1 7 93' tn parliamentary reform. 229 



disguise the sentiments, and good sense of the nati- 

 on ; that nine millions of the ten, adore, and wisely 

 judge of their constitution as of their watch, by its 

 going, rather than its construction, which they have 

 not the mania be pretend to be competent judges 

 of; and indeed I think that if even your politicai 

 philosophers did the same, it would be no great 

 slur on their wibdom, whilst they might flatter the 

 people whom they ^'ourt, by repeating to them one 

 of their favourite proverbs, that the proof of tht 

 pudding is the eating of tt ; and surely it never was 

 more applicable, as ;t ccrtdinly is the operation and 

 influence of a constitution, on the libtrt , proper- 

 ty, and happinefs of a ptople, that real wise men 

 fhould look at, not its construction ; and m my opi- 

 nion, ftinuld cherifh and support a good one, to what- 

 ever number of springs, checks, tifc. such a ra.>ral 

 machine owes its divine qualities ; especially as we 

 have a recent example of the extreme difficulty of 

 composing or.e, even by the united efforts of all the 

 philosophers of a nation locked upon as che most 

 enlightened and civilized of modern times ; a.nd 

 although they even had to work upon what thej 

 themselves thought the most clear and simple prin- 

 ciples ever a It-gicature pofscfsed. 



I recollect a remark made by a very able mecha- 

 nic, which I thought at the time a most luminotis 

 explanation of what may be the cause of our con- 

 stitution answering so well, with all the theoretic 

 faults imputed to it. Having demanded a reason, 

 why wc sometimes find a low priced watch on the 



