sanguine in enterprise, attached themselves the stronger to the
cause, and fell close in with the rear of the former; their partition
was a mere point. Numbers of the moderate men, whose chief fault, at
that time, arose from entertaining a better opinion of Britain than
she deserved, convinced now of their mistake, gave her up, and
publicly declared themselves good Whigs. While the Tories, seeing it
was no longer a laughing matter, either sank into silent obscurity,
or contented themselves with coming forth and abusing General Gage:
not a single advocate appeared to justify the action of that day; it
seemed to appear to every one with the same magnitude, struck every
one with the same force, and created in every one the same
abhorrence. From this period we may date the growth of independence.

If the many circumstances which happened at this memorable time, be
taken in one view, and compared with each other, they will justify a
conclusion which seems not to have been attended to, I mean a fixed
design in the king and ministry of driving America into arms, in
order that they might be furnished with a pretence for seizing the
whole continent, as the immediate property of the crown. A noble
plunder for hungry courtiers!

It ought to be remembered, that the first petition from the Congress
was at this time unanswered on the part of the British king. That the
motion, called Lord North's motion, of the 20th of February, 1775,
arrived in America the latter end of March. This motion was to be
laid, by the several governors then in being, before, the assembly of
each province; and the first assembly before which it was laid, was
the assembly of Pennsylvania, in May following. This being a just
state of the case, I then ask, why were hostilities commenced between
the time of passing the resolve in the House of Commons, of the 20th