fo favourable is the common law of ENGLAND to the rights of our fpecies, which it is unhappily become the fafhion to deride and vilify, that, if any man will broach a pofition in favour of genuine, rational, manly freedom, I will engage to supply him with abundant authorities in fupport of it.

I perfuade myself, that infinite good must refult from the general adoption of my plan; and that no poffible evil can be mixed with it, as long as the cautions and restrictions before fuggefted fhall be duly obferved, and our excellent conftitution be kept in its juft balance at that nice point, which is equally removed from the pernicious extremes of republican madness, ariftocratical pride, and monarchical folly; nor have I any fcruple to confefs, that, as every foldier in ENGLAND is at the fame time a citizen, I wish to fee every citizen able at leaft, for the prefervation of publick peace, to act as a foldier: when that shall be the cafe, the LIBERTY OF BRITAIN will ever be unaffailed; for this plain reafon-it will be unaffailable.

The fecurity, and consequently the happiness, of a free people do not confift in their belief, however firm, that the executive power will not attempt to invade their juft rights, but in their consciousness that any fuch attempt would be wholly ineffectual.

SPEECH

ΤΟ

THE ASSEMBLED INHABITANTS OF

THE COUNTIES OF

MIDDLESEX AND SURRY,

THE CITIES OF

LONDON AND WESTMINSTER,

AND THE BOROUGH OF

SOUTHWARK.

XXVIII MAY, M.DCC.LXXXII.

ADVERTISEMENT,

HAVING been informed, that parts of my Speech on the 28th of May at the London Tavern were thought obfcure, yet important, I have endeavoured to recollect what I then took the liberty to fay, and have confented to let the argument go abroad in its rude and unpolished state. What offence this publication may give, either in parts or in the whole, is the laft and leaft of my cares: my first and greatest is, to speak on all occafions what I conceive to be juft and true.

A

SPEECH

ON

THE REFORMATION OF PARLIAMENT.

MY LORD MAYOR,

So far am I from rising to intimate the slightest fhade of diffent from this respectable and unanimous affembly, or the minutest disapprobation of the two refolutions propofed, that I despair of finding words fufficiently ftrong to express my joy and triumph at the perfect harmony, with which the first of them has already paffed, and to which the second will, I truft, be thought equally entitled: but, on the last reading of the propofition now before you, it ftruck me, that, although it was in fubftance unexceptionable, yet it might easily be improved in form by the insertion of two or three words referring to the preceding refolution, and thus be rendered more conducive to our great object of generally declaring our concurrent fenfe, and avoiding any chance of difunion upon fpecifick points. Every