ies, was exposed to every outrage and violation: and that the
more openly the king made an unreasonable demand, the more obstinately
ought it to be refused; since it is evident, that his purpose in making
it cannot possibly be justifiable.

On the other hand, it was urged, that the rule of watching the very
first encroachments of power could only have place where the opposition
to it could be regular, peaceful, and legal: that though the refusal of
the king's present demand might seem of this nature, yet in reality it
involved consequences which led much further than at first sight might
be apprehended: that the king in his speech had intimated, that he
had resources in his prerogative, which, in case of opposition from
parliament, he thought himself fully entitled to employ: that if the
parliament openly discovered an intention of reducing him to dependence,
matters must presently be brought to a crisis, at a time the most
favorable to his cause which his most sanguine wishes could ever have
promised him: that if we cast our eyes abroad to the state of affairs on
the continent, and to the situation of Scotland and Ireland; or, what
is of more importance, if we consider the disposition of men's minds at
home, every circumstance would be found adverse to the cause of liberty:
that the country party, during the late reign, by their violent, and in
many respects unjustifiable measures in parliament, by their desperate
attempts out of parliament, had exposed their principles to general
hatred, and had excited extreme jealousy in all the royalists and
zealous churchmen, who now formed the bulk of the nation: that it would
not be acceptable to that party to see this king worse treated than his
brother in point of revenue, or any attempts made to keep the crown in
dependence: that they thought parliaments as liable to abuse as courts;
and desired not to see things in a situation where the king could not,
if he found it necessary, either prorogue or dissolve those assemblies:
that if the present parliament, by making great concessions, could gain
the king's confidence, and engage him to observe the promises now given
them, every thing would by gentle methods succeed to their wishes: that
if, on the contrary, after such instances of compliance, he formed any
designs on the liberty and religion of the nation, he would, in the eyes
of all mankind, render himself altogether inexcusable, and the whole
people would join in opposition