" ' 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.'

" And that all persons who have been disarmed for '• refusing to associate with their countrymen, for the " defense of the United Colonies, in the form pre- " scribed by the late Committee of Safety, as afore- " said, may have no pretence to complain of injus- " tice, and that they may have a fair opportunity of " convincing the public that their refusal to sign the " said Association did not arise from a disinclination " to defend the Rights of America, but merely from

" objections to sign to the form of the said Association, " and thereby be restored to the privilege of bearing " arms in support of a cause so important and so " glorious ;