An Appeal to Honour and Justice, Though It Be of His Worst Enemies.: Being A True Account of His Conduct in Public Affairs

In Short

This book is a passionate autobiographical defense written by Daniel Defoe in 1815 after facing years of intense public slander, false accusations of treason, and political persecution. Defoe details his involvement in British public affairs under successive administrations, refuting claims that he served the Jacobite cause or compromised his principles. Instead, he maintains his steadfast devotion to the Protestant succession, constitutional liberty, and moderate politics. The text has lasted as a vital historical document and a deeply human plea for fairness, revealing the personal cost of political polarization and unchecked factional fury.

The Story

The work opens with Defoe reflecting on the overwhelming noise of party prejudice that has long silenced him, explaining why he finally chooses to speak. He traces his public life from his early involvement in national finance and tax administration under King William III, whom he praises as a visionary leader dedicated to securing the Protestant interest through the house of Hanover. Following William’s death and the rise of a new administration, Defoe describes his fall into distress and imprisonment in Newgate, where his family was ruined. From this bleak confinement, he recounts receiving a charitable message from an unknown person of honor, which ultimately led to royal clemency and support from Queen Anne and Lord Treasurer Godolphin.

Defoe then addresses the central accusations leveled against him by his former allies among the Whigs. He defends his record during the shifts in government, denying that he ever took secret bribes, wrote by the direction of the late Lord Treasurer Oxford to favor the Pretender, or abandoned the principles of the Glorious Revolution. He explains that his controversial writings—such as A Seasonable Caution, What if the Pretender should come?, and Reasons against the Succession of the House of Hanover—were sincere, carefully disguised attempts to expose and warn common folk against Jacobite deception. Despite these efforts, he was prosecuted, convicted, and forced to seek a royal pardon, which Queen Anne granted after recognizing the private malice behind his initial persecution.

Moving past these trials, Defoe confronts ongoing slanders regarding his commentary on the peace treaties and trade. He insists that while he never championed the peace itself, he maintained that the nation's duty was to make the best of it through commerce rather than engage in endless, unachievable complaints. He catalogues his historical disagreements with the Whig party across various crises, demonstrating that his apparent shifts were actually a consistent adherence to moderation against the hot-headed extremes of every faction. Finally, after lamenting the persistent falsehoods printed about his private life and the upbringing of his children, the book closes with a solemn publisher's note revealing that Defoe was struck down by a severe apoplexy during the printing of the manuscript, worn down by the cruelty of his enemies.

How It Unfolds

• The silent observer: The author explains his long reluctance to speak amidst overwhelming party clamor and justifies breaking his silence to defend his integrity.
• The memory of a king: A warm tribute is paid to King William III and his foresight in establishing the Protestant succession through the house of Hanover.
• The depths of Newgate: Defoe recounts his imprisonment, the ruin of his family, and the unexpected message from a noble benefactor that reached the ears of Queen Anne.
• The service of the crown: He describes his reception by Lord Treasurer Godolphin and his return to public service under the queen without compromising his core principles.
• The paradoxical defense: Defoe explains the true, protective purpose behind his ironic anti-Jacobite pamphlets and how they were maliciously twisted by his enemies into grounds for prosecution.
• The royal pardon: The text details the intervention of the queen, her recognition of private pique behind the lawsuit, and the official preamble to his pardon.
• The record of disagreements: A careful historical accounting catalogs seven distinct instances where the author stood apart from the hot councils and erratic shifts of the Whig party.
• The publisher's postscript: A concluding note records the author's sudden illness from an apoplectic fit, attributing his physical collapse to the relentless stress of public abuse.

The People

• Daniel Defoe: The central voice and narrator, who wants nothing more than to clear his name and prove his loyalty to the constitution. Standing in his way are relentless political enemies, false pamphleteers, and factional prejudice, leaving him isolated and unjustly branded as a turncoat.
• King William III: A revered former sovereign whose primary desire was securing the nation's future against popery and French influence, leaving behind an enduring legacy of Protestant stability.
• Lord Treasurer Godolphin: A pragmatic statesman who values honesty in public servants, offering Defoe steady employment, protection, and trust across shifting political tides.
• Queen Anne: A merciful sovereign who recognizes the private malice driving Defoe's prosecution, extending royal compassion, financial relief, and an official pardon.
• The anonymous benefactor: A noble person of quality who first reaches out to a destitute Defoe in prison, setting into motion the chain of events that secures his royal deliverance.

In Its Own Voice

I hope the time is come at last when the voice of moderate principles may be heard.

Defoe opens his appeal by expressing a weary optimism that the public might finally listen to reason over partisan noise.

I always think a man honest till I find to the contrary.

Lord Treasurer Godolphin greets Defoe with this welcoming reassurance upon their renewed professional acquaintance.

If ever a book was sincerely designed to further and propagate the affection and zeal of the nation against the pretender, nay, and was made use of, and that with success too, for that purpose, these books were so.

Defoe defends the genuine anti-Jacobite intent behind his controversial satirical pamphlets.

What It's Really About

At its heart, the book is an exploration of political integrity versus factional tribalism during a volatile era of British history. Defoe interrogates the cost of moderation in a society dominated by extremes, arguing that consistency of principle should not be confused with unthinking party loyalty. The work questions how public trust is manipulated through rumor, how justice is subverted by personal pique, and whether a free writer can ever survive the crossfire of partisan warfare without sacrificing his reputation. It is an intellectual defense of the Glorious Revolution's true spirit against those who weaponize its memory for narrow political ends.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of journalism, political rhetoric, and the roots of modern party politics will find this book deeply fascinating. Reading it feels like sitting across from a weary, brilliant man fighting for his legacy with quiet dignity and razor-sharp recall. Modern readers will appreciate how strikingly contemporary its themes feel, especially its commentary on media misrepresentation, public slander, and the weaponization of outrage. While the prose requires patience with period syntax and specific 18th-century political squabbles, the emotional resonance of an honest voice caught in the machinery of smear campaigns remains entirely intact. What stays with you long after finishing is the poignant realization of how little the mechanics of political hostility have changed over three centuries.