l on at present. I hope that those
who yet wear royal, imperial, and ducal crowns will learn to feel as
men and as kings: if not, I predict to them, they will not long exist as
kings or as men.

Great Britain was not there. Almost in despair, I hope she will never,
in any rags and _coversluts_ of infamy, be seen at such an exhibition.
The hour of her final degradation is not yet come; she did not herself
appear in the Regicide presence, to be the sport and mockery of those
bloody buffoons, who, in the merriment of their pride, were insulting
with every species of contumely the fallen dignity of the rest of
Europe. But Britain, though not personally appearing to bear her part in
this monstrous tragi-comedy, was very far from being forgotten. The
new-robed regicides found a representative for her. And who was this
representative? Without a previous knowledge, any one would have given a
thousand guesses before he could arrive at a tolerable divination of
their rancorous insolence. They chose to address what they had to say
concerning this nation to the ambassador of America. They did not apply
to this ambassador for a mediation: that, indeed, would have indicated a
want of every kind of decency; but it would have indicated nothing more.
But in this their American apostrophe, your Lordship will observe, they
did not so much as pretend to hold out to us directly, or through any
mediator, though in the most humiliating manner, any idea whatsoever of
peace, or the smallest desire of reconciliation. To the States of
America themselves they paid no compliment. They paid their compliment
to Washington solely: and on what ground? This most respectable
commander and magistrate might deserve commendation on very many of
those qualities which they who most disapprove some part of his
proceedings, not more justly than freely, attribute to him; but they
found nothing to commend in him "_but the hatred he bore to Great
Britain_." I verily believe, that, in the whole history of our European
wars, there never was such a compliment paid from the sovereign of one
state to a great chief of another. Not one ambassador from any one of
those powers who pretend to live in amity with this kingdom took the
least notice of that unheard-of declaration; nor will Great Britain,
till she is known with certainty to be true to her own dignity, find any
one disposed to feel for the indignities that are offered to her. To say
the truth, those miserable cre