rturning the liberties of their country."--Let.
11.
I will now present their doctrine of _equal rights_:
_Common Sense._
"Mankind being originally equals in the order of
creation, the equality could not be destroyed by
some subsequent circumstance....
"As the exalting one man so greatly above the
rest, can not be justified on the equal rights of
nature...."
_Junius._
"In the rights of freedom we are all equal....
"The least considerable man among us has an
interest equal to the proudest nobleman."--Let.
37.
"When the first original right of the people, from
which all laws derive their authority," etc.--Let.
30.
"Those sacred original rights which belonged to
them before they were soldiers."--Let. 11.
"For all men being originally equals, no one by
birth could have a right to set up his own family
in perpetual preference to all others forever, and
though himself might deserve some decent degree of
honors of his cotemporaries, yet his descendants
might be far too unworthy to inherit them. One of
the strongest _natural_ proofs of the folly of
hereditary right in kings, is, that nature
disproves it, otherwise she would not so
frequently turn it into ridicule by giving mankind
an ass for a lion."
"Those original rights of your subjects, on which
all their civil and political liberties depend....
"If the English people should no longer confine
their resentment to a submissive representation of
their wrongs; if, following the glorious example
of their ancestors, they should no longer appeal
to the creature of the constitution, but to that
high Being who gave them the rights of humanity,
whose gifts it were sacrilege to surrender; let me
ask you, sir, upon what part of your subjects
would you rely for assistance?"--Address to the
king, Let. 35.
While I am upon the subject of king, I will present their views in this
place. And I would call attention to the severity of the language:
_Common Sense._
"In England, a king hath little more to do than to
make war and give awa
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