REFORM, (PARLIAMENTARY.) HAPPILY, France was not then jacobinized, (1780.) Her hoftility was at a good distance. We had a limb cut off; but we referved the body. We loft our colonies; but we kept our conftitution. There was, indeed, much inteftine heat; there was a dreadful fermentation. Wild and favage infurrection quitted the woods, and prowled about our streets in the name of reform. Such was the diftemper of the public mind, that there was no madman, in his maddeft ideas, and maddeft projects, that might not count upon numbers to fupport his principles and execute his defigns. Many of the changes, by a great mifnomer called parliamentary reforms, went, not in the intention of all the profeffors and fupporters of them, undoubtedly, but went in their certain, and, in my opinion, not very remote effect, home to the utter destruction of the conftitution of this kingdom. Had they taken place, not France, but England, would have had the honour of leading up the death-dance of democratic revolution. Other projects, exactly coincident in time with thofe, ftruck at the very existence of the kingdom under any conftitution. There are, who remember the blind fury of fome, and the lamentable helpleffness of others; here, a torpid confufion, from a panic fear of the danger; there, the fame inaction from a ftupid infenfibility to it; here, well-wifhers to the mifchief; there, indifferent lookers-on. At the fame time, a fort of National Convention, dubious in its nature, and perilous in its example, nofed parliament in the very feat of its authority; fat with a fort of fuperintendance over it; and little lefs than dictated to it, not only laws, but the very form and effence of legiflature itself. In Ireland things ran in a ftill more eccentric courfe. Government was unnerved, confounded, and in a manner suspended. It's equipoife was totally gone. I do not mean to fpeak difrefpectfully of Lord North. He was a man of admirable parts; of general knowledge; of a verfatile understanding fitted for every fort of bufinefs; of infinite wit and pleafantry; of a delightful temper; and with a mind moft perfectly difinterested. But it "would be only to degrade myself by a weak adulation, and not to honour the memory of a great man, to deny that he wanted fomething of the vigilance, and spirit of command, that the time required. Indeed, a darkness, next to the fog of this awful day, loured over the whole region. For a little time the helm appeared abandoned Ipfe diem noctemque negat difcernere cœlo Letter to a noble Lord. REFORMATION. REFORMATION is one of thofe pieces which must be put at fome diftance in order to please. Its greatest favourers love it better in the abftract than in the fubftance. When any old prejudice of their own, or any interest that they value, is touched, they become fcrupulous, they become captious, and every man has his feparate exception. Some pluck out the black hairs, fome the grey; one point muft be given up to one; another point must be yielded to another; nothing is fuffered to prevail upon its own principles: the whole is fo frittered down, and dif jointed, that fcarcely a trace of the original fcheme remains! Thus, between the refiftance of power, and the unfyftematical procefs of popularity, the undertaker and the undertaking are both expofed, and the poor reformer is hiffed off the ftage, both by friends and foes.Oecon Reform. REFORMATION. A SPIRIT of reformation is never more confiftent with itfelf, than when it refufes to be rendered the means of deftruction. Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs. REFORMATION, Its Effects. (See REVOLUTION (FRENCH) RELIGION, POLITICS, NEW SYSTEM.) THE laft revolution of doctrine and theory which has happened in Europe, is the Reformation. It is not for my purpose to take any notice here of the merits of that Revolution, but to ftate one only of it's effects. That effect was to introduce other interefts into all countries, than thofe which arofe from their locality and natural circumstances. The principle of the Reformation was fuch, as by it's effence, could not be local or confined to the country in which it had it's origin. For inftance, the doctrine of " Juftification by Faith or by Works," which was the original bafis of the Reformation, could not have one of it's alternatives true as to Germany, and false a to every other country. Neither are queftions of true and theoretic falfehood, governed by circumftances, any more than by places. On that occafion, therefore, the fpirit of profelytifm expanded itself with great elafticity upon all fides, and great divifions were every where the refult. These divifions, however, in appearance merely dogmatic, foon became mixed with political; and their effects were rendered much more intenfe from this combination. Europe was, for a long time, divided into two great factions, under the name of Catholic and Proteftant, which not only often aliemated ftate from ftate, but alfo divided almost every flate within itfelf. The warm parties in each ftate were more affectionately attached to thofe of their own doctrinal intereft in fome other country than to their fellow-citizens, or to their natural government, when they, or either of them, happened to be of a different perfuafion. These factions, whenever they prevailed, if they did not abfolutely deftroy, at least weakened and diftracted the locality of patriotism, the public affections came to have other motives and other ties. Although the principles to which it gave rife, did hot operate with a perfect regularity and conftancy, they never wholly ceafed to operate. Few wars were made, and few treaties were entered into in which they did not come in for fome part. They gave a colour, a character, and direction to all the politics of Europe. Memorial on the Affairs of France in 1791. REASON AND AUTHORITY. To reason is not to revolt against authority: Reafon and authority do not move in the fame parallel. That reafon is an amicus curia who fpeaks de plano, not pro tribunali; who makes an useful fuggeftion to the Court, without queftioning its jurifdiction.Whilft he acknowledges its competence, he promotes its efficiency.Regicide Peace. REPRESENTATION (VIRTUAL.) (SEE IRISH VIRTUAL reprefentation is that in which there is a communion of interefts, and a fympathy in feelings ånd defires between thofe who act in the name of any description of people, and the people in whofe name they act, though the trustees are not actually chofen by them. This is virtual reprefentation. Such a representation I think to be, in many cafes, even r better than the actual: it poffeffes moft of its advan tages, and is free from many of its inconveniences it corrects the irregularities in the literal reprefentation, when the fhifting current of human affairs, or the acting of public interefts in different ways, carry it obliquely from its firft line of direction. The people may err in their choice; but common intereft and common fentiment are rarely mistaken. But this fort of virtual reprefentation cannot have a long or fure existence, if it has not a fubftratum in the actual. The member must have fome relation to the conftituent.--Letter to Sir H. Langrishe, M. P. REPRESENTATIVE, HIS DUTÌ. In my opinion, it is our duty when we have the defires of the people before us, to purfue them, not in the fpirit of literal obedience, which may militate with their very principle, much lefs to treat them with a peevifh and contentious litigation, as if we were adverfe parties in a fuit. It would, Sir, be moft difhonourable for a faithful reprefentative of the commons, to take advantage of any inartificial expreffion of the people's wifhes, in order to frustrate their attainment of what they have an undoubted right to expect. We are under infinite obligations to our constituents, who have raised us to fo diftinguifhed a truft, and have imparted fuch a degree of fanctity to common characters. We ought to walk before them with purity, plainnefs, and integrity of heart; with filial love, and not with flavish fear, ': which is always a low and tricking thing.—Ibid. REST AND LABOUR. PROVIDENCE has fo ordered it, that a state of reft and inaction, however it may flatter our indolence, fhould be productive of many inconveniencies; that it fhould generate fuch diforders, as may |