Page:Trenchard Tracts 074-124.djvu/5

 ''in all Kinds of Men, Bribery, Treachery, Profanenes, Atheim, Prodigality, Luxury, and all the Vices that a remis and corrupt Adminitration, and a univeral Neglect of the Public. It is natural to run from one Extreme to another; and this Policy will at lat turn upon any Court that ues it; for if they hould be reolv'd to give all Offices to Parliament-men, the People will think themelves under a Neceity to obtain a Law that they hould give none, which has been more than once in our own Time. Indeed, though there may be no great Inconvenience in uffering a few that have Places to be in that Houe, uch as come in naturally, without any indirect Means, yet it will be fatal to us to have many: For all wie Governments endeavour as much as poible to keep the Legilative and Executive Parts aunder, that they they may be a Check upon one another. Our truts the King with no Part of the Legilative but a Negative Voice, which is abolutely neceary to preerve the Executive. One Part of the Duty of the Houe of Commons is to punih Offenders, and redres the Grievances occaion'd by the Executive Part of the Government; and how can that be done if they hould happen to be the ame Perons, unles they would be publick-pirited enough to bang or drown themelves?''

But in my Opinion, in another Thing of no les, we deviated in Charles'' the Second's Time from our Contitution; for though we were in a Capacity of Offenders, yet we did not know legally who they were. The Law has been always very tender of the Peron of the King, and therefore has dipos'd the Executive Part of the Government in uch proper Channels, that whatoever Excees are committed, they are not imputed to him, but his Miniters are accountable for them: His Great Seal is kept by his Chancellor, his Revenue by his, his Laws are executed by his Judges, his Fleet is manag'd by his Lord High Admiral, who are all  for their Mibehaviour. Formerly all Matters of State and Dicretion were debated and reolv'd in the Privy Council, where every Man ubcrib'd his Opinion, and was anwerable for it. The late King Charles was the firt who broke this mot excellent Part of our, by ettling a Cabal or Cabinet Council, where all ''