Accountable, and by whom he is justly Censurable) he is no lawful King, nor Magistrate, but an unjust oppressive Tyrant, a mere Private Man, who by such Proceedings, hath denuded himself of his Just regal Authority: so that all those Laws made for the Defence of the Kings Person, and Sovereign Power, the Suppression of INSURRECTIONS, TREASONS, and CONSPIRACIES against him, while he Governs his People according to Law, as by OATH and DUTY he is Bound will yield no Countenance, Encouragement, or Protection to him; in such Tyrannical and cruel Oppressions, but more especially when he turns a public Enemy to his People, and proclaims OPEN WAR against them; invades their Laws, Liberties,
[print edition page 127]
and Persons, and exercises all Manner of Hostilities against them, the same as the most Barbarous and Foreign Enemy would do: It being contrary to common Sense and Reason, to suppose that our Laws, which strictly Inhibit and Punish the very smallest Violations of the Public Pease, in all other Persons, should COUNTENANCE, JUSTIFY, and PATRONIZE them in the King, the FIRST MINISTER, and supreme Fountain of Justice; and not permit the People under pain of Rebellion and Treason, so much as to defend their Lives, Liberties, Estates, and Religion, from the open Violence of the King himself, or his malignant plundering Ministers and Favourites. When as Fortescue and Bracton prove, Kings of all others, both by OATH and DUTY, ought to be more observant, and obedient to the Laws of God and the Land, than the very Meanest of their Subjects.
That Precept of St. Paul, Romans 13, 1–2–3. Let every Soul be Subject to the Higher Powers. &c.2 Means no more than this, that as long as Kings legally and justly execute the Trust committed to their Charge, and conferred on them by God and the People, they must, and ought to be OBEYED and submitted to, without the least Resistance, Private or Public; but if they degenerate into Tyrants, and turn professed Enemies to their People, by Murdering, Imprisoning, or destroying them by open Violence; or endeavouring by FORCE of ARMS, to subvert their Laws, Liberties, or Religion, and expose them as a Prey to their merciless blood thirsty Soldiers; I dare confidently to affirm, it was never the Intention of St. Paul, much less of our Laws, to inhibit Subjects, under Pain of Damnation, High in conscience Treason, or Rebellion, by defensive Arms, to resist KINGS THEMSELVES, or any of their Mercinary Adherents.
It was certainly never the Intention of the Apostle, to establish in the World, any errisistable Lawless Tyranny, or spoil of Kingdoms, and Butchery of
[print edition page 128]
Subjects, execrable to God and Man, in all Ages, and in all Persons who have resisted them, even unto Blood: he meant rather totally to suppress them. There being scarce any more pregnant Text, against the Tyranny, the boundless Prerogative, the illegal proceedings of Kings, and the higher Powers in all the Scripture, than that of Romans 13, 1st to 7th Verse, if properly understood, and rightly Interperted, as Pareus3 and others prove: therefore the Resistance of the Americans, against our Present seduced, malignant, Popish King, is no Violation of any Law of God or the Land, but a just and necessary War, which they have by every Means, to the utmost of their Power, endeavoured to prevent, and therefore no Treason or Rebellion within the meaning of any Law, or Statute; they are only arming themselves, for their own necessary Preservation, and to prevent their inevitable RUIN, they mean not OPENLY to assault the royal Army of Butchers; and I believe, there is no Divine among the whole Bench of Popish Bishops, no Casuist among the whole Tribe of venal Lawyers, except a few prostituted Court Slaves, VILLAINOUS enough to affirm, that it is Damnation in Conscience, or Treason and Rebellion in point of LAW, for our injured and suffering Fellow Subjects in America, to take up Arms for the Preservation of their Lives, their Liberties, and their Property; but would rather deem it Just and Honourable, nay, a Duty for every Englishman to venture his Life, and his Fortune in their Defence; in Defence of the dear bought Rights of his Country, and rather than Live a Slave, to die Gloriously in the Cause of PUBLIC LIBERTY.
N. B. Two Letters from CASCA are received, they came too late for this Weeks Number, but shall be made the Subject of our next. The Authors of the CRISIS beg CASCA will accept their most grateful Acknowledgements for this Favour.
Printed and published for the Authors, by T. W. SHAW, in Fleet-Streer, opposite Anderton’s Coffee House, where Letters to the Publisher will be thankfully received.
[print edition page 129]
THE
CRISIS
| NUMBER XV | To be continued Weekly. |
| SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 1775 | [Price Two-pence Half-penny. |
—Similis frondescit Virga.1—
A constant Scourge—still I’ll renew the Charge, And lash the Tyrant as his Crimes enlarge.
A Foolish King grasps at Wealth and Power, as the Ends, a Wise King uses them as the means of Government. With the one, they are Gorgeous, vain Appendages of Royalty; with the other, they are happy Instruments of Benevolence. A foolish King eyes LIBERTY askaunt, and execrates it as the bane of Greatness; a wise King knows that neither Kingdom, nor Sovereign, can be Great without it. The Fool endeavours to root up, what the Patriot King most assiduously Cultivates. A weak Prince is jealous of LIBERTY in its lowest Branches. Hence it is, that he not only strikes at the Rights and Privileges of his People, but
[print edition page 130]
is Mean enough to envy the IMMUNITIES of a CORPORATION. He starts at Shadows. In such a Reign even COMMERICAL MEETINGS are ODIOUS, because they are composed of FREEMEN. Even Common Halls are an UNLAWFUL CONGRESS; like that in America, they are deemed REBELLIOUS ASSOCIATIONS. How sophistically do ministerial Scriblers labour to draw an artful Veil over such Political Transgressions as SOVEREIGNS, without a Blush, avow? Can the sagacious Doctor Johnson (that ministerial Hackney) any longer rally the well grounded Jealousies of England and America?2 Can he now ask these Croakers of Calamity, how Slavery can be brought from America into England? If he dares, I refer him for his Answer to Lord Hertford3 (one of the State Nurserymen) who sowed a subtle Seed, or two, of Slavery, even in our Metropolis, the other Day. I hope, however, that these Seeds will be severely choaked by the rank and stubborn WEED of LIBERTY. A Weed it is now deemed in the CABINET, and in the LEGISLATURE, and in both condemned to be rooted up. A Crop far more promising is expected. The Experiment of raising it by SLOW DEGREES, has just been made. His MAJESTY, sick of all ADDRESSES but those of his FAITHFUL PARLIAMENT, has just declared, “That he will not receive on the Throne, any ADDRESS, REMONSTRANCE, or PETITION, of the Lord Mayor, and Aldermen of the City of London, but on their CORPORATE CAPACITY.” Thus is the Notice worded by Lord Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice (not of the Ceremonies) but of England.—The Reason, or rather the DESIGN of this, is Plain. For all Acts done in their CORPORATE
[print edition page 131]
CAPACITY, the City of London is Responsible as a CORPORATION. Neither the Proceedings, the Resolves, nor the CONGRESS of a COMMON HALL, can forfeit the CHARTER of the City; the Offences, (such as Petitions) of the City, as a CORPORATION, may. In the one Case, they act in their Political Capacity; in the other, they do not. The Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Liverymen, are Individuals; but the CORPORATION has but one Neck. This ministerial Mouse-Trap, is baited by a Lord Chief Justice of England, whose Duty it most clearly is (for I will Teach it him) to carry the Balance with an even and an equal Hand, between the just PREROGATIVES of the CROWN, and the undoubted PRIVILEGES of the SUBJECT.
I make no doubt but a Mansfield and a Thurloe will conduct the intended Scheme as well as a Jefferies, or a Sawyer. The memorable Case of the SEVEN
