The second is like unto the first,--"That the said colonies and
plantations have been made liable to, and bounden by, several subsidies,
payments, rates, and taxes, given and granted by Parliament, though the
said colonies and plantations have not their knights and burgesses in
the said high court of Parliament, of their own election, to represent
the condition of their country; by lack whereof they have been
oftentimes touched and grieved by subsidies, given, granted, and
assented to, in the said court, in a manner prejudicial to the common
wealth, quietness, rest, and peace of the subjects inhabiting within the
same."
Is this description too hot or too cold, too strong or too weak? Does it
arrogate too much to the supreme legislature? Does it lean too much to
the claims of the people? If it runs into any of these errors, the fault
is not mine. It is the language of your own ancient acts of Parliament.
Non meus hic sermo, sed quae praecepit Ofellus
Rusticus, abnormis sapiens.
It is the genuine produce of the ancient, rustic, manly, home-bred sense
of this country. I did not dare to rub off a particle of the venerable
rust that rather adorns and preserves than destroys the metal. It would
be a profanation to touch with a tool the stones which construct the
sacred altar of peace. I would not violate with modern polish the
ingenuous and noble roughness of these truly constitutional materials.
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