If they had set up this new, experimental government as a necessary substitute for an expelled tyranny, mankind would anticipate the time of prescription, which through long usage mellows into legality governments that were violent in their commencement.
Edmund Burke: “If they had set up this new, experimental government as a necessary substitute for an expelled tyranny, mankind would…”
On the recordJanuary 1, 1790
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Edmund Burke
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gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Discussing the legitimacy of new governments, Burke explains that even those born of violence can gain legal standing over time if they are a necessary replacement for tyranny.
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