Page:Common sense - addressed to the inhabitants of America.djvu/43



INCE the publication of the firt edition of this pamphlet, or rather on the ame day on which it came out, the King's Speech made its appearance in this city. Had the pirit of prophecy directed the birth of this production, it could not have brought it forth at a more eaonable juncture, or a more neceary time. The bloody-mindednes of the one, hews the neceity of puruing the doctrine of the other. Men read by way of revenge: And the Speech, intead of terrifying, prepared a way for the manly principles of Independence.

Ceremony, and even ilence, from whatever motive they may arie, have a hurtful tendency, when they give the leat degree of countenance to bae and wicked performances; wherefore, if this maxim be admitted, it naturally follows, that the King's Speech, as being a piece of finihed villainy, deerved, and till deerves, a general execration, both by the Congres and the people. Yet, as the dometic tranquility of a nation depends greatly on the chatity of what may properly be called, it is often better to pas ome things over in ilent didain, than to make ue of uch new methods of dilike, as might introduce the leat innovation on that guardian of our peace and afety. And perhaps it is chiefly owing to this prudent delicacy, that the King's Speech hath not, before now, uffered a public execution. The peech, if it may be called one, is nothing better than a wilful, audacious libel againt the truth, the common good, and the exitence of mankind; and is a formal and pompous method of offering up human acrifices to the pride of tyrants. But this general maacre of mankind is one of the privileges, and the certain conequence of Kings; for as nature knows them not, they know not her, and although they are beings of our own creating, they know not us, and are become the gods of their creators. The peech hath one good quality, which is, that it is not calculated to deceive, neither can we, even if we would, be deceived by it. Brutality and tyranny appear on the face of it. It leaves us