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triennial parliament of 1716 for feven years, might by the fame authority have continued it for a term ftill longer, might have made it perpetual; and this would have been an exprefs and abfolute fubverfion of the third eftate of the realm. The house of commons that did it was no houfe of commons of England, after the expiration of the three years for which they were elected at that time they became a houfe merely of common, or rather uncommon men, and, ftrictly speaking, were no longer a house of parliament, or compofed the third eftate of the kingdom.

The ufurpation of these feptennial parliaments (for fo, perhaps, it might be called) has been continued ever fince, though the fame reafons, (ftate neceffities) which then prevailed, are no more in being, and fubfift no longer; but the fame reafons for eftablishing fhort and triennial parliaments remain still, and are equally in force now as at the revolution. Septennial parliaments have a long time been complained of as a heavy national grievance, and can be agreeable to none but ill-defigning minifters, and felf-interested representatives of the people; the fooner therefore they are abolished, and triennial parliaments reftored, the fooner may we expect the halcyon return of public virtue to bless these kingdoms; the fooner may we expect to bruise the head of corruption, and to keep down all afpiring, arbitrary, over-bearing favourites, ever as dangerous as obnoxious to the community. Minifters and favourites have the means of corruption now in their hands, but these would be greatly diminished, "if not only the feffions of parliament, but the parliament itself were reduced to the ancient and primitive conftitution and practice of frequent and new parliaments; for as a good miniftry will neither practice or need corruption, fo it cannot be any man's intent to provide for the fecurity of a bad one*."

For thefe reafons, and many others which could be added, being thoroughly convinced of the utility arifing to the nation from fhort parliaments, and the great danger arifing to the conftitution from long ones; and as being alfo a means to curb the growth, and prevent the fpreading of corruption, and

*Lord's proteft in 1716.

It is the fate of weak princes," fays lord Lyttelton, "to think that they are never fo well ferved as by those of whofe authority the people complain the moft; and to make the public hatred a ground of their confidence; as if fuch perfons, having no other strength or protection to depend upon, muft belong more to them, and be more devotedly attached to their intereit."

Hiftory of Henry the fecond.

to repair the breaches made in the conftitution by the innovation of a feptennial parliament, and to remedy the disappointment fo feverely felt by the nation in 1722, when triennial parliaments were not, according to the universal expectation of the people, reftored to them, and the conftitutional rights and liberties of the commons of England thereby more firmly secured and established, on the bafis * built for them by their great and glorious deliverer King William, to whom we owe religion, law, and liberty: For these reasons we do moft earneftly recommend to you, our reprefentatives, and especially if you profess revolution principles, to ufe all conftitutional means in your power, that a law may be paffed, in the ap proaching feffion, for limiting the duration of this present and all future parliaments to three years at most.

VIII. We do alfo recommend to you, to promote an enquiry, by which the conftitution itself may be examined into according to its firft principles, in order to correct fuch abuses

* In the bill of rights, paffed February 13, 1688-9, is the following article, or claufe: Art. 13. And that for redress of all grievances, and for the amending, ftrengthening, and preferving of the laws, parliaments ought to be held frequently.

A parliament of a long continuance feemed to be very dangerous, either to the crown, or to the nation; If the conjuncture and their proceedings gave them much credit, they might grow very uneafy to the crown, as happened in King Charles the firft's time; or in another fituation of affairs, they might be fo practifed upon by the court, that they might give all the money, and all the liberties of England up, when they were to have a large share of the money, and were to be made the inftruments of tyranny; as it was in King Charles the fecond's time. It was likewife hoped, that frequent parliaments would put an end to the great expence candidates put themselves to in elections: And that it would oblige the members to behave themselves fo well, both with respect to the public, and their private deportment, as to recommend them to their electors at three years end: Whereas, when a parliament was to fit many years, members covered with privileges, were apt to take great liberties, forgot that they reprefented others, and took care only of themselves. So that it was thought that England would have a truer representative, when it was chofen anew every third year, than when it run Bishop Burnet's hift. Vol. II.

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as may have crept in through length of time, and to supply fuch defects as may be wanting, and to restore it as nearly as it can be done to its original principles: And also, that the reprefentative authority of this kingdom may be more equally fettled.

IX. We recommend to you, and ftrictly charge you, carefully and impartially to enquire into the conduct of all fuch returning officers, of whofe proceedings complaint fhall at any time be made before the houfe; and to do juftice to the nation by bringing all fuch to condign punishment, who shall appear to have violated the right of freeholders and legal voters at elections; thereby invading the birth-right and privilege of the British fubject, and flagrantly infulting the conftitution and liberty of their country §.

We alfo recommend to you, to promote a bill for laying a duty of ten fhillings per hundred weight on fugar, which, according to the best calculation made by a late great chancellor of the exchequer, Mr. Legge, univerfally acknowledged to be the most able financier in Europe, will raife 500,000 1. per annum; and to repeal thereby the additional tax upon beer fubftituted in its room in the year 1754, and which has ever fince been levied with fuch peculiar cruelty and oppreffion upon the laborions poor of this great kingdom; the poor, already diftreffed and almoft famished by the high and extravagant prices of provifions and corn; the reduction of which high and extravagant prices we alfo moft earnestly recommend to your confideration in parliament; and that you will use your utmost endeavours to give relief to the crying and very alarming neceffities of the indigent and induftrious part of the nation, your fellow-fubjects, and many of them your conftituents and electors.

§ In the house of commons of Ireland, in the feffions of 1756, the prefent earl of Arran (then Sir Arthur Gore) upon a petition before the houfe, complaining of undue proceedings, and a falfe return for the county of Wexford, made ufe of this remarkable expreffion in a debate," that the kingdom "of Ireland had been fcourged by fheriffs:" and moved the houfe, that the high fheriff of Wexford, having acted in an arbitrary, illegal manner, be taken into the cuftody of the ferjeant at arms attending the houfe, and be committed to Newgate; which was agreed to by the house without a divifion.

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Have now on my table office-copies of the two fentences against Mr. Wilkes; but before I transcribe them for your paper, Į beg to be indulged a word about the two crimes.

The first, that he re-published the North-Briton, No. 45, Iwill take no pains about. Ifhall only fay, that he was a fool, or a real patrio, if he did risk the re-publication of fuch truths as he will never be forgiven the very fufpicion of having divulged or propagated, and that I will not believe there is any harm in that paper, because I have feen No. 45 on almost every coach, chaise, wall, window, hat, &c, in this kingdom, and even on the fnowy bofoms of the prettiest women in the world. No 45. has indeed, Sir, had wonderful luck; but, in my opinion, an elder brother of his, No. 5, deferved ftill more to have been taken notice of, and perhaps actually laid the foundation of the younger brother's fortune. The first half hour's leifure you have, will convince you of this.

The fecond crime, of publishing the Effay on Woman, was never committed at all by Mr. Wilkes, although it has in part by fe, veral others. I fhall not dwell on this fubject, because it fhews our country in fo infamous a light. Every good man muft look with horror on an administration offering a place of one hundred pounds per annum to a fervant to rob his master of the remainder of that copy. By money they had got a fmall part before in the fame fcandalous and felonious manner. Mr. Farmer has given this tranfaction to all the world in Curry's own words, to whom the offer was made, and who actually received a part of the public money as the reward of his villainy. What an idea does this give of the manner places are got in the prefent age?

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As to Mr. Wilkes's not having any degree of guilt in this whole bufinefs, though perhaps fome indifcretion to anfwer for, it will very little avail. He will be equally punished, as if he had committed the most enormous wickedness, for he dared to attack proud and powerful minifter, confcious of his own crimes, and implacable in his nature. Whatever private caufe, however, of refentment the other enemies of Lord B- may have, Mr. Wilkes had none. He can declare in the words of Brutus, For my part,

I know no perfonal caufe to fpurn at him,

But for the general.

I will only add, that he ought to have reflected on what Swift fays to a friend, "Your innocence is a protection that wife men are afhamed to rely on, further than with God."

Copies

Copies of the two Sentences against Mr. Wilkes.

Saturday next after fifteen days from the day of the Holy Trinity, in the eighth year of King George the third.

Middlefex. The KING against

THE defendant being brought here inte court, in custody of the Marfhal of the Marfhalfea of this court, by virtue of a rule of this John Wilkes, Efq. court, and being convicted of certain trefpaffes, contempts, and grand mifdemeanors, in printing and publishing a feditious and fcandalous libel, entitled, The North Briton, No. 45, whereof he is impeached. It is ordered, that he, the said defendant, for his offences aforefaid, do pay a fine, to our fovereign Lord the King, of five hundred pounds of lawful money of Great Britain And it is further ordered, that he, the faid defendant, be imprifoned, in the cuftody of the faid Marshal, for the space of ten calendar months now next enfuing: And it is laftly ordered, that he, the faid defendant, be now remanded to the cuftody of the faid Marfhal, to be by him kept in fafe cuftody in execution of the judgment aforefaid, and until he fhall have paid the faid fine.

On the motion of Mr. Attorney General,

(Copy.)

By the Court.

Saturday next after fifteen days from the day of the Holy Trinity, in the eighth year of King George the third.

Middlefex.

The KING against

John Wilkes, Efq.

THE defendant being brought here into court, in the cuftody of the Marshal of the Marfhalfea of this court, by virtue of a rule of this court, and being convicted of certain trefpaffes, contempts, and grand mifdemeanors, in printing and publishing àn obfcene and impious libel, intitled, An Effay on Woman, and other impious libels in the information, in that behalf specified, whereof he is impeached; and having also been convicted of certain other trefpaffes, contempts, and mifdemeanors, for printing and publishing a certain other libel, intitled, The North Briton, No. 45: For which he hath this day been fentenced, and ordered by this court to pay a fine of 500l. and to be imprisoned in the cuftody of the faid Marthal for the fpace of ten calendar months. It is now ordered by this court, that the faid defendant, for his trefpaffes, contempts, and mifdemeanors, firft above mentioned, in printing and publishing the faid obfcene and impious libels, do pay a further fine to our fovereign Lord the King of five hundred pounds of lawful money of Great-Britain: And that he, the faid defendant, be further imprifoned in the cuftody of the said Marshal for the space of twelve calendar months, to be computed from and

after

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