Wesley Corpus

Mere play with words. This is not what all the world means by liberty and slavery; therefore, to say, “If the Parliament taxes you without your consent, you are a slave,” is mere quibbling. Whoever talks thus, should say honestly, “Reader, I give you warning, I affix a new sense, not the common one, to these words, liberty and slavery.” Take the words in this sense, and you may prove there are slaves enough in England, as well as America; but if we take them in the old, common sense, both the Americans and we are free men. 7. But you say, “The Parliament has already deprived them of one great branch of liberty, by enacting, that, in the cases there specified, they shall be tried in England.” I answer, How grievously did they abuse that liberty before it was taken away ! Let any fair man consider the case: How often have we heard of their quiet and peaceable submission to pay the duties by law established ! And what a merit has been made of this by all their advocates! But it was a merit that never belonged to them; for the duties were not paid. All this time they did not, in fact, pay one half, no, not a quarter, of those duties. They continually defrauded the King of the far greater part of them, without shame or fear. Indeed, what should they fear? They did not deign to do it privately, like their fellows in England; no, they acted openly in the face of the sun. Ship-loads of tea, for instance, were brought into Boston harbour, and landed at noon-day, without paying any duty at all. Who should hinder it? If a custom-house officer hindered, was it not at the peril of his life? And if, at any time, a seizure was made, and the cause came to be tried by a Boston jury, what would follow It was no more than, “Ask your fellow, whether you are a thief.” 8. Permit me to mention one eminent instance: The famous Mr. John Hancock, some time since, brought into Boston a ship-load of smuggled tea, at noon-day. Just then came in the ships from London, laden with the same com modity, which, by the removal of the former tax, they were now enabled to sell cheaper than him.