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The Dissenters are neither Tories nor Republicans, but friends tothe principles of the Revolution. Notwithstanding the virulenceof Mr. Burke’s invective against him, I give entire credit to whatDr. Price has said of himself and of the Dissenters, in the fol-lowing extract from his Sermon preached, April, 1787, before thesupporters of a new academical institution among Protestant Dis-senters : — “I cannot help taking this opportunity to remove a« very groundless suspicion with respect to myself, by adding,“That so far am I from preferring a government purely repub-“ lican, that I look upon our own constitution of government as-“ better adapted than any other to this country, and in theory“ excellent. I have said in theory, for in consequence of the in- *“ crease of corruption and the miserable inadequateness of our“ representation, it is chiefly the theory and form of our const-itution that we possess; and this I reckon our first, and worst,

“ and greatest grievance. What I say of myself I believe to be“ true of the whole body of British subjects among Protestant “ Dissenters. I know not one among them who would not trem-“ ble at the thought of changing into a democracy our mixed form“ of government, or who has any other wish with respect to it“ than to restore it to purity and vigour, by removing the defects“ in our representation, and establishing that independence of the“ three states on one another, in which its essence consists.”

But it may be said that I have not stated the whole question,inasmuch as the Dissenters are enemies to the Church-establish-ment, and that the State is so allied to the Church that he who isunfriendly to the one must wish the subversion of both. I thinkthis reasoning is not just: a man may certainly wish for a change