Page:Common sense - addressed to the inhabitants of America.djvu/24

16 uffer his reaon and his feelings to determine for themelves: That he will put on, or rather that he will not put off the true character of a man, and generouly enlarge his views beyond the preent day.——Volumes have been written on the ubject of the truggle between England and America. Men of all ranks have embarked in the controvery, from different motives, and with various deigns; but all have been ineffectual, and the period of debate is cloed. Arms, as the lat reource, decide the contet; the appeal was the choice of the King, and the Continent has accepted the challenge.

It hath been reported of the late Mr. Pelham (who, though an able miniter, was not without his faults) that on his being attacked in the Houe of Commons on the core that his meaures were only of a temporary kind, replied, "they will lat my time." Should a thought o fatal and unmanly poes the Colonies in the preent contet, the name of ancetors will be remembered by future generations with detetation.

The un never hined on a caue of greater worth. It is not the affair of a City, a County, a Province, or a Kingdom; but of a Continent—of at leat one eighth part of the habitable Globe. It is not the concern of a day, a year, or an age; poterity are virtually involved in the contet, and will be more or les affected even to the end of time by the proceedings now. Now is the eed-time of Continental union, faith and honor. The leat fracture now, will be like a name engraved with the point of a pin on the tender rind of a young oak; the wound will enlarge with the tree, and poterity read it in full grown characters.

By referring the matter from argument to arms, a new æra for politics is truck, a new method of thinking hath arien. All plans, propoals, &c. prior to the 19th of April, i. e. to the commencement of hotilities, are like the almanacks of the lat year; which, though proper then, are upereded and ueles now. Whatever was advanced by the advocates on either ide of the quetion then, terminated in one and the ame point, viz. a union with Great-Britain; the only difference between the parties was the method of effecting it; the one propoing force, the other friendhip; but it hath o far happened that the firt hath failed, and the econd hath withdrawn her influence.

As much hath been aid of the advantages of reconciliation, which, like an agreeable dream, hath paed away and left us as we were, it is but right that we hould examine the contrary ide of the argument, and enquire into ome of the many material injuries which thee Colonies utain, and always will utain, by being connected with, and dependent on, Great-Britain; to examine that connexion and dependence, on the principles of nature and common ene; to ee what we have to trut to if eparated, and what we are to expect if dependent.