All these operose proceedings
were adopted by one of the most decided tyrants in the rolls of
history as necessary preliminaries before he could venture, by bribing
the members of his two servile houses with a share of the spoil and
holding out to them an eternal immunity from taxation, to demand a
confirmation of his iniquitous proceedings by an act of Parliament.
Had fate reserved him to our times, four technical terms would have
done his business and saved him all this trouble; he needed nothing
more than one short form of incantation- "Philosophy, Light,
Liberality, the Rights of Men".
I can say nothing in praise of those acts of tyranny which no
voice has hitherto ever commended under any of their false colors, yet
in these false colors an homage was paid by despotism to justice.
The power which was above all fear and all remorse was not set above
all shame. Whilst shame keeps its watch, virtue is not wholly
extinguished in the heart, nor will moderation be utterly exiled
from the minds of tyrants.
I believe every honest man sympathizes in his reflections with our
political poet on that occasion, and will pray to avert the omen
whenever these acts of rapacious despotism present themselves to his
view or his imagination:
- May no such storm
Fall on our times, where ruin must reform.
Tell me (my Muse) what monstrous dire offense,
What crimes could any Christian king incense
To such a rage? Was't luxury, or lust?
Was he so temperate, so chaste, so just?
Were these their crimes? they were his own much more,
But wealth is crime enough to him that's poor.
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