violation of the public
faith.

We cannot, therefore, agree to unite in new severities against the
brethren of our blood for their asserting an independency, to which we
know, in our conscience, they have been necessitated by the conduct of
those very persons who now make use of that argument to provoke us to a
continuance and repetition of the acts which in a regular series have
led to this great misfortune.

The reasons, dread Sir, which have been used to justify this
perseverance in a refusal to hear or conciliate have been reduced into a
sort of Parliamentary maxims which we do not approve. The first of these
maxims is, "that the two Houses ought not to receive (as they have
hitherto refused to receive) petitions containing matter derogatory to
any part of the authority they claim." We conceive this maxim and the
consequent practice to be unjustifiable by reason or the practice of
other sovereign powers, and that it must be productive, if adhered to,
of a total separation between this kingdom and its dependencies. The
supreme power, being in ordinary cases the ultimate judge, can, as we
conceive, suffer nothing in having any part of his rights excepted to,
or even discussed before himself. We know that sovereigns in other
countries, where the assertion of absolute regal power is as high as the
assertion of absolute power in any politic body can possibly be here,
have received many petitions in direct opposition to many of their
claims of prerogative,--have listened to them,--condescended to discuss,
and to give answers to them. This refusal to admit even the discussion
of any part of an undefined prerogative will naturally tend to
annihilate any privilege that can be claimed by every inferior dependent
community, and every subordinate order in the state.

The next maxim which has been put as a bar to any plan of accommodation
is, "that no offer of terms of peace ought to be made, before Parliament
is assured that these terms will be accepted." On this we beg leave to
represent to your Majesty, that, if, in all events, the policy of this
kingdom is to govern the people in your colonies as a free people, no
mischief can possibly happen from a declaration to them, and to the
world, of the manner and form in which Parliament proposes that they
shall enjoy the freedom it protects. It is an encouragement to the
innocent and meritorious, that they at least shall enjoy those
advantages which they patiently expected rathe