which could not be allayed under the moft trying circumftances, but by the omnipo- [ 247 1 tent hand of a fingle defpot. Their con- flitution therefore allowed a temporary tyrant to be erefted, under the name of a didlator; and that temporary tyrant, after a few examples, became perpetual. They mifapplied this precedent to a peo- ple, mild in their difpofitions, patient under their trial, united for the public liberty, and affectionate to their leaders. But if from the conftitution of the Roman government there refulted to their fenate a power of fubmitting all their rights to the will of one man, does it follow, that the af- fembly of Virginia have the fame authori- ty? What claufe in our conftitution has fubftituted that of Rome, by way of refi- duary provifion, for all cafes not other- wife provided for? Or if they may fi:ep ad libitum into any other form of government for precedents to rule us by, for what oppreffion may not a precedent be found in this world of the hallitm omnium ill omnia?—Searching for the foundations of this proportion, I can find none which may pretend a colour of right or reafon, but the defed: before developed, that there being no barrier between the legiflative, executive, and judiciary departments, the legiflature may feize the whole : that having feized it, and poffeffing a right to fix their own quorum, they may reduce that quorum to one, whom they may call a chairman, fpeaker, didator, or by any other name they pleafe.—Our fituation is indeed perilous, and I hope my countrymen will be fenfible of it, and will apply, at a proper feafon the proper remedy;
which is a convention to fix the conftitution, to amend its defedis, to bind up the feveral branches of government by certain laws^ which when they tranfgrefs their a6ls fhall become nullities; to render un- neceflary an appeal to the people, or in other words a rebellion, on every infraction of their rights, on the peril that their acquiefcence fhall be conflrued into an in- tention to furrender thofe rights.