was a weekly paper running for thirty-three issues from 5 November 1745 to 17 June 1746. The first number appeared, not coincidentally, on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot instigated by Roman Catholics in 1605, a date that remained a fixture on the calendar of annual celebrations by Protestants. No copy is known to survive of the final number, whose substance can be reconstructed only from a summary in the
London Magazinefor June 1745. Although the journal came out anonymously, it is beyond doubt that the main editorial hand belonged to Fielding, directing its operations and composing its vigorous lead articles. This is the second of three periodicals that Fielding wrote on mainly political themes, preceded by
The Champion(1739–40) and succeeded by
The2670 words
Citation: Rogers, Pat. "The True Patriot". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 October 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7989, accessed 23 November 2024.]