Page:Common sense - addressed to the inhabitants of America.djvu/26

18 it is o far true of England, that the ame tyranny which drove the firt emigrants from home, purues their decendents till.

In this extenive quarter of the globe, we forget the narrow limits of three hundred and ixty miles (the extent of England) and carry our friendhip on a larger cale; we claim brotherhood with every European Chritian, and triumph in the generoity of the entiment.

It is pleaant to oberve by what regular gradations we urmount the force of local prejudice, as we enlarge our acquaintance with the world. A man born in any town in England, divided into parihes, will naturally aociate mot with his fellow parihioners (becaue their interets in many caes will be common) and ditinguih him by the name of neighbour: If he meet him but a few miles from home, he drops the narrow idea of a treet, and alutes him by the name of townman: If he travel out of the county, and meet him in any other, he forgets the minor diviions of treet and town, and calls him countryman, i. e. county-man: But if in their foreign excurions they hould aociate in France, or any other part of Europe, their local remembrance would be enlarged into that of Englihmen. And by a jut parity of reaoning, all Europeans meeting in America, or any other quarter of the globe, are countrymen; for England, Holland, Germany, or Sweden, when compared with the whole, tand in the ame places on the larger cale, which the diviions of treet, town and county, do on the maller ones; ditinctions too limited for Continental minds. Not one third of the inhabitants, even of this province, are of Englih decent. Wherefore, I reprobate the phrae of parent or mother country applied ta England only, as being fale, elfih, narrow and ungenerous.

But admitting that we were all of Englih decent, what does it amount to? Nothing. Britain being now an open enemy, extinguihes every other name and title; and to ay that reconciliation is our duty, is truly farcical. The firt King of England, of the preent line (William the Conqueror) was a Frenchman, and half the Peers of England are decendents from the ame country; wherefore, by the ame method of reaoning, England ought to be governed by France.

Much hath been aid of the united trength of Britain and the Colonies; that in conjunction, they might bid defiance to the world: But this is mere preumption; the fate of war is uncertain, neither do the expreions mean any thing, for this Continent would never uffer itelf to be drained of inhabitants, to upport the Britih arms in either Aia, Africa, or Europe.

Beides, what have we to do with etting the world at defiance? Our plan is commerce, and that well attended to, will ecure us the peace and friendhip of all Europe, becaue it is the interet of all Europe to have America a free port. Her trade will always be a protection, and her barrennes of gold and ilver will ecure her from invaders. I challenge