But, as some of the friends to the American " cause have been influenced, by this objection, to " refuse signing the said Association, and, in conse- " quence thereof, been disarmed, it hath become ex- "pedient that the said Association should be so ex- " plained as to render it free from specious as well as "solid objections; and, therefore,

" Resolved, unanimottsly, That nothing in the "said Association contained, shall extend or be con- "strued to extend to deprive those who have sub- " scribed it of any Rights reserved to them, in and by " the said Militia Regulations ; and to the end that all " the Freemen of this Colony may associate for the "preservation of American liberty, in a form entirely " unexceptionable ;

"Resolved, unanimously, That the following " form of an Association be and it is hereby recom- " mended to them, viz. :

" ' We, the subscribers, inhabitants of . . . . ,

" 'in the County of and Colony of New

" ' York, do most solemnly declare that the claims of " 'the British Parliament to bind, at their discretion, "' the people of the United Colonies in America, in " ' all cases whatsoever, are, in our opinions, absurd, "'unjust, and tyrannical; and that the hostile at- " ' tempts of their Fleets and Armies to enforce sub- " ' mission to those wicked and ridiculous claims " ' ought to be resisted by arms.

" ' And, therefore, we do engage and associate, " ' under all the ties which we respectively hold '•' ' sacred, to defend, by arms, these United Colonies, " ' against the said hostile attempts, agreeable to such " ' Laws and Regulations as our Representatives in " ' the Congresses or future General Assemblies of " ' this Colony have or shall, for that purpose, make " ' and establish.'