fate of Charles and James Stuart. The majority of
Englishmen have never been willing to admit that in defending their
constitutional rights they were guilty of impiety. Though such warnings
and appeals were at this time frequent enough, the Whigs paid no regard
to them.

When we leave the Tories and turn to the soldiery we find one other
common English failing--underrating an adversary. England had so long
been victorious on land and sea that it was almost a natural assumption
that she was superior to any force that could be brought against her.
But that she was always right, or her opponents always cowards, were
corollaries that did not necessarily follow. Yet both of these were
implicitly believed, not only by supporters at home, but also by the
army in America. As to Yankee cowardice, many a Tory could, and later
did, warn the troops against belief in it. But now, at any rate, the
belief was fully indulged. From it was an easy step to general contempt.
Rascal and Scoundrel were common synonyms for Whig. Lord Percy was a
brigadier-general and old enough to form his own conclusions, yet after
living in the camp at Boston for a month, he gives us a complete
analysis of the American character--the summary, no doubt, of British
military opinion. "The People here," he wrote home, "are the most
designing, Artfull Villains in the World. They have not the least Idea
of either Religion or Morality. Nor have they the least Scruple of
taking the most solemn Oath on any Matter that can assist their
Purpose, tho' they know the direct contrary can be clearly & evidently
proved in half an Hour."[52]

We see, then, the situation fully prepared: an inflexible people, a weak
governor, a party of believers in divine right, and a contemptuous
soldiery. The next event, which all but ended in violence, showed that
there needed but a little tenser situation in order to bring about the
rupture.

Now occurred the annual oration on the Massacre. Since that tragedy,
five years ago, there had been an annual commemoration of it in the form
of a speech by one of the Whig leaders. This year the post was one of
evident responsibility and even of danger, but Warren, true to his
character, solicited the appointment. He announced his subject as "The
Baleful Influence of Standing Armies in Time of Peace." On the fifth of
March the crowd that came to hear him filled the Old South to the doors.

The chance was one which, had Gage received the orders w