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If the People could be brought to submitt to & relish the
innovation, the Scheme that has been handed about in
discourse for dissolving that present joint Aristocracy
the source of so many bickerings & jealousies, & panelling
it out into so many little independent Sovereignties
seems to promise no inconsiderable advantage in the simplifying of this head of Law.
It is certain the bulk of the People in a very large
proportion would be no loosers, they are restrained already
from intermeddling with these pursuits by Laws
which either are or ought to be if suffered at all sufficient
for the purpose for which they are made — on the
contrary they would be gainers by the abolition of these
odious and unpopular preferences: preferences which are
an wanton & useless violation of that equality which the
Laws of every commonwealth in proportion as they are good
labour to compass & secure by all gentle methods.
If the maximum "preferences which are given to Riches, as"
"such, at the expense of poverty should be paid for" were
steadily pursued,(& surely there is no instance in which
it would be more reasonable to pursue it)& a man's —
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having much was not looked upon as a reason why—
abstracted from every considisation of merit, much—
should be given to him nor a man's having little why
that should be taken away from him even of that
little which he hath, it would be thought but reasonable
that those who have not the property of the Soil
to shew as the foundation of their claim to the Animals
that sustain themselves by it's produce should do
something towards easing those of a part of the common
burthen by the exclusion of whom the privileges
they wish for is to be confered: that even the owners
of the Soil could give some compensation for the surrender
of those rights which Nature made concurrent with &
oemulous of their own: I treat this power as
a natural right, which has even been considered as
such by Jurists & which they are very well warranted
so to consider by the many circumstances indicative
of "general expectation of such a right, the only
origin and title/ as I have towards v. Introduction of natural rights
where original Utility stands neuter.
THEFT. Game.
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If so, this may be performed by a licence to be taken out
at a certain price for the killing of Game; or what seems
more certain of collection by a Stamp to be put on all
barrels of such a length as to them for this purpose
the right of keeping arms for the defence of a man's house
which do not require any such length, would thus still
Qu whether the Clergy to be exempted? be left untaxed & entire: in plain terms a blunderbuss —
will do perfectly well as a weapon for defence but will
this to take...of Lords of Manors.not as a fowling-piece for Sporting.
But observe — this then will save the right of
having arms, & so preserve the appearance of liberty;
it will put an end to the occasions of having
arms; & so not provide for the reality.
It is good perhaps, that there shall always
actually be a supply of arms in the
hands of the people at large — as a check
upon the standing army at the disposal of
the executive power: and as a check even
upon the Legislative power itself.
While this is the case the people will
have the less reason to fear from such augmentations
as various contingencies may
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render necessary in the military force; & an
honest Parliament may have the less scruple
in consenting establishing to them.
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Identifier: | JB/070/241/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 70.
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070 |
of laws in general |
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241 |
theft game |
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001 |
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copy/fair copy sheet |
1 |
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recto |
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[[watermarks::gr [crown motif] [britannia with shield motif]]] |
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23356 |
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