Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform

The Plain Dealer, Numb. I - 5

contain fifteen counties. If you had not form’d new countries, the people now in those counties must have voted amongst you, and might have turn’d you out of power; but now you have made blanks of them for ever; and by this scheme they must ever wear such a yoke as a Quaker may please to shape for them. If the province is to be protected, the principal of Non-Resistance takes place, and we must protect your lives, but if money is to be rais’d, a very different principal takes place, and you will take care of our money. In this blessed situation we have jogg’d on, and call’d our selves Freemen. The poor sun-burned African comes to a more desirable slavery in this province than we; for his master is at least careful of his life; but ours diligently pursue such practices as bring us to destruction.

In the beginning of the last French war, you would not grant so much as £. 10,000 for his Majesty’s service; you had not started your quarrel with the Proprietor then, but you pleaded conscience, and that did as well. On account of such conduct the English Parliament had like to’ve turn’d you out of the Assembly for ever; but your Friends in London interceded, and come over to persuade you to resign; and resign you did with great reluctance, just so as to make a sham majority of other denominations in the House: But some of the gentlemen that you chose would not go heartily into your measures,

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