The National Register.
London, England, 1820-11-06 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

judgment, sod who have endangered the monarchy
to gratify the Monarch. Will they also be guilty
of the base crime to make themselves a party to the
ruin of an illustrious female, against whom every
proof of guilt has failed, and whose indiscretions,
if any, are to be ascribet: to the neglect of her hus-
band, and to the treachery of her former friends.—
if they will evince this contempt of all divine and
h►,man obligations, they must not express any sur-
prise should their dependents display the same inde-
pendence. The safety of the State is evidently in
their hands at this moment ; and woe to them, when
they sink from the proud elevation of Noblemen and
hereditary legislators, to the crouching posture of
courtiers: Should they degrade the Queen,
what security would they have for their own
`honours? Are they held by a better title? and
would a profligate Minister feel more remorse in
tearing off a coronet than a crown?
The foregoing observations have been suggested
by a sincere wish to preserve the established form of
Government; which, notwithstanding the many and
gross abuses that have been introduced into it of late
years, we do not wish to see overturned and which
we are willing, even at the risk of our lives, to up.
hold, as long Is it respects those laws by which ma
persons and property are secured But the first and
' most sacred duty of a subject is to see that his own
rights, and those of his fellow-subjects, are protected
from violence. His attachment to the Government
is founded upon that principle, and no other; and
to love it, after it has been convicted of an attempt
to violate those securities, is impossible; and, to
obey it, becomes a question of expediency, and not
of morals. However, to punish any individual,
contrary to law and established practice, is a crime
against the whole body of the people; and every
one is bound to resist it, as much as if the violence
were committed on himself: What constitutes the
essence of political liberty, but the utter impossibi-
lity on the part of the Government to inflict the
slightest punishment on the meanest individual
without the sanction of law ? If it could but once,
at its own discretion, assail him, however slightly,
in his person or property, it would by degree, at
last make death or confiscation the penalty of hav-
ing provoked its displeasure. If it can condemn
illegally in any instance, it is in fact despotic; and
the isw, when the Crown is the prosecuting party,
is a shield for oppression, and the name and forms of
liberty serve as a cover to plunder the people. The
more elevated the rank of the person, thus mai-
fieed to the violence of power„ the more reason the
Ipublic have to be alarmed ; and it must strike the
dullest capacity, that if the 'Queen could be de.
graded on such evidence as has been produced at the
bar of the House of Lords, there will be an end to
any legal controul over the Crown, and our vaunted
Constitution would be a dead letter, or rather a
nuisance.

The people might submit to such an outrage,
and repose quietly, after some violent struggles,
under the deadly shade of tyranny. It is prnbable
that the prosecutors of the Queen think they would,
but in that case they have none of the old English
spirit left; and this country, so famed for anus and
policy, would soon become the sink of Europe, is
infamous for its vices and poverty, u it was fors
merly distinguished thr its public virtue and national
wealth. But thinuthors of this detestable Bill,
probably, under-rate the energies of the nation ; and
if they do, woe to then', should they persevere....
However, they would have to blame themselves for
all the couseqocums, and let them reflect, that as
they have wantonly east the first flaming torch
into the bosom of the country, they would be alone
answerable, should a general conflagration ensue.
It is still is their power to prevent it ; and are they
so infatuated as to hesitate; or have they the wild
presumption to think, titat having once set fire
to the inflammtble materials with which this
L.,uaLy ..bounds, they could extinguish it at plea-
sure. The people are nn: so very Ilaiviug in their
circumstances, and so cm.tented, with tl.c mole of