Wesley Corpus

Nay, they did not enjoy either one or the other, from the time of William the Conqueror till the Revolution. “Should any events arise,” (and you give very broad intimations that they have arisen already,) “which should render the same opposition necessary that took place in the time of King Charles the First,”--the same opposition which made the land a field of blood, set every man’s sword against his brother, overturned the whole constitution, and cut off, first, the flower of the nation, and then the King himself,-“I am afraid all that is valuable to us would be lost : The terror of the standing army would deaden all zeal,” for these noble exploits, “and produce a general servitude.” (Page 18.) 37. What a natural tendency has all this, to instil into the good people of England the most determined rancour and bitterness against their Governors, against the King and Parliament! And what a natural tendency has all that follows to instil the same both into the English and the Americans ! On these passages also, I shall beg leave to subjoin a few short observations: “A country that is subject to the legislature of another country, in which it has no voice, and over which it has no control, is in slavery.” This is palpably false. Take one instance out of many: Pennsylvania was subject (till now) to the legislature of England, in which it had no voice, and over which it had no control; yet it never was in slavery; it never wanted either civil or religious liberty; nay, perhaps it was more free in both respects than any other country in the universe. “In a country thus subjugated to another,” (a very improper, as well as invidious word,) “there is little or nothing to check rapacity.” If you mean the rapacity of the English Government, the insinuation is cruelly false; it never existed; no such rapacity was ever exercised. “And the most flagrant injustice and cruelty may be practised without remorse or pity.” (Page 20.) This is purely calculated to inflame; for no such injustice or cruelty was ever practised, nor was ever likely to be, either in this or any other province of America.