96 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

Chap. illegal usurpation in the cro^n. That though duetin. regard had not always been paid, during this"4o. reign , to the rights of the people, yet no in-vasion of them had been altogether deliberateand voluntary; much less , the result of wantontyranny and injustice ; and still less, of a formeddesign to subvert the constitution. That to re-pose a reasonable confidence in the king , andgenerously to supply his present wants, whichproceeded neither from prodigality nor misconduct,would be the true means of gaining on his generousnature, and extorting, by a gentle violence, suchconcessions as were requisite for the establishmentof public liberty. That he had promised , notonly on the word os a prince, but also on thatof a gentleman (the expression which he had beenpleased to use) that, after the supply was granted, theparliament should still have liberty to continue theirdeliberations : Could it be suspected; that any man,any prince, much less such a one, whose wordwas, as yet, sacred and inviolate, would, forso small a motive, forfeit his honor, and, withit, all future trust and confidence, by breakinga promise, so public and so solemn ? That; evenif the parliament should be deceived in reposingthis confidence in him, they neither lost anything, nor incurred any danger ; since it wasevidently necessary, for the security of publicpeace, to supply him with money, in order tosuppress the Scottish rebellion. That he had sofar suited his first demands to their prejudices,that lie only asked a supply for a few months,

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