s broke through all their toils, is before them. But what will
all their efforts avail? No sooner has he wounded one than he strikes
down another dead at his feet. For my own part, when I saw his attack
upon the king, I own my blood ran cold. Not that he has not asserted
many bold truths: yes, sir, there are in that composition many bold
truths, by which a wise prince might profit. It was the rancour and
venom with which I was struck. But while I expected from this daring
flight his final ruin and fall, behold him rising still higher, and
coming down souse upon both houses of parliament;--not content with
carrying away our royal eagle in his pounces, and dashing him against
a rock, he has laid you prostrate, and kings, lords, and commons, thus
become but the sport of his fury." Soon after this Sergeant Glynn moved
for a committee to inquire "into the constitutional power and duty
of juries." His motion was opposed by Fox, and supported by Dunning,
Wedderbume, Burke, and others. Fox opposed it because it was said that
"the people complained of the perversion of law," and he laid himself
open to the following severe remarks from the lips of Burke:--"That
there should be found, he said, gentlemen who would annihilate the
people, and acknowledge no other voice than that of this house, is
to me, not at all surprising, because the conduct of the most violent
sticklers for this doctrine has not deserved much applause or favour
from them; but that they should have renounced reason and common sense
so far as to maintain that the majority of this assembly is the only
organ by which their sentiments can be expressed, is, to me, truly
surprising. For where, in the name of wonder, should the house acquire
the necessary knowledge or intelligence? Is it by turning these musty
old volumes, or by rummaging these gaudy boxes which lie on your table?
No! they contain none of these mysteries. How then are they to be
explored? Is there any virtue or inspiration in these benches or
cushions, by which they are to be communicated, or does the echo of
these walls whisper the secret in your ears? No! but the echo of every
other wall, the murmur of every stream, aye! the hoots and hisses of
every street in the nation, ring it in your ears, and deafen you with
their din. The people have a voice of their own, and it must, it will
be, sooner or later heard: and I, as in duty bound, will always
exert every nerve and every power of which I am master, to