HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
gison of their detestable opinion . 
Was it not the duty , as well as the 
interest, of the legislature, to arm 
itself with every precaution? Every 
man that valued his country, and 
its constitution, would, on this occa» 
sion, come forward, and join, with 
heart and hand, in its preservation 
frem the calamities that must be- 
fall it, were the French, and their 
English adherents, to succeed in 
their designs against this country, 
It was against those united enemies 
the present bill entirely militated ? 
it- was inimical to no Englishman 
that loved his country. Inthe actual 
circumstances of affairs, it was the 
only remedy applicable to the mis- 
chiefs meditated by our foes abroad 
and at home, who, if not impeded 
in their plans, by the measures so 
judiciously proposed, would con- 
tinue to carry them on, tillil might 
become highly difficult to frustrate 
them. These plans were, undeni- 
ably to overturn every political insti- 
tution differing from that established 
in France, which they boastingly as- 
serted was the only just and lawful 
one in Europe. He would ask every 
man of spirit and patriotism in that 
house, and in the whole nation, 
whether such presumption were sup- 
portable? Could it be deemed uns 
just to take up arms against so as- 
suming and arrogant a people, or to 
iframe acts for the counter-acting of 
those among ourselves, who were 
either so weak, or so wicked, as to 
abet them? The bill he allowed 
to be of a nature hitherto unknown, 
and new to the ideas of the peo- 
ple of this country ; but extraor- 
dinary cases required extraordinary 
treatment. Enormities, uncommonly 
atrocious, must be encountered by 
laws adéquately severe. Such was 
the rage that actuated the enemies 
(27 
to government, that they had cim 
culated opinions and sentiments 
tending, unequivocally, to affect the 
king’s life. Could the legislature, 
consistently with its professed attach- 
ment to the sovereign, and, with ils 
own reputation and dignity, pass by, 
unpunished, so execrable a violation 
of all principles on which the con- 
stitution of the land, and.the peace 
of the public was founded? Did 
ever any government suffer indivi- 
duals, of this character, openly to 
meet and consult together in the 
face of day? They had too long 
been tolerated, and it were a dis 
grace to parliament, and would 
argue pusillanimity, to allow them 
to meet any more. No such meet- 
ings were permitted by the new con- 
stitution lately adopted in France, 
however the rulers in that country 
might be ready to avail themselves 
of our imprudence, in having so 
long,and so unpardonably connived 
at them. 
In reply to these allegations, it 
was observed, by Mr, Gray, that 
ministry, after exulting in the ex 
tinction of democratic principles, 
operated by their vigilance, now 
came forward with a bill, which 
they founded on the necessity of ob« 
viating the alarming progress they 
had made, and were daily making, 
throughout the nation: to whick 
of these assertions were we to give 
credit? If those principles were 
not extirguisheds ministry had been 
deceived, or had endeavoured to 
deceive the public. If they were, 
inreality, extinguished, the bill they 
proposed to pass against them origi- 
nated from other motives ; and those 
could be no other, than to silence 
the complaints of the people, en- 
raged at their misconduct, and, 
chiefly, at their persisting in it, not- 
wighstanding 
