Page:England's alarm!.djvu/30

[ 26 ] interfere in the debates of his Parliament; for either interference would be equally illegal. Consequently, if any Judge pretends to an exclusive right of deciding upon the law, and the intent of the culprit, is not this assuming the privilege of the peer or equal, contrary to the spirit of the Constitution? A bad Judge, like a bad Prince, will imitate the arbitrary class of his predecessors. There is great art in undermining the trial in matters of libel. It at once strikes at the very root of our liberty : For upon the freedom of the press stands the privileges of England. If the Judges, therefore, be allowed, my Lord, to decide upon the law in libellous cases, it will prove to be in time as effectual an imprimatur as ever was in this country previous to the Revolution. Prevent only the people from communicating their free and unbiased sentiments in print to one another, and arbitrary Monarchy, Aristocracy, or Democracy, again rear their heads. The freedom of debate, and the liberty of speech, will soon follow. Juries will come