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The Crisis

27/05/1775

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Volume Number:     Issue Number: XIX
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The Crisis

Date of Article: 27/05/1775
Printer / Publisher:  
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Volume Number:     Issue Number: XIX
No Pages: 6
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THE CRISIS. NUMBER XIX. To be continued Weekly. SATURDAY, MAY 27, 1775. [ Price Two- pence Half- penny. Sero sapiunt Phryges. 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, BURGOYNNE, HOW, and CLIN- TON, is sailed. The dogmatic Goose Quil of the fallacious 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, " 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 Effrontry 124 T H E C R I S I S . [ No. XIX; Effrontry 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 MA- JESTY, 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 MANS- FIELD, 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 Lan- guage, that will remind him, that he has rejected the Supplica- tions 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 FQRTESCUE) that no Man was ever yet condemned or Sen- tenced by the Mouth of the KING HIMSELF.—' tis not so now, — the present Sovereign has been advised to declare preremp- toraly to his supplicating Citizens of London, that, " he is deter- " mined to pursue the Measures which his wise Parliament have " 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 ct 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 No. XIX.] THE CRISIS. 125 " 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 DE- « SI RUCTION. 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 Vicegerents, sent down from Heaven, not in Mercy, but in Wrath, to indulge their own impious lusts, and scourge Mankind. Let such Sovereigns, therefore, be confident 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, con- icious 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 everv despotic Lust of a deluded MONARCH ; can such a conscious Prince pronounce the Doom of Millions, not only without Emotion, but with composed Stupidity? This is not for- titude,- 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 BITAIN prefume to interfere with our INFER- NAL ADMINISTRATION, they will not permit our Go- vernment ( without Reproaches, Insults, Threats, and animated Declarations) to MASSACRE MANKIND: France, under- line Mask of Humanity, prefumes to make us sensible of 126 T H E C R I S I S . [ No. XIX; of her great Condescension, Magnanmity, and Moderation, in differing AMERICAN MURDER to pass on freely and with- out 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 di- vided 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 Interpolations in her Government with the like Strokes of Political Huma- nity. Spain, who has so lately felt the Force of English Arms, will not permit us to turn them so unnaturally against our- selves. She fpeaks 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 put 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 founding Nothings in a State of Slavery ? — Think again, Wise Sire, before it is too late. Let me ask Thee, thou Clement Pious SOVEREIGN, 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, an- nihilate 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. Let No. XIX.] THE CRISIS. IVJ Let BUTE and MANSFIELD, the Leaders of an INFA- MOUS ADMINISTRATION, let their great Council their Parliament ( I say again it is not the Nation's) let the Head Con- stable of this Kingdom ( the Dupe of all the Herd) for once re- ceive Instruction from an Enemy. The Spaniards distinguish justly between a Sovereign's Right of reducing refractory Sub- jects to just Obedience, and making War upon humble Suppli- cants who Petition for their RIGHTS. They discern a differ- ence ( 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 can such Laws derive from Venality and Corruption ? Laws, to be Sacred and obligatory must be confident with the Laws of God, Nature, Rea- son, found 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 Por- ters." I borrow this Elegant Comparison from the Mouth of - a Great Man, who is, at one and the same Time, a privy Coun- sellor, a Pensioner, a Placeman, and SpeAKER of the House of Commons. Situations as compatible with that of SPEAKER, as Obligatory I do not say that Rebellious SUBJECTS are not to be chastised; but they must first Rebel, all Civil Chastisfment besides, must be inflicted by the Hand of Wisdom and Justice, not by the Scourge of the OPPRESSOR. The Wanton Power that aggres- ses and afflicts ought not to Punish, but Redress. What Politi- cal Wisdom is there in driving a whole Territory, a Great Nation of Obedient ( tho' not Passive) Subjects to Despair ? What Wis- dom 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 ANCES- TRY from whence she Springs, disdains passive Obedience, she honours and revers KINGS, but despises and defys TYRANTS. If - - - — 4 128 T H E C R I S I S . [ No. XIX; If she conquers she will continue to support the the LIBER- TY she wins, if she falls, ( believe me ye WRETCED, 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 TY- RANNY, 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. FUUNIUCA ror tne Authors, by T. W. SHAW, in Fleet- Street oppofite Anderton's Coffee Houfe, where Letters to the Publifher wil] be thankfully received.
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