Page:The English Peasant.djvu/272

. His indefatigable endeavours to improve himself in the three R's had led to his virtually becoming clerk to the whole regiment. The papers and books of the various departments came into his hands, and he soon found that manifold wrongs were done by the officers to the soldiers, and to the public. The quartermaster, for instance, who had the issuing of the provisions, kept the fourth part to himself. Cobbett astonished his fellow-sergeants by proposing to put a stop to such proceedings. But when he made the attempt, he found that it involved him in much disgrace, and would probably only lead to his own degradation; so he thought it best to give up his design until he returned to England, and could get out of the army. Meanwhile he determined to take notes and copies from the regimental books, that he might have evidence of the charges when the time came to make them. To attest the truth of these notes and copies he knew that it would be necessary for him to produce a witness. After some hesitation, therefore, he confided his plan to a young corporal who assisted him in keeping the regimental accounts. But to the last he was in dread lest he and his comrade should be discovered, and made to suffer the wrath of the officers.

Once discharged, he hastened to London and saw Sir George Young, the Secretary of War. A court-martial being ordered, Cobbett requested that it should be held in London, and the books immediately secured. The former demand was acceded to, but no order was issued concerning the latter until two months had elapsed from the time of the charge being made. Cobbett had done this in the middle of January 1792. On the 24th of March he was at Portsmouth, and learnt the books were still in the officers' hands. He immediately wrote to the Judge-Advocate to say that unless the authorities would consent to give a discharge to the soldier he should name as the witness in proof of his charges, he should not appear in the case, as he was sure that otherwise justice would not be done. To this communication no answer was returned.

He was at this time totally ignorant of the nature of the laws relating to sedition, and, like all persons in such case, had an undefined terror of their possible power. When, therefore, he heard it said that he was about to be prosecuted for sedition, and