Wesley Corpus

But they never had, either before or after they left England, any such power of making laws for themselves as exempted them from the King and Parliament; they never pretended to any such power till now; they never advanced any such claim; nay, when this was laid to their charge, they vehemently denied it, as an absolute slander. But you go further still: “When this power” (of independency) “is lost, the people have always a right to resume it.” Comfortable doctrine indeed! perfectly well calculated for the support of civil government! 39. To the same good end, you observe: “Without an equal representation of all that are governed, government becomes complete tyranny.” (Page 27.) Now, you had told us before, “There is not such an equal representation in England:” It follows, “The English Government is complete tyranny!” We have, however, the comfort to know that it never was any better since the Parliament subsisted. For who can say that there ever was an equal representation since the conquest? We know further, that we have only neighbour's fare; for we cannot find there is any nation in Europe, no, nor in the habitable world, where the Govern ment is not as complete tyranny as our own; we find none wherein there is “an equal representation of all that are governed.” But will any man affirm, in cool blood, that the English Government is “complete tyranny?” We have certainly enjoyed more complete liberty since the Revolution, than England ever enjoyed before; and the English Govern ment, unequal as the representation is, has been admired by all impartial foreigners. 40. “But the sword is now to determine our rights: Detested be the measures which have brought us to this.” (Page 33.) I once thought those measures had been originally concerted in our own kingdom; but I am now persuaded they were not. obSERVATIONS ON LIBERTY. 109 I allow that the Americans were strongly exhorted by letters from England, “never to yield or lay down their arms till they had their own terms, which the Government would be constrained to give them in a short time:” But those mea sures were concerted long before this; long before either the Tea Act or the Stamp Act existed; only they were not digested into form,-that was reserved for the good Congress.