The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1770-1772, 1771-06-27
For the MASSACHUSETTS, Spy.

Kings muf be happy, jfthyN tat o6ca!,
70 make the IasOs tie rnlf ef .Vernmlnt,
And all tbt people will be happy ubea,
7bey'rsba content TO let their king, be men;
Monarchs are ieldomANGELs, and gof iss,
That GOVERNORS haze tLfr mE,miy;
BIT lars stsG Of eb,jqiua gog'rnmerf,
Aadfbat trgfoV'd, OOjie men are Al! fontfnt.
DE Foe.
TT is absolutely impo1ible that any people
| governors or governed) fhcud be happy,
where the law is iet Aide, and is not The
rule of action for both.--- But, as the fafety
and happiness Of the people corias in Que
, obfeIvsnce Of the laws, 70 it is leidom that
any great MT n,ber Of them let !hemfelses tip
in oppoiiton to law. Now and then par
ticular aw may be infringed by an individual
or two, but when this happens, the Danger
to the community is 70 alarming, that there
are never wanting perlohs to prolccute the
offender or offenders, and bring him or them
to jufice. When the public happiness is
diau bed, Especially if it be in capital
manner, it will generally be found that the
! dihurbance comes from quarter whence il
ihould not be expected. Need tell from
what quarter Does not the world fee from
what quarter all cur dcords and civil jars
proceed Rulers, both at home and here,
are The oppniIors, and conlequently the dil-
turters Of The public tranquility.
I he way to remedy this evil ard feffore
univerfa harmony is pointed to in the intro
ducfory liEes,. viz. A due obiervance of the
laws, both by magfrates and people.
| When an individual breaks the laws of the
community, the remedy is eafj and at hand
but when magifate runs counter to them
all, tits no, 70 eafy to bring things to rights,
! bccaufe, the execution Of the laws beirg in
bis hasd, it cannot be expected he lhoud
execute, or (, fer them to be executed upon
himGelf Thus rulers enjoying an unlimited
freedom, grow bold in nIquity; and finally
trample under foot all the laws of the COM
munty; and infoieDty tell The people,
"I becr f,em be1vcn f6'eEg q ny fray,
1y bgGagG is to rnlt, and Joar's feJty."
But,
"h.med fcstk, treated ryitb dildain,
FinGing. 'fIc1s to no pwbs(e to eomPAain,
Nature diTe6ts, a, GaG bUJ6lf d.Egn'd,
Wl0t orce he gave them fhy J5enH no1V
dltfnd."
This is the natural language ofopprehor and
oppreied, in all ages and nations of the
earth. Sometimes The tyrant fucceeds, and
fometimes the oppreiIed.
Ii is hrapge that in this enlightened age
Of the world there lhouId be fuch a monfer
as a tytant, and it is equally frarge that
people who have 70 delicate lerfe of liberty
as Englilbmen have, lhould not extirtafs
them; but 70 it is, that we only argue and
difpute with them, and fill lufer them TO
| tyranniZe.
il is monhrous folly, that men, who have
a perfect knowledge of The Enghh confitu-
ton, who know that men are naturally free,
that governors are only the lfyV0nf5 Of the
bee5lt lhould yet fuffer them to tIample upon
their orders, deipile their laws, and in flight
Of them fhould riot in the punder Of the
people The titles of King and Governor
are, and fhould be lacred, when the perfoEs
that wear them, receive them from the peo-
ple, and bourd and imit their power by the
law Of the and but when they leap the
bounds cf the law, and fet up their will for
tee rule Of government, and f'ubbornly re-
fuie to be reclaimed by the pesplt, they are
no longer lawful rulers but tyraafs, and the
people have right, and it would be Virtuous