But, however, we now see him exalted to be an independent sovereign; he defies the Company at the head of their armies and their treasury; that name that makes all India shake was defied by one of its pensioners.
Edmund Burke: “But, however, we now see him exalted to be an independent sovereign; he defies the Company at the head of their armies…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke reflects on the precarious nature of power, exemplified by a former subordinate defying the British East India Company.
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They have little regard to the obvious consequences of their doctrine, though they may see that it leaves positive authority in very few of the positive institutions of this country.
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The engagement and pact of society, which generally goes by the name of the Constitution, forbids such invasion and such surrender.
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