than the jesters on its privileges are to be shamed out of their knavery.-To use the expression of the immortal Nelson ;-" ENG 66 LAND EXPECTS EVERY MAN TO DO HIS DUTY." He is a traitor to her who suffers himself to be either frowned or laughed out of his duty. NATIONAL PILLARS. (An Epigram from Canynge's Chest.) SAYS Hal, a placeman,-" What vile stuff In spite of W--rd--e's ranting: King, lords, and commons, jurymen, Will not all this content ye? Such pillars have we"-" Yes," cries Ben, "And cater-pillars plenty." And Jacob sod pottage; and Esau came from the field; and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob: Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said: Sell me this day thy birthright. and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said: Swear to me; and he sware unto him; and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles, and he did eat, and drink, and rose up and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.” GENESIS, c. xxv, v. 29, and seq. IF Edom was the Hebrew term of reproach for a man who sold his birthright to fill his maw, in those days, it has long ceased to be so in these days, when we are overrun by Edomites, who have sold the country to ministers, and themselves to the devil; for we cannot believe that any less punishment awaits a traitor to his country, which is the highest species of all treasons. There was a time when members of parlia ment received a daily pay, whilst on duty, from their constituents; of which Andrew Marvel is the last example on record. These gentlemen then acknowledged themselves the servants of their constituents, and would adopt no very important measure without having previously consulted with, and been instructed by them. In the reign of King Edward III. (four hundred years ago) we have two remarkable instances of the commons refusing new subsidies without consulting with their constituents. In the licentious days of Charles II. we meet with many addresses from counties, cities, and corporations, not only thanking their members for their past conduct, in bringing the authors of bad advice to condign punishment, and asserting their undoubted right of petitioning, but also exhorting them to persevere in the same laudable endeavours; requesting them not to consent to any money-bill till their 657937 grievances should be redressed; and promising to stand by them, in the pursuance of these ends, with their lives and fortunes. This firmness of the people put the court upon the diabolical device of bribing the members with part of their spoils of their constituents, and then began that system of corruption, whose weight now threatens to drag the nation into the abyss of bankruptcy, if not to annihilate its existence as a nation. Many members of Charles II.'s long parliament were men of broken fortunes, and lived upon their privileges and pensions. It was a maxim with them that they must not give the king too much at a time, lest he should have no more occasion for them; so they were to take care not to starve the court, lest they themselves should be starved by the same means. A list of the pensioners of this long parliament was extant in 1695. The sum of £252,467 was given in bribes in less than three years, besides other vast sums expended in dinners by Coplestone, Wiseman, and other court-bro |