Читать книгу The Crisis - Группа авторов - Страница 29

[print edition page 168]

[print edition page 169]

THE

CRISIS

NUMBER XIX	To be continued Weekly.
SATURDAY, MAY 27, 1775	[Price Two-pence Half-penny.

—Sero sapiunt Phryges.¹

False to yourselves, the People and the State,

Like Foolish Phrygians, you’ll grow Wise too late.

ADMINISTRATION has now “let slip the Dogs of War, the hellish Cerberus, with her three Heads,² BURGOYNNE, HOWE, and CLINTON, is sailed. The dogmatic Goose Quil of the sallacious Dr. JOHNSON, that hireling Quixote of an hireling Ministry, has promulgated a solemn Sentence of Attainder against all Revolutionists in Great Britain;—Hear it ye WHIGS,

[print edition page 170]

“And put in ev’ry honest Hand a Whip,

To lash the Rascal naked thro’ the World.”

This pitiful Retailer of Apologies for MINISTERIAL TREACHERY, has had the Impudence to declare with the Effrontery of a SANDWICH, or a DENBIGH, that whoever wishes Success to AMERICA is a TRAYTOR to his Country.

From this patriotic Declaration, I presume the redoubted Doctor is at length admitted into the Arcana of the Ministry. He pronounces with as much insolence as if he was assured of their Intentions to pass a Bill, (they have Voices enough to do it,) for declaring a New Species of Treason, namely, the wishing Success to oppressed America. I will venture to say, that every Revolutionist in England, Ireland, and the Sugar Colonies, have long since incurred the Pains and Penalties of this Law in Embryo, if such a One there be.

No Englishman can wear two Faces: Therefore if his MAJESTY, should for the future, see as much ill Humour and Contempt in the Faces of his English and Irish Subjects, as they observe in his, he must not be surprized. BUTE and MANSFIELD, will instruct him that the Aspects and Affections of a PEOPLE are beneath the Notice of a Sovereign who inherits them. But Conscience in the Depth of Night, will speak another Language, that will remind him, that he has rejected the Supplications of Millions in AMERICA, that has at length assented to their MURDER, that he has with an Iron Tongue and an Iron Heart, rung the Knell of expiring AMERICA.

It is a Maxim of our Law, (says the honest Chancellor FORTESCUE) that no Man was ever yet condemned or sentenced by the Mouth of the KING HIMSELF.—’tis not so now,—the present Sovereign has been advised to declare preemptoraly to his Supplicating Citizens of London, that, “he is determined to pursue the Measures which his wise Parliament have

[print edition page 171]

recommended.” We know that these are not conciliating but destructive Measures: Under these Measures AMERICA is either to be destroyed, or lost for ever to this Nation.

The late Royal Answer to the PETITION of the City of London, fairly interpreted, would run thus: Let it speak the Language of Despotism in despotic Terms: viz. “SLAVES, by daring thus to remind US of our OPPRESSIONS in America, you are yourselves TRAITORS; by this libellous Petition you aid and encourage REBELS. It is the Duty of loyal Subjects passively to obey our Will. Our Will and Pleasure is REVENGE. This Resolve we think fit to notify by FAMINE and the SWORD: These are the lenient Measures, which our Divan has advised, and these we will pursue. Your Confidence and Affection we despise, we confide alone in the Wisdom of our Divan, by that great Council your fancied Rights and your despicable Commerce are wisely doomed, with our entire Concurrence, to DESTRUCTION.”

Thus we see how easily a deluded Christian Prince, may speak the Language of an Eastern Tyrant; for this Purpose we have fairly cloathed an Eastern Spirit, in an Eastern Garb; we have given the haughty Sovereign’s plain Meaning in proper Words; we have not (like MANSFIELD, who penned the vile Harrangue) meanly suffered the Sentiments of an insolent Mogul to be cramped by the Poverty of Princely Diction.

Upon BUTE’S and MANSFIELD’S Plans, Sovereigns are Divine Viceregents, sent down from Heaven, not in Mercy, but in Wrath, to indulge their own impious Lusts, and Scourge Mankind. Let such Sovereigns, therefore, be consistent with themselves; let them equally disdain the Fetters of Language and Humanity—Let them speak DAGGERS to their PEOPLE, and Salvation to their MINIONS. But can such a Prince, conscious that his PARLIAMENT has been infamously smuggled, by a mean and execrable Stretch of the Prerogative, (a sudden Dissolution) For fear of a National ASSOCIATION against future Treachery; conscious that the Majority of his and his Minister’s great Council (it is no national Council) are a Set of Hirelings, filched into their Seats, and corrupted to promote every despotic Lust of a deluded MONARCH; can such a conscious Prince pronounce the Doom of Millions,

[print edition page 172]

not only without Emotion, but with composed Stupidity? This is not Fortitude, but Callosity of Soul.

The whole European World is astonished at our Persecution of AMERICA, even Foreign, and despotic Princes, upon this Occasion, have different Feelings, from the FATHER of that People who are destined to Destruction: Even Princes, who can send forth Sword and Famine by a NOD, are ASTONISHED at our wicked Policy and abhor it; even the natural Enemies of GREAT BRITAIN presume to interfere with our INFERNAL ADMINISTRATION, they will not permit our Government (without Reproaches, Insults, Threats, and animated Declarations) to MASSACRE MANKIND: France, under the Mask of Humanity, presumes to make us sensible of her great Condescension, Magnanimity, and Moderation, in suffering AMERICAN MURDER to pass on freely and without Controul, She makes us understand that She connives at this Slaughter of our GALLANT SUBJECTS for the Sake of cultivating a good Understanding with the King of Great Britain, and the whole English Nation. But when She finds (as She shortly may) that this KING and KINGDOM are divided and trying the Claim of FREEDOM together in the Field, will FRANCE, who professes so much Magnanimity and Moderation, remain Neuter? Her Humanity, her Honour will not Suffer her. She will retaliate our former Interpositions in her Government with the like Strokes of Political Humanity. Spain, who has so lately felt the Force of English Arms, will not permit us to turn them so unnaturally against oursleves. She speaks in plainer Terms: Let his persevering Majesty hear her Humane Menaces; She tells him boldly, that She will not tye up her Hands from relieving Fellow Creatures suffering under wanton unprovoked Oppression. Alas! Blind, infatuated Sovereign. Canst thou not discern the Tendency of this Artful Spanish Declaration? Does not Spain already hold out Succour to AMERICA? Will not Injured and Despairing People embrace the Offer? Will they not rather submit to be aided by an Enemy than MURDERED by a PARENT? Will they not sooner Change their Names, their Laws, their Government, their Religion, in just Resentment, than enjoy these flattering Modes, these Sounding Nothings in a State of Slavery?—Think again, Wise Sire, before it is too late. Let

[print edition page 173]

me ask Thee, thou Clement Pious SOVEREIGN,³ are not the People, in whose Favour Spain hath thus declared, thy Fellow Creatures also? Were they not under the just Reign of your lamented Grandfather, your Fellow Subjects too? Could he arise, one Honest Frown from him, would disperse your MINIONS, annihilate your Pride, blast your execrable Politics, and restore Peace, Commerce, and Protection, to the tottering Constitution of the BRITISH EMPIRE.

The Spanish Nation is brave, her Pretext for interposing is a noble one; tho merely Political, it is to be preferred to that which is Tyrannical; it has, at least, a plausible Appearance, for it speaks the Language of Justice, Benevolence, and Humanity. We find neither of these Ingredients in the rigid Answer which lately repelled the Petition of the City. Fas est et ab hoste doceri.⁴

Let BUTE and MANSFIELD, the Leaders of an INFAMOUS ADMINISTRATION, let their great Council their Parliament (l say again it is not the Nation’s) let the Head Constable of this Kingdom (the Dupe of all the Herd) for once receive Instruction from an Enemy. The Spaniards distinguish justly between a Sovereign’s Right of reducing refractory Subjects to just Obedience, and making War upon humble Supplicants who Petition for their RIGHTS. They discern a difference (and there is a wide One) between just Resistance and unnatural Rebellion. They tell us in Manly (to AMERICA they are tempting) Terms that AMERICA shall not Suffer unheared, unpitied, unredressed, and Innocent. Tho’a venal and Corrupt Majority, to gratify despotic Spleen, have in a BLOODY ACT, styled AMERICA Rebellious, yet what Sanction

[print edition page 174]

can such Laws derive from Venality and Corruption? Laws, to be Sacred and obligatory must be consistent with the Laws of God, Nature, Reason, sound Policy and the Constitution of the Kingdom. If they err in these respects it is an Error in the first Concoction, they are absolutely Null and void in themselves, and are no more to be regarded than “the Laws of a parcel of Drunken Porters.” I borrow this Elegant Comparison from the Mouth of a Great Man, who is, at one and the same Time, a privey Counsellor, a Pensioner, a Placeman, and SPEAKER of the House of Commons. Situations as compatible with that of SPEAKER, as Obligatory Laws are with Venality and Corruption.

I do not say that Rebellious SUBJECTS are not to be chastised; but they must first Rebel, all Civil Chastisment besides, must be inflicted by the Hand of Wisdom and Justice, not by the SCOURGE of the OPPRESSOR. The Wanton Power that Aggresses and Afflicts ought not to Punish, but Redress. What Political Wisdom is there in driving a whole Territory, a Great Nation of Obedient (tho’ not Passive) Subjects to Despair? What Wisdom in losing or exterminating? What Justice in refusing to hear the supposed Delinqnent before She turned SUPPLICATION into RAGE.

AMERICA professes all legal, but like the BRAVE ANCESTRY from whence she Springs, difdains passive Obedience, she honours and revers KINGS, but despises and defys TYRANTS.

If she conquers she will continue to support the LIBERTY she wins, if she falls, (believe me ye WRETCHED, ye SHALLOW MINISTERIAL POLITICIANS!) she will not fall unrevenged, the Crowns of FRANCE and SPAIN, will not continue neuter, they will be the providential means of punishing our Iniquity to AMERICA; they will embroil a CIVIL WAR here, and assist it there, they will conquer ENGLAND in AMERICA, they will be received there with open Arms; in the last Agonies of AMERICAN DESPAIR, They will be received as CONQURERS, and usurping TYRANNY, will be expelled for ever.

AMERICA will never condescend to enjoy the unessential Name of ENGLISHMEN under the Lawless Power, of a GRAND MOGUL, and his detested Divan.

[print edition page 175]

Printed and published for the Authors, by T. W. SHAW, in Fleet-Street, opposite Anderton’s Coffee House, where Letters to the Publisher will be thankfully received.