The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-04-04 00:00:00

" Obedierice;' says Lord AIUNMOOR', " if .duo to the
84 Laws, when founded on the Constitution; but when they

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" are subvenive of the Constitution, then disobedience, in-
" stead of obedieuce, is due, and ruistance becomes Ike law
" of (he land• ." But, in all urdinarY case?, and even as
long as there is left any law that will afford a remedy, judi-
cious and moral men will seek redress of-grievances, occa-
smiled even by "laws subversive of the Coustitatida," in
the peaceful way of petition, and by means of reason and ar-
gument. And are not these the very ',tenni resorted to, and
recommarded by Sir FRANCIS Buanatil,l He exhorts his
Constituents to raise their " vole." Through the medium of
the press, he ifimself reasons and: arg•w;agiend those lawyers
who bove nut, in this way„ strength to 'wrestle' with him,
would nest consull,their own repulatioor la preserving a
re-
speetful distance institute. .
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But Mr. PERCEVAL trif4 as; that in the Barneet's cdtit7
plaint against the House of Cisinnons, for what he eistice6tei
injustice ; as well as in his animated references to " Magna
6' Ckarta, and to thine laws whictkere the birth-net of the
" People of England"--to the virtues-of our,anceston, who'
" proclaimed to out kings of old.a-the laws of Eastand.shall
" not be changed"-441 the reinentliranee of" those 11.ibeities '
" which were acquieedn by one -forefathers, afler so spiny
" struggies,• and so Many sacritices,';-:-to " that testament
" which some of them had sealed, inal which the rest of them
" were rea: y to seal, with their blood" —Mr. PERGEV•L,
1 „aye tells us, that in tbistomplaiot, and in these appeals to.
the understand.np and. hearts of Englishmen, the'language is.
" objectionable," is is,'"offelesive," it is " libelloits,"—be
does eel like the inanne.r." •
perhaps the Right Honourable Gentleman may be of °pi-
aion, that if men.bi pusgr chastise us with whips, we are

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merely to reason en the propriety or impropriety of Mt s•
ing, but not to vent any displeasure—or, if they torment us
with Scorpions, there is to he uuthiug iu our " manner," beli-
cative of feeling. . . •
The sensorium of Mr. Peaces' at. being affected by the
1 aloud of the. word remiistiusee, be is anoy with Sir IRAN-
' cis, beeme he speaks of thimeeitresities to which abuses
of power naturally lead ; and•whea the Baronet reminds es of
the beheading of t tiARLes the .F t osa, and the expeislosi of
JAMES the SECOND, for having, by nsisgovernment, driven
the People to such wiles of self-defence, in order that, by
timely resistance coaibitrary power, in its beginnings, we
may avert from our country a repetition of stick scenes, the
candid. Mr:" Peacitv•t. a ould have us suspect that Sir
FRANCIS rather imbibes for.the evil, than for its prevention.
When the Baronet begin' with advice to his Constituents to
exert their "voice," it seems 'rather a forced construction to
say, he desires them at once is i draw their Swords. When he
tells them; it is his " hope that it may prove irresistible," it
seems ratherttors much to iasinuate.• that he hopes no such
thing, but desires ci4ll nor:
doddlies Mr; Pcitcev As. really take this to be argument
that can avail him at the bar of the Public ? Does he mean
to say, that if arbitrary power prove a deaf adder to peti-
tron, to reason, to argument, and to a public voice, it ...hall be
suffered unresi,ted to trample on puhlic liberty ? And, as. I
have a SoVtirergU contempt for [retitle:4i seat eueows aced bug-
bears, I will go on to ask him if resistance ought to have
any limit short of security against arbitrary power r And
whether the violence and wickciarss of 'tyrannicul men have
not too frequently goaded oppressed stations into resistance
by arias?
To many, it may be matter Of some surprise that, ender
certain circumstances:resist:ince and the levying of war even
agabeit a King upon the throne, is not merely warranted, but
strictly enjoined by English Act;'''Of Parliament. Such,
however, is neve:thrive, the fact.
14 the lit W. and M. Sess. 2. 6,2. it is enacted, tient any
King or Queen, or heir to the throne, who " shall be re-
, " conciled to, or shall hold communication with the. See or
" Church of Rome, or shall profess the Popish religion, or
" shall marry a Papist, shall be excluded, amid De for ever
" incapable to inherit, possess, or enjoy the Crown or Go-
" veranneut of this Realm, &c. or to have, use, or exercise
" any legal power, authority, or jurisdiction within the
" same; and in all and every such case or cases, the People
" of these Realms shall be, mid are is•reby ABSOLVE!)
" OF THEIR ALLEGIANCE; NMI the said Crown and
" Goveniment dean from thee to time descend to, and be
.cenjoyed by such person or persons, being Protestants,.
" should have inherited and enjoyed the same, incase thesaid
" person or persons so reconciled, holding communion, or
" P'ufetoittg, or marrying aforesaid, were naturally detid.:'
Now, Sir, the same Act which at once absolves the Peo-
ple of England of their allegiance to a King, who may at
the same time be sitting on the Threat., and transfers that al-
legiance to another, does, in fact, in suck an event impose it
upon the nation as a duty,. to rebel against a reigning Prince,
a King de facto, iu favour of that other person; or, in ether
words, fur the object in vie a', it makes it incumbent on
the People, if they would avoid the crime of resisting " lie
authority of Parliament," to draw the sword of civil wac
ageism a King on the Throne and hi, adherents.
Nor is the Act of Parliament i have already quoted the
way one I havito cite, far the 12. and Et. W. 111. c. 2. re-
cites and confirms the aforesaid Act; aad, foreseeing a possi-
bility of the then Preteuder to the Crown, getting by in-
-irigue upon the Throne; or some future -King becoming, or
marrying, a Papist, it teaches the People that their allegi-
ance to the Protestant Heir, whoever or ;wherever he inky
•Ise', is not to be •hiactioe, or confined to a speulative and bar-
ren acknowledgment of his title ; bat dt requires them " to
" Stand to, maintain, and defend" much Heir " to the utmost
"• of their powers, with their ta v Eli No ESTATE!, against.
." all persons whatsoever that shall attempt any thing to the
" contrary."
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Here, then, stands the doctrine of Resistance on i roc*
that is, ou the Bill of Rights, being " An Act declarisig
." the Rigiis and Liberties of /he Sakject, and rettlin'T the
" Sudession of JAC Crown;" and On, a. subsequent Statute,
retitled,_ " Act fur the farther limitation tif the C'eowo,
" and idler securing the Rights and Liberties of the Subject::
With regard to the time fur the application of Resistance,
what says BLACKSTON a ? Why, the time for that applica-
tion is, 0 whin the contracts of society are in danger of dl,-
solution, and the law proves too weak a defence against time
" violence of fraud or oppressiomm."* Has Sir Fa A acts
BURDETT Said snore? Asid yet, doe. not Mr. 166RCEV AL,
by his so loos harping on the tiring of resistance, and his re-
turning to the tame note again and aetiimm,—bb his repeated
insinuations of evil desigu,—mid even by a gross pervelsiomm
of fact, in charging the Baronet with " calling on the people
" to resist the authority of Parliament," instead of the in-
justice of the Meuse of Commons—does not Mr. FERC EVA 5,
as:s, by all this disingenuousness, and paltry artifice, et.-
deavour into inflame the feverish einsoria of his Anti-jar...bin
supporters, as to obtain a vote of punishment, where PRAIS6
and TwA NKS ore due, if he be the brat friend to the House,
who shows hew it will best support its " dignity;' namely,
by abandoning erroneous practice, and respecting the Law
and Constitution.
Oue might inileedbave imagined, that the " No Popery"
principle, on which Parliament had been iadueed le call on
the People, by anticipation of a possible event, to he pre-
pared for exercising their i .herent right of resistance to up=
pressiont might have found for that doctrine some indulgence
in the eyes‘of Mr. Pencuir•t.. Be that, however, us it
.otay,,jt is obvious to observe. that whatever, at the sera of
theSero ELT ettpulalmen and eirilt•ina, might be °settee!' den-1
ger to liberty from a Popish King, the enuctinent of Parlia-
ment iu that respect, turned on mere expediency, for ao con-
stitutional principle would have been violated, in the mere
act of admitting to the Throne a Prince of the sante relis,ion
as that of all muse Patriots who obtained us Magna Marta.
If then this Nation might resort, and are called upba by
0! the authority of Parliament" to resort• to resistains on
,ma mere ground of expediency, bow much mere will it be us.-
or.sary, when Mogna Char/a, when the Bill of Itighlti, and
when every principle of time Constitution strati beendengered,
by any illegal assimption of power over our personal li-
kely t •
Now, Sir, should his Majesty, through any hew light, on
the mysteries of religion, ever become a conscietnimis Koolau
*Catholic, nod, instead of attempting the overthrow of our
liberties, as antitipated of a Popish King by the. Statutes I
Nave quoted, should say to Parliament, Frame the nem-
. sary Bills for repairing the breaches made by time and
crirrupti,a in • our two-fold Constitution, whereby Repre-
li- ientation and time Militia; ON WHICH •LL LJEtiRTY DC-
' eraos, shall recover their health, and be restored to full
vigourand energy ; an that DO abstract opinions of utter, 011
• Mattel* relating to another world, can have any injurious
' effect on public liberty or national happines, anti to such
1. Bills I will give the Royal Amaral for the public severity.'
Should his Majesty, I say., adder such circuital/agrees, make
such a declaration, I certainly would not rebel against bins ;
no, potivithstentßag the aforesaid eeactaseets tied commends
of the Hilt of Rights, and the other " 4ct fa" Me.frethsr
• limitation of the Crown, and better seeming Me Rights and
" Liberties of the Subject;" fur, as a security of liberty, au

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