h he has long contended for, and how easily every man prevails upon
himself to believe the security of the publick complicated with his own.
I have no other intention in these remarks, than to show how men are
betrayed into a concurrence in measures, of which, when the ardour of
opposition has subsided, and the imaginary danger is past, they have
very seldom failed to repent.

I do not remember, my lords, any deviation from the established order of
our constitution, which has not afterwards produced remorse in those
that advised it. I have known many endeavour to obviate the evils that
might be produced by the precedents which they have contributed to
establish, by publick declarations of their repentance, and
acknowledgments of their errour; and, for my part, I take this
opportunity of declaring, that though I have more than once promoted
extraordinary bills, I do not recollect one which I would not now
oppose, nor one of which experience has not shown me, that the danger is
greater than the benefit.

I have learned, at length, my lords, that our constitution has been so
formed by the wisdom of our ancestors, that it is able to protect itself
by its own powers, without any assistance from temporary expedients,
which, like some kinds of medicines in the human body, may give it the
appearance of uncommon vigour, but which, in secret, prey upon its
noblest parts, and hurry it to a sudden decay.

But none of all the measures into which I have seen parties precipitated
by acrimony and impetuosity, have I known parallel to the bill which is
now defended in this house; a bill which I hope we shall have reason to
term the wildest effort of misguided zeal, and the most absurd project
that the enthusiasm of faction ever produced.

The particular clauses of this bill have been already examined with
great acuteness and penetration, and have all been shown to be absurd or
useless. I shall, therefore, only add this observation, that the
indemnification, however liberally offered, will be wholly, at the
disposal of those who shall receive the examinations, by whom, when such
discoveries are not made as they may happen to expect, the witnesses may
be charged with reserve and insincerity, and be prosecuted for those
crimes which could never have been known but by their own confession.

It is not impossible, but that if the bait of indemnification shall be
found insufficient to produce testimonies against the noble person, a
bill o