The Sun.
London, England, 1809-08-24 00:00:00

May as well turn over ode more to ascertain the
good effects of their endeavours, and the real pur-
pose of their exertions. Upon reference then, we hnd
that Reformers have lived in every period of history ;
and which may appear very extraordinary, have in ge-
neral been men of similar charade: s and talents, as
well as dispOsitiorial turbulent, restless, 'awl ambi-
tious; outwardly professing a high love of country,
and a nice respect for the public ',establishments,
but invariably discovering &leas- in the Governors,
and corruption in the administration or the laws.
As nothing human can be pet fed, so, in a multi-
tude of men, sbme weak or wicked ones will be
found ; but it- would be hard that the many should
be destroyed for the few. When God was wrath
against the iniquities of the people of Sodom, he
would have saved the city had there been to righteous
men found in it : shall We eXaa to the uttermost
„farthing, whilst God deals Thus with his creatures ?
No ; let us rather overlook, in the great good result-
ing from many virtues, the little evils that will
obtrude themselves from the few practisers of vice •
and error.
" But let us endeavour to discover what advan-
tages Reformers have in
,general produced to the
public cause ; and, as the motives of their proceed-
lugs have, iu the course of time, developed them-
selves, how far they are entitled to the praise and
approbation of their fellow-countrymen. 1 shall not
go so far back as to notice the Patriots and Re-
formers of the ancient Republics of Greece and
Rome, it is sufficient to observe, that in the ab-
sence of a stable, fixed" constitution, by which only
the laws can be equally binding upon every class in
the community, faction succeeded fattion, pro-
fessing higher principles, .and more exalted notions
of liberty than the other, until the shadow of liberty
itself could be no longer discerned, and the, people
were reduced to the most abject slavery, butchered for
the ainu%enient of their tyrants, and lost not only
to-the political rights of subjects, but denied eVell.
the common priviieges of. men.. They are, at this
day, the ore bound in the cbains of . the Great
Turk, the other groaning uuder the tyranny of Buo-
naparte ; but an empty shadow of themselves. It
was the happy lot of this country, we find, to have
very early a digested code of laws, a Constitution
framed, not by reforming demeLogues,-, but by a pa-
triot King : under the great Alfred the foundation-
stone of that Constitutioa which has borne us
through many. a tempest and storm, and raised us
to be the envy of ,nations, was laid ; the laws by
which equality of justice is measured to the people
from the highest to the lowest, established, and the
first seeds of our naval superiority sown.
" In the opinion of our modern Reformers, men
who profess to mend these institutions, learning is
an evil and ad obstacle in, the way of liberty and
good Government, yet it was by learning that Al-
fred etietted all this good. The country, before his
reign, was in a state of barbarism, and sunk in
the grossest ignorance: by the efforts of learning,
the people became humanized, and arts and com-
merce began to flourish, but those persons who rail
against learning, have a motive for their conduct ;
they know the. learning opens the knowledge and
experience of past times to those who possess it,
and experience' is against wanton innovations and.
rude relorms ; besides, who can become master of
a trade or handicraft, without first learning tine ru-
diments ?
" No man is fit to make laws for his country, or to
be a guardian of her liberties, who is not master of
all that relates to Government, in old times as well
as iu the present day; and thisle cannot be with-
oat learning.
" It is worthy of remark, that the three greatest
events in our history, I-mean the signing of the Mag-
na Cbarta by King John, the Reformation in the
reign of Henry VIII. and the Revolution-of 1688,
by which the Protestant SUccessitian was secured,
were none of them -err:saed by the cabals or intrignes.
of popul..r reformers, or by clubs of revolutionists.
In the first and last instance, the good was achieved
by the greatest and most powerful men in the king-
dom, who saw the liberties of their country endan
gered•by an attempt at arbitrary power, and manful-
ly stood forward, not to innovate, not to introduce

LONDON : rtinted -by RICHARD HARRIS, of No. 4, Martlett-court, Bow-street; and Published by WILLIAM A RMIG R SC RI Pl'S,' South; Molten.strt-et, c; or ver,c „Equate,
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