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MANSFIELD
 

inhabitants of that particular place, but he represents the inhabitants of every other borough in Great Britain. He represents the city of London, and all the other commons of this land, and the inhabitants of all the colonies and dominions of Great Britain; and is, in duty and conscience, bound to take care of their interests.

With respect to what has been said or written upon this subject I differ from the noble lord who spoke of Mr. Otis[1] and his book with contempt, tho he maintained the same doctrine in some points, while in others he carried it farther than Otis himself, who allows everywhere the supremacy of the Crown over the colonies. No man, on such a subject, is contemptible. Otis is a man of consequence among the people there. They have chosen him for one of their deputies at the Congress and general meeting from the respective governments. It was said the man is mad. What then? One madman often makes many. Masaniello was mad. Nobody doubts it; yet for all that he overturned the government of Naples. Madness is catching in all popular assemblies and upon all popular matters. The book is full of wildness. I never read it till a few days ago, for I seldom look into such things. I never was actually acquainted with the con-

  1. ↑ James Otis, whose speech, "In Opposition to Writs of Assistance," may be found in volume eight of these orations. The book to which Lord Mansfield refers may have been "The Rights of the Colonies Asserted and Proved," published in London in 1765; or another work by Otis, "Vindication of the House of Representatives of Massachusetts," published in 1762.

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