Benjamin Franklin

It has been long observed, that men are with that party, angels or demons, just as they happen to concur with or oppose their measures.

But when Britain values herself as affording us protection, we desire it may be considered, that we have followed her in all her wars, and joined with her at our own expence against all she thought fit to quarrel with.

What then avails it to the honour of the present proprietors, that our founder and their father gave us privileges, if they, the sons, will not permit the use of them, or forcibly rend them from us?

The virtue and merit of his ancestors may be very great, but his presumption in depending upon those alone may be much greater.

When prerogative, that in other governments is only used for the good of the people, is here strained to the extreme, and used to their prejudice, and the proprietaries benefit, can you perceive no difference?

When the direct and immediate rays of majesty benignly and mildly shine on all around us, but are transmitted and thrown upon us through the burning-glass of proprietary government, can your sensibilities feel no difference?

That constitution, which they were for ever censuring as defective in a legislative council, defective in government powers, too popular in many of its modes, is it now become so excellent?

Perhaps, as they have been tinkering it these twenty years, till they have stripped it of some of its most valuable privileges, and almost spoiled it, they now begin to like it.

We send you here a little book, For you to look upon; That you may see your father's face, Now he is dead and gone.

If our government hath often been administered with remarkable harmony, it hath as often been administered with remarkable discord: one often is as numerous as the other.

LIES, gentlemen, villanous as ever the malice of hell invented, and which, to do you justice, not one of you believes, though you would have the mob believe them.

But is it not a fact known to you all, that the assembly did endeavour to strengthen the hands of the government?

But you seem mistaken in the order of time: it was the uneasiness and distraction among the good people of the province that occasioned the measures; the province was in confusion before they were taken, and they were pursued in order to…

Make one step farther back, and you will find proprietary injustice supported by proprietary minions and creatures, the original cause of all our uneasiness and distractions.

He indeed has taken great pains to give unfavourable impressions of me, and perhaps may flatter himself, that it is impossible so much true industry should be totally without effect.

His long success in maiming or murdering all the reputations that stand in his way (which has been the dear delight and constant employment of his life) may likewise have given him some just ground for confidence, that he has, as they call…

It cannot be my constantly and uniformly promoting the measures of the crown, ever since I had any influence in the province.

Why were those healing instructions so long withheld and concealed from the people?

Why was the bringing and the delivery of such orders so long denied?

I am no land-jobber; and therefore have never had any thing to do with their land-office or officers; if I had, probably, like others, I might have been obliged to truckle to their measures, or have had like causes of complaint.

But our private interests never clashed; and all their resentment against me, and mine to them, has been on the public account.

A falshood may destroy the innocent, so may part of a truth without the whole; and a mixture of truth and falshood may be full as pernicious.

If I had gone to gaming in the stocks with the public money, and through my fault a sum was lost, as your protest would insinuate, why was I not censured and punished for it when I returned?

I am now to take leave (perhaps a last leave) of the country I love, and in which I have spent the greatest part of my life.--ESTO PERPETUA.--I wish every kind of prosperity to my friends,--and I forgive my enemies.

Our legal method of compulsion is by imprisonment: the Indians cannot and will not imprison one another; and if we attempt to imprison them, I apprehend it would be generally disliked by the nations, and occasion breaches.