The New Hampshire Gazette Newspaper, June 9, 1758, Page 1

¥ “:he community whereof he is a part, P - ]UNE g. Fripav, 5y Containing the Frefbef? Advices From the PEnNsyLvaNIA JoURNAL, of May 11. The WATCHMAN. Letter V. Being a folemn Addrefs to the Colonies, on the pre- fent Pofture of Affairs ; particularly to Pennfy/- wania and the Southern Diftrict. Fame, walour, ¢inquefl, grac’d the Spartan flate, And all confefs’d the Virtuous awere the Great. - Then for the Brave, the Fair referv’d ber charms, And Jeorr’d to clafp a coward in ber arms. T be trumpet calld—/be [eiz’d the fword and [bield, Array’d in bafte ber hufband for the field, And, fighing, whifper'd in a fond embrace, “¢ Remember—death is better than difgrace.” T be widow'd mother fbews’d her parting [fon T hbe race of honour, which bis fire had run ; Bid him with Sparta’s noblefl beroes wie, To live in glory, and in freedom die ; Told him bis flight alone fbe fhosld deplore— ¥ Return wiflorious—=or return no more.” Prologue to Agis Friend: and Countrymen, AM now to addrefs you, in the moft folemn manner, on the prefent poftare of affairs, and the duty we owe to his facred majefty, to our holy religion and to our latef pofterity, on this important occafion. As I would be un- derftood by all, I fhall not affet a vain parade of words or pomp of ftile. Brevity and perfpicuity fhall be my principal aim. The almighty author of our nature has thought fit to create man a needy and dependent being, incapa- ble of fubfilting in a folitary ftate, with any degree of happinefs. In order to his well being, a mutual in- terchange of good offices with his fellow creatures is abfolutely neceffary. Hence the origin and fouri- dation of focieties, which are nothing elfe but certain bodies of men linked together by common compaét or agreement, for the better fecuring themfelves againft Zant, and defending themfelves againft Dan- ger. In confequence of this, every individual is un- der the moft folemn obligations to contribute what he can, for the general welfare'and prefervation of And when this is done with zeal, fidelity and an elevated {enfe of duty, it is denominated public Virtue and Love of exr Country ; than which human nature boafts of no qualities that are more amiable or moredivine. Both reafon and religion inculcate this in the ftrongeft terms. A narrow [felfith fpirit i§ odicusto G O D and MAN ; and no community ever fubfifted long where fuch a fpirit difgraced its Members. Of all thofe who have excelled in public virtue and love of their country, the little ftate of Sparta was the moil remarkable. To acknowledge no ford or mafler ; to live independeat and free ; to be governed by their own laws and cuftoms ; to pre- {erve themfelves from coxruption, felfithnefs and effeminacy ; and to be the fcourges of tyrants and tyranny—were the higheft bleffings which they knew. And; whenever thefe were in danger, they declined no toils nor fufferings for their prefervation. The blaze of public fpirit then fhone illuflrious ; burning and fpreading and catching from bofom to bofom, till it effe@tually {corched and devoured the eremies of their country. Their very” women fhared the contagion, as appears in my motto ; and whenever the trampet founded the alarm of war, one fitted out a hufband, another a fon, charging them, by all the ties of love and honour and duty, not to difgrace the dignity of the Spartan name ; and either to chaftize the.infolence of their enemies, or perifh in the glori- ous attempt. Seeing then, countrymen, fuch was the virtue of a Spartan, and even of a Spartan Woman, what may not be expeed from Britons ; who, added to all the advantages which the former enjoyed, have that of the Chrifiian Religion ard its everlafting profpetts to animate and inflame their condué&t ! We are, or might be, the bappicfi and moft enlightined people in the world ; and, by confequence ocught to be the braveft. Would you caft pour eyes, with me, a little over this globe, to view the deplorable ftate of your fel- Jow.creatures in other countries,how would you blefs your lot, and how dear would the name of Britons found in your ears ! «“ In Ruffia, Poland, Behemia, Hungary, and many parts of Germany (fays a late writer in an addrefs to 1758. . New-Hampthire £z the farmers of England) there is no fuch thing 2s freeholders. . The countryuen are all flaves to the gentlemen. They belong to the landiord, are part of the ftock of his effate, 2: much as the cattle or corn, and are boaght and “uid with the land. All they have, and all they ¢ earn, is their lord’s ; who juft allows them a miferable fubfitence. If their lord is ill tempered, j «flionate or drunk,they are beat without mercy ; for dare they murmar, much lefs refit. For ifc4 > "2maa kills oneof his boors,he is not punifhed ; and' if he kills one belong- ing to another gentleman, he pays only five pounds damages, as if it were for one of his beafts.” ¢ In thefe ccantries, every petty lord of 2 mancr has it in his power to be a little tyrant over the poor Pecfants, and every gentleman and officer beats and abufes them on the leaft, or no provocation. 1 have feen inftances that have aftonithed me, of three or four lufty, ftout country fellows, flanding tamely to be horfe whipt by a litzle puny officer, whom any one of them would have whipped like a child, with- out daring fo much as to lift up a hand to fave them- felves.— *¢ [nmany parts of Germany, all about the limits of manors, you may fee pofts fet up with painted boards on them ; reprefenting fome a man hanged, others a man with his hand cuat off,which are put up by way of warning, to fhew the punifbments that at- tend killing the game.” ; I might carry you thro’ Turky and other parts of Afia, to fhew you the deplorable ftate of human na- tare in thofe countries, groaning under a race of monfters that difgrace their very fhape ; inacondi- tion {o compleatly miferable that all I have mention- ed above is nothing compared to it. You have nei- ther feen, nor can imagine any thing of the kind. The wild favage that roams the wildernefs, is infi- nitely happier than they. I fhall not therefore take up your time with thefe caftern fcenes of fervitude and woe. Thank God ! we are as far removed from the danger of them, as we aie from the place of their exiftence. Qurapprehenfions are from ano- ther quarter. Our ambitiows and bloody Fremch neighbours are the only people on earth, from whom we have any thing to fear. It may therefore be proper to fhew the fituation we fhould be in under their government and power ;5 and here I fhall once more avail myfelf of the abeve cited author’s words, “ In travelling along France, fays he, you don’t fee, as amongft ns, noble country {eats and extenfive plantations, where the Owners livé in a friendly and familiar manner with their country-neighbours, {pending their money amongft them, and employing great numbers of the poor labouring people in their improvements. Moft of their men of fortune are at court, or in the army, and fcarce ever vifit their eftates. And thofe few that remain at home, dwell in old ruined caftles, that look more like retreats for robbers than gentleman’s feats. They are likewife proud, tyranical, feared and hated by all the poor countrymen who are f{o unhappy as to live near them.” “ You muft not fancy that there are to be found amongit them, farmers and countrymen like your- felves, men of fubftance, who live well, eat well, have large ftocks, their houfes neat and well fur- nithed, whofe wives and children go decent, and fometimes fine. So far from it, that I can aflure you, any labouring man amongft yoo, that enjoys health, is induftrious, and has a good wife who is cleanly and a houfewife, lives becter, fares beuter, has things about him in a neater manner, and he and his family are better clad than the moft fubftantial of their inferior gentry. As for their common people, how different are they from ours? They dre all of them miferable, ragged and meagre. Their only fare is black bread made of bad rye, or buck ; foups made withcut any meat, enly of herbs and a little butter when they can get it ; bad cheefe and a little milk. And to procure even this, they are forced to work 14 or 15 hours a day. Their women are obliged to do as much hard drudgery in the fields as their men ; which wears and breaks them, and ren- ders them hard-favoured and coarfe ; fo that they look older and more wrickled at the age of 25 than ours generally do at 6o. The men are half ftarved and fhriveled. They live in miferable cottages, and moft commonly the whole family, man, wife and children, cows, goats, poultry, hogs and hor{es Nuwms. 88. GAZETTE. _ Foreign and Domeflick. (if they have any) lie all in one common hovel upon ftraw.” ‘“ They have no encouragement to get before hand in the world, for they are taxed juft whatever their rulers think they can give ; fo that if they hap- pen to get a little money, they dare not thew it nor live one bit the better for fear of being raifed in their taxes_ghich are all let out by the king for a certain fungly vile Taxgatherers, who make a profic by faurezing thevery bicod c:: of the country people.™ So rar ["hdve 1oflowed this writer ; aud yuu tvay be fure, countrymen, the pictare is not exaggerated. 1f you have ever heard of the manner in which the French live near ourfelves in Canada, or feen it, you cannot doubt the truth of the above reprefexatation. You know on what poor fare all, who can bear arms among them are obliged to follow their arbi- trary leaders thro’ thefe inhofpitable 4merican woods: fcldom enjoying a comfortable meal,unlefs by ehance they can feize or pilfer it from us, which makes them the more eager to difpoffefs us of thefe happy fettlements, and to reap the fruit of our labours. But, added to all their other miferies, the greateft is, that they are not only deprived of freedom of Body, but even of Mind. Inftead of being permit- ted to pour forth the genuine Wor/bip of the Heart, before the great Creator of Heaven and Earth, they are obliged to pay a mock adoration to thofe wbo are no Gods | Inftead of putting their truft in his mer- cies, thro’ the only Mediator Fefus Chrift, they are forced to put a vain confidence in relicks, and de- parted {pirits, and thofe who can 2fford no help. In- ftead of following the plain diftates of common fenfe and the light of their own underftandings, they mul {ubmit to be hood-winked and have their Con/czences ridden, by a fet of priefts and jefuits and monks and inquifitors, {warming in every corner ! ~ But how different is the cafe amongftus! We €njoy an unprecarious Property, and every man may freely tafte the fruits of his own labours, under bic Vine and under his Fig-tree, none making bim afraid. It God has blefled us with the good things of this life, we need not fear to make an appearance an- {werable to our condition ; and what we do not {pend ourfelves, the laws will {ecure to our children afterus. ‘The king, upon his throne, cannot exact a fingle Farthing, of our eftates; but what we have firft freely confented to pay by laws of our own ma- king. We cannot be dragged out in violation of Fuflice and Right, to wade in feas of Blood, for fa- tiating the avarice of ambition of a haughty monarch. We need not fear Racks, nor Stripes, nor Bonds, nér Arbitrary Imprifonments, from any authority whatfo- ever ; or {hould fuch prevail for a time above Law, yet, while the conftitution remains found, we may be fure that every a&t would foon deftroy itfelf, and terminate at length in the utter ruin of the projectors. “T'is our happinefs too that our Mizds are as Free as our Bodies. No Man can impofe his own Dog- mas or notions upon our Confciences. We may wor- fhip the GOD pf our fathers, the only living and true GOD, in that manner which appears moft agreeable to our own underftandings, and his revealed will. The BIBLE is in our hand ;-we are aflited by an orthodox gofpel miniftry ; we may fearch and know the awords of Eternal Life ; and what is equally valu- able, we may convey what we know to our children after us, no"man having it in his power to wreft their Education from us. This, my dear countrymen, is happinefs indeed ! and what ftill enhances it, is the confideration that we are not only called to enjoy it ourfelves, but ptr- haps to bethe inftruments of diffufing it over this vaft continent, to the nations that fit in Darkne/s and the fhadow of Death. Surely the thoughts of this ought to roufe every {park of virtue in our bofoms. Could antient §par- tan rufh into the field of death upon the matives mentioned above ; and is there any danger which a Briton ought to decline for the {ake of thefe inefli- mable privileges ? Or fhall a French {lave and Popi/b bigot, at this day, do more for the glory of his zryan- nical Lord, than a Freeman and Proteflant for the befl of Kings, and the Father of his People. This land was given to us for propagating free- dom, eftablithing a/eful arts and extending the king- dom of JESUS. Shall we, then, be falfe to fuch a truft, or Pufillanimous in fuch a divine caufe: We have York LOTTERY, and a few Newbury TICKETS 70 te had of the Printer bereof "till the 19th of this Month.