THE PHILANTHROPIST. MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1795. LONDON: Printed for and fold by DANIEL ISAAC EATON, Printer and Bookfeller to the Supreme Majefty of the People, at the Cock and SWINE, No. 74, Newgate ftreet. 1795 PRICE ONE PENNY. Let it be impreffed upon your minds, let it be inftilled into your children, that the Liberty of the Prefs is the Palladium of all the civil, political, and religious Rights of Freemen ! JUNIUS. THE Liberty of the fubject, and the liberty of the press, are fo intimately connected, and depend fo mutually on each other's fupport, that it is impoffible the one can furvive the deftruction of the other. One death-blow is fatal to them both, and overwhelms them in the fame grave. The hiftory of every age, and every country, bears witness to this obfervation; and it is for this cause that every virtuous, and independent citizen has ever fo jealoufly defended the freedom of liberal enquiry, and the unrestricted communication of opinion. A prince, whofe views are not confined folely to his own interefts, and aggrandizement, will never attempt to destroy this excellent prerogative of his fubjects. He will rather exert his influence to fofter it by his encouragement, and to invigorate it by his patronage. The difcovery of truth has ever been, and muft ever continue to be beneficial to the human race. Falfhood never can be fo. Ignorance and error are those fatal fources, from whence all the crimes, that ever ftained human nature have derived their birth. It is they that have polluted the current of private, and of public glory, and have converted human existence itself into a state the most abject, degraded, and calamitous. No Nation, that was not enlightened, has ever enjoyed the bleffings of liberty. It seems to have been the immutable decree of Providence, that a people, who aspire to be free, shall fofter knowledge, and diffuse the light of frience. In truth it is hardly poffible to conceive that a people can be in poffeffion of their rights, who are illiterate, and uninstructed: for liberty, if she could be obtained, unreftrained by the moderation of wisdom, would naturally degenerate into licentioufnefs, and introduce a train of horrors, and enormities as dreadful, and as deftructive in their operations, as thofe, which are introduced by the most oppreffive, and wanton defpotism. Let no opportunities then be lost of advancing the progrefs of human improvement! Let the rays of knowledge be diffused over every part of the kingdom! Let them shine upon the valley, as well as upon the proud hill, and let them irradiate the cottage of the poor man! Let the humbleft Peafant, who follows the plough, be inftructed in his rights, and let him be taught the duties of a citizen, and of a man! Above all, let us reverence the Liberty of the Prefs, as the guardian itself of literature; and confequently, let us regard the protection it holds out to us, as the great out-works, which defend us from the invafion of unconftitutional, and arbitrary oppreffion! England has been for many years a free country, because fhe the has not fuffered fetters to be impofed upon the human mind, or her exertions in the investigation of truth to be repreffed, and coerced. As long as the cherishes this liberal, and rational spririt, fhe never can be enflaved. She may labour for a while under the afflictions into which, the has been plunged by a corrupt, and most profligate administration -her revenues may be lavished away, and her best treasures exhausted for the most execrable purposes-She may feel, and she may lament, all the calamities, and all the horrid effects of an unjust, and unneceffary, crufade; but until every spark of knowledge is ftifled within her bofom-till thofe vile meafures be purfued, that fhall banish from her view fcience, knowledge, and literature, and turn loose upon fociety all the fiends of ignorance, "ne quid ufquam honeftum occurrereft;" that there may not remain one veftige of what is virtuous, lovely, and honourable-till that unhappy period shall arrive, the flame of unsubdued patriotism shall blaze with an unextinguished radiance, and shall keep alive within us the spirit of an exalted freedom.-But that day of calamity, and difafter, it is to be hoped, fhall never vifit us. England has before her eyes the choice of liberty, or of flavery; and while her children are mindful of the high duties they owe themselves, as well as to their country, their efforts, at least the efforts of every good man, will be directed to the laudable task of animating the human faculties to thofe purfuits, for which they were defigned, of teaching their fellow-fubjects to aspire at the attainments of knowledge, and to refift with all their ability every encroachment on the freedom of the prefs, that facred palladium of all our civil rights! as the only means,, which can render them worthy of enjoying, and can secure to them, the continuance of thofe bleffings, which our ancestors entailed upon us, and which it is our bounden duty to entail upon our pofterity inviolate, and undiminished. Animated with these reflections, what Englishman is there, who who can think of, without emotions of the moft painful, and afflicting nature, the late defpotic attempts, which have been made to wreft from us this peculiar privilege of his country, and this the only protection of his life, his property, and every thing dear, and facred to him! Who, but muft feel humiliation, and remorfe, that in a nation, which calls itfelf free, there fhould be at this moment lying in the dungeons of Newgate many of his countrymen, expiating the foul offence of having published to the world an infignificant pamphlet or for having printed thofe very refolutions, which his majefty's minifter was once proud of avowing, and to the obfervance of which he pledged his honour, and his piety to the dying injunctions of his illuftrious father? When fuch an arbitrary system, better calculated for the inquifitions of Spain, than the mild and merciful temper of English laws-when fuch an arbitrary system is introduced among us, it becomes every good citizen to ftand forward, and to oppose the dangerous innovation. Free communication of opinions is the birth-right of Englishmen. Investigation of truth, however obnoxious that truth may be, the genius of the conftitution under which he was born, gave him as a facred bleffing; and no power should constrain him to furrender the exercise of a right, on the exiftence of which depends his personal fecurity, as a subject, and his independence, as a man. Every human inftitution has its alloys, and its abuses. That the press has been frequently the engine, from which dangerous, and feditious publications have proceeded, no man will, or can deny; but it was affuredly becoming the wisdom of Government to confider, whether or not these publications did not carry with them an antidote to their own bane. Falfhood is quickly and eafily overthrown. It may dazzle with the fplendour of eloquence, or it may perplex for a while with the ingenuity of fophiftry; but it foon dies away, and truth triumphs over her. Befides, punishment in these cafes is attended with a very pernicious effect; for the moft contemptible perform ance, ance, by being made an object important enough for the vengeance of Government, may be, and has been often times, perfecuted into popularity; and by this unwife, and imprudent measure, introduce from that oblivion, to which it would have otherwise been configned by its own abfurdity, or infignificance, to univerfal patronage, and admiration. Let it be remembered, that this vindictive behaviour of Administration on these occafions must naturally infpire the people with fufpicions highly unfavourable to thofe meafures which it is pretended are. entered into for the preservation of their liberties, and the internal peace and harmony of the kingdom. The innocent man hears the accufation alledged against him with complacency, and ferenity. It is by mild and gentle allegations that he refutes the wicked calumny levelled against his character and reputation; or, if those fail in fubftantiating his innocence, he leaves to the progress of time to detect, and expose the malevolence, and injustice, of his accufer: but it is the nature of the guilty ever to blufter when they ftand arraigned, and to filence and drown the voice of truth, which is raised against them, by clamour, violence, or refentment. What, when applied to an individual, is founded on principles of truth and justice, when applied to a nation, muft ftand alfo on the fame firm, and unfhaken bias. Any prince, who confcientiously dif charged his duty, as the fervant of the public (for a prince is no more than a fervant of the public), who never attacked the liberties of his fubjects, to encrease his own prerogatives, or plundered their property to enrich himself-that prince, if fuch a prince can be found, has no cause to dread libel, calumny, or abuse he has no caufe to fear that the repeated voice of com plaint will ever induce his people to believe that they are aggrieved, or that they are not happy; he has no cause to tremble, left his fubjects should convert their allegiance into confpiracy, and their duty into rebellion. The prince that can lay his hand upon his heart, and lifting his eyes to heaven, fay, Hic murus aheneus efto Nil confcire miki, nullâ pallefcere culpâ, will |