Political Quotes

Edmund Burke: If so, very ill would the purchase of Magna Charta have merited the deluge of blood which was shed in order to have the…

On the record
If so, very ill would the purchase of Magna Charta have merited the deluge of blood which was shed in order to have the body of English privileges defined by a positive written law.
Said by
Edmund Burke

Editor's note · Context

Burke reflects on the historical significance of the Magna Carta and the bloodshed it entailed for defining English rights.

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