The Virginia Gazette

TO the PRINTER.

The restless and infatuated enemies of Great Britain and her colonies have been endeavouring to make the Ministry, the Parliament, and the whole people of England, believe that we are ungrateful, factious, and disloyal: This is not bare surmise, but is warranted by letters from Gentlemen of the best character on the other side of the water. At the same time they are taking pains to abate our esteem and affection for our brethren in England, by representing them to us as unkindly disposed towards us. Thus they have played a double game; and, by striving to fix a mutual jealousy between us, have done all in their power to destroy that mutual harmony, which every man of every order ought, and every friend to both countries, will cultivate. Surely these men have much to answer for: What worse treason can there be, next to an attempt upon the life or crown of the King, than to aim at poisoning the minds of his Majesty's Ministers, and, through them, of his Majesty himself, with unfavourable sentiments of his most loyal and loving subjects! What greater crime against the state than to be perpetually using base arts and calumny to lay a foundation of discord, so big with evil to the Mother Country and her colonies! That the people of this Province, and we may venture to say of all our Sister Colonies, are disposed to yield the most cheerful obedience to every constitutional act of Great Britain, has been notorious for many years past. We defy the Tories on this and that side of the Atlantick to prove the contrary. It is as notorious that an unconstitutional act, or in other words an act of mere power, sits as awkwardly upon them as upon their fellow subjects in Britain. If liberty is invaded either here or there, we hope there will always be spirit enough at least to complain of it. If our charter rights are infringed, we cannot be tame spectators of it, any more than our brethren would be of a breach of Magna Charta. We must and will keep our attention to the constitution, as long as it is worth attending to; and every honest and sensible man in England will justify and applaud us. Knaves and fools are not worth regarding. Be it known then that all honest and sensible subjects in Britain and America are united: They agree as one man to the crown and dignity of his Most Sacred Majesty, and the authority and rights of Parliament, and of General Assembly, upon the well known and established principles of the British constitution; they agree to cultivate harmony between all his Majesty's subjects, in every part of the globe, upon the footing of liberty and true friendship. This crown and dignity, this authority, these rights, this liberty and friendship, they will maintain; at the expense of every thing dear and valuable, even their blood. This is the truly noble spirit that now prevails; and whoever shall go about, either by open attempts, or secret machinations, to destroy, or even in the least degree to check such a spirit, let him be accursed; and all the people shall say Amen.

POPULUS.