V The Honourable Henry Vane, Efq; Mr. Benjamin Voyce. W The Right Honourable Sir Robert Walpole, Knight of the Moft Noble Order of the Garter. Sir Rowland Wynne, Bart. Thomas Walker, Efq; Lewis Way, Efq; John White, Efq; William Wilkinfon, Efq; The Rev. Dr. William Wood. The Rev. Mr. Walker. The Rev. Mr. Aaron Wood. Capt. James Winter. Mr. Deputy Wilkins. Mr. Aaron Ward, Bookfeller. Mr. Anthony Walburge. Y The Honourable Sir William Younge, Bart. Knight of the Moft Honourable Order of the Bath. THE THE OLD WHIG. N° 1. March 13. 1735. Quid libertate pretiofius? Porro quam turpe, fi ordinatio everfione, libertas fervitute muPlin. epift. xxiv. lib. 3. tetur? L IBERTY is of that vaft importance and infinite confequence to mankind, that 'tis impoffible for any nation to value it too highly, or to be too jealous of every attempt that may have a tendency to infringe or destroy it. 'Tis one of the nobleft gifts of God to mankind, the foundation of property, the fource of happiness in publick and private life, and effentially neceffary to all rational and acceptable religion. Life itself, without liberty, is not only a burVOL. I. B then then to a generous mind, but even a reproach and fcandal to human nature. For what greater fhame to a reasonable being, endowed by the univerfal Parent with freedom of choice, and invested by him with an unalienable right to reason, judge, and act for himself, and to enjoy the fruits of his own diligence and labour; what greater fhame, I fay, to fuch a being, than to become the flave and property of another, and thus wear the chains and fetters of an infamous bondage! So great was the love of liberty amongst the antient Romans, and fuch their deteftation of flavery, that to distinguish their children from their fervants and flaves, they called them liberi, to denote that they were born to liberty, and to inspire them with an early love to it. Yea, fuch was their fenfe of the invaluable bleffings which flowed from it, that they confecrated liberty into a deity, and honoured her with temples, altars, and facrifices. The Athenians alfo were educated, as the divine philofopher affures us, εν πασηελευθερία, in the principles of univerfal liberty, and taught to contend for it both against Greeks and Barbarians, from their very infancy. HAPPY would it be for all nations, who enjoy this excellent and divine gift, was there more care taken in the education of their children in this refpect; were they made early acquainted with the nature and worth of liberty, infpired from the beginnings of life: with an ardent love to it, and brought up with the most perfect abhorrence of all flavish principles, and of the feveral arts and methods by which wicked and defigning men have invaded the rights, and at last impiously destroyed the nobleft privileges of their country. This would be the best and most effectual method, that human prudence could poffibly take, for the fecurity of every valuable bleffing of life, and to transmit the bleffings of one generation down to another, even to the latest posterity. MANY are the oppofitions that have been made, and various the attempts that have been practifed, to abridge and destroy the liberties of these happy and envied kingdoms; and on the other hand, what treasures have been spent, what blood hath been spilt to defend and maintain them! Thanks to hea ven, we ftill enjoy them; and tho' the purchafe hath been coftly, it hath been far from being too dear. We are a kingdom not of flaves, but of men. Our eftates, our perfons, our families, our confciences, our religion, are all our own. We are governed, 'tis true; but we are willingly governed, because govern'd by law, and not by the arbitrary dictates of infolent and lawless power. We obey our prince, and our obedience is our choice; because he is the father and protector of the nation, and not the tyrant of the people. He rules with justice, and our fubmiffion is the effect of reverence and love. The clergy, who are men of religion, virtue, and learn ing, amongst us, are highly respected, and bountifully rewarded; and we gladly yield to their perfuafions of reafon, and willingly follow their conduct, when they lead us into the paths of truth and happiness. But, as Britons and Proteftants, we fcorn the imperious dictates of interefted and defigning ecclefiafticks, keep our confcience facred to God, chuse our religion for ourselves, and worship every one according to his own mind, without the fears of an inquifition, or the terrors of a violent and cruel death. The fruits of our labour and industry are our certain and facred property, which we use for our own conveniences, difpofe of at our pleasure, and leave in fecurity to our heirs after us. Our children, those dear pledges of paternal love, thofe ftrong fecurities of matrimonial affection, we educate them for ourselves, we train them up to thofe employments of life our own prudence and circumftances direct us to, without the dif treffing fears of seeing them torn from us by the violence of the prince, or the bigotry and fuperftition of crafty and tyrannical priefts. In a word, our conftitution, as Britons and Proteftants, is this, That we are born ourfelves to liberty, and can leave the fair and godlike inheritance to our pofterity after us. BUT are we fo very fecure in the poffeffion of this ineftimable treafure, as to be in no danger of being deprived of it? Are there no enemies that lie in wait to ruin us? no attempts of restlefs and envious men to de fraud |