OCR Text |
Show 310 ACTS RELATING Part III. sea. I. TO THE Commas. 311 flruéted by, though uninvolved in the mif- ‘ It laid it down as a principle, that it was carriages of that which periflied, appears, at its firfi: entrance into the world in the purity of youth, with the experience of old age. The principles the acts of a preceding parliament are not the princi- ples or a€ts of a fucceeding one, any far- expedient to raife a revenue in America: ther than it thinks proper to adopt them. To recede from the former, or to repeal thing cfiicé‘tual for the fupport of its own the latter, is no marl: of levity or incon- it pai‘t an ai‘t in confequence of this prin- ciple, without having fufliciently, or indeed at all, prepared the way for its reception. It then abandoned the principle, and repealed the act, without doing any dignity, or the recognition of its own authority. It then again recurred to its firl't fiftency. It is only profiting by the errors of another. Thefe are fome of the advantages which every new parliament might enjoy. And certainly the twelfth parliament of Great Britain had been guilty of fame errors by by which its fucceflbr might have profited. That parliament had laid down fome principles which could not be maintained: had paft fome acts which could not be jul‘tified. This we may ailert without he- principle, and paft another act in confor- fitation: for it had laid down principles, Lsn ilruck out which might fer've to and pad aéts, contradiétory to each other. It mity to it, without having taken a tingle Prep towards obviating the augmented dif- ficulties that now flood in the way of its reception-Hence a matter, not yet clearly underflood, was involved in greater perplexity : and an enterprize which, at any time required great {kill and addrel‘s to fucceed in, was rendered tenf 21d lefs eafy of execution. But on the other hand, from the colli- i'ion of thefe different plans, lights had X 4. guide. |