A Letter from a gentleman in Mount Hope, to his friend in Treamount.

A Letter from a gentleman in Mount Hope, to his friend in Treamount.

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A Letter from a Gentleman in Mount Hope, to his Friend in Treamount.

[Page]

A Letter from a Gentleman in Mount Hope, to his Friend in Treamount.

SIR,

I Cannot easily Express the Great Joy, and Universal Satisfaction the People in our Parts manifested, when they heard some Gentlemen of Boston, purposed to Meet, Advise, and Consult of proper Ways and Means, to Extricate you and us, out of our almost Insupportable Difficulties and Oppressions, daily and insensibly, increasing upon us, for want of a Sufficient Medium of Trade and Commerce. — And I freely confess, I was pleased at it, and almost perswaded to believe, that some Good would come of it: But our hopes (being built on a sandy Foundation) soon fell away; our Rejoycing ceased, and we were reduced to our former Melancholy Views: and upon the arrival of your Last Weeks Gazette, we were (Even to a Man,) wonderfully surprized, and filled with just Indignation and Scorn, upon the first Reading an Infamous Advertisement, cramm'd into that Gazette, Published by Authority; in which the Shameless Author, takes upon him an uncommon freedom (not to call it impudence,) to Ill-Treat Villify, a Reverend and Worthy Gentleman, whom we ever deemed a true and faithful Friend to his Country, and who shew'd [Page] himself to be such an One, some Years past, when many Others (considering their Stations in Government,) were under stricter Obligations to appear, were afraid to be Gap-men, and protest against the Gross Injuries, Arbitrary and Illegal Actions of the then Government: and because he stood up for the Laws and Rights of his Country, he was sent to Goal, and Suspended from his Ministry, fined Fifty Pounds, paid Cost, and gave l. 1000. Security for his Good Behaviour, for one Year: & we still conceive the same thoughts of him; & by what we have Read in his late Well Digested Treatise, we presume, he endeavour'd after the Advancement of the Publick Weal and Prosperity of his Native Country, notwithstanding all the Disingenious Flurts, and Invidious Scoffs, of the Castle-William Writer, who (no doubt of it,) rais'd and mustered, all the Force and Strength he could Command, at that Fortress, (tho' to worse than no purpose,) to batter down, and raze the well-grounded Arguments, and reasonable Propositions, so well laid down, and properly Displayed by that Worthy Person, that his Thundering Cannon made no Impression thereon: yet he Conceits in his own brains, that for his Undertaking so desperate an Affair, he is highly worthy of some Extraordinary Reward; and remarkable Distinction, to be put upon him: having fully demonstrated his high Ambition, as all well Disciplin'd Soldiers do, to Serve his Superior Officer, to the utmost of his Valour and Conduct: and if his Strong Efforts have not attained those Noble Ends, they were so secretly Contrived for, it is a Misfortune that sometimes attends the best of Designs, and therefore he is satisfying himself, that his Good Will may meet with some Kind Acceptance.

But, if Men for Projecting Schemes, and finding out Expedients for the Ease of the People, must be brought on the Stage, Maligned, and all that is [Page] naught laid o [...] them, and they know not by whom▪ I fear our Circumstances will mend, like Sowre Ale in Summer; so that if any of your Town should argue and say, Surely if there were such a want of a further Supply, or Medium in the Country-Towns, as some Men give out there is, there would have been several from thence, to have made Known their Wants, at the Late Convention of Gentlemen in Order for Redress: but none appearing at the time and place, is next to a Mathematical Demonstration, that they have a sufficiency.

Sir, If you find such Arguments like to prevail, you may assure all you Converse with, from me, that the main, if not the only reason, why you had not a considerable Number of Men from, and about our parts, to attend Last Tuesday Evening, furnished with Draughts, such as we were capable of framing, was, least their weak Essays, if they did not please some few among you, and got into their hands, (as Unavoidably they would,) that then, their plain, honest, well-meaning Attempts would serve to fill up the next Gazette, with Opprobrious Invectives against them: If not their Names and Persons handled, with the same Scurrillity the late Gentleman was entertained with, upon the like Occasion: for how can we Expect to fare better than he? When the most we are able to offer, must needs come far short of what he put forth on that head.

Verily, should we Honest Rusticks be Condemned, and hung up without any Tryal, in such an Indecent, and Unmanly Way; I am prone to think Our English Stomachs, would not Digest such Filthy Trash. And what very much aggravates this matter, and carries with it Deep Resentments, is, (If we are rightly Inform'd) that every one that belongs to, and resides at the Place where this NOBLE atchievement took its Birth, are maintain'd at the Charge of this Province; [Page] daily receive, and Eat their Bread; and Twice a Year at Least, send in their Muster Rolls, and Each Man paid his full Due, and some very Extravagant Muster Rolls (to say no worse of them) from thence were found out and Detected by the House of Representatives in the Last Session; as appears by their Votes and Just Representation thereof. Now Good Sir, had you & I, and the Generality of the Inhabitants within this Government, the same Opportunities and Ways, (and would improve them,) of being furnished with Province Bills as the Officers and Soldiers at Castle William have, we might then se [...]bly say, and truly Affirm, that for our parts we have enough. But alas! you know, we nor the Generality of the Good People, have no Salleries, Gratuities, or Wages to receive from Mr. Treasurer, but are Oblig'd annually to pay into the Treasury, very Considerable Rates and Taxes, to Support the Government: all which hitherto we have cheerfully comported with; and no small part of what we pay in, goes out for the Sole Use and Benefit of the Soldiers and Officers in the Governments pay: So that for any of that Order of Men, to think to bring into Contempt any, for their Free and Voluntary Enterprizes, and Contrivances to find out proper Expedients, to enable the Prudent and Laborious, the better to pay their Publick Dues, and [...]r [...]y [...] their necessary Affairs, for the Subsistance of their Wives, and Children, is hardly tollerable: who instead of acknowledging the Generosity of the People towards them, start up to pull down and ruin their Benefactors; the Law of Gratitude is one of the Laws of Nature: The Ox knows his Owner, and the Ass his Masters Crib. But these things we cannot account for: nor ought they to be Countenanced in any Civilized Government, and are a Reflection New-England was never Tainted with before.

[Page]However, Let us amidst our heavy Pressures and Perplexities, Keep up our true English Spirits and Fortitude, laying fast hold on our Rights and Liberties, as being our best Refuge, and most effectual way, in due time to bring us to rights again; for tho' some loss and damage may accrue to our Estates, by reason of the decay of Business and Traffick, yet that may and will revive; but if we once come to be depressed in our Spirits, it will prove far more fatal; and tend to the ruin of our Country, and the loss of our Native Rights. And should our Inconveniences continue growing still more and more upon us, and so far get the Mastery over us, as to bring us into Dispondences, we should soon Groan under the fatal Consequences of such a Calamity.

Let us therefore in no Wise, cherish or harbour such Pussill-animity within our Breasts; but put far from us, all such despicable thoughts. And if there be any among us, who would rejoyce to see such days here, I hope they will be Disappointed, and know of a Truth, that New-England-Men, cannot abide to be drove; or long led by the Nose: and (methinks) if we but look back and Recapitulate the many hardships (almost coming up to the Egyptian Bondage,) which this People not many Years since were Grovelling under: and the Province put under the Administration of a Governour and Council, who sought out so many Intentions to plague and hamper the Inhabitants withal; raise upon us Taxes without an Assembly, Declare our Good and Wholsom Laws, to be but a Nose of Wax, to serve their Unrighteous turns: and the then Governour being abetted, and assisted by the artful Contrivances, and Wicked Insinuations of some of his Council, (and they this Country Men born too,) to fill his and their Co [...]ers by Filthy Lucre, gave out, that forsooth, we had no manner of Right or Pretence to our Lands [Page] and Houses, for that they all belonged to the Crown; but yet in Pitty and Compassion, if they would take Pattents from Him, (which were not attainable without considerable Sums of Money,) be would secure them, in their Possessions; and the more plausibly to draw Men into this Gainful (tho' sordid) Projection, some of our own Country Men, and Councellors, were the First that took up of his Patents; which proved a great Snare to several, and prevailed upon them to part with their Money, rather than have Writts of Intrusion brought against them; which they were continually threatned with, and had just reason to Conclude, if they lost not their Lands, they would be Sadled with heavy Bills of Cost, which they must discharge or go to Goal.

The Oppressions, and Grievances that our Fathers lay under, during that Government are too many and too Gross really (some of them,) to recount now: and yet they held out, and surmounted those Innumerable Calamities: And shall We of their Race and Posterity (even before some of them, have their Heads laid in the Grave,) especially under such a happy Constitution as we now Live and Breath in; shall we seem in the least to be dismayed for our petty Troubles compared with theirs? Surely no. Have not the People, by our present Constitution, the Sole Power and Liberty to Choose only such, to represent them, as will on all fit Occasions, boldly assert, and maintain their Rights and Immunities; and at all Times sincerely promote the Publick Weal and Tranquility of their Constituants? And may they not avoid all, who for the sake of Perferments, or fear of loosing a Place or Pension, will Change their former Notes, and turn Courtiers? And if Publick Spirited Men are Chosen to represent the People, will it not be their principal Aim and Bent, that the Council-Board be filled up with such Gentlemen, [Page] who laying aside all Private Gain in their Publick Stations, and Administration, will joyn hand in hand with the Representative Body, in serving and advancing the Good, and Prosperity of this People? Tho' perhaps some of the Methods to attain that End, should not Immediately advance their Private Interest, but in some measure rather Impede and Obstruct it. Upon the whole, If this Province is brought under such Streights and Difficulties, which if not quickly Removed will prove pernicious to it, we must thank our selves, if an effectual Remedy be not found out and applyed, for the Removal of them.

Cannot we yet see, what Obstructions and Blocks are laid in our Way? Who are the Actors and Managers of the Scene? They appear in as full, and Open view to us, as the Stars in a clear Frosty Night, notwithstanding the Various and Changeable Masks they Cover their Faces with, and pretty fashionable, plausible Attire they appear of Late in: Therefore our Way is short and plain; and if we Now set out in the right path; I hope before May next be wholly Expired, we shall have got almost to our Journey's End, and shall then Once more have this Province disengaged from its present Incumberances, and the Industrious well minded Man freed from the Jaws of the Oppress [...]r. I shall add no more at present, but Subscribe my self as really I am;

Sir,

Your very much Obliged Friend & Humble Servant.

Mount Hope, Feb. 27, 1721,

Information about this book

Title statement

A Letter from a gentleman in Mount Hope, to his friend in Treamount.

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI :

Date

2008-09.

ID [DLPS]

N01880

ID [TCP]

N01880

ID [STC]

Evans 2228

ID [NOTIS]

APW3994

ID [IMAGE-SET]

2228

ID [EVANS-CITATION]

99009953

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 2228.

Notes

(Evans-TCP ; no. N01880)

Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 2228)

Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 2228)

Source

— A Letter from a gentleman in Mount Hope, to his friend in Treamount.,

Extent

7, [1] p. ; 16 cm. (16mo)

s.n.,. [Boston :: 1721]. (Occasioned by an article in the Boston gazette of Feb. 20, 1721, attacking the Rev. John Wise of Ipswich for his advocacy of a large emission of bills of credit.) (Caption title.) (Dated on p. 7: Mount Hope, Feb. 27. 1721.)

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