The revolution as much the act of those who approve of as of thofe who planned it.

ally bounden to abftain from fuch attempts. It is but justice, however, to mark the difference between fuch individuals, as, following the fortunes of their abdicated fovereign, quitted and renounced the community, (which they had a right to do) and those, who continuing to enjoy the protection and benefit of the community, rebelled against the ftate, by attempting to force and subject the avowed sense and open acts of the majority to the pretended rights and encroachments of an ufurping minority. By the articles of Limerick, the right of transferring their allegiance to a foreign power was exprefsly ftipulated for and granted to those, who should chufe on this occafion to quit the community.

The revolution is to be looked upon as much (if not more) the act of thofe, who have ever fince approved of it by the adoption and fupport of the establishment, that was effected by it, than of those, who first planned and brought it to bear. And I have too refpectable a deference for the English nation, to charge them with having, as jurymen, brought in a falfe verdict, by finding against the matter of fact, which occafioned the revolution, or with having, as judges, pronounced againft the point of law, by condemning

demning the principles, upon which it was effected. I fhould not hold myself juftifiable in drawing a veil over the one or over the other. I most strongly, therefore, reprobate the idea of the rights of the people of England being weakened by any of the circumstances that attended the revolution, or that any poffible act of the legislature could render the principles, upon which the revolution was effected, lefs operative in future than they had before been.

The before mentioned declaration by the national convention of the circumftances, that on this occafion fummoned them to the ex

ercife of their inherent and indefeasible rights, which I call the verdict of the nation, fo far from being calculated to fupprefs or diffemble the matter of fact, appears to have been worded with the moft cautious intention of handing down to the latest pofterity a full and faithful statement of the facts, which induced them to make, and would induce pofterity to approve of and support these alterations in the conftitution and government of the country. They make this expofition, or rather boaft, of the circumfrances, as tending to vivify and confirm, not to

* Mr. Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France, P. 25.

Our ancestors

were anxious

to deliver down

their reafons

for effecting the

revolution.

weaken the rights, which, in the meliorated order of fucceffion, they meant to perpetuate; and the acts, which they engrafted upon this declaration, are the ftrongest evidence of our anceftor's wishes to keep alive and active the principles, upon which they paffed them. Some perfons may alfo formerly have been prepoffeffed of the idea, that the revolution was "an act of neceffity, in the strictest moral sense, in which neceffity can be taken; and that it should never † furnish a precedent for any future departure from what they had then fettled for ever." Through fear and anxiety therefore, left in these prepoffeffions the genuine principles of the revolution might merge and become extinguished, the nation at different times has taken the most effectual means to perpetuate the spirit and principles of the revolution to their latest posterity, whom they endeavoured at the fame time by all poffible means to fecure against the occafions of calling them into action.

It appears from hiftory, that during the reign of queen Anne, many complaints were made by the bifhops in particular, of the increase of diffenters, and of the licentious and rebellious doctrines preached by feveral Burke, ubi fupra. † Ibidem.

of

of the clergy; by which they would infer, that the church of England was brought into great danger: and very strong attempts were made from the pulpits and elsewhere, to inculcate into the people tory principles and doctrines, which militated directly against those whig principles, upon which the revolution was brought about and established. These matters were warmly debated in the houfe of peers; * and Lord Somers took a leading part in them. These perfons, as Mr. Burke obferves, † "had many of them an active share in the revolution, most of them had feen it at an age capable of reflection. The grand event and all the difcuffions, which led to it and followed it, were then alive in the memory and converfation of all The public fteps, which were then taken by the nation, were probably fuggefted and recommended by Lord Somers, and they certainly were not grounded upon the idea of our having renounced any rights at the revolution on the contrary, they were adopted for the express and avowed purposes of keeping alive the genuine conftitutional principles, upon which the right of the people to alter

men.

* Vid. Hift. and Proceedings of the House of Lords, P. 154, & feq. 4 Anne.

vol. ii.

Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs, p. 55.

the fucceffion and government was exercifed at the revolution, and upon the prefumption, that the church of England could not be brought into danger by the propagation and maintenance of those principles.

The first of these steps was the introduction of the before mentioned clause into the act (4 Ann. c. viii.) for the better fecurity of her majesty's perfon and government, and of the fucceffion to the crown of England in the proteftant line, which makes it high treafon to deny to the people, by their representatives in parliament, the right or power to limit, as they should think proper, the descent, inheritance, and government of the crown. The fecond was the royal proclamation made on the 20th Dec. 1705, in confequence of and in order to publifh to the nation the joint vote of both houfes of parliament, that the church was not in danger. And the proclamation contains her majefty's declaration, that he would proceed with the utmost severity the law fhould allow of, against the authors or fpreaders of fuch feditious and fcandalous reports. In the fixth year of her faid majefty's reign, after the union, this claufe of high treafon for denying the right of parliament to new model the fucceffion,

was