Page:Common sense - addressed to the inhabitants of America.djvu/47

Rh It is eay getting into holes and corners, and talking of reconciliation: But do uch men eriouly conider how difficult the tak is, and how dangerous it may prove, hould the Continent divide thereon? Do they take within their view all the various orders of men, whoe ituation and circumtances, as well as their own, are to be conidered therein? Do they put themelves in the place of the ufferer, whoe all is already gone, and of the oldier, who hath quitted all for the defence of his country? If their ill judged moderation be uited to their own private ituations only, regardles of others, the event will convince them, that "they are reckoning without their hot."

Put us, ay ome, upon the footing we were on in 1763: To which I anwer, the requet is not now in the power of Britain to comply with, neither will he propoe it; but if it were, and even hould be granted, I ak, as a reaonable quetion, by what means is uch a corrupt and faithles court to be kept to its engagements? Another Parliament, nay, even the preent, may hereafter repeal the obligation, on the pretence of its being violently obtained, or unwiely granted; and in that cae, where is our redres?—No going to law with nations; cannon are the barriters of crowns; and the word, not of jutice, but of war, decides the uit. To be on the footing of 1763, it is not ufficient that the laws only be on the ame tate, but that our circumtances likewie be put on the ame tate; our burnt and detroyed towns repaired or built up, our private loes made good, our public debts (contracted for defence) dicharged, otherwie we hall be millions wore than we were at that enviable period. Such a requet, had it been complied with a year ago, would have won the heart and oul of the Continent; but now it is too late. "The Rubicon is paed."

Beides, the taking up arms, merely to enforce the repeal of a pecuniary law, eems as unwarrantable by the divine law, and as repugnant to human feelings, as the taking up arms to enforce the obedience thereto. The object, on either ide, doth not jutify the means; for the lives of men are too valuable to be cat away on uch trifles. It is the violence which is done and threatnedthreatened [sic] to our perons; the detruction of our property by an armed force; the invaion of our country by fire and word, which concientiouly qualifies the ue of arms: And the intant in which uch a mode of defence became neceary, all ubjection to Britain ought to have ceaed; and the independency of America hould have been conidered, as dating its æra from, and publihed by, the firt muket that was fired againt her. This line is a line of conitency; neither drawn by caprice, nor extended by ambition; but produced by a chain of events, of which the Colonies were not the authors.

I hall conclude thee remarks with the following timely and well intended hints. We ought to reflect, that there are three different ways by which an independency may hereafter be effected; and that one of thoe three will, one day or other, be the fate of America, viz. by the legal voice of the people in Congres;