very little reflection will fhew how fit it is. What might be the cafe, if, upon occafion of any great queftion in parliament, a fet of bailiffs, with writs in their pockets (which any man whatever may be liable to at almost any hour) had it in their power to take poffeffion of the avenues to St. Stephen's chapel, and arreft particular members when going to it? Or to fuppofe the cafe of misfortunes in trade, or otherwife, happening to a very worthy man, who is a member of parliament, and who, being once chofen, must continue fo; would it be for the good of the public, or the fafety of the ftate, that an action for debt fhould fequeftrate fuch a member, perhaps one of the most useful in the house, or that the fear of imprisonment should tempt his otherwise incorruptible honefty. The perfons of members are free, because they are not their own masters, but are the fervants of their conftituents. They originally were forced to accept the place, and might yet, if neceffary, be compelled to fill the office of representation. The public has a right to their attendance in parliament: and the rights of the public, every body knows, prevail, in all things, over the rights of individuals, however facred in other refpects. Members of parliament enjoy abfolute freedom in their bodies, that their minds may be at large; the one fuperior to influence, while the other is above reftraint: the defign of it is, that the fulfilling the duties of their station may not depend up on extraneous and contingent circumitances, which ought not to interfere with an object of fo great moment. That this is the true idea of the privilege is apparent from this, that the fame is, by ftatute, given to the members of convocation, when called upon by the king; it being fuppofed, that the business and duty they meet together for is effential to the public weal. And upon the fame principle, the fervants both of the members of parliament L 2 liament and of convocation have the benefit of privilege; because their attendance and fervice is neceffary to their masters. They have it from a regard to their mafters, as their maflers have it from a regard to the public, and to their conftituents, whom they serve in that honourable truft. I do not argue from a fuppofition of arbitrary and illegal acts of power, which might yet produce worse effects than mere civil arrefts: I will not fuppofe that any fuch thing can ever happen in this country, while our conftitution remains entire: but every body muft fee this might afford a ftrong, though a more invidious illuftration of the neceffity there is that the perfons of members of parliament fhould be fecure. I have mentioned what I apprehend to be the real principle of the privilege of parliament: and I think, whoever attends to it, muft, without any large difcuffion of it, fee that it rests upon a folid foundation, and is intended for the most important purposes. When thefe, and the limitations attending it, are duly weighed, against any inconveniences, real or imaginary, that may follow from it, when kept within the bounds, within which the law has circumfcribed it, I am perfuaded that no thinking or impartial perfon will fee any caufe to wish it to be diminished, in any degree, or upon any account; much lefs to be alarmed with it as an object of terror and fource of danger. I imagine it muft, on the contrary, appear to be a very valuable branch of the conftitution, a main pillar of the independency of parliament, effential to the ftrength and stability of that great bulwark of our rights and liberties; and that any infringment of it is an interefting object to all true Englishmen. And I will ald, that to endeavour, by mifrepresentations and falfe colours, to mislead the ignorant, or inflame the hafty, with unfavourable notions of this privilege, to me appears to be a very high indignity to parlia parliament; and injurious, in a great degree to the whole realm; at the fame time that it is more the mark of party and of prejudice, than the fruit of fober reafon and found judgment, or of good difpofitions. CANDOUR. Anecdote. PRAY inform the public, that a great perfonage, who once filled the higheft poft in the law, has declared it as his opinion that Mr. Wilkes is not entitled to privilege of parliament, in cafe of his being the writer of the North Briton, No. 45. The two learned perfons who now fill the highest departments of that profeffion are entirely of the fame opinion. Remarks upon it. I COULD not, without the higheft indignation, read that unfigned letter, which defires the printer, with a great air of authority, to inform the public, that a great perfonage had declared it as his opinion, that Mr. Wilkes was not entitled to privilege of parliament in cafe of his being the writer of the North Briton, No. 45; and that the two learned perfons who now fill the highest departments in that profeffion are entirely of the fame opinion. It is fo far lucky, that it appears to have come from fome low hand, because it is nonfenfe; as the queítion of privilege muft have been decided before it could appear who was the author of the North Briton, and confequently could not depend upon that after enquiry. But no one who knows any thing of the three noble lords pointed at, can hefitate a moment to pronounce what that anonymous herald of faction L 3 pro proclaims, an infolent and fcandalous falfhood 3 equally difrefpectful to thofe great perfonages, as full of indignity to the other learned and honourable judges, for whom they always express the highest honour and regard. These great lords know well how unbecoming it would be (and indeed nothing is more unlike that character) to give judgment in a cause they had not heard, or to reverse a sentence, the grounds of which they are unacquainted with. But they are remarkable, all of them, for their prudence in avoiding to form, much more to declare opinions on difputed points, except in judgment. Yet this filly fellow expects to be believed, when he takes upon him to inform the world of their opinion, as if he had been fecretary of a meeting held to declare it, although his ignorance of what is decent and proper, which appears from his pretending to publifh what he ought not to have revealed if it had been true, is an undeniable proof that he is below the character that could entitle him to be in company with any of them. This letter has evidently been defigned to pafs for a ministerial fquib and really if it was poffible to fufpect that adminiftration, or the friends of it, employed one to trumpet forth fuch impertinence, contempt would be rather too flight a cenfure for the weaknefs of their conduct. But it furely cannot be; for no body, that has the most moderate fhare of good fenfe, can fuppofe people are fo weak as to fwallow down fuch felf-apparent improbabilities, or to be bullied with fuch knock downs of pretended authorities. Yet many will be ready to believe, that this fame unauthentic proclamation came from a fecretary of ftate's office, or fome other quarter of power; and the poor creature, who is the real author of it, and very likely meant to ferve the minifters by it, did not confider what hurt his officious endeavours would really do the patrons he wanted to pleafe. 1 His performance is really nothing less than an attempt to fet the king's courts by the ears, and to make the world believe, that party has got into the tribunals of justice, and that fo many of the judges are with, and so many against the ministry. But it is our happiness, that thofe days are over, in which the court had its favourites upon the benches of judgment, and new men must arife before any could be found capable of fuch prostitution, if it was defired. The king who now reigns is fo good, that he does not need it; he is fo juft, that he does not defire it; and, thank God, if he did, he could not procure it. But they are either enemies or very injudicious friends of his majefty, who can think of doing any thing that has fo ugly an afpect as that foolish paragraph that has been fent to be put in the papers; and I wish it had not been inferted. The leaft effect it can have is to vilify and weaken government, and it may produce most disagreeable confequences. One of the KING'S FAST FRIENDS. Opinions of the Attorney and Solicitor relative to N Otwithstanding the many invidious infinuations of blunders committed by the fecretaries of state, it is well known, that no step relative to Mr. Wilkes's commitment was taken without the advice of the attorney and folicitor general; and that those two great law officers of the crown both delivered their opinions in writing, that the North Briton, No. 45, was an infamous and feditious libel, tending to inflame the minds, and alienate the affections of the people from his majefty, and excite them to traiterous infurrections against his government.' It is alfo univerfally known, that they have farther declared their opinions to be, that the publica |