388 Assembly Proceedings, June 17-July 8, 1746.

L.H.J.
Liber No. 46
[How is
omitted
after but]

not so much How I am to behave but your Electors must demean
themselves towards you under this New Claim of Privilege and it is
now become the Cause of every individual Man of the Province
In my Answer I contented my self with making some Observa-
tions on the Statute of 1^st of W^m & Mary declaring the Rights and
Liberties of the Subject and this you mention under the Title of the
Bill of Rights which Mistake of Appellation is very excusable since
I am satisfied by the Reasoning on the Law part of your Paper no
Lawyer was consulted with I did not go any Further Back than the
Statute not doubting but the Force of the Very Words with my Re-
marks and your Own Knowledge in that Point would have Satisfied
you how ill founded your pretended Privilege is: But as I now find
that by any Helps you Can get you appear to had very little Insight
into this Point I must give as good an Account as I can at present of
this Prevelege of Freedom of Speech in General after which I shall
enter into a Discussion of so much as (I can understand) of what
you have advanced on that Head and also shew the Consequences of
your Extraordinary Doctrine to the Liberty and Freedom of your
Electors.
By the Noble Historian of the Civil Wars (whose Authority and
Reasoning on this point stand unquestionable at this Day) Freedom
of Speech and Freedom from Arrest are the Chiefest Privileges
Access to the King and Corespondence by Conference with the Lords
are rather of the Essence of their Councils than Privileges But as
the Freedom of Speech is the only point before Us I shall Confine my
self to the Consideration how that Has Been from Time to Time
I am not acquainted with any Statute before the 4^th Hen. 8^th Cap.
6^th on this Point, " That all suits Accusements Condemnations Exe-
cutions Amerciaments Punishments Corrections Charges & Imposi-
tions that had Been then put upon Richard Strode and every of
his Complices that were of that parliament or should be of any other
Parliament for any Bill Speaking Reasoning or Declaring of any
matter or Matters Concerning the Parliament to be communed or
Treated of should be utterly Void and of no Effect.
M^r Petit remarks on this Statute " That it was not introductive
of any new Law nor did it give any new Privilege to the Members
of Either House of Parliament, but was only Declaritive of the An-
cient Customs and Usage of Parliament.
If this is the Privilege with regard to the Freedom of Speech
how can my Behaviour in Consideration with M^r Smith be accounted
a Breach of it. was he sued, accused, condemned, executed, amerced
punished, or corrected, was he obliged to pay any Charges or Impo-
sitions ? And you will find that M^r Petit who was Compiler of every
Instance in the support of Parliament And its privileges does not
pretend to prove that what passes in Conversation even in an angry