The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 12 (of 12)Burke, Edmund
History
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 12 (of 12)
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820; Political science -- Early works to 1800
My Lords, I shall soon close our proceeding for this day, because I wish
to leave this part of our charge strongly and distinctly impressed upon
your Lordships' memory, and because nothing can aggravate it. I shall
next proceed, in the farther examination of the prisoner's defence, to
dissipate, as I trust we have done, and as I hope we shall do, all the
miserable stuff they have given by way of defence. I shall often have
occasion to repeat and press upon your Lordships that that miserable
defence is a heavy aggravation of his crime. At present, I shall
conclude, leaving this part of our charge with the impression upon your
Lordships' minds that this pretended rebellion was merely an
insurrection against the English, excited by their oppression.
If the rebellion was against the Nabob, or if he was the author of the
oppression which caused it, why do the English only appear to be
concerned in both of them? How comes it that the Nabob never appears to
have expressed any resentment against the rebels? We shall prove beyond
a doubt, that the Begums had nothing to do with it. There was, indeed,
as I have already said, what may be called a rebellion; but it was a
rebellion against--not the Nabob, but in favor of the lawful prince of
the country,--against the usurpers of his authority and the destroyers
of his country. With this, as a rebellion, Mr. Hastings has charged
these women; he has charged them with a war against their son, for the
purpose of exterminating the English. Look, I pray you, at the whole
business, consider all the circumstances of it, and ask yourselves
whether this is not a charge, not only so grossly improbable, but so
perfectly impossible, that there is not any evidence which can make it
even plausible. Consider next, my Lords, on the other side, the evidence
of their innocence, and then ask yourselves whether any additional
matter could make its probability in the least degree more probable. My
Lords, the evidence we have produced is neither more nor less than that
of almost all the persons who have had a share in exciting that
rebellion, and who, to justify their own horrible cruelty, have
attempted to charge the natural consequences of that cruelty upon these
unhappy women.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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