ssembled in General Congress, with the deputies from the
other states of British America, to propose to the said Congress
that an humble and dutiful address be presented to his Majesty,
begging leave to lay before him, as Chief Magistrate of the
British empire, the united complaints of his Majesty's subjects in
America; complaints which are excited by many unwarrantable
encroachments and usurpations, attempted to be made by the
legislature of one part of the empire upon the rights which God
and the laws have given equally and independently to all. To
represent to his Majesty that these, his states, have often
individually made humble application to his imperial Throne to
obtain through its intervention some redress of their injured
rights, to none of which was ever even an answer condescended.
Humbly to hope that this, their joint address, penned in the
language of truth, and divested of those expressions of servility
which would persuade his Majesty that we are asking favors, and
not rights, shall obtain from his Majesty a respectful acceptance;
and this his Majesty will think we have reason to expect, when he
reflects that he is no more than the chief officer of the people,
appointed by the laws, and circumscribed with definite powers to
assist in working the great machine of government, erected for
their use, and consequently subject to their superintendence, and
in order that these our rights, as well as the invasions of them,
may be laid more fully before his Majesty, to take a view of them
from the origin and first settlement of these countries."

It will be observed in the above extract from Mr. Jefferson, that there
is no proportion between the members of the sentences. We have them of
all lengths, interlarded with phrases, and thrown into a confused mass.
Hence, there is no _harmony_. Mr. Paine's periods are almost faultless
in this regard; the members of the periods follow each other like the
waves of the ocean, which gives _evenness_ of "_tread_" and _majesty_ of
_expression_. While the style of Mr. Jefferson is absolutely devoid of
all _harmony_, for the members of the periods move on like the rumbling
of a government wagon over a rough and stony road.

This peculiarity of style is one of mental constitution. It is an effect
of nature which education can never remedy. No art can reach it, for no
mental training can annul a law of nature. It may be said of the