The Sun.
London, England, 1820-01-17 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

TUE BT,F.SSINGS OF THE CONSTITUTION.

(Continued front ou: Payer of ttie 13th inst.)

Next to tlu blessing of nece,ntary for
its exercise, and depending on COCO itinftilee,
is the litCitrity If Life and Person. "13 not
man's life more than meat ; and his body more
than raiment ?"

Ther• needs little argument to chew the value of
this security. They who possess it, can suffi-
ciently tell us how precious they consider it.
They who lost it in the convulsions of France,
could they !ise from their crowded graves, might
tell us how they suffered for its privatian.
Through the successive tyrannies of 111raABEAtr,
of MARAT, of DANTON, of ROBESPIERRE, of Bun.
NAPARTE ; through that bloody Revolution, which
over:%tteltned alike the rirt, Intl the poor, they
could instruct us in the terrible record. When
the humble and the ambitious, the peaceable and
the turbulent, the noble and the artizan, never
slept without the peril of awakening at the exe-
cntiotter's call ; w-let! the compelled soldiery,
after a series of dangers, and difficulties, and
privations, were poisoned by their ungrateful
Leader at Jaffa, or abandoned by him to a linger-
ink! (lea! h at Moscow; when these and a

sand other such scenes are presented to our view,
Must we not bless the Cow.titution which saved us
from their multiplied misery ? Must we no! he
still more warmly encouraged, and mole
steadfastly resolved, to maint4in I. against every
'edve,sary ?
The L.t.v p ole,:ts our lives and persons from
all outrage, but that of iebelf;ou aid assessina-
tion—tvc are not, however, to confider the Law

itppertect th;•.efole, or to impute this apparent
defic,eocv try uny otbcr came than man's wicked-
ness. The Law forbids thew crinics, as it does

every other ; and punishes their perpetration
most heavily. Bat, if no single life or property
can he safe against any one ruffian, desperate
enough to defy the Law and to brave its punit.h-
ments, how much less can the general lives and
properties of peaceable citizens be safe from a
general conspiracy No particular Law is sutti-:
cunt to prevent An insurrection against all Laws.
Against the machinators of such mischief, the

iiiti.t be rendered more stro►►g, And more
severe. I firm not inclined to believe i hat

strictest severi• y can inconvenience, much less

oppress those quiet citizens vvho neither desire
nor attempt its sultversio►►. Should such lieu/-
ever, in some isolated it:srance, be the re,wll, it
is our sacrifice for the safety of ►he State; and
should stiusulat• our animosity against its dis-
turbers.

Excepting then this general danger, for which
proviiions nmst be tnar!..7 as it occurs, F.2r us en-
quire in•G ;Le security kvhich is afforded by the

Conktitutiou.

Against the violists of our equals in rank or
superiors .---Ags:iist the arm of ;:ower. This part
of our iiiihjeet deiervas particular observation.
The pr.tection of the Law (glint. No Bro-
NAPACTit r•ltt in Britain—happy Britain, did the
but understand and vdi ie !Jur own blessings !--
tear fathers from their families, and sons from
their parents, to shed their blood for his mad
and selfish :ambition. No temporal tyranny can
drag them to Initial wars, and sacrifice them to
its lust of wealth or power. No ecclesiastical
tyranny can chain them down by an Inquisition,
or stifle their flee and peaceable intercourse with
their neighbours. Every Britain can worship
Gon and commune with man, even as he
pleaies.

And if any individual, presuming► either on
his wealth or his stvion, should offend the
humblest among his feliow-subjects, he would
soon he taught to feel the Law's equality. The
only distinction which it recognizes or creates, is
this :—the infliction of a severer punishment, in
proportion to the rank, and the property, and the
better knowledge of the offender. So far, in-
deed, the Law might be considered unequal; as it
extends more vigilant protection to those who are
the less able to protect themselves, and visits an
heavier retribution on those who pervert their
power.

Every aecti,ed person is tried before bis etittals,
and by Oleic decision. Neither his life nor his
person can be put in tinestion by any otber means.
From them, the voice of justice proceeds; if they
declare hitt) innocent, no power can controvert
their ;iiilgnimt, or inflict on him any ponishtuent:
if they declare him guilty, the Sovereign alone
earl temper the rigour of their decision, and ei-
ther nii!igaie or forego the sentence ut the LAW.
The impartial justice, however, with which
that sentence is enforced, may plainly be seen by
refeletice to the very few cas,s wherein the higher
ildiotes of society Have incurred its severity. We
Ali recollect the execution of one Peer, Wilti had