Benjamin Hoadly

"In our own Country, All Civil Freedom itself subsists in the highest Degree, by that very Freedom of Speech, which often, through Mistake or Malice, attacks Those who protect it. Liberty of finding Fault, is in a peculiar Sense the Birthright of British Freeborn Subjects. Nor shall it ever be any Argument with Me, to oppress or stifle this Liberty, that it is abused. Nay, If it sometimes becomes Exorbitant Licentiousness; I will no more admit This Exorbitance to be a Reason for taking it away, when it happens not to please or serve the Persons, or the Cause, to which I wish well; than I will plead for cutting out Men's Tongues, because They talk too freely of what They understand nothing of. If any thing be found fault with, let it be defended, if it can. If it cannot be defended, let it go on to be found fault with. The Cure of what is Evil in all this, (except in Cases of the highest Immediate Malignity to the State), is only to lie in every Man's own Breast."

"Freedom of Speech, or the Liberty of the Press, (which is only a Conveyance of that Speech to Multitudes whom the Voice cannot reach) often does Mischief. This is certain. But let It be once taken away, under what Pretence soever; and how much greater Mischiefs must follow? All the Mischiefs, of Darkness in the Intellectual World, of Baseness in the Moral World, and of Slavery in the Political World."

"To the same Revolution We owe That Limited Form of Government which is our only Security; Those Parliaments, in which Our own Consent frames Our own Laws; Those Laws so framed, and afterwards executed, in an Administration of Justice, with regard to the Affairs of Life and of Property, utterly unexperienced by any Nation of the Known World, except Ourselves."