The Massachusetts spy, or, Thomas's Boston journal. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1772-1775, 1773-11-18

X your adveriary; and for that Ieaion, VIZ
becsuie the law cannot be applied to you
relief, you make your own defence on th'
principles Of natural law, which is now you
only rule, and his life is forfeited into YOU
hands, and you unidentified it you take il
becauie be is the iiTR, and dangerous agtelT'
or This rsle applies itieIf to oates, and
to ,ho(e emPoyed by them to diifreis, rob
or en1sve other fa:es And ihall property,
be fecure where even life is forfeited All
wife nations think otherwile, and by every
means in their power endeavour to take the
forfeiture. There ale ,nany iuaanoes, wheIe-
in men lole the protection of law in their
property, iome, as was laid before, even of
their lives. | will infshce a few. A flip
with the plague on board, defined to any
port, be ihe never 70 richly laden, or never 70
full OF fouls, may be funk, and thereby
both lives and property be loft to individuals.
70 the (hips of a nation at peace with US,
if laded with warlike flores or proviions to
fuppy our enemies is forfeited into our hands
and in cafe of refifsance may be funk to the
bottom.
Upon the fame principle it is faid a num-
her of pole axes and fcalpiug kniv:s were
le'zed by this government, (fhipped by a
man whole condua has betrayed no Ggns of
change in political ientiment Gnce that time
when found on board flag ofIruce bound
from Bottom to Loufbourgh in time of war:
But of,hs trea(onable action we have no
account in Mr.. Hutchinfon's hiaory of the
MaG .chufetts Bay.
When we are reduced 20 this fad diem.
ma that we muf delroy the lives of a few
# our fellow men and their properly or have
the community deRroyed by them we ae
OF allowed to heitate a moment +: The
ruls here is thar which is chofen by all wife
men, and indicated by che law Of nature,
w. Of twO evils ebzEs The keG, and rid TO-
ciety Of fuch dangerous inmates.
Thefe Jumpers, or fvsign emiDariI,
being fcfeened from the power of .he laws,
by corruption of both legislative and exc
cutive courts, have returned TO tate of ma
ture again with rcfpca to this people, aad
may as jualy be Aain as wolves, tigers, OF
the private robbers and murderers above
conGderec and Jurors on their oaths are
as much obliged to acquit the layers in the
one cafe as 10 the other. Staying man
with wicked intention is certainly highly
criminal, but ilaying him to prevent hi
deGroying either our own lives or the confti'
tuition of the Fate 70 which we bear the moii
indiiIolubls allegiance is an aet of heroifm
which entitled even cobler of Mefina tC
ihejuf aOplauies of every good man who has
read his Rory.
In former times a perfon snti0sOTd wa:
allied Wolfshead and might be put TO death
~ any man who met him, as that raven
Gus beat might, being as dangerous to 70.
cicty; this is to be underaood of per(on'
putlawed by due procefs, which might have
b, aimed for mifdemeanors much inferior
to endeavours for the fubverGon of the fiaie
nut ihofe who by this means break off from
he fociety which frocl infancy afforded
hem protection, that plumber and de
vour their fellow men, even their bsR be
lefaeiors, are more execrable brutes, anc
may be aid to be mott fully ripe fol
exemplary di&ruetion.
In recapitula,lon Of the foregoing, Pleaft
to atend to the few PLAIN Proportions fol-
lowing, viz.
|. That men naturally have right to life
liberty, and the poHsfion and difPOfal of ihe
property, ia fuch wife as to iojure none other
II. That the fame is true in foclety
With this difference that whereas in ifat'
| Of nature each judged for himielf, what wal
lua or injurious, in fOciety he fubmlts to in
/ different arbiters.
iii. That all demands upon US for any
/ part of our fubRance not warranted BY oul