returns to "her old good humour, and old good nature," as Lord Clarendon expresses it, I hope they will always esteem it their duty and interest, as it most certainly will be, to promote her welfare by all the means in their power. We cannot act with too much caution in our disputes. Anger produces may confide. We have a generous, sensible, and humane nation, to whom we may apply. They may be deceived; they may, by artful men, be provoked to anger against us; but I cannot yet believe they will be cruel or unjust, or that their anger will be implacable. Let us behave like dutiful children who have received unmerited blows from a anger; and differences that might be 10 beloved parent. Let us complain to our accommodated by kind and respectful behaviour, may by imprudence be changed to an incurable rage. In quarrels between countries, as well as in those between individuals, when they have risen to a certain height the first cause of dissension is no longer remembered, the minds of the parties being wholly engaged in recollecting and resenting the mutual 20 expressions of their dislike. When feuds have reached that fatal point, all considerations of reason and equity vanish; and a blind fury governs, or rather confounds all things. A people no longer regards their interest, but the gratification of their wrath. The sway of the Cleons and Clodiuses, the designing and detestable flatterers of the prevailing passion, becomes con- 30 firmed. Wise and good men in vain oppose the storm, and may think themselves fortunate if, endeavouring to preserve their ungrateful fellow citizens, they do not ruin themselves. Their prudence will be called baseness; their moderation, guilt; and if their virtue does not lead them to destruction, as that of many other great and excellent 40 persons has done, they may survive, to receive from their expiring country the mournful glory of her acknowledgement, that their counsels, if regarded, would have saved her. The constitutional modes of obtaining relief are those which I would wish to see pursued on the present occasion; that is, by petitioning of our assemblies, or, where they are not permitted 50 to meet, of the people to the powers that can afford us relief. We have an excellent Prince, in whose good dispositions towards us we parents, but let our complaints speak at the same time the language of affliction and veneration. If, however, it shall happen, by an unfortunate course of affairs, that our applications to his Majesty and the parliament for redress prove ineffectual, let us then take another step by with-holding from Great Britain all the advantages she has been used to receive from us. Then let us try if our ingenuity, industry, and frugality, will not give weight to our remonstrances. Let us all be united with one spirit in one cause. Let us invent; let us work; let us save; let us at the same time keep up our claims and unceasingly repeat our complaints; but above all, let us implore the protection of that infinite, good, and gracious Being, "by whom kings reign, and princes decree justice." Nil desperandum. Nothing is to be despaired of. THE LIBERTY SONG Come join hand in hand, brave Americans all, And rouse your bold hearts at fair Liberty's call; No tyrannous acts shall suppress your just claim, Or stain with dishonor America's name. In freedom we're born and in freedom Our purses are ready, Not as slaves but as freemen our money Once upon a time, a great while ago, there lived a certain nobleman, who had long possessed a very valuable farm, and had a great number of children and grandchildren. Besides the annual profits of his land, which were very considerable, he kept a large shop of goods; and being very successful in trade, he became, in process of time, exceedingly rich and powerful; insomuch that all his neighbours feared and respected him. With respect to the management of his family, it was thought he had adopted the most perfect mode that could be devised, for he had been at the pains to examine the economy of all his neighbours, and had selected from their plans all such parts as appeared to be equitable and beneficial, and omitted those which from experience were found to be inconvenient. Or rather, by blending their several constitutions together, he had so inge In so righteous a cause let us hope to niously counterbalanced the evils of one succeed, For Heaven approves of each generous deed. mode of government with the benefits of another, that the advantages were richly enjoyed, and the inconveniencies scarcely felt. In short, his family was thought to be the best ordered of any in his neighbourhood. He never exercised any undue authority over his children or servants; neither indeed could he oppress them if he was so disposed; for it was particularly covenanted in his marriage articles that he should not at any time impose any tasks or hardships what- 10 ever upon his children without the free consent of his wife. 1 Now the custom in his family was this, that at the end of every seven years his marriage became of course 1 null and void; at which time his children and grandchildren met together and chose another wife for him, whom the old gentleman was obliged to marry under the same articles and restrictions 20 as before. If his late wife had conducted herself, during her seven years' marriage, with mildness, discretion and integrity, she was re-elected; if other wise, deposed. By which means the children had always a great interest in their mother-in-law; and through her, a reasonable check upon their father's temper. For besides that he could do nothing material respecting his 30 children without her approbation, she was sole mistress of the purse strings; and gave him out, from time to time, such sums of money as she thought necessary for the expences of his family. PAPER. After it was executed with the utmost solemnity, he caused his Chaplain to publish a dire anathema against all who should attempt to violate the articles of the Great Paper, in the words following. "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, AMEN! Whereas our Lord and Master, to the honour of God and for the common profit of this farm hath granted, for him and his heirs forever, these articles above written: I, his Chaplain and spiritual pastor of all this farm, do admonish the people of the farm once, twice, and thrice. Because that shortness will not suffer so much delay as to give knowledge to the people of these presents in writing, I therefore enjoyn all persons, of what estate soever they be, that they and every of them, as much as in them is, shall uphold and maintain these articles granted by our Lord and Master in all points. And all those that in any point do resist, or break, or in any manner hereafter procure, counsel or any ways assent to resist or break these ordinances, or go about it by word or deed, openly or privately, by any manner of pretence or colour, I the aforesaid Chaplain, by my authority, do excommunicate and accurse, and from the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and from all the Company of Heaven, and from all the Sacraments of holy Church do sequester and exclude." CHAPTER II Being one day in a very extraordinary good humour, he gave his children a writing under his hand and seal, by which he released them from many 40 badges of dependance, and confirmed to them several very important privileges. The chief were the two following, viz., that none of his children should be punished for any offence, or supposed offence, until his brethren had first declared him worthy of such punishment; and secondly, he gave fresh assurances that he would impose no hardships upon them without the consent of their 50 wild beasts very fierce and savage; so mother-in-law. This writing, on account of its singular importance, was called THE GREAT 1 automatically Now it came to pass that this nobleman had, by some means or other, obtained a right to an immense tract of wild uncultivated country at a vast distance from his mansion house. But he set little store by this acquisition, as it yielded him no profit; nor was it likely to do so, being not only difficult of access on account of the distance, but was also overrun with innumerable that it would be extremely dangerous to attempt taking possession of it. In process of time, however, some of his children, more stout and enter prising than the rest, requested leave In return for these favours he in- 30 These preliminaries being duly adjusted, our adventurers bid adieu to the comforts and conveniencies of their father's house, and set off on their journey. Many and great were the difficulties they encountered on their way; but many more and much greater had they to combat on their arrival in the new country. Here they found noth 40 labour and the busy hum of men; instead of these, the roaring tempest and incessant howlings of beasts of prey fill their minds with horror and dismay. The needful comforts of life are no longer in their power; no friendly roof to shelter them from inclement skies; no fortress to protect them from surrounding dangers. Unaccustomed as they were to hardships like these, some were cut off by sickness and disease, and others snatched away by the hands of barbarity. They began, however, with great perseverance to clear the land of encumbering rubbish, and the woods resound with the strokes of labour. They drain the waters from the sedged morass, and pour the sun beams on the reeking soil. They are forced to exercise all the powers of industry and economy for bare subsistence, and like their first parent, when driven from paradise, to earn their bread with the sweat of their brows. In this work they were frequently interrupted by the incursions of the wild beasts, against whom they defended themselves with heroic prowess and magnanimity. After some time, however, by dint of indefatigable perseverance, they found themselves comfortably settled in this new farm; and had the delightful prospect of vast tracts of land waving with luxuriant harvests, and perfuming the air with delicious fruits, which before had been a dreary wilderness, unfit for the habitation of men. In the mean time they kept up a constant correspondence with their father's family, and at a great expence provided waggons, horses, and drivers, to bring from his shop such goods and merchandize as they wanted, for which they paid out of the produce of their lands. CHAPTER III Now the new settlers had adopted a ing but wild nature. Mountains over- 50 mode of government in their several grown with inaccessible foliage, and plains steeped in stagnated waters. Their ears are no longer attentive to the repeated strokes of industrious families similar to that their father had established in the old farm; in taking a new wife at the end of certain periods of time; which wife was chosen for them by their children, and without whose consent they could do nothing material in the conduct of their affairs. Under these circumstances they thrived exceedingly, and became very numerous; living in great harmony amongst themselves, and in constitutional obedience to their father and his wife. Notwithstanding their successful progress, however, they were frequently annoyed by the wild beasts, which were not yet expelled the country; and were moreover troubled by some of their neighbours, who wanted to drive them off the land, and take possession of it themselves. To assist them in these difficulties, and protect them from danger, the old nobleman sent over several of his servants, who with the help of the new settlers drove away their enemies. But then he required that they should reimburse him for the expence and trouble he was at in their behalf. This they did with great cheerfulness, by applying from time to time to their respective wives, who always commanded their cash. 10 20 Thus did matters go on for a considerable time, to their mutual happiness 30 and benefit. But now the nobleman's wife began to cast an avaricious eye upon the new settlers; saying to herself, if by the natural consequence of their intercourse with us my wealth and power are so much increased, how much more would they accumulate if I can persuade them that all they have belonged to us, and therefore I may at any time demand from them such part 40 of their earnings as I please. At the At the same time she was fully sensible of the promises and agreements her husband had made when they left the old farm, and of the tenor and purport of the Great Paper. She therefore thought it necessary to proceed with great caution and art, and endeavoured to gain her point by imperceptible steps. In order to this, she first issued an edict setting forth that whereas the tailors of her family were greatly injured by the people of the new farm, inasmuch as they presumed to make 50 their own clothes, whereby the said tailors were deprived of the benefit of their custom; it was therefore ordained that for the future the new settlers should not be permitted to have amongst them any shears or scissors larger than a certain fixed size. In consequence of this our adventurers were compelled to have their clothes made by their father's tailors. But out of regard to the old gentleman, they patiently submitted to this grievance. Encouraged by this success, she proceeded in her plan. Observing that the new settlers were very fond of a particular kind of cyder which they purchased of a neighbour, who was in friendship with their father (the apples proper for making this cyder not growing on their own farm) she published another edict, obliging them to pay her a certain stipend for every barrel of cyder used in their families! To this likewise they submitted, not yet seeing the scope of her designs against them. After this manner she proceeded, imposing taxes upon them on various pretences, and receiving the fruits of their industry with both hands. Moreover she persuaded her husband to send amongst them from time to time a number of the most lazy and useless of his servants, under the specious pretext of defending them in their settlements, and of assisting to destroy the wild beasts; but in fact to rid his own house of their company, not having employment for them; and at the same time to be a watch and a check upon the people of the new farm. It was likewise ordered that these protectors, as they were called, should be supplied with bread and butter cut in a particular form. But the head of one of the families refused to comply with this order. He engaged to give the guests thus forced upon him, bread and butter sufficient; but insisted that his wife should have the liberty of cutting it in what shape she pleased. This put the old nobleman into a violent passion, insomuch that he had his son's wife put into gaol for presum |