‘ 
1802.7 Letters between T. Mercer, efq. & the Ri. Hon. E. Burke. 31? 
ORIGINAL LETTERS between the late 
THOMAS MERCER, ESQ. of DUBLIN, 
and the RT. HON. EDMUND BURKE. 
To the Editor-of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, Dublin, March 20, 1802. 
-JAVING in a Memoir on the cha- 
racter of the late Mr. “Thomas 
Mercer of this city (publifhed in your 
Magazine for December) encouraged a 
hope, that I might give to the public a 
correfpondence which took place between 
him and the late Mr. Edmund Burke, on 
the fubjeét of the French Revolution, at 
its firft commencement, I take an early 
opportunity of tranfmitting it for iniertion 
in your valuable Mifcellany. M. 
- Io the Right Hon. Edmund Burke. 
DEAR SIRy 
My veneration for your character was 
great before I had the honour of your 
perfonal acquaintance, and it was not di- 
minifhed when I had the pleafure of feeing 
and converfing with you. I had tong 
confidered you the determined enemy of 
tyranny and oppreffion of every kind— 
the friend of man—and of every thing 
which might promote his felicity. 
It was therefore with extreme furprize 
that I read, in my Englifh newfpaper of 
laft poft, the impu‘ation to you of fenti- 
ments exceedingly inimical to what is 
thought by many a moft glorious revolu- 
tion m France. 
The newfpaper reprefents you as com- 
plaining, that the National Affembly had 
totally fubverted their ancient form of 
government, and that they had alfo fub- 
verted their church. 
To complain of the fubverfion of a go- 
‘-vernment implies a belief of its having 
¢ 
been a good one. But I cannot perfuade 
myfelf to think that fuch was your opi- 
nion of the defunét government of France. 
Every body has read, more or Icfs, of the 
late French Government; but every one 
has not been in France, as I have been, 
to fee how it operated to the diftrefs and 
vexation of the people. I faw fo much 
of this, that the word government never 
had a place in my mind when I confidered 
the condition of the French peuple. Ina 
word, I faw nothing but the moft defpotic 
tyranny, the fubverfion of which would, 
as I thought, give the greateft pleafure 
to every fincere lover-of civil liberty, of 
whatever nation he might be. 
With refpe&t to the fubverfion of the 
church, it does not appear that any change 
in its doftrine has been attempted. In 
its difcipline there may be foie altera- 
Monru_y Mac. No, 86. 
tion, as it is probable the National Affem.- 
bly will enlarge thole exemptions from 
the jurifdiétion of the Court of Reme 
which it formerly enjoyed, and which 
were called the privileges of the Gallican 
Church. For the reft—if to take from 
pampered and luxurious prelates a part of 
thofe fumptuous livirgs which were ac- 
cumulated in the times of ignorance and 
fuperftition, and to provide for the more 
comfortable fubfittence of parifh-priefts, 
be the fubverfion of a church, millions of 
good men and good Chriftians will heartily 
with (for the honour of true religion, 
diftinét, from pageantry and hypocrify) 
that all fuch may in this manner be {pee- 
dily fubverted. 
Suffer a plain independent man to make 
fome further obfervations, : 
Power over our fellow. men, by what- 
ever means it has been acquired—whe- 
ther by fraud or force, or thoughtlefs-ac- 
quiefcences—feems to be confidered by its 
poffcffor as his dearet birthright. He 
would lofe his right hand, or even his life, 
rather than” part with a jot or tittle of it. 
He extends it from objeét to objeét until the 
yoke becomes too heavy and too galling 
to be longer borne. And by what means 
are the aggrieved to get rid of it? Not 
by the moft reafonable and eloquent re- 
prefentations—not by the moft humble 
and abject interceflions; for both would 
be equally fcouted and laughed to fcorn— 
not by an appeal to the laws of the coun- 
try, for the laws were made under the 
influence of the power complained of, and 
with a view to its perpetuation. There 
is, therefore, no remedy to be found bug 
in what is called a Revolution; the inten- 
tion of which being either to curtail, or 
annul, or place in other hands, the powers 
which be, it cannot be effegted without 
fome convulfion; nor is it poffible fo to 
order the matter, but in fome cafes many 
individuals may fuffer injury and outrages 
and this, as far as it goes, is to be la- 
mented. But, if it ends in freedom, in 
the deliverance of a nation from the def- 
potifm of one man, no price can be thought 
too dear to pay for it. ; 
T flatter mytelf, my dear Sir, that you 
do not differ eflentially from the fenti- 
ments expreffed in this letter. I am_ per- 
fuaded you feel, and wiil always acknow- 
ledge, that there cannot be a government 
fit for rational beings to live under and 
fubmit to, but where the legiflative part 
of it is chiefly compofed of the reprefen- 
tatives of the bulk of the people, freely 
and unbiaffedly eleGted. The new French 
Government promifes to be fuch a one; 
Lue ana 
