The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1770-1772, 1771-08-01

of fudden grown wonderfully careful OF PR
vileges, which their predictions were as rea
dy TO invade. The known laws Of the land
the rights of the fuhjea, the fanctity of char
tiers, and the reverence due to our magii
ua,es, mutt all give way, without queition o
reliance, to privilege of which no mai
knows either The origin or the extent. ! h
Houfe of Commons Judge oftheir own priv
| leges without appeal: they may take oftrnc'
at the mott innocent action, and lmPrlion IN
perfon who ofends them, during their arbl
uary will and pleafure. The party has n
remedy : he cannot appeal flom their jn
rifdieion and if he queficns the Privlleg'
which he is iuppofed to have violated it be
comes an aggravation Of his offence. Surely
Sir, this dc Chine is not TO be found in Msgn
!Charta. Ifit be. admitted without llmltatl
on, affirm that there is neither law nor Il
berty in this Kingdom. We are the fave
of the Houfe Of Commons, through them VI
are naves of the King and his miniaers.
The mode, in which the Houfe have pro
| ceeded againR the city nagiftrates, cal
neither be reconciled to natural jufice, no
even to the common forms of decency.--
They begin with fhutting ;her doors agsini
all frargfrs, the ufual name, by which the.
deicIibe their conftitucnts. Some Of thel
debates appear in the public papers. Ih'
offence, If any, is certainly not new one
We have the debates as regularly pIelerve'
as the journals of parliament =; nor Cal
there be any hnnef rea(on for concealinl
them. MIR. Onlow, however, thinks it ne
CeGary to peTfecute the prefs, and the Hort
of Commons mean enough to take par
| in his caprices. Lord North, who had 4
lately rewarded the Reverend Mr.. Scot witt
the beff living in the Kings gift, for heapin
! inve6tives equally dull and viru'ent upon Tom
of the mott respectable characters in tn
kingdom, is now fhamelefs enough TO fuP
port motion againf the liberty of the Preis
with the whole influence of the crown
That their practice might be every way con
formable with their principles, the Houf
proceeded to advife the crown to publlth tn
proclamation universally acknowledged to b
illegal. Mr.. Moreton publickIy protefie'
againif it before it was ifIued; and Lore
Mansfield, though not Gcrupulous to an ex
ueme, Ipeaks of it with horror. 1t is re
markable enough that the very men, whc
advifed the proclamation, and who hear i
arraigned every day both within doors anc
without, are not daring enough to utter one
word in its defence, nor have they ventuTec
to take the leaf notice of Mr.. Wilkes fol
dilcharging the perfons apprehended under it
The pretended trial of the Lord. Mayor
and Mr.. Oliver, refembled the dark bufinef
of Spanilh inquifition, rather TRAN the fail
proceedings of an Engiilh couft ofjudicature
Thefe gentlemen, as magistrates, had no.
thing to regard but the obligation Of their
oaths and the execution of the laws. If they
were convinced that the Speakers warrant
was not legal authority to the mehenger,
il necefarily followed that, when he was
charged upon oath with breach of the
peace, they mutt hold them to bail. They
had no option. Yer how have they been
treated Their judges had been partially
fummoned, by treafury mandates, prefing
attendance, and demanding vote of con-
domination. They were tried and condemned
at midnight, without being heard by them
lelves or their council, on the only point,
on which their publication could pohbly de-
pend. In mort, Sir, queHion, frialy Of
iurifdieaion, was referred to numbers, and
carried like a common miniGerial meafure.
The next ffep was TO force the Lord Mayors