The Massachusetts Spy

For the MASSACHUSETTS SPY.

To PHILANTHROP, jun. and his modest
Brethren, the chaste writers in the Massa-
chusetts Gazette.

GENTLEMEN,

IF to preface with a most abusive motto,
to begin your essay with a most notori-
ous falsehood, to proceed with the most for-
ced and vindictive train of invective, and
after barely turning aside a moment to boast
of the cool argument of your party, and to
demand calm answers to the most hackney-
ed pretences, which have been digested
and confounded as often as they have been
new-modelled and thrown out to plague the
world, and then to conclude in presuming
what men would do, of whose dispositions
you have never had the least evidence to
warrant your impudent insinuations, if these
excellencies I say, can be justly supposed to
entitle you to that extreme regard you so
haughtily appear to demand; I leave it to
those discerning Gentlemen who can ad-
just and approve your claim, to return you
the acknowledgments they think you de-
serve. But lest yourself or accomplices
should deny these nearly indisputable as-
sertions to be conclusive, I would beg leave
to ask you, could any thing short of the
most abandoned disregard to truth, or
even the semblance of it, tempt you to as-
firm, that for five or six years past, nobody
could appear in print on your side of the
question? Will not the Continent, will
not the united voice of the Empire, give
you the lie? What were the unexception-
able pieces for which the printer was cal-
led to account? Do you mean the rascally
libel, which was dispersed in the Town-
Hall, to prejudice the minds of the people
against Mr. Molineux, when his case was
under consideration? what falsehoods young
gentleman, have been imposed on the cre-
dulous readers of News-papers, which you
can detect with all the Presses in town at
your service? Credulous indeed must they
be, who are imposed upon by such novices
as Philanthrop jun.! Did the friends to
government treat Mr. Thomas as if they
thought him at liberty to print what he
pleased? Where is the indecency of the
piece signed Mucius Scaevola, about which
government made such a bluster? This
like many others, was unpardonable, only
because unanswerable! The Martyr you
mention, did really escape, after a scene of
the most unwearied endeavors to provoke
some body to break his limbs, or destroy the
remainder of a stock, of which, he would
have been glad to have laid the destruction
to a mob, or any thing else, which might
recommend him to ministerial compassion.
It is fortunate, I confess you have the ar-
ticle of paper money to harp upon; for
this your hero shall have all the credit,
that the impartial public will be pleased to
award a close fisted salary man, vexed to the
gall, with the depreciation of that uncon-
stant medium.
I am sensible your conscience tells you
the sentiments of the people are too well
founded, for any of your objections to do
more, than awake their resentment, against
a nauseous repetition of the stupid imperti-
nencies, which have been served up with
so little variation, that even the Negroes
are sick of them.
Has not Chronus been answered? What
has he said worth notice, besides that auda-
cious, that insolent, that barefaced and
shocking lie, that we have no grievances to
complain of? Could the father of lies
himself have dared a more impious falsehood?
Is the possession of life, liberty and proper-
ty at the uncontroulable discretion, even
of a King of Great-Britain, no grievance?
Is it no grievance to have a swarm of the
weepings of human nature fattening on
the spoils of our country, and rolling
whole cargoes of the richest wines, sugars,
&c. in and out of that cursed receptacle
of their accumulated plunder, the Custom-
House? Is it no grievance to see the avow-
ed enemies of the rights of their country
the only incumbents on the emoluments of
office in it? Are the independence of Mr.
Hutchinson, the promotion and pension-
ing of Mr. Oliver, in consequence of sig-
nal services endeavoured to be executed
November 1765, and really executed March
1770; are these no grievances? Are 500l.
sterling a year to Mr. H--I for declar-
ing that the massacre of his fellow citizens
only that himself and his fellow parricides
interior, and the appointment of another
commander to a superintendancy of the
ances?
catcrest of this town no griev-
I hope the go
ed Philanthrop
baatured and well dispof-
murderous Richardson's liberation of the
ance, or rather exemplar
a very light griev-
tenfion of roy-
a. favour.
He was certain conspicuous
candrcate; for such a friend
to government
and avowed enemy to the people is perhaps
not to be found in the Empire. If Chro-
nus Philanthrop nor company can feel any
thing of all these, I pray God to hasten the
day when such unfeeling miscreants may
feel the vengeance of a people, whom
they have endeavoured to betray into an O-
pinion, that the most flagrant invasion of
their most sacred rights, privileges and im-
munities, was a matter of as little conse-
quence as the breaking of a drinking glass.
I remember very well Philanthrop, that
Chronus affirms, we live under the best go-
vernment that could be contrived for us,
and I affirm the assertion is treason, I affirm
it is parricide, because false, insidious and
tending to make the people easy with as
great and fatal an alteration of Government
as was attempted by Charles the First of
execrable memory, whatever Doctor Now-
ell or Lord North may think to the contra-
ry. It is no wonder Philanthrop, a trai-
terous enemy to the people does not chuse
to risque the consequences of their resent-
ment; for all sides acknowledge their eyes
are pretty well open to the abuses they have
already suffered, and the deluge which
threatened to overwhelm them, had not a
'packed Grand-jury' very luckily interposed.
I am afraid my loving friend you will not
relish the recent conduct of the house of re-
presentatives much better than you have
done that of the grand jury. I would there-
fore propose that Chronus and yourself,
would reconsider the rash concession above,
about the government; it certainly might
be mended if the times would allow it. A
sufficient fleet of ships and forty or fifty re-
giments might effect great things in regard
to the obstinacy of grand juries, and coun-
try deputies; the small bandful we had
here tried it on a very summary way,
setting Justice, Constable and all at defi-
ace. The Constable in that case imagin-
ed he felt a grievance, but undoubtedly it
was no more than an imaginary one, or
a gentleman of Chronus's information
could not have omitted an article, many
people imagined- of uncommon conse-
quence, had it been such in reality.
To follow you through all your repeti-
tions, would be imposing on the coolest rea-
der, I shall therefore hasten to remark on
your discovery of our mistake, in the dread
article of our dependence on Great-Britain;
but having nearly filled my page, I advise
you that I am ready to defend the doctrine
'we have of late been taught' on that head,
against A Z. or any of his party, who will
enter the lists like a man with his real name
to his pieces, meaning to have that matter
discussed openly by men who account
themselves answerable for what they affirm,
and being universally known will be
ashamed to offer 'scurrility and invective'
for sound reasoning,
Such an open combat as this will decide
a good many points in debate. Men will
have it in their power, indubitably to deter-
mine who lay the 'dangerous schemes' and
whose influence is on the rise or decline.
If you have been in earnest, you will not
refuse this proposal for 'a friendly debate,' in
which if either side insinuates the other to
be a liar, a traitor, or a villain, he must feel
himself holden to prove it.
You confess you are now out of danger
from the exertions of force against your
persons or properties, would to God we
could look upon ourselves in a state of e-
qual security: But far from despairing ei-
ther of his goodness or justice to restore us
to that happy condition, from which, with
so much cruelty and treachery we have been
detruded, let us cheerfully engage in our
obvious duty and leave the issue to the go-
vernor of all events.

SCRUTATOR.