Page:Letters of Junius, volume 2 (Woodfall, 1772).djvu/163

Rh other. They who have uniformly denied the power of the whole legilature to alter the decent of the crown, and whoe ancetors, in rebellion againt his Majety's family, have defended that doctrine at the hazard of their lives, now tell us, that privilege of parliament is the only rule of right, and the chief ecurity of the public freedom.—I fear, Sir, that, while forms remain, there has been ome material change in the ubtance of our contitution. The opinions of thee men were too aburd to be o eaily renounced. Liberal minds are open to conviction.—Liberal doctrines are capable of improvement.—There are proelytes from atheim, but none from upertition.—If their preent profeions were incere, I think they could not but be highly offended at eeing a question concerning parliamentary privilege unnecearily tarted at a eaon o unfavourable to the houe of commons, and by o very mean and inignificant a peron as the minor Onlow. They knew that the preent house of commons, having commenced hotilities with the people, and degraded the authority of the laws by their own example, were likely enough to be reited per fas & nefas. If they were really friends to privilege, they would