Revolution? Was it not to the influence of this principle that we owed all the glorious and memorable things that had been achieved during the war before laft? What can be the reafon for relinquishing a principle, which, ever fince its prevalence, has been marked with the moft fingular and ftriking advantages? Now, however, was, it feemed, the æra fixed on for governing this country by other principles, without a Houfe of Commons, and independent of the people. But are the provifions fo well cftablifhed by the wifdom and experience of our forefathers to be fet afide, and difmiffed from the abftractions and theories of innovators, on a fyftem which flood the wonder and admiration of ages? He trufted the firmnefs, the magnanimity of that virtuous and refpectable majority, who had gone fo far and done fo much, would not defert them on fo critical and trying an occafion. He trufted they would face the difficulties they had to furmount with refolution and dignity. They were in circumftances in which no House of Commons had been for many years; and as every thing about them must confequently bear a new afpect, their prefent duty was deliberation and attention. There was evidently danger in every step; and it became them to think once and again before they acted. Now was the time to make a paufe; and it certainly would be a folemn and decifive one. The fubject which demanded their confideration was unquestionably one of the moft ferious and important that ever did, or ever could demand their confideration. It was neither lefs nor more than what it became them to do under a circumftance fo novel and unprecedented in the history of a free Parliament, as to deftroy their confequence for ever, unless fome method was devifed by which their honour and independence could be faved. No man could fay this was not an object of great moment; or if any man could boldly come forward and affert that the Houfe of Commons was not in a fituation altogether peculiar to the prefent moment, he would only fay, in return, that fuch a declaration would not be less extraordinary than the fact which it denied. He trufted gentlemen, on a topic fo near to every Englishman's feelings, would excufe his repetitions, as he thought, in his confcience, too much could not be faid to rivet the novelty of the circumftance on the mind. It was at leaft unparallelled in the annals of the country, which related to our most profperous condition, and has not the fhadow of a precedent, but in those melancholy times, which are ftill the opprobrium of our hiftory,

and

and involved a series of the moft awful and affecting calamities that ever degraded and difgraced a great and brave people. If ever, therefore, any period was more big with calamity than another, if ever a defign to annihilate the Conftitution was entertained, it feemed now to be that period, and that defign. And when thould the House pause on its fituation, its duty, its importance, its interefts, its connections, and the confequences of being reduced and fuppreffed, but when a profcription ftared them in the face? For thefe, and a variety of reafons, he thought the present fubject ought to be delayed. Men's minds, at least, whoever viewed the matter as he did, could not be in a state or temperature fufficiently cool and collected to view the matter maturely and difpaffionately. They ought to be permitted leifure, that they might think on every word they faid, and every measure they adopted, left hurry or preci pitation might derange them, fo as to produce the greatest public difficulty and inconvenience. He had, from a va riety of fuch confiderations as thefe, rofe to fuggeft to the Houfe the neceffity and propriety of waving the queftion of fupplies for a very fhort date, that gentlemen might come on a future day, perfectly awake to the fituation in which they were now placed by his Majefty's antwer to the refolutions, which, by an order of the Houfe, had been laid before the Throne. He did not conceive that any very fatisfactory argument could be urged againft a propofition fo much juftified by the prefent condition of the country at large and the Houfe of Commons in particular. He called on gentlemen to confider under what a defcription they would henceforth fit in the Houfe, on the fuppofition this conteft ended in favour of the prefent Miniftry. Did it not completely overthrow their power in the Conftitution, and degrade them beneath themselves? Did it not reduce them to a ftate of the moft perfect non-entity and infignifi cance? Did it not make them as little as ever their ancestors had made them great? Did it not ftrip them of all the powers and privileges with which time, the Conftitution, and the people of England, had vefted them, and bring them back to that original infignificance in which fome of our hiftorians affect to place them? And was it not in fuch a progrefs of degradation as this, that the Houfe was interefted in making a ftand, and exerting with all its remaining vigour its laft efforts in its own prefervation? He therefore urged gentlemen, by their regard for the excellence of a

Govern

Government which had no parallel on the face of the earth, for the falvation of whatever they moft valued as men and Englishmen, for all those rights, which, having derived unimpaired from their ancestors, it was their duty, their honour, and their pride, to tranfmit unsullied to pofterity; to deliberate on where they were, how they were fituated, and to what object these very uncommon circumstances tended. He afked how they could answer to their conftituents and their own confciences, for having acted in fuch a predicament as the prefent, without caution, principle, or mature attention. These had marked, and he trufted would continue to mark, their conduct. He had a better opinion of their prudence than to imagine they were to be difconcerted or deranged by any thing they could now hear from a quarter fo evidently hoftile to their wifhes, and which had managed to act fo long independent of their confidence. He had often ftated his conceptions of the prerogatives of the Throne. The prefent queftion involved them very ma-. terially. That His Majefty had a legal right to appoint whom he pleased, and even to continue thofe whom he had appointed, to be his Minifters, in oppofition to the sentiments of this Houfe, he pretended not to difpute. But he was certain, on the other hand, the public money was trufted with the House of Commons, whofe right to distribute that money was at least not lefs legal. When, therefore, either the one or the other of these rights were afferted in the extreme, he could confider it in no other light than as a challenge; and the party thus defied was bound in duty to its own honour, calmly and deliberately to confider with itfelf whether it fhould take up the challenge or not. He did not know that any defiance more explicit and direct could be given to that House than the one which had just come from the right honourable gentleman. He hoped the House was not by any means prepared to accept of it without farther and more fedate confideration. Whatever their feelings and refentments might be, they would not, on an event fo awful and portentous, he imagined, act with temerity or indifcretion. They were driven to extremes, and the confequences undoubtedly would be with those who impofed on them a line of conduct, which it was their wish, their united defire to avoid. How long it might be proper for them to maintain fuch a fyftem of moderation and delicacy he did not know, but he was anxious they would depart from it in the prefent stage of the bufinefs as little as poffible.

poffible. He had been fingled out as conftantly enjoining a doctrine refpecting moderation and temper in the House, of which his own example was no very ftriking specimen; for fuch a turn to what he conceived to be his duty, he gave the author of it full credit. He was aware at the fame time that the sarcasm did not, or at least but flightly, affect him; for he had always obferved a material diftinction between that vehemence which originated in debate and characterised the mode of individuals, and that violence or inconfideration which often affected conduct. The heat pro

duced by argument, and the circumftances of a popular affembly, was very different from that precipitancy or temerity in action which was always the mark of weakness or defign. He was ready to plead guilty to no very common degree of warmth where the fubject ftruck him as interesting and important; but he appealed to the House, to the world at large, and to every particular in his political life, &c. whether any part of his public conduct had ever been dif tinguished by want of temper. He was happy to think that this at least was not his greatest weakness, and that the imputation fo repeatedly and farcaftically aimed at him would, on the whole, be found more perfectly applicable elsewhere (looking at Mr. Pitt) than with him. But if ever any want of temper could for a fingle moment be indulged in that Houfe; if warmth was ever juftifiable on any subject, or at any time; if any emergency rendered it neceffary for individuals to take an open and decided part in dispute, this, he prefumed, above all the very fingular contingencies which diftinguished our hiftory, demanded an immediate furrender of every disguife. The point at iffue admitted of no parley whatever. It was decided by one party. The other had no alternative but to render their decifion as wide, as refpectable, and as effective as poffible; and he had the most perfect confidence in the prudence and spirit of the House. It was on fuch occafions as the present that great and confpicuous talents were called into existence, were roused into action, were often exerted for the welfare of fociety, and the interests of mankind; and he did not doubt but the ability of the prefent House of Commons, in spite of whatever artifices were practised against them, would bear them honourably through the conflict. They would find refources in the cause of the conftitution and the people, which no other caufe could produce, and which had always, in the face of every oppofition and danger, proved ultimately triumphant.

umphant. The measures already adopted he had thought were feparately and refpectively adopted on the most solid and fubftantial grounds. Thefe had partly been justified by the event. But it was now obvious they had not produced the whole effect for which they were propofed. Others were confequently ftill neceffary. What these should be it did not become him to say, it did not become the House immediately to determine. But, in his opinion, fomething farther was neceffary. The variance ftated by the Minifter to fubfift between the Crown and the Houfe could not but give fomething like a new turn to men's feelings and ideas. He confeffed it to have impreffed him with the most awful apprehenfions; and was this a ftate of mind favourable to the difcuffion of a queftion which involved the peculiar diftinction of that Houfe? Could gentlemen deliberate maturely on a fubject, which, whatever way it might be decided, would materially affect the intereft and tranquillity of the country by its decifion? He confidered the meffage which they had heard from the Minister as a greater calamity than any this country had yet endured for a century paft; and the feelings and apprehenfions of mankind could not help being alarmed for the probable confequences of a measure that put every thing facred and valuable to the issue of who fhould ultimately prove ftrongeft. He was not ignorant by what reafoning the adjournment for which he had moved would be oppofed, though his conception could not furnish him with a fingle argument against it, which would not originate in mifrepresentation. Gentlemen on the other fide would put a conftruction on every word he adopted most perfectly foreign to his meaning. To ftop the supplies, he knew as well as any man, was an expedient which could only be justified by the laft extremity. He begged, however, to declare, that he, for one, was not yet ripe to adopt fuch a strong measure. His faculties were in a state of fufpenfion by what he had heard, which allowed him not to fay what was most proper. The hesitation of eight and forty hours could not much affect the business of the country one way or other; and this was a refpite which every afpect which could be taken of public affairs abundantly juftified. But he very folemnly and earnestly entered his proteftation against imputing to this conduct, which origi nated in delicacy for the honour of the Houfe, any thing like a defire to put off the fupplies. He knew the necefsity of these, and no man could be more averse than he was

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