Porcupine's Works Author:William Cobbett Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE TRIAL OF REPUBLICANISM, INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. i HE prefent have been called " the days of difloyalty," and, in proof of the juftice of the appellat... more »ion, the clamours for what has been termed conjlitutional and -parliamentary reform have been cited. But, when I recolleft having heard, that, forty years ago, a pair of fleeve-buttons were enhanced to triple their value by the words Wilkes and Liberty, imprinted on the rim ; when I recoiled, that the fame paltry device, (lamped upon the pot, gave the fancied tafte of ftingo to the vapid and muddy dribblings of the barrel; when I recollect, that a miferable adventurer, without anceftry, without fortune, without character, without any thing but impudence, obfcenity and blafphemy to recommend him, fucceeded, merely by coupling his name to that of liberty, in terrifying Britiih Juftice from her purpofe, and in making the very bafts of the Throne; when I recolle£t thefe things, I cannot believing, that, notwithstanding the proceed ings of the Whig Club, we are quite as loyal, and not quite hfooliffi, as our fathers. But, Sir, from whatever fource political delufion may come, by whatever means it may be propagated, and in whatever degree it may prevail, can its prevalence ever be conducive either to the intereft or honour of the nation ? Can it enlarge our under- flandings, or ftrengthen the integrity of our hearts ? Can it leffen our wants, or increafe our comforts? At home can it ever make us happy ? Abroad can it ever make us feared, or refpected ?—Experience, fad experience, fays IO. .Qn the contrary, it is the caufe of all our calamities and difgraces, do- meftic and foreign. It is a flow but deadly poifon to Britain. Amidft thofe bleflings, which are the envy of her neighbours, it makes her peevifh, male- contented ...« less