestion, of the luscious Blood of their Negro Brethren. I was unlucky enough to provide a plum pudding for my young Ladies, by which means I have incurr’d in a high degree, the censure & vengeance of that pious man of God Parson Tanner—who by the way is made up of envy, hatred, malice, & all uncharitableness—he has on the occasion taken his daughter from school; who was a day scholar only, & of course no irreligious pudding eater—he has since the fast day endeavourd to use his influence with others on the same ground—(ignorant at that time of my intention of leaving the Town) thinking thereby perhaps to do God service—he highly reprobated my conduct, when the same person whom he wish’d to prejud­ice against me, could not help remarking, that the Tannerites partook of a white Pot—quene—each being compos’d of similar materials, it is a subject of curious enquiry wherein exists the difference, if a crime which deem you the most culpable those who partook of the pudding, or the white pot. I never pretended to keep this sacred day of Holy Mans appointment; he did—tho I must confess, he had a double advantage of me—for being of the Holy order of Priesthood he could doubtless consecrate his mass,—a ceremony which if omit­t­ed, in the first instance, he could have recourse to a secondary measure, to quiet any qualms of conscience, that in consequence might arise; the Divinity of his office, empowering him to expiate his heinous crime by Absolution”—&c—&c—&c.

P.S. Sunday—I was interrupted yesterday & could not as I intended send off my letter last night. I have just rec’d this account from Plymouth of a uprising there & at Bodmin, I have heard of nothing so alarming as this—at the latter place they planted the Tree of Liberty where it remaind untouchd three days no one daring or caring to interfere in a hostile manner to check the populace—at last a clergyman by meer dint of persuasion prevaild on them to take down the Tree which was ornamented with ribbons. Plymouth was a scene of the greatest confusion. The Soldiers & populace seized on every commodity in the market the Butchers stalls were clear’d instantaneously. The commanding officer, instead of ordering the soldiers to desist, harangued them in a very spirited manner—said as to their present attempts to lessen the price of provisions he did not discountenance—& cautioned them in a particular manner against committing any outrages on the inhabitants by demolishing any building or setting an[y] place on fire—they then proceeded to Docks and were there joind by those employ’d in the Dock Yard—the air resounded with the reiterated shouts of Liberty—Liberty. I firmly believe that Revolution is as much begun in England as ever it was in France. I wish great success to a cause in which is involved immediately the death of Tyranny & the life of Liberty. Shortly shall I bid perhaps an eternal adieu to this devoted country. I hope the tumult (which I almost daily expect to hear is general) will not tread on my heels but I sometimes greatly fear it will—we never can make a peace with France until the public mind of both Nations are united more immediately by the bond of Sentiment. I finish this with our folks at Ten each telling their own story—therefore pardon the blunders in this Postscript. I shall not be home all next week & shall most likely leave Southmolton the latter end of this [week] but that depends on my meeting with a return chaise. Make if you please my compts acceptable to any that may enquire for me—respects to Mr & Mrs Haskins if in Honiton—adieu

My Mother & sisters join in kind respects

Text: Timothy Whelan, ed., Politics, Religion, and Romance: The Letters of Benjamin Flower and Eliza Gould, 1794-1808 (Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales, 2008), pp. 7-11 (for a more complete annotated version).On the back of the letter is written in an unknown hand, “Fortress of Liberty” and in Flower’s hand, “Eliza on Liberty, Apl 5th 1795.” Eliza apparently copied the opening portion of this letter to Feltham from her untraced letter to Flower of 27 March 1795 (see letter 4) and thus enclosed in quotation marks.

References above include Hugh Fortescue (1753-1841), Baron Fortescue of Castle Hill, Devon, who was constituted Lord Lieutenant for Devon in September 1789. Castle Hill, redesigned in the early eighteenth century into a Palladian country mansion, had been the family seat of the Fortescues since the seventeenth century. It was situated near Filleigh, about four miles west of South Molton. A sham castle, added in the late 1740s or early 1750s, became the feature that gave the home its name; the state trials in London for Thomas Hardy, John Thelwall, Horne Tooke and several others were tried for treason as a result of their involvement with the London Corresponding Society; an advertisement titled “Signor Gulielmo Pittachio, the Sublime Wonder of the World,” which appeared on 6 December 1794, and another one on 21 February 1795, announcing the publication of The Pasquinade of Pittachio, part 1st, Ditto Part 2d. Dundaslio’s Preparations for the Fast-Day. Pittander Omnipotent, Part 1st, Ditto Part 2d, Ditto part 3d. Harlequin Impeacher, a Ballet Pantomine, &c. All were parodies of the Prime Minister, William Pitt (1759-1806); the national Fast Day on 25 February 1795; the food riots that occurred across England between February and November 1795.