re.

But we must purposely shut our eyes, if we consider this matter merely
as a contest between the House of Commons and the electors. The true
contest is between the electors of the kingdom and the crown; the crown
acting by an instrumental House of Commons. It is precisely the same,
whether the ministers of the crown can disqualify by a dependent House
of Commons, or by a dependent Court of _Star Chamber_, or by a dependent
Court of King's Bench If once members of Parliament can be practically
convinced that they do not depend on the affection or opinion of the
people for their political being, they will give themselves over,
without even an appearance of reserve, to the influence of the court.

Indeed a Parliament unconnected with the people is essential to a
ministry unconnected with the people; and therefore those who saw
through what mighty difficulties the interior ministry waded, and the
exterior were dragged, in this business, will conceive of what
prodigious importance, the new corps of _king's men_ held this principle
of occasional and personal incapacitation, to the whole body of their
design.

When the House of Commons was thus made to consider itself as the master
of its constituents, there wanted but one thing to secure that House
against all possible future deviation towards popularity: an _unlimited_
fund of money to be laid out according to the pleasure of the court.

To complete the scheme of bringing our court to a resemblance to the
neighboring monarchies, it was necessary, in effect, to destroy those
appropriations of revenue, which seem to limit the property, as the
other laws had done the powers, of the crown. An opportunity for this
purpose was taken, upon an application to Parliament for payment of the
debts of the civil list; which in 1769 had amounted to 513,000_l._ Such
application had been made upon former occasions; but to do it in the
former manner would by no means answer the present purpose.

Whenever the crown had come to the commons to desire a supply for the
discharging of debts due on the civil list, it was always asked and
granted with one of the three following qualifications; sometimes with
all of them. Either it was stated, that the revenue had been diverted
from its purposes by Parliament; or that those duties had fallen short
of the sum for which they were given by Parliament, and that the
intention of the legislature had not been fulfilled; or that the money
required to