He
claims a privilege of systematic inconstancy, a privilege of
prevarication, a privilege of contradiction,--a privilege of not only
changing his conduct, but the principles of his conduct, whenever it
suits his occasions. But I hope your Lordships will show the destroyers
of that wise constitution, and the destroyers of those records which are
to be the securities against malversation in office, the discoverers and
avengers of it, that whoever destroys the discoverer establishes the
iniquity; that, therefore, your Lordships will bind him to his own
declarations, given on record under his own hand; that you will say to
this unfaithful servant of the Company, what was said to another
unfaithful person upon a far less occasion by a far greater authority,
"Out of thy own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant."

* * * * *

Having gone through what I have been instructed might be necessary to
state to your Lordships concerning the Company's constitution, (I mean
the real inside, and not the shell of its constitution,)--having stated
the abuses that existed in it,--having stated how Mr. Hastings
endeavored to perpetuate and to increase and to profit of the abuse, and
how he has systematically endeavored to destroy, and has in some
instances in fact destroyed, many things truly excellent in that
constitution,--if I have not wasted your time in explanation of matters
that you are already well acquainted with, I shall next beg leave to
state to you the abuse in some particulars of the other part of the
public authority which the Company acquired over the natives of India,
in virtue of the royal charter of the present Mogul emperor, in the year
1766 [1765?].

My Lords, that you may the better judge of the abuse Mr. Hastings has
made of the powers vested in him, it will be expedient to consider a
little who the people are to whose prejudice he has abused these powers.
I shall explain this point with as much brevity as is consistent with
the distinctness with which I mean to bring the whole before your
Lordships; and I beg to observe to you that this previous discourse,
rather explanatory than accusatorial, (if I may use the expression,) is
meant rather to elucidate the nature of the matter to come before you in
regular charges than as proof of the charges themselves.

I know that a good deal of latitude is allowed to advocates, when
opening a cause in a private court, to indulge themselve