ranted by courtesy._
Held together by an unexampled occurrence of sentiment, which is,
nevertheless, subject to change, and which every secret enemy is
endeavoring to dissolve. Our present condition is legislation without
law, wisdom without a plan, a constitution without a name."

I now take up the third part of the indictment--_War_.

Paragraph 17. "He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our
towns, and destroyed the lives of our people."

Paragraph 18. "He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign
mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny,
already begun, with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy unworthy the
head of a civilized nation."

On the above two counts, which charge war and invasion, I submit from
Common Sense, page 62, as follows: "_It is the violence which is done
and threatened to our persons, the destruction of our property by an
armed force, the invasion of our country by fire and sword_, which
conscientiously qualifies the use of arms; and the instant in which such
mode of defense became necessary, all subjection to Britain ought to
have ceased, and the independence of America should have been considered
as dating its era from, and published by the first musket that was fired
against her."

Under the above, also, may be classed paragraph 19.

Paragraph 20. "He has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants the
merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an
undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions of
existence." Compare Common Sense, page 47, as follows: "There are
thousands and tens of thousands who would think it glorious to expel
from the continent that barbarous and hellish power which hath stirred
up the Indians and negroes to destroy us."

Paragraph 21. "He has excited _treasonable insurrection_," etc. Compare
Common Sense, page 61, as follows: "The tories dared not have assembled
_offensively_, had they known that their lives, by that act, were
forfeited to the laws of the State. A line of distinction should be
drawn between English soldiers taken in battle and inhabitants of
America _taken in arms_: the first are prisoners, but the latter
_traitors_--the one forfeits his liberty, the other his head."

The above paragraph and the following one, it will be remembered, were
stricken out by Congress.

I now come to the closing paragraph of this part of the indictment, and,
as it is the most important of all,