OCR Text |
Show I l2 40 3 C 41 1 c 13 there, then no difference between one govern. *5 merit and another, between 1.1.3: is thought the I wait defpotic, and the freeft?' Th eurrence is accidental. ‘ fuch a polity, a man eonftnts once for all to be governed ferences, but they refult from principles tota‘iy ( ii'tinc from thofe in which fome modern political i'chemer a by the will of the majority. The will of the rinajoiity therefore in properly thenceiorth confidered as fir. lffo, slice); to place them. One momentous differenr: is, when, by the conltitution, the authority of {/7 Ye infill that, ‘ Py entering into he is {till free, and his own legifiator, even when acting in oppohtion to his judgment and "ml-"3, D" 3'9 "0t , law: is paramount to that of any peifmr, however eminent in ftation. In this cafe the people are go. ‘perecive, that this reply, if it have any we'ght, atleefs only the founders of the republic, who enter p"rfonally into verned by eftnblilhed rule, which they know, or fuch engagements? But in fact it is a palpable foyhilin. A man may know, if they will, and are not liable to be is only fo far free, as his actions are directed by what it punifhed by their fuperiors, unlefs they tranfgrefs thofe rules. Such are properly under a legal ga- his will, not by what ‘wax his will, by his particular opinion of the known cafe, not by a general arguiq'twce in, he knew not what. By fuch an azquz'rfrmce, on the contrary, every body allows, that he bind: himfelf. Now as ar as he is bound, he is no longer free. A poor man in the time of famine, batters his liberty for bread, engaging his fervice for life to his rich neighbour. Such things have often happened. Now if one of our modern political philofophers feeing this man afterwards groaning under the drudgery wrizmcm‘. \Vhen the reverie obtains, and men are liable to be harafl‘ed at the pleafure of their fuperiors, tho' guilty of no tranfgrelfion of a known rule, they are under arbitrary power. Again, the government elixir of freedom, the greater part of the fpecies would be left in abfolute thraldom. Is it the doctrine of thefe patrons cf and intolerable hardfhips of his condition, ihould, to com- the natural rights of humanity, that woman is, and ought fort him, tell him in the pompous language of his party. that he is as free as his matter, that h: is Elf-governed, {elf-directed, and his own legiflator; becaufe the will to which he confented to fubjeét himf clf, ought from that moment to be confidered as 122‘: o-‘wi z; ‘Who, I pray, would not accufe a comforter of this (lamp, of infu'lting the wretch's ‘ mifery with the molt inhuman moc kery? to be, doomed the irredeemable captive and drudge of that Once more, in your paragon of republics, every 7mm of whatever quality, character , fiation, or circuinfiianccS, has an equal there in governing ; becaufe to exclude any mm: from this honour, which ye deem his birthr ight, and to enflave him, ye aflirm are the fame. it has been allied (inert i have not yet heard of any ani‘wer) why not every near/1m; and every child? How urm'or thily {never thefe are tre ated in other polities, we {herald not imaeine that 521 your peiziftmodel, where we are mad e to [1.39:9 the very ~33 ~ll¥ lat-d9; creature, M N? Isthis her defliny even with the friends of freedom? There can be no doubt of it: For, if they will give her no fufil‘age in national councils, no voice in legillation, {he is not governed by her own will, is not her own legiflatrix, and therefore, by their fundamental axioms, has no liberty, but is the hopelefs llave of thofe \s'l‘iuih will ihe receives for law. I cannot help thinking this ex* elulion the more inexcufuble, that their enlarged plan which admits all men without diftinétion of rank, education, or. circumllmces, could have futtained no conceivable injury, had they overlooked alfo the dillinétions of age and fex. This Would, .wit‘uout endangering their fcheme in the leait, have added to it more fibrin/i9! as well as um'fbrzjzig'. Indeed to add to its ahfurdity and confulion, will be admitted‘ by every cool andjmpartial inquirer, to be beyond the eonipazh 05 PCmbilltYa I) t 2, |