icular reason for
exposing myself as the champion for this author, whoever he may be,
yet I cannot forbear to affirm, that I read some passages with
conviction, and that, in my opinion, they require a different answer
from those which have been yet offered; and that the impressions which
have been made upon the people, will not be effaced by clamour and
rage, and turbulence and menaces, which can affect only the person of
the writer, but must leave his reasons in their full force, and even
with regard to his person, will have very little effect; for though
some men in power may be offended, it will not be easy to quote any
law that has been broken by him.

On this occasion I cannot but animadvert, I hope with the same pardon
from the house, as has been obtained by the honourable gentleman whom
I am now following, upon an expression in frequent use among the
followers of a court, whenever their measures are censured with spirit
and with justice. The papers which they cannot confute, and which they
have not yet been able to obtain the power of suppressing, are
asserted to _border_ upon treason; and the authors are threatened with
punishments, when they have nothing to fear from a reply.

Treason is happily denned by our laws, and, therefore, every man may
know when he is about to commit it, and avoid the danger of
punishment, by avoiding the act which will expose him to it; but with
regard to the _borders_ of treason, I believe no man will yet pretend
to say how far they extend, or how soon, or with how little intention
he may tread upon them. Unhappy would be the man who should be
punished for _bordering_ upon guilt, of which those fatal _borders_
are to be dilated at pleasure by his judges. The law has hitherto
supposed every man, who is not _guilty_, to be _innocent_; but now we
find that there is a kind of medium, in which a man may be in danger
without guilt, and that in order to security, a new degree of caution
is become necessary; for not only crimes, but the borders of crimes
are to be avoided.

What improvements may be made upon this new system, how far the
borders of treason may reach, or what pains and penalties are designed
for the _borderers_, no degree of human sagacity can enable us to
foresee. Perhaps the borders of royalty may become sacred, as well as
the borders of treason criminal; and as every placeman, pensioner, and
minister, may be said to border on the court, a kind of sanctity may
be communi