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Spirited answers. But would you Praecipitate the Nation into
a War before you have restored Peace at home ? To what
purpose is it to talk big at the Courts of Madrid & Paris and
be Timid and Pusillanimous at Boston & Rhode Island ?
Make yourselves first respected by your own Subjects & you
will soon be so by your Neighbours.
But Concessions have been talked of and even a Repeal of
the Law hinted.
And are not Concessions always Dangerous? In the
Struggles between the Senate & People of Rome, what did
the Senate get by Treating, but a Master to both. What did
Charles the ffirst gain by giving way to Exorbitant demands
and not persisting when in the right (as he sometimes was)
but the Loss of his Crown and Life.
Again It is said, Tho We do Repeal the Law yet we will
Pass some Declaratory, Explanatory Act, Asserting the right.
But when the Americans are Possessed of the Substance,
what regard will they pay to your Paper? Will not such a
Law resemble the usual Protestations made by the Bishops in
cases of Blood when they retire without Voting. But If they
should in future times Insist upon a right of Voting — would
not the other Lords Say No and Support themselves perhaps
by the Non user.
Ministers might be afraid of going too far of their own
Authority, but would they Deny Assistance when offered
them, & was it not Serving the Crown to Strengthen its
hands?
It had been said that America was Conquered in Germany,
but give up the Law & Great Britain would be Conquered in
America, & become a Province to her own Colonies. America
must Submit.
This last expression fell from the Chancellor and with the
Quotation from King Wm's Act (which was also made by him)
Sufficiently Indicated his general Sentiments tho' he Voted
against the Amendment. Lord Mansfield seemed to concur in
the same Sentiments, & tho' he endeavoured to avoid a Division
by recommending it to the one Side to withdraw or If they
were Inflexible to the other to assent to the Amendment Con-
sidering it not as one of the Ordinary matters agitated
between the Persons (in & out of Office) but as a most
Serious Question and tho' he gave no Vote yet it was he who
Cited the Pensilvania Charter, and Denyed the Power of the
Crown to Emancipate the Colonies from the Jurisdiction of
the British Legislature.
The Duke of Bedford took occasion to pay great Com-
mendation to Governor Barnard's Speech and Lord Temple
to Shew his Sentiments were not newly taken up but were
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