1000000031

NI O R A L P 1-1 1 L O S O P H Y.

r ro\'ince. , ar.d over \,,(l l"él, of 1.lOd ; ,nd (lill l,f, can

(01

m fuch an iJt:a, if

ih~re

is no publi,:,

~ .

if all

are fubjí:tlcd tO tht: caprice and unlimited wiJl of one

Oll a : bur the prcferencc the gcner..1ity (hew tO the'r

n,,nivc country, the concero and longing aftt:r it whicn

they exprcfs whon the)' have been lohg abfcOl from it,

the I.bours thcy undenake and fufFcnngs they endure

to fave or ren e it, and lhe pecllliar 'Ht".chment lhey have

to lheir' countryrnen. evidentl y d"manUrare that the par.

lion is nltural, and never fajls

excr~

it(elf; when it is

f.i<ly difengaged from foreigo clo&" aod is di reéled to

in proper objcél.

Where~e\'er

it prevail! in its genuine

vigour and extent , it fwallo,,'s up aH fordid, .nd fdfifh

regards; ir cooquen the love of eafe, powt.'T, pieaCure and

wcalth ; nay. wht!n 1he amiable putialities of fricndfhip.

gratitude, private affeétion, or reg:trJ ta a family come

io .competition with ir, it will teach us bravely to raeri·

fM:e aJl .

arder tO ,mainu in the righ[S and promote or

defend the hooour aod hap.pinef. o( our country.

Refignatioo land obedience to the laws and orders of

tbe rociety ro which we be1ong, are polítical duties De·

ceffary to its .Tery being an4 feeurity, without which

mull foon degenerate iota a (late of licence and anarchy.

-The welfare, oay. the nature of civil fociety, requires

th~t.there

fhould be a fubor dination of orden or diverfity

of raok, and cooditions io it ;-ihat cen ain meo, or or·

d: rs of m••, be appoint.d to fuperintend and man'ge fuch

afFain as coocero the public C.fety and h. ppinefs ;-that

aU hae their particular province• • lJigned them;-that C"ch

a fubordíoatioD be fenled among them, as none of rhem

-may . iotcrftrc with another j- l nd 6nalIy, tnat certain

rulet or common Il¡fcafures of 4ilétiOD bc agreed

00,

1IIbicb eacb i. to difch.rge his refpeéliV'e duty tO govern or

be governed. and -aU may concur in fecuring the or<ler

and promoting the felicity of the whole poJitic.1 body.

'Iñoferulcl of aélion are thelaws of the community; and

thofe difTerent orden are the feveral oRicen, or magi.

flrates, .ppoioted by the publie to explain , hem, and fu–

perintend or affiC1:: in the,r execution . I n coofequcnce

of this fculement of things, ie is the dury of eacb ¡ndi·

. idual tOobey the laws enaéted, ro fubmit to the execu–

ton of them with aH due deference 2nd homage accord–

ing

their refpeéli, .. ran k. and dignity, as tO the keepers

o( the public peace, and the

gurdi.ns

of public liberty ;

to mainniD his own rank

aDd peT(orm the funél:ions of

his own (latioo wilh dilig¿óce, fidelity, and iocorruption.

The fuperiority of the higher orders, or the authority

with which the Rate has invdled them, entide thcm,

é·

fpeciaJly if they employ tloeir authority \Vell, to the obe·

dieocc aod fubmiffioo of the Jower, and tO

proponian.

able honour and . efpeél from . 11, The fubordin. tion o(

the lower n nk. c1aims proteétion, ddence, and fecurity

{rom the hicher. And the I.w" being Cuperior to .H,

tequire the obedience and Cubmillion o( aH ; being the

la(l refort, beyond whieh Ihere i. no deeifion or appe.!.

Public fpirit, beroic zeal, lave of liuerty, aod theother

polítical duties, do, above;1I others, recommend tboCe

wh o praltife Ihem to lhe admiration and' homage of

man~

kind ; bec.ufe, as they are the ofFspring of the fl oblc(l

minds: fo are lhey the parenu of the gre:HeCl bldTingl

lo fociet y. Yet,

eXAh cd

~!t

thcy are, it is only in equid

VOL,

111. N° . 8J.

and free governments whcr! they can he exerciCed

~nd

have thcir due efF,,(t: (or there only does a true puLlic

prevail, and tiH: re only is the public good macle the

{La,o·

dard of Ih: civil connilution. As ,he e'IIJ of foc,c,y i.

the common iDterea and \Vetfare of the peopte aflo..:iated ,

this end muCl of neccffity be the fupreme

l.lw

or cornmol1

lbu

Ird by which the panicular rul!s o( aa ioo of lhe

fevc:r.11 members of the fociety tOward. each Olher are tO

be rl!gulated . But a cammon ioteren can be no other

than that which is the rcfult of lhe.common reaCon, or

comrtlon reeliogs of all. P rívate meo, or a l'tlrtlcuhtr

arder of men, have ínterefis and feelings pecu.liu to

themfdves, and of which Ihey may be cood juJges

but thefe may be fe polrJte rrom, and often contrary

to the interd lo .nd (edlOg. of Ihe re(l of the fo–

ciety; and thererore they caD

hn~

no right to makc.

much lef! to impore, I,¡,ws

their feJlow·cidzens,

ioconfi(lent wi th, or oppofite ro, tboCe interdls and

thore fe:::liog,. T herefore a fociety, a Igovcrnment,

rea, public, truly wonhy the name; and not a

confe'~

deracy ofb, Dditti, a cI.n of l.wlefs favage" or a band of

Cln'es under the whip of a maner; mun be [uch a one a.

conGas of frcemen, chufiog or conrenting to Jaws

them~

felves, or, fince ir often happens that thcy cannot

ar~

feroble and aél in a colleéli.e body, delegating a fu/lieient

numlJer of reprcrentatives,

fcch a number as Ihall

mo(l fu lly comprehend, and ",o(l equally reprefent, their

cornmon feelings and common ¡nterens, to digcfi and vote

law, fo r the cODduél and controul o( the whole body the

mon agreeable to thofe common feeliDg. aDd commDn in–

tercO,.

A fociety thu. con(lituted by common reafoo, and

{orrned

the plan of a col'ftmoo intereH, becomes im·

mcdiatelyao objeél: of public atteotioR, public .,eneration,

publico

ob~d¡ence,

a public "nd inviolable atuchrncnr,

which

ght neith.. to be -fedu ced by bribes, nor awed

by terro,,; ' n objeél, iD fi ne, of all thofe exteoúve and

im¡1ortant duties which arife from fo gloriou, a confede–

racy. To watch o.,er fuch a fyClem; tO contribute all

he can lO promote ils good

his reafon, his ingenuity,

his fireogth, aod every other ability, whether natural oc

acquírcd; to rcGfi, and to the UtmOn of his power de·

feu, every incroachmcnt upon it, whelher carried on

l>y

Cecret corruption, or open violence , and

facrifi ce hil

caCe, his weahh . his power, nay Jife ¡tfelf, aDd, what is

dearer (lill, his fam ily and friends, tO defend or fave it ;

is the duty,

~he

hODour, the

iDt~rcCl,

and the harpinefs

evcry citizen; ir will ollke him veflerabJe ond beloved

while he lives, be lameoted and honoured if he (all. in fa

glorious a cauCe, and tranfmit his name with il1lrDon.l

reDOWD to Ihe Jaten poflalry.

As the peopte are the fountain of pawer 2nd authorit)'.

lhe original feal of OlajeCly, the

aut~ors

of J::aws, and

the Creltors of officers to execute the01 ; if they Ihall

find Ihe power the y have conferreu ab"fed by their tru–

!Iecs, ,hei r m.jeOy violoreJ by ,¡ranny or by ufurpatioo.

rhei r authorilY proílituted to fuppo rt violeccc or {cJeen

corruption', the laws grown pernidous through accid(!nt,t

unforl!Ceen or uoavoidable. or renderccl indfellual thro'

the

infi~t~lity

anel corrwption of the cxccUlor.

them ;

then it is thcir ri&111, and what is thcir ritht is their d\l·

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'r.