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Show [ 56 1 [57] defiance of faét and experience; they did not, Sir, difeourage me from entertaining the idea of a I found four capital examples in a fimilar cafe before me: thofe of Ireland, \‘Vales, Chefter, conciliatory concefiion, founded on the principles and Durham. which I have Juf‘t (fated. voured to put myfelf in that frame of mind, Ireland, before the Englifh conquef‘t, though never governed by a defpotick power, had no Par- liament. HOW far the Engliih Parliament 1t- which was the moft natural, and the moft reafonable; and which was certainly the mof't pro- felf was at that time modelled according to the prefent form, is difputed among antiquarians. bable means of fecuring me from all error. I fet out with a perfect difirui‘r of my own abili, afi‘ured, that a form of Parliament, fuch as Eng- In forming a plan for this purpofe, I endea- ties; a total renunciation of every ipeculation of my own; and with a profound reverence for the wrfdom of our aneefiors, who have left us the ins heritance of lo happy 2; conf'titution, and f0 fiOUr tithing an empire, and what is a thoufand times But we have all the reafon in the world to be land then enjoyed, the inflantly communicated to Ireland; and we are equally fine that almoft every fuccefiive imprOVement in conflitutional liberty, as fail as it was made here, was tranf- mitted thither. The feudal Baronage. andthe more valuable, the treafury of the maxims and principles which formed the one, and obtained the other. confiitution, were early tranfplanted into that During the reigns of the kings of Spain of the of Commons, gave us at leafl' an Houfe of Com- feudal Knighthood, the roots of our primitive foil; and grew and flourithed there. Magna Charta, if it did not give us originally the Houfe Aurtrian family, whenever they were at a Iofs mons of weight and conlequence. in the Spanifh councils, it was common for their Ifatefmen to fay, that they ought to confult cefiors did not churliihly fit down alone to the the genius of Philip the Second. The genius of feaft of Magna Charta. mediately a partaker. But your an- Ireland was made im- This benefit of Enghfh Philip the Second might millead them; and the laws and liberties, I confefs, was not at firfi ex- nine of their affairs ihewed, that they had not tended to 41/ Ireland. Mark the confequence. Englifh authority and Englifh liberties had ex- ehofen the moft perfect fiandard. But, Sir, Iam lure that I (hall not be miiled, when, in a cafe actly the fame boundaries. of confiitutional ditheulty,l confult the genius of Your fiandard could Confulting at that never be advanced an inch before your privileges. Sir John Davis l'hews beyond a doubt, that the oracle (it was with all due humility and piety) refulal of a general communication of thefe rights, 1 round W35 the Englifh conftitution. |
