Wesley Corpus

You now openly plead for independency, and aver that the colonies ought to be independent on England, to assert their own supremacy, (1.) Because they are half as many as the Fnglish. (2.) Because in a century they will be twice as many. The argument runs thus: If the Americans are half as many as the English, then they have a right to be independ ent. But they are half as many; therefore, they have a right to be independent. I deny the consequence in the first proposition: Number does not prove a right to independency. I deny the second proposition too: They are not half as many; even though you swell the number of the Americans as much as you diminish the number of the English. I have been surprised lately, to observe many taking so much pains to extenuate the numbers of the inhabitants of England. For what end is this done? Is it to make us more respectable to our neighbours? or merely to weaken the hands of the King and ministry? I say the King and the ministry; for I lay no stress on their pompous professions of love and loyalty to the King: Just such professions did their predecessors make to King Charles, till they brought him to the block. 12. “But are they not half as many? Do not the confederated provinces contain three millions of souls?” I believe not. I believe they contain about two millions. But, allowing they did, I make no doubt but the English (beside three millions of Scots and Irish) are ten millions at this day. “How can that be, when there are only six hundred thousand in London?” Believe it who can, I cannot believe there are so few as fifteen hundred thousand in London and its environs, allowing only two miles every way from the walls of the city. “But we know there were no more than six hundred thousand, when the computation was made in the late reign; allowing that there were, at an average, five in each house.” They who make this allowance, probably fix their computa tion at their own fire-side. They do not walk through every tart of the town, up to the garrets, and down to the cellars.