Wesley Corpus

And, if they do, are they sure the English fleet will not speak with them by the way? If they escape these, are they sure of landing without opposi tion ? Is it certain that all our soldiers will stand meantime with their fingers in their mouth? How great then is the odds against the French ever joining the American army | Although, if they did, there is no doubt but General Howe would give a good account of them all. 9. “Why, to say the truth, we are not so much afraid of Portugal or Spain, yea, or of France itself, as we are of those intestine vipers, who are always ready to tear out their mother’s bowels. And how should we defend ourselves against these, if they made a general insurrection?” This is worth considering. It is certain, it is undoubtedly plain, it is beyond all contradic tion, if they gave a large dose of laudanum to all His Majesty’s liege subjects; if every man, woman, and child in the four pro vinces fell fast asleep all at once; if they all continued to sleep till the insurgents had brought their matters to bear in every city and town in the kingdom; if then the conspirators came all in the same hour, and cut off their heads at a stroke; the nation certainly, without all doubt, would be in a very fearful condi tion | But till this is the case, you need no more be afraid of ten thousand White Boys, than of ten thousand crows. 10. There is no need at present that an handful of men should oppose themselves to a multitude. Blessed be God, there are still within the kingdom some thousands of regular troops, of horse as well as foot, who are ready to march wherever they shall be wanted; over and above the inde pendent companies at Birr, at Mountmellick, at Bandon, and at Cork; at which city alone no less than six of these companies are formed already; which it is supposed, when they shall be completed, will contain at least two thousand men. And as they exercise themselves every day, they are already expert in the whole military exercise. So that were any so mad as to attempt making an insurrection, it would be crushed in its very infancy. 11. “But is there not another ground of fear?