Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/160

144 law. Which is alo declared by the ame tatute 1 W. & M. t. 2. c. 2. and is indeed a public allowance, under due retrictions, of the natural right of reitance and elf-preervation, when the anctions of ociety and laws are found inufficient to retrain the violence of oppreion.

thee everal articles conit the rights, or, as they are frequently termed, the liberties of Englihmen: liberties more generally talked of, than thoroughly undertood; and yet highly neceary to be perfectly known and conidered by every man of rank or property, let his ignorance of the points whereon they are founded hould hurry him into faction and licentiounes on the one hand, or a puillanimous indifference and criminal ubmiion on the other. And we have een that thee rights conit, primarily, in the free enjoyment of peronal ecurity, of peronal liberty, and of private property. So long as thee remain inviolate, the ubject is perfectly free; for every pecies of compulive tyranny and oppreion mut act in oppoition to one or other of thee rights, having no other object upon which it can poibly be employed. To preerve thee from violation, it is neceary that the contitution of parliaments be upported in it’s full vigor; and limits, certainly known, be et to the royal prerogative. And, latly, to vindicate thee rights, when actually violated or attacked, the ubjects of England are entitled, in the firt place, to the regular adminitration and free coure of jutice in the courts of law; next to the right of petitioning the king and parliament for redres of grievances; and latly to the right of having and uing arms for elf-preervation and defence. And all thee rights and liberties it is our birthright to enjoy entire; unles where the laws of our country have laid them under neceary retraints. Retraints in themelves o gentle and moderate, as will appear upon farther enquiry, that no man of ene or probity would wih to ee them lackened. For all of us have it in our choice to do every thing that a good man would deire to do; and are retrained from nothing, but what would be pernicious either to ourelves or our fellow citizens. So that this review of our itua- tion