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At the Old Bailey, London, yesterday, before Mr Justice Charles, the trial was resumed of Oscar Wilde, 40, author, and Alfred Taylor, 38, of no occupation, on an indictment charging them with certain misdemeanours.

Mr Gill, on behalf of the Crown, formally withdrew the counts of the indictment alleging conspiracy, and said he did this to avoid any difficulty in calling prisoners into the witness box.

Sir Eward Clarke asked that a verdict of not guilty on the conspiracy counts be at once returned, but his Lordship did not assent to this.

Sir Edward Clarke began his address for the defence of Wilde. He accused the public press of having imperilled the interests of justice.

Oscar Wilde was called and sworn. He described his academical and literary career. Sir Edward Clarke—In cross-examination in Wilde v. Queensberry you denied all the charges against you? Was that evidence absolutely and entirely true? Witness—Entirely true evidence. Is there any truth in any of the allegations of indecency brought against you in this case?—There is no truth whatever in any one of those allegations.

Mr Gill, in cross-examination, quoted from a sonnet of Lord Alfred Douglas, Wilde replied that the love there spoken of was the love of David for Jonathan—the passion described by Plato as the beginning of wisdom, a deep spiritual affection as pure as it was perfect. In this century it was misunderstood, and a man was put in the pillory for it.

Counsel then called the attention of witness to the statements of Parker, Shelley, and Atkins, to which he gave a general denial.

At the close of his examination Wilde again took his place in the dock, and Alfred Taylor, his co-prisoner, entered the witness box. He said he was educated at Marlborough, and was formerly in the Militia. In 1883 he came into £45,000, and had since lived a life of pleasure. The allegation brought against him by Charles Parker was absolutely untrue.

Sir Edward Clarke again addressed the jury. He said the Crown rested their case upon the tainted evidence of a band of blackmailers, and had Mr Oscar Wilde been a guilty man he would have avoided the ordeal of the witness box. He trusted to letters of the witness Edward Shelley to erase impressions created by his evidence.

Mr Grain addressed the jury for Taylor, and Mr Gill then replied an the whole case. At the conclusion of his address at seven o'clock, the court adjourned until this morning, when Mr Justice Charles will commence him summing up.

On the trial of Oscar Wilde and Alfred Taylor being resumed yesterday at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Gill, on behalf of the Crown, formally withdrew the counts of the indictment alleging conspiracy, and said he did this to avoid any difficulty in calling the prisoners into the witness-box.

Sir Edward Clarke asked that a verdict of not guilty on the conspiracy counts be at once returned, but His Lordship did not assent to this.

Sir Edward Clarke, having intimated that he would ask for the formal verdict on the allegation of conspiracy at a later stage of the case, at once began his address for the defence of Wilde. He accused the public Press of having imperilled the interests of justice, and felt called upon to pronounce the reading of Wilde's cross-examination in Wilde v Queensberry as contrary to all the rules of fairness. Having taken the responsibility of accepting the verdict of not guilty in Wilde v Queensberry, because he felt that the jury would not convict the Marquis of a criminal offence, he was now here to defend Wilde on a distinct issue, which could not be then properly raised, but which could be raised now.

Oscar Wilde was, at the close of Sir Edward's address, called and sworn. He described his academical and literary career, and denied that there was any truth whatever in the allegations of the witnesses against him.

Mr Gill, in cross-examination, quoted from a sonnet of Lord Alfred Douglas. Wilde replied that the love there spoken of was the love of David for Jonathan, the passion described by Plato as the beginning of wisdom, a deep spiritual affection as pure as it was perfect. In this century it was misunderstood, and a man was put in the pillory for it (applause in the gallery).

His Lordship said if any further manifestation of feeling occurred he would have the court cleared.

Counsel then called the attention of witness to the statements of Parker, Shelly and Atkins, on which he gave a general denial. There was to truth in the evidence adduced from the Savoy Hotel, and the statements of Frederick Atkins as to the Paris visit were grotesque and monstrous.

At the close of his examination Wilde again took his place in the dock, and Alfred Taylor, his co-prisoner, entered the witness box. He said he was educated at Marlborough, and was formerly in the Militia. In 1883 he came into £45,000 and had since lived a life of pleasure. The allegation brought against him by Charles Parker was absolutely untrue.

On the Court re-assembling after luncheon, Sir Edward Clarke again addressed the jury, and intimated his intention of dealing with the evidence as distinct from topics prejudicially imported into the case. He did not remember the remarkable course adopted early in the day by Mr Gill to have been followed in any previous case, and he complained that for three days, the defence had been subjected to embarrassment.