ought therefore to be no delay in entering upon this matter; we ought to proceed to it immediately. We ought to seize the first moment to open the door of reconciliation. The Americans will never be in a temper, or state to be reconciled, (they ought not to be,) until the troops are withdrawn. The troops are a perpetual irritation to the people; they are a bar to all confidence, and all cordial reconcilement. I therefore, my Lords, move that an humble address be presented to his majesty, most humbly to advise, and beseech his majesty, that, (in order to open the way towards an honourable settlement of the dangerous troubles in America, by beginning to allay ferments, and soften animosities there; and above all for preventing, in the mean time, any sudden, and fatal catastrophe at Boston, now suffering under the daily irritation of an army before their eyes, posted in that town,) it may graciously please his majesty, that orders be immediately dispatched to General Gage, for removing his majesty's forces from the town of Boston, as soon as the rigour of the season, and other circumstances indispensible to the safety, and accommodation of the said troops, may render the same practicable. "The way, my Lords, must be immediately opened for a reconciliation. It will soon be too late. I know not who I know not who advises to advised the present measures. a perseverance, and enforcement of them; but this I will say, that whosoever advises them, ought to answer for it at his peril. I know that no one will avow that he advised, or that he was the author of these measures; every one shrinks from the charge. But somebody has advised his majesty to these measures, and if his majesty continues to hear such evil counsel, his majesty will be undone. His majesty indeed may wear his crown; but the American jewel out of it, it will not be worth the wearing. "What more shall I say? I will not say the king is betrayed; but this I will say, the nation is ruined. What foundation have we for our claims over America? What is our right to persist in such cruel, and vindictive measures against that loyal, and respectable people? They say you have no right to tax them without their consent, and they say rightly. Representation, and taxation must go together; they are inseparable. Yet there is hardly a man in our streets, be he ever so poor, but thinks he must be a legislator for America. Our American subjects, is a common phrase in the mouth of the lowest order of our citizens; but property, my Lords, is the sole, and entire dominion of the owner. None can meddle with it. It is a unity. A mathematical point. It is an atom, untangible by any but its proprietor. Touch it and the owner looses his whole property. The touch contaminates the whole mass; the whole property vanishes. The touch of another annihilates it; for whatever is a man's own, is absolutely, and exclusively his own. In the last parliament, all was anger; all was rage. Administration did not consider what was practicable; but what was revenge. Sine clade victoria, was the language of the ministry, the last session; but every body knew, an ideot might know, that such would not be the issue. For the ruin of the nation was a matter of no concern, if administration might be revenged. Americans were abused, misrepresented, and traduced in the most outrageous manner, in order to give a colour, and urge on to the most precipitate, unjust, cruel, and vindictive measures that ever disgraced a nation.” "Gnossius hæc Rhadamanthus habet durissima regna, "My Lords, the very infernal spirits, they chastise, castigatque, sed auditque, My Lords. The very spirits of the infernal regions hear, before they punish. But how have these respectable people behaved under all their grievances? With unexampled patience, with unparalleled wisdom. They chose delegates by their suffrages; no bribery, no corruption, no influence here, my Lords. Their representatives meet with the sentiments, and temper, and speak the sentiments of the whole continent. For genuine sagacity, for singular moderation, for solid wisdom, manly spirit, sublime sentiments, and simplicity of language; for every thing honourable, and respectable, the Congress of Philadelphia shine unrivalled. This wise people speak out. They do not hold the language of slaves. They tell you what they mean. They do not ask you to repeal your laws, as a favour; they claim it as a right; they demand it. They tell you they will not submit to them; and I tell you the acts must be repealed; they will be repealed; you cannot enforce them. They have a move to make on the board, and yet not a move but they are ruined. "Repeal therefore, my Lords, I say; but repeal will not satisfy this enlightened, and spirited people. What! repeal a bit of paper; repeal a piece of parchment! that alone will not do, my Lords. You must go through. You must declare you have no right to tax; then they may trust you; then they may have confidence in you. "I have heard a noble lord speak, who presumed to lay some blame upon General Gage. I think that honourable gentleman has behaved with great prudence, and becoming caution. He has intrenched himself, and strengthened his fortifications. I don't know what he could have done more. His situation puts me in mind of a similar transaction in the civil wars of France, when the great Conde, upon one side, and the Marshal Turenne, on the other, with large armies, lay many weeks very near to each other. Turenne, conscious of the terrible consequences of a victory to himself and country, though the armies were sev eral days in sight of each other, never came to a battle.On his return to the court of France, the Queen accosted him, "Why, Marshal, I think you lay several days in sight of your enemy, and you might have been up with him at any time, pray why did you not take him?". The general very shrewdly replied," Should I have taken him, I feared all Paris would have taken me." My Lords, there are three millions of whigs. Three millions of whigs, my Lords, with arms in their hands, are a formidable body. 'Twas the whigs, my Lords, that set his majesty's royal ancestors upon the throne of England. I hope, my Lords, there are yet double the number of whigs in England, there are in America. I hope the whigs of both countries will join, and make a common cause. Ireland is with America to a man. The whigs of that country will, and those of this country ought to think the cause of America their own. They are allied to each other in sentiment and interest; united in one great principle of defence, and resistance; they ought therefore, and will, run to embrace and support their brethren. The cause of ship money, was the cause of the whigs of England. You shall not take my money without my consent, is the doctrine, and language of whigs. It is the doctrine, and voice of whigs in America, and whigs here. It is the doctrine, in support of which I do not know how many names I could,-I may call in this house, among the living; I cannot say how many I could to join with we, and maintain these doctrines with their blood; but among the dead I could raise an host innumerable; and, my Lords, at this day, there are very many sound, substantial, honest whigs, who ought, and who will consider the American controversy as the great com mon cause. "My Lords, consistent with the preceding doctrines, and with what I have ever, and shall continue to maintain, I say, I shall oppose America whenever I see her aiming at throwing off the navigation act, and other regulatory acts of trade, made, bona fide, for that purpose, and wisely framed, and calculated for reciprocation of interest, and the general extended welfare and security of the whole empire. It is suggested that such is their design. I see no evidence of it. But to come at a certain knowledge of their sentiments, and designs upon this head, it would be proper first to do them justice. Treat them as subjects before you treat them as aliens, rebels, and traitors. "My Lords, deeply impressed with the importance of taking some healing measures, at this most alarming, distracted state of our affairs, though bowed down with a cruel disease,* I have crawled to this house to give you my best experience, and counsel; and my advice is to beseech his majesty, &c. &c. This is the best I can think of. It will convince America that you mean to try her cause in the spirit, and by the laws of freedom, and fair enquiry, and not by codes of blood. How can she now trust you, with the bayonet at her breast? She has all the reason in the world, now to believe, you mean either her death, or bondage. "Thus entered upon the threshold of this business, I will knock at your gates for justice, without ceasing, unless inveterate infirmities stay my hand. My Lords, I pledge myself never to leave this business; I will pursue it to the end in every shape. I will never fail in my attendance on it, at every step, and period, of this great matter, unless nailed down to my bed by the severity of disease. My Lords, there is no time to be lost; every moment is big with dangers; nay, while I am now speaking, the decisive blow may be struck, and millions involved in the consequence. The very first drop of blood will make a wound that will not easily be skimmed over. Years, perhaps ages, may not heal it. It will be irritabile vulnus, a wound * The gout. |
