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cerning the faid ftatutes, and take the benefit and privilege of the fame, nor correct and punish offenders against her most royal perfon, and the regality and dignity of the crown of this realm, and the dominions thereof, as the kings of this realm, her most noble progenitors, have heretofore done, enjoyed, used, and exercifed.

"For the avoiding and clear extinguishment of which said error or doubt, and for a plain declaration of the laws of this realm in that behalf;

"Be it declared and enacted by the authority of this present parliament, that the law of this realm is, and ever hath been, and ought to be understood, that the kingly or regal office of this realm, and all dignities, prerogative royal, power, preheminences, privileges, authorities, and jurisdictions thereunto annexed, united, or belonging, being vested either in male or female, are and be, and ought to be as fully, wholly, abfolutely, and entirely deemed, judged, accepted, invefted, and taken in the one as in the other."

I blush to overcharge fuch plain matter with arguments and proofs; but I trust, that the liberality of thofe, who themselves stand not in need of them, will countenance and encourage

P 3

The malcon

tents under ge

neral propofitions catch at

every novelty.

encourage every attempt to enlighten others who may. Dr. Price has faid truly, * Our firft concern, as lovers of our country, must be to enlighten it; and is it not because they are kept in darkness, and want knowledge, that mankind fubmit to be treated as if they were a berd of cattle? Enlighten them, and you will elevate them. This is wholesome doctrine, and if rightly applied, will produce much good. But I wish daily experience did not fatally convince us, how grofsly it is mifapplied and abused. I prefume not abfolutely to determine, that the effects of the fcholars imbibing thefe precepts, are ftrictly attributable to the intention of the teacher in inculcating them. No error nor abuse was ever attempted to be fupported, but under the cover of fome uncontrovertible general pofition. Thus protected, the malcontents of the day are taught voraciously to catch at every novelty, that can throw difrepute and difaffection upon our prefent eftablishment in church and state, with the intent to weaken, if they cannot diffolve, the bond of their union and fubmiflion to it. Every novelift, every theorist, is now a politician, informing, inftructing, illuminating mankind; and *Price, ubi fupra,

feldom

formerly

feldom does the barb or poifon within these glittering baits of knowledge and liberality fhew its deadly effects, till the wound is irremediable. With all the boafted preferences, Falfe policy which our prefent existence gives us over our known and repredeceffors, I find, that about two centuries jected. ago this fort of political angling was also the favourite amufement of the malcontents of those days; and whether the fhoals of gudgeons were then more or less numerous than at prefent, certain it is, that there then were, in fome of our predeceffors, fufficient knowledge, penetration, and firmnefs, to detect and reject the flattering delufion. *"Amongst many errors concerning religion, which are currant in this unfortunate age, none is more dangerous or pernitious, than the opinion of fuch, as are commonly called politikes; fo named, not because they practize true and perfect policie, but because they esteeme themselves, or are of many falfly reputed for prudent and politike men; and, therefore, as the Latin word tyrannus, which at firft did fignify a monarche and abfolute kinge, came afterwardes, by the abuse of rcial authority to fignify only a tyrant, and as in like manner the word latrones fignified

Fitzherbert's Preface to his Treatife concerning Policy and Religion, printed in 1605,

The fame propofition often

productive of the most oppo

fite effects in

the fame perfon.

at the first, fuch as were the guards of princes, and grew in time by their difloyalty to be understood of robbers and theeues; fo alfo, though the name of a politike doth fignify in deede fuch a one, as practizes that parte of humaine prudence, which concerneth ftate, and is properly called policy, yet by the abuse of fuch, as profeffe the fame, it beginneth in all languages to be taken in euil parte, and is commonly applyed only to those, who framinge a policy after their own fancy, no leffe repugnant to reason, than to confcience and religion, change all the course of true wisdome and prudence, and peruert the order of nature it felfe, preferring things leffe worthy before the more worthy, inferiour thinges before fuperiour, corporal before fpiritual, temporal before eternal, humane before deuine, the body before the foule, earth before heauen, and the world before God."

True propofitions may be fo applied to perfons, times, and circumftances, as to produce the most oppofite effects: the fame idea will impel the fame individual, according to the difpofition or affection of the moment, to the most contrary emotions. I will inftance a paffage in Dr. Price's fermon, which would probably excite very different fentiments in the breaft of the fame perfon,

in

in the full glow of gratitude for royal favour, in the chapel of St. James, and foured with the lofs of place or penfion in the difcontented congregation of the Old Jewry: *«Civil governors are, properly, the fervants of the public; and a king is no more, than the first fervant of the public, created by it, maintained by it, and refponfible to it; and all the homage paid him is due to him on no other account, than his relation to the public; his facredness is the facredness of the community; his authority is the authority of the community; and the term of majesty, which it is ufual to apply to him, is by no means his own majefty, but the majesty of the people; for this reason, whatever he may be in his private capacity, and though, in refpect of perfonal qualities not equal to, or even far below many among ourselves, for this reafon, I fay, (that is, as reprefenting the community and its magiftrate) he is entitled to our reverence and obedience. The words most excellent majesty † are rightly applied to

* Dr. Price's Difc. on the Love of our Country, p. 23, 24.

The word majesty is not, at leaft was not always, effential to exprefs that conftitutional deference and refpect, which are due to the fovereign; for, according to history, king Henry VIII. was the first of our fovereigns, to whom the term majefty was attributed.

him;

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