XXIX. Wherever therefore any political government is not conftituted and exercised in conformity to this grand maxim, " that all power is derived from the people," and the evident confequences deducible from that maxim-the governed are injured; and deprived of rights, which may be proved to belong to them. So that the people in every nation upon earth, may justly demand that the government under which they live, be altered in conformity to that maxim, wherever it is not fo already.

XXX. But it is univerfally allowed, that wherever a right exists, there exifts also concomitantly, a right to the means of obtaining it; elfe the right itself is nugatory. So that if any right belonging to the people, fhould be forcibly infringed, or withholden from them by the governors of any community, after repeated applications for redrefs in a peaceable way, the former have a right forcibly to obtain it.

XXXI. Also from Prop. VI. and XXI. it may be deduced univerfally that whenever any alteration in the form of government, or change in the officers of government appears eligible to the majority of the people, they have a right to infift on fuch alteration or change, whether the officers before appointed were temporary or hereditary. For, whether the office itself, or the officers, answer the purpose of their appointment, must be decided either by the governors

governors or the governed. This right of determination ought not to belong to the former, because they not only may, but generally have an intereft oppofite to the welfare of the whole community-the honours, the power and the emoluments annexed to offices of government, being univerfally defirable, the poffeffors will be perpetually induced to fupport their own continuance in the enjoyment of them, whether neceffary or otherwife to the ends of fociety. The people however can have no intereft but that of the community at large (i. e. of themfelves) and of course can have no other object in determining, but the object itself for which fociety was formed.

The will of the people therefore (i. e. of the majority) ascertained as correctly as the nature of the cafe will admit is of itself a fufficient reason for any change whatever, in the constitution of a kingdom or the officers of government.

XXXII. As the people have this right, they have also a right to the means of enabling them to exercise it otherwife (as I have observed before) the right itself is nugatory; a mere name. Hence if after every peaceable method of obtaining any political change, has been repeatedly ufed in vain on the part of the people, the latter will be justified in rifing to compel an obedience to their commands.

XXXIII. But

XXXIII. But as it cannot be fuppofed that the majority of the people will rife at one and the fame instant of time, there must be fome rife before others. So that if the common and peaceable methods to obtain a compliance with the requifitions of the people, have been unfuccessfully repeated, any number of men however fmall are juftified in making a beginning, where a beginning muft neceffarily be made: nor can any general reafonings, nor do any hiftorical facts warrant the opinion that fuch changes or alterations will ever be attempted on light ground: that burden must be heavy indeed which a whole people unite to fhake off.

XXXIV. But as every member of fociety ought to aim at the welfare of the community, and of course fhould endeavour to produce the greatest balance of good upon the whole; in cafe any alteration although defirable to the majority of the nation, if attempted by force, is likely to produce a confiderable degree of refistance from the officers in power, the good to be obtained by the alteration ought to be compared with the evils likely to enfue from the enforcement of it; and if the latter, obviously preponderate, no man can be justified in attempting fuch alteration by force at that opportunity.

In all cafes however it is to be confidered in the comparison, that the evils, will moft probably afflict the prefent generation only: the good, will

moft

moft probably endure to pofterity for an indefinite length of time. Thus England enjoys the benefit of the exertions of the people under the tyrants John, Charles, and James even at this day: the evils of thofe exertions were confined to a generation or two.

Such are the principal deductions, from that grand maxim, the very corner ftone of legitimate government, that all power is derived from the people. Deductions, which the rulers of the earth have feldom inclined to admit, as they tend to the abolition of ufurped authority. But thofe only will inveigh againft promulgating the civil rights of mankind, who either mean to infringe thofe rights, or have fome intereft or other in defending those who do. Sedition against the officers of government, is a fruitful fource of criminal jurifdiction; while fedition against the majesty of the people, is a crime unknown to the penal code, and univerfally practifed with impunity and in cafes out of number arrogated as a right, by the fervants of the people in every nation upon earth.

The structure of political oppreffion however, begins now to totter: its day is far fpent: the extenfion of knowledge has undermined its foundations, and I hope the day is not far diftant when in Europe at least, one ftone of the fabric will not be left upon another.

OBSERVATIONS

OBSERVATIONS on the ART of PAINTING; among the ANCIENTS; by THOMAS COOPER, Esq.

READ DECEMBER 21, 1785.

MR

PART .I.

R. KERSHAW, in his ingenious paper on the comparative Merit of the Ancients and Moderns with refpect to the imitative Arts, is of opinion that the ancients were inferior to the moderns in point of colouring, because the former having only four colours, black, white, red, and yellow, could not poffibly from these produce the variety of tints neceffary even to a moderate colourist.

This opinion of the paucity of colours in use among the ancient painters, though a common one, and countenanced by authors of repute on the subject of painting, is certainly

erroneous

• Thus De Piles fays, Pliny writes that "the masters "of the art of painting in his time made ufe of but four "capital colours, out of which they produced all others." Art of Painting. Life of Protogenes. In fact Pliny fays no fuch thing, but directly the contrary, as will be seen hereafter.

"Another