fociety, this denominates it a crime of the highest magnitude. Murder is an injury to the life of an individual; but the law of fociety confiders principally the lofs, which the ftate fuftains by being deprived of a member, and the pernicious example thereby fet for others to do the like.”

I take it for granted, that few or none of my readers will be either fo circumftanced or difpofed, as to ftand in need of information or admonition to avoid the more common, gross, and notorious treafons, felonies, and misdemeanors, which generally make up the black catalogues of our criminal code. As little do we expect to find a man within the circle of our acquaintance ignorant, that rebellion, murder, forgery, and theft are criminal in the eye of the law, as we do to find him difpofed to become guilty of them.

It cannot be denied, but that there are fome lefs confiderate ftatutes ftill remaining in our written code of law, that have rendered certain actions capitally criminal, that in their nature do not appear to carry with them that heinousness of guilt, as to require for atonement the blood of the delinquent; fuch amongst others are * breaking down the

9 Geo. I. c. xxii.

Some actions

fcem not fo

heinous as to deferve capital punishment.

mounds

Epidemic rage. for illumina

tion.

mounds of a fish pond, or cutting down a fruit tree in an orchard, or a fhrub in a pleafure ground. Such actions cannot certainly be committed without fome civil injury being done thereby to our neighour; and the neceffary premonitions against them will be more properly enforced and better received from the pulpit or the bench, than from private lecture. We do not however arrogantly upbraid or queftion the power of parliament, that once found it expedient to enact these laws, but with Judge Blakiston we hint it with decency to those, whose stations enable them to judge, that this great rigour may be no longer neceffary to prevent the mischief.

My primary object in making this publication is to fettle and reconcile the minds of my countrymen to the prefent form of our conftitution and government, I find marry of them feized with an epidemic rage for illumination. The malady in its highest paroxism is of no dangerous tendency, unlefs injudiciously treated; a fair practitioner cannot fail from improving the constitution of his patient by the application of the most fimple of all remedies; but the noxious draughts of the empyric will affuredly render the disease irremediable.

Daily experience fhews, that habit famidiarizes us to the moft dangerous and tremen

dous objects. Difcourfes upon the most terrific fubjects by frequency lofe all their horror. An artful envelop will convey the most diffolute sentiment to the chastest heart; and a fentimental difguife wil fometimes lodge the very rankeft treafon in a breast of unfullied loyalty. Loud is the cry of duty upon every one, who fees his neighbour expofed to the danger, to found the alarm. Which of you, my countrymen, could look unmoved upon your child, your friend, your love, in the act of tafting a fair tempting fruit, which you knew contained a deadly poison? Cicero faid truly, ea funt animadvertenda peccata maximè, quæ difficillime præcaventur*; those crimes are to be the most loudly cenfured, which are the most difficult to prevent. When therefore I perceive many of my fellow citizens feduced by the false reasoning of certain modern publications, first into difcontent and contempt of government, then into the most treasonable wishes for its utter fubverfion, how are we to prevent these fentiments from breaking out into overt acts of rebellion, but by dragging forth from his

* Pro Sexto Rofcio, 40.

traitorous

We eafily fa

miliarize with

the most terrific objects.

Greatest canad against mifthe leaft fuf

caution to be

chiefs that are

pected.

Injuries done to

the community by the violation

of the laws.

Self protecting rights of the community.

traitorous cell of darkness the lurking fpirit of feduction? Expofed to the broad day light of the British constitution, his hideous deformity will overwhelm with horror the very dupes of his artful disguife.

According to the principles already laid down, there can be no greater coercion upon fubjects to obey the laws of their country, than what is impofed by our constitution. As each individual gives his affent to every law, fo has he an intereft in their observance and prefervation. Every fort of condemnation, refistance, and oppofition to the law, is an injury to thofe, who enacted it; the contempt of magistrates is an infult to the community, whose delegates they are; the impeachment of their authority is an arraignment of the power of the people, who gave it; and a disrespect for the king is the most direct contempt of the people, whose majesty is collected in his awful perfonage.

The grand protecting principle of our conftitution is, not to permit an injury without a remedy; nor can it be conceived, that the conftitution itself, which is the fource and reservoir of all the laws and rights of the people, should leave itself and the community fo unprotected, as to be unable to preserve the

collective corporate rights of the whole,

whilft it enables individuals to preserve their fubordinate rights, which fpring out of

them.

It is evident, that whoever has a right to · be protected, has a tranfcendent right to preferve the means of his protection. The rights and liberties of Englishmen can only be protected by the conftitution and government; and they can no longer protect, than they preserve their refpect, vigor, and energy. It is not only the intereft, but the duty of every Englishman to fupport and preserve them; and therefore political criminality cannot be carried to a higher pitch, than a determined intention, defire, and attempt to vilify, weaken, and overturn the conftitution and government. If the mind be clearly bent upon the mischief, the means adopted to bring it to bear are very immaterial; though no means can be more obnoxious, than attempts to infect the minds of others. with the deadly contagion, by spreading it as widely as poffible, in books disguised under delufive and infidious titles. For confident I

1

am, that few of my countrymen would read, much lefs would they encourage and promote the circulation of any book, which bespoke upon the face of it an avowed intention and defign of traducing, disturbing, and overturning