An Inquiry into the Principles of Taxation. 9 



of (hip-money, as fubjefting the people to the 

 arbitrary will of the prince; and that a tax 



GRANTED BY PARLIAMENT is a folemn and VOLUN- 

 TARY COMPACT, between the people, and their 

 SOVEREIGN, binding the former, in all cafes what- 

 foever. This pofition implies the lower houfe 

 of parliament to have been legally and conftitu- 

 tionally chofen, and not like the packed affcmblies 

 in the reigns of Richard II. and James II. In the 

 former, the fheriffs were commanded to fuffer 

 none to be returned, as knights or burgefles, but 

 fuch as the king's council fhould nominate.* And, 

 in the latter, the illicit practices employed in 

 elefbion produced complaints from every part of 

 England. Yet fo fuccefsful were the arts of the 

 court, that James exulted in there being only 

 forty members, who were not entirely devoted to 

 his intereft. f Admitting, however, the regular 

 ele6lion of our reprefentatives, a little confideration 

 will evince, that the truft which is delegated can 

 never be unconditional -, and that the powers veiled 

 in them may lofe the force of moral obligation, 

 by palpable abufe and unrelenting perverfion. 

 Fear, felf-intereft, ignorance, or corruption may 

 predominate in their deliberations, and prevail 

 with them to facrifice the deareft interefts of thofe, 

 by whom they are commiffioned. In the reign of 



* Parliamentary Hiftorjr. f Burnet. 



Henry 



