The Virginia Gazette

To the FOOL.

When I consider what a dismal Scene of Blood and Devastation hath appeared upon the Theatre of Europe, during the Growth and Progress of the French Power, I cannot sufficiently applaud and admire our happy Situation, whilst other Nations have been miserably harassed by a perpetual War : For lying open to continual Invasion, they can never enjoy Quiet and Security, nor take a sound Sleep, but Hercules like, with Clubs in their Hands : So that these Halcyon Days, which we enjoyed amidst such an universal Hurricane, must be solely attributed to our tutelar God Neptune, who with a Guard of winged Courers, so strongly intrenches us, that we may be said to be mediâ ineparabiles undâ, and not unfitly compared to the Earth which stands fixed and immoveable, and never to be shaken but by an internal Convulsion,

And as Nature has been thus liberal to us in our Situation, so the Luxuriancy of our Soil makes it productive of numerous Commodities, fit for Trade and Commerce. And as this Trade renders us Masters of the Silver and Gold of the East and West, without our toiling in the Mine, so it breeds us Multitudes of able-bodied and skilful Seamen, to defend the Treasures they bring Home, that even Luxury itself, which has been the Bane and Destruction of most Countries, where it has been predominant, may in this Sense be esteemed our Preservation, by breeding up a Race of Men among us, whose Manner of Life will never suffer them to be debauched, or enervated with Ease and Idleness. But we have one Thing more to boast of, besides all these Felicities, that is, of being Free-men and not Slaves ; when an universal Deluge of Tyranny has over-spread the Face of the whole Earth: So that this is the Ark, out of which if the Dove be sent forth, she will find no resting Place 'til her Return.

Our Constitution is a limited mixed Monarchy, where the King enjoys all the Prerogatives necessary to the Support of his Dignity and Protection of his People, and he is only abridged from the Power of injuring his own Subjects. In Short the Man is loose, but the Beast is bound, and our Government may truly be called an Empire of Laws, and not of Men; for every Man has the same Right to what he can acquire by his Labour and Industry, as the King has to his Crown, and the meanest Subject hath his Remedy against him in his Courts at Westminster; no Man can be imprisoned unless he has transgressed a Law of his own Making, nor be try'd, but by his own Neighbours; so that we enjoy a Liberty scarce known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. And let the extraordinary Power granted to the Crown, should lean towards arbitrary Government, or the tumultuous Licentiousness of the People should incline towards a Democracy, the Wisdom of our Ancestors, hath instituted a middle State, viz. of Nobility, whose Interest it is to trim this Boat of the Commonwealth, and to screen the People against the Insults of the Prince, and the Prince against the Popularity of the Commons; since, if either Extreme prevail so far as to oppress the other, they are sure to be overwhelmed in their Ruin ; and the Meeting of these three States in Parliament, is what we call our Government ; for without all their Consents no Law can be made, nor a Penny levied upon the Subject : This is the grand Inquest of the Kingdom, where the People may and ought to speak their Grievances, and call to Account overgrown Criminals, who are above the Reach of ordinary Justice; so that whilst we can continue in our present happy Condition, we may without Vanity reckon ourselves the happiest People in the World. Whether we are indebted for these great Blessings, more to the Accident of our happy Situation, or our own Wisdom, Integrity and Courage, I will not pretend to determine ; when we see most Nations in Europe over-run with Oppression and Slavery, where the Lives, Estates and Liberties of the People, are subject to the lawless Fancy and Ambition of the Prince, and the Rapine and Insolence of his Officers, where the Nobility that were formerly the bold Assertors of their Country's Liberty, are now only the Ensigns and Ornaments of the Tyranny, and the People Beasts of Burden, and barely kept alive to support the Luxury and Prodigality of their Masters. To enquire how these unhappy Nations lost their Liberty, and we as yet preserved Ours, may be the Subject of some future Paper.

I am, Sir,
Your assured Friend, and humble Servant,
LIBERTAS.