a judge in its own caufe. There is fomething implanted in the breaft of man, fo attached to felf, fo tenacious of privileges once obtained, that in fuch a fituation either to difcufs with impartiality, or decide with juftice, has ever been held as the fummit of all human virtue. The bill now in question puts your Lordships in this very predicament, and I doubt not but the wisdom of your decifion will convince the world, that, where felf-intereft and juftice are in oppofite fcales, the latter will ever preponderate with your Lordships.

Privileges have been granted to Legiflators in all ages, and in all countries. The practice is founded in wisdom; and, indeed, it is peculiarly effential to the conftitution of this country, that the Members of both Houses fhould be free in their perfons in cafes of civil fuits; for there may come a time when the fafety and welfare of this whole empire may depend upon their attendance in Parliament. God forbid that I fhould advife any measure that would in future indanger the State: But the bill before your Lordships has, I am confident, no fuch tendency, for it exprefsly fecures the perfons of Members of either Houfe in all civil fuits. This being the cafe, I confefs when I fee many noble Lords, for whose judgment I have a very great refpect, standing up to oppofe a bill which is calculated merely to facilitate the recovery of just and legal debts, I am aftonished and amazed. They, I doubt not, oppose the bill upon public principles. I would not wish to infinuate that private intereft had the leaft weight in their determination.

This bill has been frequently propofed, and as frequently mifcarried; but it was always loft in the lower Houfe. Little did I think when it had paffed the C-ns, that it poffibly could have met with fuch oppofition here. Shall it be faid that you, my Lords, the grand Council of the nation, the highest judicial and legislative body of the realm, endeavour to evade by privilege thofe very laws which you inforce on your fellowfubjects?-Forbid it juftice!-I am fure, were the noble Lords as well acquainted as I am with but half the difficulties and delays that are every day occafioned in the Courts of juftice, under the pretence of privilege, they would not, nay they could not, oppofe this bill.

I have waited with patience to hear what arguments might be urged against the bill, but I have waited in vain; the truth is, there is no argument that can weigh against it. The juftice and expediency of the bill is fuch, as render it self-evident. It is a

propofition of that nature, that can neither be weakened by argument, nor intangled with fophiftry. Much indeed has been faid by fome noble Lords on the wisdom of our an ceftors, and how differently they thought from us. They not only decreed, that privilege should prevent all civil fuits from proceeding, during the fitting of Parliament, but likewise granted protection to the very fervants of Members. I fhall fay nothing on the wisdom of our ancestors; it might perhaps appear invidious, and is not neceifary in the prefent cafe. I fhall only fay, that the noble Lords, that flatter themselves with the weight of that reflection, fhould remember, that, as circumstances alter, things themfelves fhould alter. Formerly it was not so fathi. onable either for mafters or fervants to run into debt, as it is at prefent. Formerly we were not that great commercial nation we are at prefent; nor formerly were merchants and manufacturers Members of Parliament, as at prefent. The cafe now is very different, both merchants and manufacturers are with great propriety elected Members of the lower House. Commerce having thus got into the legislative body of the kingdom, privilege muft be done away. We all know that the very foul and effence of trade are regular payments, and fad experience teaches us, that there are men who will not make their regular payments without the compulfive power of the laws. The law then ought to be equally open to all; any exemption to particular men, or particular ranks of men, is in a free and commercial country a folecifm of the groffeft nature. But I will not trouble your Lordships with arguments for that which is fufficiently evident without any. I fhall only fay a few words to fome noble Lords, who forefce much inconveniency from the persons of their fervants being liable to be arrested. One noble Lord obferves, that the coachman of a Peer may be arrested while he is driving his master to the House. and confequently he will not be able to attend his duty in Parliament. If this was actually to happen, there are fo many methods by which the Member might ftill get to the Houfe, I can hardly think the noble Lord is ferious in his objection. Another noble Peer faid, that by this bill one might lofe their most valuable and honeft fervants. This I hold to be a contradiction in terms; for he neither can be a valuable fervant, nor an honeft man, who gets into debt, which he neither is able nor willing to pay, till com pelled by law. If my fervant, by unforeseen accidents, has got into debt, and I ftill with to retain him, I certainly would pay the debt. But, upon no principle of liberal le

gillation

giflation whatever, can my fervant have a title to fet his creditors at defiance; while, for forty fhillings only, the honeft tradefman may be torn from his family, and locked up in a gaol. It is monftrous injuftice! I flatter myself, however, the determination of this day will intirely put an end to all fuch partial proceedings for the future, by paffing into a law the bill now under your Lordfhip's confideration.

I come now to speak upon what, indeed, I would have gladly avoided, had I not been particularly pointed at for the part I have taken in this bill. It has been faid by a noble Lord on my left hand, that I likewife am running the race of popularity: If the noble L-d means by popularity that applaufe beftowed by after-ages on good and virtuous actions, I have long been struggling in that race, to what purpofe, all-trying time can alone determine; but if the noble L-d means that mushroom popularity that is raised without merit, and loft without a crime, he is much miftaken in his opinion. I defy the noble L-d to point out a fingle action of my life, where the popularity of the times ever had the fmalleft influence on my determinations. I thank God I have a more permanent and steady rule for my conduct-the dictates of my own breaft. Those that have foregone that pleafing advifer, and given up their mind to the flave of every popular impulfe, I fincerely pity: I pity them ftill more, if their vanity leads them to mistake the fhouts of a mob for the trumpet of fame. Experience might inform them, that many, who have been faluted with the huzzas of a croud one day, have received their execrations the next; and many, who, by the popularity of their times, have been held up as fpotlefs Patriots, have, nevertheless, appeared upon the hiftorian's page, when truth has triumphed over delufion, the affaffins of liberty. Why then can the noble Lord think I am ambiti ous of prefent popularity, that eccho of folly,

and fhadow of renown, I am at a lofs to de termine? Befides, I do not know that the bill now before your Lordfhips will be popu lar; it depends much upon the caprice of the day. It may not be popular to compel people to pay their debts; and in that cafe the prefent must be a very unpopular bill. It may not be popular neither to take away any of the privileges of Parliament; for I very well remember, and many of your Lordships may remember, that, not long ago, the popular cry was for the extenfion of privilege; and fo far did they carry it at that time, that it was faid that the privilege protected Members even in criminal actions; nay, fuch was the power of popular prejudices over weak minds, that the very decifions" of fome of the Courts were tinctured with that doctrine. It was undoubtedly an abominable doctrine, I thought fo then, and think fo ftill; but, nevertheless, it was a popular doctrine, and came immediately from those who are called the friends of liberty, how defervedly time will fhew. True liberty, in my opinion, can only exift when juftice is equally adminiftered to all; to the King and to the beggar. Where is the juftice then, or where is the law that protects a Member of Parliament, more than any other man, from the punishment due to his crimes? The laws of this country allow of no place nor no employment to be a fanctuary for crimes; and, where I have the honour to fit as Judge, neither royal favour nor popu lar applaufe fhall ever protect the guilty.

I have now only to beg pardon for having employed fo much of your Lordships time; and aim forry a bill, fraught with fo many good confequences, has not met with an abler advocate; but I doubt not your Lordfhips determination will convince the world, that a bill, calculated to contribute fo much to the equal diftribution of juftice as the prefent, requires with your Lordships but very little fupport.

GENTLEMEN,

•WE

E are directed by the Society, Supporters of the Bill of Rights, to tranfmit to you their thanks for the very honourable teftimony you have at once given

of your own fentiments, and of your approbation of their conduct.

The fame fpirit of union and mutual affifiance, which dictated your vote in our Bbb

favour,

favour, animates this Society. We fhall ever conider the rights of all our fellowfubjects throughout the British empire in England, Scotland, Ireland, and America, as ftones of one arch, on which the happiness and fecurity of the whole are founded. Such would have been our principle of action, if the fyftem of defpotifim, which has been a dopted, had been more artfully conducted; and we fhould as readily have affociated in the defence of your rights as our own, had they been feparately attacked.

But Providence has mercifully allotted to depraved hearts weak understandings : The attack has been made by the fame men, at the fame time, on both together, and will ferve only to draw us clofer in one great band of mutual friendship and fupport.

Whilft the Norman troops of the first William kept the English in fubjection, his English foldiers were employed to fecure the obedience of the Normans. This management has been too often repeated now to fucceed.

There was a time when Scotland, though then a feparate and divided nation, could avoid the fnare, and refufed, even under their own Stuarts, to inflave their ancient enemies. The chains, which England and Scotland difdained to forge for each other, England and America fhall never confent to furnish.

Property is the natural right ef mankind; the connexion between taxation and reprefentation is its neceflary confequence. This connexion is now broken, and taxes are attempted to be levied both on England and

I

America, by men who are not their refpertive Reprefentatives. Our caufe is one-our enemies are the fame. We trust our conftancy and conduct will not differ. Demands, which are made without authority, fhould be heard without obedience.

In this, and in every other conftitutional ftruggle on either fide of the Atlantic, we with to be united with you, and are as ready to give as to receive affistance.

We defire you, Gentlemen, to be perfuaded, that, under all our domeftic grievances and apprehenfions, the freedom of America is our particular attention; and these your public act and folemn engagement afford us a pleafing prefage, and confirm our hopes, that, when luxury, mifrule, and corruption fhall at length, in fpite of all refiftance, have deftroyed this noble Conftitution here, our pofterity will not, like your gallant ancestors, be driven to an inhofpitable hore, but will find a welcome refuge, where they may ftill enjoy the rights of Englishmen amongst their fellow-fubjects, the defcendants and brothers of Englishmen. We are, Gentlemen, With the greatest respect, Your moft obedient fervants and Affectionate fellow-fubjects, Chairman,

Signed, John Glynn,
Richard Oliver,
John Trevanion,
Robert Bernard,
Jofeph Mawbey,
James Townsend,
John Sawbridge,

} Treasurers.

Committee.

Dear Sifter,

Have not written to you fince I left London, that I might have the more to tell you at once. We found ourselves to ill af ter our paffage from Calais to Dover, that we had not the courage to venture a longer paffage from Harwich to Holland. A calin fea has brought us back to Calais, to take our berlin again, and continue our travels by land.

As I paffed by Dunkirk, I recol Jected the unhappy times when England had fo much the advantage of France, as to force us to demolish it: It is much to be feared that our negl&t of matitime affairs will one day again reduce us to the fame abafement. Ypres likewife recalled to my memory all we fuffered on account of its Bp. Janfenhis, who died of the plague in that city. All things perit, all things tend to decay: Ghent, that dent of the ancient Count. of Flanders, that

5

Hague, June 20, 1750.

immenfe metropolis, is half difpeopled. The churches filled with pictures by the greatcft mafters, ftill retain a Gothic fimplicity. After we had spent fome time in admiring them, we had a mind to take an airing: The coachman thereupon drove us about a fquare where we constantly faw the fame coaches, and asked him every now and then when we fhould be at the end of our jaun. You have been there and back again feveral times within this hour, anfwered he; this they call Balocher. This cuftom, which was borrowed from the Spaniards, at the time that their women lived in constraint and confinement, is faid to be ftill a common amulement with the Ladies of Madrid: That may be; but I could never take any pleasure in this fort of diverfion.

The day after this airing we bent our courie

courfe to Antwerp, through the upper part of Flanders. To prevent time from hanging heavy upon our hands, we often run into danger: We were under the neceffity of paffing the Scheld, which is in that place very broad and rapid; the ferry-boat was on the other fide; how then could we think of waiting for it above two hours? We chofe rather to leave our coach to the care of our fervants, and indifcreetly intruft ourselves to a very small skiff. The waves toffed us about a long time in imininent danger of our lives, prevented us from approaching the fhore, and obliged us to afcend by a ladder from the bark to a vellel fattened to the port, which occafioned us not a little perplexity. We at luft arrived, and, not having any carriage, we crofled the city on foot, and had the berer pportunity of feeing the Gothic tops of the houses which are higher than at Ghent, and in better condition. Not withstanding my infirm ftate of health, the habit of exercife to which I have happily accustomed myself, and the fhort English drefs, which I wear in my journey, and which is exactly fuited to my ftature, enable me to furmount the difficulties I have to truggle with. I therefore easily reached my inn, with an appetite which would have made me think the fish of Antwerp excellent, even if it had been quite the reverfe; the next day we went to fee the churches and the fine pictures which are there preferved with

care.

This was the country of Vandyke and Rubens; it can still boaft a famous painter in water-colours, whofe name is Smith; but at prefent there are but few eminent artists in this city. Commerce has been there in a declining condition, fince that of Amfterdam and Rotterdam attained to a flourishing ftate. We continued our journey to the laft-named city, through Moerdick, where we left our carriage, to embark aboard a wherry, the mafter of which refembles the Charon so much celebrated in ancient my thology. The wind was high: To encou rage us he took care to give us an account of the Prince of Orange who was drowned in this little fea in 1711: We were, however, much more eafy here than in the fhock ing polt-waggon in which we were jolted to the Maes. We paffed it twice in a ferryboat to arrive at the place of Erafmus's nativity, whofe ftatue we faw from the windows of our inn.

Rotterdam is a rich and populous city, well built; and through it there país feveral large canals fupplied with water from the Maes, upon which firft-rate veffels fail down to the midst of the city. The confufed pro

fpect of the mafts of fhips, trees planted on each fide of the canals, teeples and turrets, gave us an agreeable furprife. We were no lefs ftruck with what we found at Mr. Bifchop's, who fells all forts of thread by retail, which he himself delivers to his cuftomers in a wretched fhop. To gratify our curiofity, this old man led us with an uncouth and penfive air by a little dark faircafe to a chamber furrounded with chests of a miferable appearance, which contain notwithstanding immenfe treasures. They are above a hundred in number, filled with the choiceft Flemish pictures, antique vafes of gold and enamels, japan ware, the finest Saxon plate I ever faw, a variety of miniatures of flowers and fruits admirably done by a paftry-cook; charming landfcapes painted by a cook, which an optic glafs throws to an immenfe distance. The poffeffor of thefe masterpieces has his country-house also full of rarities; but his country-houfe is as large as his fhop is little. This fingularity gives you a juft picture of the manners of a Republic, where the rich citizen, being intirely void of pride, does not facrifice to pleasure a fingle moment, by which his opulence may be increased.

Upon leaving Rytterdam we bent our courte to Delft, where the air rung with the chimes of a hundred steeples. We there faw the tombs of Grotius and Admiral Tromp, and that of a husband and wife who died at a hundred years of age, in the fame month after having lived feventy-five years together in the ftricteft union and amity. As we had no doubt concerning the poffibility of a lafting and tender conjugal union, we ftaid but a thort time to contemplate this monument; we were much more curious to fee that erected to the memory of the Prince of Orange, alaflinated at Delft. The fculptor has reprefented a dor dead of grief for his lofs, and lying at his feet. How many leffons do thefe monuments of the vanity of human greatness fuggeft to a thinking mind!

We were full of thefe reflections in a jour ney of three leagues, which led us to the finest village in Emope. The Hague, of which I now give you a description, is an assemblage of fquares, of fine walks, of canals fomewhat muddy, and of palaces rather elegant than well-built. They are inhabited by An.baffadors, Deputies of the States, and the rich Nobility. We expected to fee nobody there but the French Ambaffador; but the Earl of Chesterfield, without ever apprifing us of it, was fo good as to write in our favour to the Earl of Holderneffe, the English Ambaffador. I never knew one of his country have a more fathi.nable air: His merit eBbb z

quala