The still-born Ignorance of antiquity, Quirk'd into life to cozen freemen by, Lawyers call Custom; and, for custom, draw On custom still, to still call custom, _Law!_ So 'rules' the _Bench_, and so the maxim takes, The fault one age commits, no age forsakes! Begot by fools, maintain'd by knaves and fools, Improved by craft in error's public schools; With shifting face, with loose and stammering tongue, The juggling fraud has plagued the world too long; Modern encroachments on our freedom makes, And backs it with our fathers' old mistakes: As if our rev'rence, to their virtues due, Should recommend their crimes and follies too! This vapour Custom, this mere wand'ring cloud Puffs the crown'd wretch, and helps to make him proud. Persuades him to believe it must be true, Homage to Law, becomes the _Tyrant's_ due! {165} Thus Priestcraft preaches, and thus Lawyers draw An after age, to call a custom--Law! And yet this boasted, ever-quoted thing, Fails in the point--fails to support the king: For though by custom, kings have learn'd to ride A few vile minions, to support their pride, The people always have opposed the cheat, It never was their custom to submit; The Practice of the people made the name, For practices and customs are the same; And custom this one mighty truth will tell, When kings grow tyrants, nations will rebel. The people may, for custom gives assent, Dethrone the man, to save the Government! If any say the practice is not so, Let them to England for examples go. England the Right Divine of kings profess'd * And all the marks of slavery caress'd; Long courted chains, but'twas in court disguise, And holy fraud conceal'd the sacred lies-- * Sir Robert Filmer, the great champion of Divine Right having defended it in print, Algernon Sidney drew out a system of original power, and government according to the laws of God, nature, and reason. Before it was finished, the friends of Divine Right seized the manuscript, and finding Sidney's arguments un-answerable, they laid aside the work, and fell upon the man; --so they cut off his head, merely because they could not an-swer his book. The Church the mountebank, the King the jest, The _wheedled monarch_, and the _wheedling priest!_ James proved the patient, crouching, loyal tribe, But let his fate their loyalty describe! {166} With life-and-fortune, churchmen back'd the crown, * In crushing all men's freedom but their own.