wronged innocence? Nay, is it not their bounden duty so to do with respect to their own subjects? Does our legislature "extend her power," when she taxes the Americans? Has not Dr. Frice himself granted that they were taxed in the late reign? And does not his own conscience declare, that protective powers have the right of reasonably taxing the protected; and that this right has been enjoyed by all Sovereigns in all ages?

I

Again :-If the King of Great Britain is the lawful Sovereign of the Colonies, and has as much right to conmand them as to command us ;-if all the men in power among them before the revolt, took oaths of fidelity to him, as the King of Great Britain, who is inseparably connected with his British parliament;-and if they have always submitted to British laws, and "always looked to this country as their home,"—if this is the case, say, can any thing be more unreasonable and unjust than to pour floods of odium upon the efforts, which the Sovereign makes to bring back the Colonists to their former allegiance; and to compare those efforts to the lust of power, which intoxicated Cæsar and Alexander, when without any provocation they attacked and conquered foreign kingdoms? If a second Ket should arise in England, affect independency, play the tyrant, draw all the country people from their work, and engage half a dozen counties to revolt; would any man, except an American patriot, dare to say, that it would be " savage folly to address the throne," for the suppression of the growing mischief? Could you insinuate with candour, that if the King exerted his power on such an occasion, he would act the part of a "mad conqueror ?" And would not your blood run cold, if you heard a Christian Doctor put this wild plea into the mouth of a Ket and his adherents:-"O King, the spirit of domination and the lust of power make thee mad. Thou wilt sheath thy sword in our bowels, and spread misery among a happy people for no other end than to oblige them to acknowledge thy supremacy. We confess that the present con

with this essential difference : Thou art struggli for dominion over others; we for self-dominion, t noblest of all blessings ?"

This seditious sophism is sufficient to fill us with just detestation of Dr. Price's politics. But a schem which has a direct tendency so to level authority, as 1 subvert all government, and abolish all subordination i the universe-such a scheme, I say, cannot be too strong ly opposed: It should be totally extirpated. Archi medes said once, "Give me a point on which I may fi my engine, and I will move the earth out of its place.” And I may say, Give me Dr. Price's political principles, and I will move all kings out of their thrones, and all subjection out of the world. To convince you of the truth of this assertion, need only work a moment his

patriotic engine in your presence.

The collector of the land-tax is at the door; fired with Dr. Price's pariotism, I run to him and say: Sir, I am a freeman. You shall treat me neither as a beast, nor as a slave. I never yet chose a parliament-man in all my life: Nor will I be taxed till I am directly and adequately represented in parliament. And suppose I

were,

I could not in conscience pay taxes to maintain a government, which enslaves millions of my free-born fellow-creatures, who are taxed without being directly or adequately represented. Besides, I pay parish rates, and the levies of my hundred; and must I submit to be triple taxed? Will those who send you insist upon such a supremacy over me, as will leave me nothing that I can call my own?-Would you let me alone and suffer me to enjoy in security my property and parish government, instead of disturbing me, I would thank and bless you. But if you will not, I have a right to emancipate myself as soon as I can: I will show you, that I and my hundred have the right of legislating for ourselves. This blessing, when lost, we have always a right to resume: And I resume it now in the name of all the non. elector in the parish and hundred, who are the majority, and who should be as glad myself to pay taxes only when they have a mind.

Dulce pro parochia mori! But suppose they choose to be enslaved, I do not. Dr. Price has converted me to Patriotism. I act according to his admired docrime, which is summed up in the following propositions: “In a free state every man is his own legislator."To be free, is to be guided by one's own will: And be guided by the will of another is the character of servitude."" As far as, in any instance, the operation of any cause comes in to restrain the power of selfgovernment, [whether it be in an individual, in a parish, hundred, colony, province, principality, or kingdom,] so far slavery is introduced. Nor do I think that a preciser idea than this of liberty or slavery can be formed." According to this doctrine, I can not only refuse paying taxes with the majority of my hundred, but alone, by virtue of my own personal right. For if every man is his own legislator, it is plain, that he can make his own laws. Now, as I am a man, I am my own legislator; and as such I enact, that I ought not to pay the tax you demand of me. Should you say, that the parliament has enacted I shall pay it, I reply (in Mr. Evans's and Dr. Price's words) "What a man has is absolutely his own: No man has a right to take it from him without his consent, expressed by himself, or by his own representative," that is, by a representative of his own choosing. What authority has the parlia ment to cede my property? "Such a cession being inconsistent with the unalienable rights of human nature, either binds not at all; or binds only the individuals who made it," and the men who chose such individuals for their representatives. This is not all: Dr. Price asserts that "all taxes are free gifts." And can any thing be more absurd than to demand a free gift, as if it were a just debt; especially considering that I never promised such a gift, no, nor the majority of the parish, the hundred, the county, or the kingdom, to which I belong; the majority not having sent any member to parliament? A free gift is to be given freely; and whoever will take it from us against our own will, contradicts himself, tries to enslave us, stabs our vitals, and

commits robbery. And is not such a gross abuse of power sufficient to rouse me into resistance? Besides, why should I be so much afraid of raising a rebellion ? Does not Dr. Price say, "He who will examine the history of the world will find, there has generally been more reason for complaining that they have been too patient, than that they have been turbulent and rebellious?" Should you object that, upon this footing, all the non-voters will soon rise against the voters and their representatives, and that the unity of the kingdom will be broken? I reply in the Doctor's pious language, If, in order to preserve unity, one half of it [the realm] must be enslaved to the other half, let it, în the name of God, want unity."—" Of such liberty, as I have now described, it is impossible that there should be an excess." And I apply to your tyrannical demand the patriotic query, which he makes with respect to the Sovereign's claims on the province of Massachusset's Bay: "Can there be any Englishman, who, were it his own case, would not sooner lose his heart's blood, than yield to claims so pregnant with evils, and destructive to every thing, that can distingish a freeman from a slave ?"

Nothing can exceed the wickedness of this patriotic speech of mine about taxes, except the insolence of that which follows. I suppose it was made by Satan to the Son of God, when, according to Milton's fancy, they encountered each other in the heavenly plains. I meet thee in the field (says the fiend) to defend my freedom, and assert the liberty of these heavenly legions. Before I pierce thy side with my spear, let me pierce thy conscience with my arguments. "In a free state [much more in heaven, where liberty is perfect] every one is his own legislator. To be free, is to be guided by one's own will; and to be guided by the will of another, is the character of servitude." They call thee Messiah the Prince; but forasmuch as thou sayest, I do nothing of myself,' and art not ashamed to add, Father, not my will, but thine be done;' and to teach the mean spirits who follow thee to pray, Thy will be done in heaven

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and on earth;' it is plain, that thou "restrainest the power of self-government,” and “introducest slavery.”" Thou art lost to all sense of heavenly patriotism. Enslaved thyself, thou comest to damp the noble flame of liberty, which glows in these angelical bosoms; and to make us wear the badge of the most abject slavery as thou dost.-Thou proud and base tool of tyranny !——Can thy reason blame us for our noble struggle, since we are not allowed to have our natural right of legislating for ourselves? And if those dastardly spirits, who compose thy hosts, say, "Neither have most of us;" I reply, “Then you so far want liberty, and your language is, We are not free, why will they be free?"—“I have no other notion of slavery, but being bound by a law, to which I do not consent.' Now I do not consent to the law which says, Thou shalt obey thy divine Sovereign, and honour thy heavenly Father: I never made that law. And suppose I and my legions had made it, we have a right to repeal it. For "Government is an institution for the benefit of the people governed, which they have power to model as they please.' "Liberty may be enjoyed in every possible degree."—" Liberty is most complete and perfect, when the people have most of a share in government, and of a controlling power over the persons, by whom it is administered." Now Thou and thy Father are the persons, by whom heavenly government is administered. “A spirit of domination, and lust of power, kindle thee into rage. The only object of the war thou wagest against us, is the extension of dominion." Thou wilt maintain thy usurped supremacy over us: And we will maintain our native or acquired supremacy over ourselves. The present contest is for dominion on thy side, as well as ours: But (like a tyrant) thou art struggling for dominion over others; and we (like free spirits) are struggling for self-dominion, the noblest of all blessings.--" Of such liberty [or self-dominion] as I have now described, it is impossible that there should be an excess."-I, and these brave legions, will therefore fight for it, at the