ston long before this can reach you, and will
doubtless have heard of the Discovery of the greatest and vilest
attempt ever made against our country: I mean the _plot_, the infernal
_plot_ which has been contrived by our worst enemies, and which was on
the verge of execution: you will, I say, undoubtedly have _heard_ of
it, but perhaps I may give you a better idea of it than as yet you
have obtained. The Mayor of York with a number of villains who were
possessed of fortunes, and who formerly ranked with Gentlemen, had
impiously dared an undertaking, big with fatal consequences to the
_virtuous_ army in York, and which in all probability would have given
the enemy possession of the city with little loss. Their design was,
upon the first engagement which took place, to have murdered (with
trembling I say it) the best man on earth: Genl Washington was to
have been the first subject of their unheard of SACRICIDE: our
magazines which, as you know, are very capacious, were to have been
blown up: every General Officer and every other who was active in
serving his country in the field was to have been assassinated: our
cannon were to be spiked up: and in short every the most accursed
scheme was laid to give us into the hands of the enemy, and to ruin
us. They had plenty of money, and gave large bounties and larger
promises to those who were engaged to serve their hellish purposes. In
order to execute their Design upon our General, they had enlisted into
their service one or two from his Excellency's _life-Guard_, who were
to have assassinated _him_: knowing that no person could be admitted
into the magazines or among the cannon but those who were of the
Artillery they have found several in our Regiment vile enough to be
concerned in their diabolical Designs--these were to have blown up the
Magazines and spiked the cannon. (Tell Homans, one Rotch, a fellow he
bled for me in Morton's company at No 1 is taken up with his
brother for being concerned.) Their Design was deep, long concerted,
and wicked to a _great Degree_. But happily for us, it has pleased God
to discover it to us in season, and I think we are making a right
improvement of it (as the good folks say). We are hanging them as fast
as we find them out. I have just now returned from the Execution of
one[242] of the General's Guard: he was the first that has been tried:
yesterday at 11 o'clock he received sentence, to-day at 11 he was hung
in presence of the whole army. He