ever be given why one people should
voluntarily yield any degree of preeminence to another but on a
supposition of great affection and benevolence towards them.
Unfortunately, your rulers, trusting to other things, took no notice of
this great principle of connection. From the beginning of this affair,
they have done all they could to alienate your minds from your own
kindred; and if they could excite hatred enough in one of the parties
towards the other, they seemed to be of opinion that they had gone half
the way towards reconciling the quarrel.

I know it is said, that your kindness is only alienated on account of
their resistance, and therefore, if the colonies surrender at
discretion, all sort of regard, and even much indulgence, is meant
towards them in future. But can those who are partisans for continuing a
war to enforce such a surrender be responsible (after all that has
passed) for such a future use of a power that is bound by no compacts
and restrained by no terror? Will they tell us what they call
indulgences? Do they not at this instant call the present war and all
its horrors a lenient and merciful proceeding?

No conqueror that I ever heard of has _professed_ to make a cruel,
harsh, and insolent use of his conquest. No! The man of the most
declared pride scarcely dares to trust his own heart with this dreadful
secret of ambition. But it will appear in its time; and no man who
professes to reduce another to the insolent mercy of a foreign arm ever
had any sort of good-will towards him. The profession of kindness, with
that sword in his hand, and that demand of surrender, is one of the most
provoking acts of his hostility. I shall be told that all this is
lenient as against rebellious adversaries. But are the leaders of their
faction more lenient to those who submit? Lord Howe and General Howe
have powers, under an act of Parliament, to restore to the king's peace
and to free trade any men or district which shall submit. Is this done?
We have been over and over informed by the authorized gazette, that the
city of New York and the countries of Staten and Long Island have
submitted voluntarily and cheerfully, and that many are very full of
zeal to the cause of administration. Were they instantly restored to
trade? Are they yet restored to it? Is not the benignity of two
commissioners, naturally most humane and generous men, some way fettered
by instructions, equally against their dispositions and the spirit