Declaration of the people's natural right to a share in the legislature, which is the fundamental principle of the British Constitution of State

Page 80

[116] [ H7 1 Emperor, of a Triumvirate, or ofa Se- /' .') ". " » ) 1 Wigs, Ct. Jr. £396. nate of Nobles or proud Patricians, (as If it had been poflihle for the Iri/h Subjects to have giien up to Strjeant f "Mayart this contefted point, concerning the necetlity of a dire Reprrfrzztarion in the Lrgzmtwc, i . [alum/mum. r | l Without glVng up, at the fame time, all due Lz'zzzz'miz'ozz ofGo- ‘Iit‘l‘flmé'llf, and confequently a/Z pretenflom i0 thc'z'r natural Freedom, this advice of his might have been efteemed excufable ! among the Romans, at different periods of time). The adminifiration of each of thefe orders of power, refpeé'cively, is almoft equally arbitrary, uncertain, and dangerous to the community ; to which the Hiftories of all monarchical as well as ariftocratical Governments (I mean thofe that are merely or too nearly fuch) bear fuflicient teftimony: {0 that the Re- prefintalz'orz of the people is the grand point of diftinétion, the fundamental But it is Reprcflvzz‘dz‘im alone which principle, whereby the equity and fafety forms the Bafis, the fuperiority, and the of the Englz' 9 Government is to be mea- eflential difference, of the Eng/[flu Con- IUred, when we compare it with fuch Governments as either that of France, ttitution of State, from all others l For, In countries where this it wanting, or or that of Poland. where it is become iota/{y corrupted, it makes but little difference, to the bulk of the people, whether the executive part ofgovernment be in the hands of one, of a few, or of many ; viz. of an Emperor, I have already given fome fpecimens of French Government and French Law . in my Preface, it being necefTary that Brz'tr'jh Subjects thould be well aware of‘ the