have seen what he says about an act of Parliament. Do you
not now think it rather an extraordinary thing, that any British subject
should, in vindication of the authority which he has exercised, here
quote the names and institutes, as he calls them, of fierce conquerors,
of men who were the scourges of mankind, whose power was a power which
they held by force only?

As to the institutes of Genghiz Khan, which he calls arbitrary
institutes, I never saw them. If he has that book, he will oblige the
public by producing it. I have seen a book existing, called Yassa of
Genghiz Khan; the other I never saw. If there be any part of it to
justify arbitrary power, he will produce it. But if we may judge by
those ten precepts of Genghiz Khan which we have, there is not a shadow
of arbitrary power to be found in any one of them. Institutes of
arbitrary power! Why, if there is arbitrary power, there can be no
institutes.

As to the institutes of Tamerlane, here they are in their original, and
here is a translation. I have carefully read every part of these
institutes; and if any one shows me one word in them in which the prince
claims in himself arbitrary power, I again repeat, that I shall for my
own part confess that I have brought myself to great shame. There is no
book in the world, I believe, which contains nobler, more just, more
manly, more pious principles of government than this book, called the
Institutions of Tamerlane. Nor is there one word of arbitrary power in
it, much less of that arbitrary power which Mr. Hastings supposes
himself justified by,--namely, a delegated, subordinate, arbitrary
power. So far was that great prince from permitting this gross, violent,
intermediate arbitrary power, that I will venture to say the chief thing
by which he has recommended himself to posterity was a most direct
declaration of all the wrath and indignation of the supreme government
against it. But here is the book. It contains the institutes of the
founder of the Mogul empire, left as a sacred legacy to his posterity,
as a rule for their conduct, and as a means of preserving their power.

* * * * *

"Be it known to my fortunate sons, the conquerors of kingdoms, to my
mighty descendants, the lords of the earth, that, since I have hope in
Almighty God that many of my children, descendants, and posterity shall
sit upon the throne of power and regal authority, upon this account,
having established la