OF THE UNION OF LAWS. 79 



seat of the kingdom, and the example of the king 

 resting here with us, our manners will quickly be 

 there, to make all things ready for our laws ? And 

 lastly, the naturalization, which is now propounded, 

 is qualified with such restrictions as there will be 

 enough kept back to be used at all times for an ada 

 mant of drawing them farther on to our desires. 

 And therefore to conclude, I hold this motion of 

 union of laws very worthy, and arising from very 

 good minds ; but yet not proper for this time. 



To come therefore to that, which is now in ques 

 tion it is no more but whether there should be a dif 

 ference made, in this privilege of naturalization, be 

 tween the &quot; ante-nati&quot; and the &quot; post-nati,&quot; not in 

 point of law, for that will otherwise be decided, but 

 only in point of convenience ; as if a law were now 

 to be made &quot; de novo.&quot; In which question I will at 

 this time only answer two objections, and use two 

 arguments, and so leave it to your judgment. 



The first objection hath been, that if a difference 

 should be, it ought to be in favour of the &quot; ante-nati,&quot; 

 because they are persons of merit, service, and proof; 

 whereas the &quot; post-nati&quot; are infants, that, as the Scrip 

 ture saith, know not the right hand from the left. 



This were good reason, Mr. Speaker, if the ques 

 tion were of naturalizing some particular persons by 

 a private bill ; but it hath no proportion with the 

 general case ; for now we are not to look to respects 

 that are proper to some, but to those which are 

 common to all. Now then how can it be imagined, 

 but that those which took their first breath, since this 



