against which there is a law in other cafes. It amounts to a combination of perfons in one common intereft." *For whatever their feparate politics as to parties may be, in this they are united. Whether a combination acts to raise the price of any article for fale, or the rate of wages; or whether it acts to throw taxes from itself upon another clafs of the community, the principle and the effect are the fame; and if the one be illegal, it will be difficult to fhew that the other ought to exist." + "These are but a part of the mischiefs flowing from the wretched scheme of an house of peers. As a combination, it can always throw a confiderable portion of taxes from itself; and as an hereditary house accountable to nobody, it resembles a rotten borough, whofe confent is to be courted by intereft" キ "Having thus glanced at fome of the defects of the two houfes of parliament, I proceed to what is called the crown, upon which I fhall be very concife. It fignifies a nominal office of a million fterling a year, the bufinefs of which cenfifts in receiving the money. Whether the perfon be wife or foolith, fane or infane, a native or a fo Rights of Man, P. ii. p. 102. + Ibid. p. 105. reigner, reigner, matters not. Every miniftry acts upon the fame idea that Mr. Burke writes. namely, that the people must be hoodwinked, and held in fuperftitious ignorance. by fome bug-bear or other; and what is called the crown anfwers this purpose, and therefore it answers all the purposes to be expected from it," "Notwithstanding the fycophancy of hiftorians, and men like Mr. Burke, who feek to glofs over a base action of the court by traducing Tyler, his fame will out-live their falfehood. If the barons merited a monument to be erected in Runnymede, Tyler merits one in Smithfield." t "It has coft England almost seventy millions fterling to maintain a family im ported from abroad, of very inferior capacity to thousands in the nation," "Primogeniture ought to be abolished, not only because it is unnatural and unjust, but because the country fuffers by its operation." § "Change of minifters amounts to nothing. One goes out, another comes in, and ftill the fame meafures, vices, and extravagance are purfued. It fignifies not, who Rights of Man, P. ii. p. 112, + Ibid. p. 120. § Ibid. p. 157. is minister; the defect lies in the fyftem. The foundation and the fuperftructure of the government is bad." *«The time is not very diftant, when England will laugh at itself for fending to Holland, Hanover, Zell, or Brunswick for men, at the expence of a million a year, who underftood neither her laws, her language, nor her interest, and whose capacities would scarcely have fitted them for the office of a parish conftable. If government could be trusted to fuch hands, it must be fome eafy and fimple thing indeed, and materials fit for all the purpofes may be found in every town and village in England.". + "I prefume, that though all the people of England pay taxes, not an hundredth part of them are electors, and the members of one of the houses of parliament reprefent nobody but themselves. There is therefore no power but the voluntary will of the people, that has a right to act in any matter respecting a general reform. "I do not believe that any two men, on what are called doctrinal points, think alike, who think at all. It is only thofe, who have not thought, that appear to agree. * Rights of Man, P. ii. p. 161. ‡ Ibid. p. 172. + Ibid. p. 163. It It is in this cafe, as with what is called the British conftitution. It has been taken for granted to be good, and encomiums have fupplied the place of proof. But when the nation comes to examine into its principles, and the abuses it admits, it will be found to have more defects, than I have pointed out in this work, and the former." CHA P. XVI. OF THE ATTEMPTS AND EFFECTS OF LE VELLERS IN THESE KINGDOMS. Religion often made the pretext for rebel lion. "TH HAT all rebellions did ever begin with the fairest pretences for reforming of fomewhat amifs in the government, is a truth fo clear, that there needs no manifestation thereof from example; nor were they ever obferved to have greater fuccefs, than when the colours for religion did openly appear in the van of their armed forces; moft men being defirous to have it really thought (how bad and vile foever their practices are) that zeal to God's glory is no fmall part of their aim; which gilded bait hath been ufually held forth to allure the vulgar by thofe, whofe end and defigns were nothing elfe, than to get into power, and fo to poffefs themselves of the eftate and fortune of their more opulent neighbours." I do not undertake to write a full history of all the disturbances and infurrections, which Dugdale's Preface to his Short View of the late Troubles in England. |