Page:Common sense - addressed to the inhabitants of America.djvu/17

Rh But the will of the King is as much the law of the land in Britain as in France, with this difference, that intead of proceeding directly from his mouth, it is handed to the people under the more formidable hape of an act of Parliament. For the fate of Charles the firt hath only made Kings more ubtile—not more jut.

Wherefore laying aide all national pride and prejudice in favour of modes and forms, the plain truth is, that it is wholly owing to the contitution of the People, and not to the contitution of the Government, that the Crown is not as oppreive in England as in Turkey.

An enquiry into the contitutional errors in the Englih form of government, is at this time highly neceary; for as we are never in a proper condition of doing jutice to others, while we continue under the influence of ome leading partiality, o neither are we capable of doing it to ourelves while we remain fettered by any obtinate prejudice. And as a man who is attached to a protitute is unfitted to chooe or judge of a wife, o any prepoeion in favour of a rotten contitution of government will diable us from dicerning a good one. being originally equals in the order of creation, the equality could only be detroyed by ome ubequent circumtance. The ditinctions of rich and poor may in a great meaure be accounted for, and that without having recoure to the harh ill-ounding names of oppreion and avarice. Oppreion is often the conequence, but eldom or never the means of riches; and though avarice will preerve a man from being neceitouly poor, it generally makes him too timorous to be wealthy.

But there is another and greater ditinction, for which no truly natural or religious reaon can be aigned, and that is, the ditinction of Men into and. Male and female are the ditinctions of nature—good and bad the ditinctions of Heaven; but how a race of men came into the world o exalted above the ret, and ditinguihed like ome new pecies, is worth enquiring into, and whether they are the means of happines or of miery to mankind.

In the early ages of the world, according to the cripture chronology, there were no Kings; the conequence of which was, there were no wars; it is the pride of Kings which throws mankind into confuion. Holland, without a King, hath enjoyed more peace for this lat century, than any of the Monarchical governments in Europe. Antiquity favours the ame remark; for the quiet and rural lives of the firt Patriarchs hath a happy omething in them, which vanihes away when we come to the hitory of Jewih Royalty.

Government by Kings was firt introduced into the world by the Heathens, from whom the children of Irael copied the cutom. It was the mot properous Rh