finally set aside in the court of common pleas (17 April 1771). Horne's accusation was apparently unfounded; but the lawsuit is said to have cost Onslow 1,500l., while Horne spent only 200l. (see Stephens, i. 137–43. The proceedings before Blackstone were published in 1770. The later proceedings are reported in G. Wilson's ‘Reports,’ 1799, iii. 177, and W. Blackstone's ‘Reports,’ 1828, ii. 750). As Horne was known to have himself suggested the successful line of argument to his counsel, his triumph over Mansfield brought him great reputation (see letters upon this case in Junius's Letters, 1812, i. *186–*196). The repeated expulsions of Wilkes in 1769 led to the formation of the ‘Society for supporting the Bill of Rights.’ Subscriptions had already been proposed for the payment of Wilkes's debts; but as the sums raised were insufficient, the society was formed (upon Horne's suggestion, according to Stephens, i. 163) on 20 Feb. 1769. It met at the London Tavern, included all the prominent city agitators, and raised considerable sums to discharge Wilkes's liabilities and to provide for election expenses. Horne was also supposed to be author, in part at least, of the address presented to the king by the city on 14 March 1770, and the sole author of the address on 23 May. He is credited by his biographer Stephens (Stephens, i. 157) with having composed the so-called impromptu reply made by Beckford to the king's answer to the last address. This claim, however, is very doubtful; it was made by Horne long afterwards, and his memory may well have been treacherous [see under Beckford, William, (1709–1770)]. In an account given to the newspapers Horne said that on the first address the king ‘burst out laughing,’ and added that ‘Nero fiddled while Rome was burning.’ On describing the second, he apologised ironically by admitting that ‘Nero did not fiddle while Rome was burning.’
Before long Horne fell out with his associates. According to his own account he had supported Wilkes purely on public grounds, and had long since ceased to respect his private character. He now thought that the society was being carried on to support Wilkes personally, instead of being used in defence of the political cause. A printer named Bingley, concerned in reprinting the ‘North Briton,’ had refused to answer certain interrogatories, and had been committed by Lord Mansfield for contempt of court on 7 Nov. 1768. He was still in prison in 1771, when (22 Jan.) the society voted that its funds should be first applied to the payment of Wilkes's debt. On 12 Feb. Horne carried a motion that 500l. should be raised for the benefit of Bingley, who had, he said, suffered and deserved nearly as much as Wilkes. On 26 Feb. another meeting was held, at which it was carried by a small majority that no new subscriptions should be opened until all Wilkes's debts should have been discharged. Horne and Wilkes had afterwards a violent altercation, when Horne moved that the society should be dissolved. The motion was rejected by a majority of twenty-six to twenty-four (Annual Register, 1771, p. 94). The minority immediately withdrew and formed the Constitutional Society, which was to carry on the agitation without regard to Wilkes's private interests. The dispute produced a correspondence between Horne and Wilkes in the ‘Public Advertiser.’ Horne had already replied (14 Jan. 1771) in that paper to some charges of misapplying the funds of the society made against him by Wilkes's friends, and probably with Wilkes's approval. A long and angry controversy now followed. Wilkes had shown to his friends the letter addressed to him by Horne from Montpellier. Horne retorted by a story insinuating that the smart suits which he had left with Wilkes at Paris had been pawned by his friend. He went into a number of details to show that Wilkes had been extravagant, and incurred new debts as fast as the old ones had been paid off by his supporters. He also gave the history of the proceedings of the supporters of the Bill of Rights; but the petty personalities, to which Wilkes made more or less satisfactory answers, injured his case (the letters are quoted at great length in Stephens, i. 179–319). He was thought to be moved by personal malignity, and to be deserting the popular cause. In the following election of sheriffs for the city Horne supported Richard Oliver [q. v.], who had seceded from the society with him against Wilkes. Horne was hereupon accused by ‘Junius’ of having gone over to the government. He replied with spirit, and was the most successful antagonist of his formidable enemy. He lost all his popularity, however. Oliver, on the poll (1 July), was hopelessly beaten both by Wilkes and the government candidates. Horne was burnt in effigy by the mob (Annual Register, 1771, p. 122*), and was for the time equally unpleasing to the patriots and to the tories.
In 1771 Horne applied for the degree of M.A. at Cambridge, and, though Paley objected on account of the remarks upon bishops in the letter to Wilkes, the grace for the degree was passed by a large majority (Cooper, Annals of Cambridge, iv. 363). According to
