THE

VOICE of the PEOPLE.

That ill-understood maxim, that God explains himself in the Voice of

the People, authorizes the commonalty to triumph over sound judgment,

and erect to themselves a tribunitial authority, capable of oppressing,

and bearing down the dignity of literature. This is an error that is

pregnant with an infinity of others, because, by establishing the

position, that the voice of the multitude is the rule of truth, all

the extravagances of the vulgar, would be venerated as inspirations of

heaven. This consideration excites me to attack this error the first,

upon a supposition, that by exploding this, I shall subdue many enemies

in one, or at least, that it will be more easy to expunge other errors,

by removing the patronage, which they receive from the common voice in

the estimation of unwary men.