Westchester County, New York, During the American Revolution
The Spectator, in " some of his beautiful lucubrations, mentions a young " Eastern Prince, who being severely reprimanded for " some unguarded folly of youth, immediately fell " down at the feet of his preceptor, and expressed " himself to this effect : -- father, I now perceive, " that I have two souls, a good soul and a bad, in
" your absence the bad soul predominates ; passion •" and pleasure, with their attendant train of delusions, " absorbe my frame ; reason and virtue are forced to " quit their seats ! -- But in your presence, the good "soul assumes the throne ; reason, truth, and virtue " appear in all their native forms, and every vicious " passion is banished from my heart.
" However this may be with an individual, it is " clearly evident, that the inhabitants of the British " dominions are actuated by two sorts of souls, and " these are of very different kinds : But let us exam- " ine them ; the soul of the virtuous son of Freedom, " is the soul of God ! the soul of nature, and the soul " of the British Constitution ; it is a soul that dares " to think, that dares to speak, that dares to die ! " This soul has animated every kingdom on the face " of the earth, till by their own crimes and their own " folly, they have voluntarily banished it " their soil : This is the soul that has sup- " ported the British state through various revolu- " tions, and will maintain its empire, either in that, " or some other part of the globe, till Heaven, in its " vengeance, shall extirpate the human race. -- Now, '"' the souls of the other cast, may be divided into two " classes ; and first, those in the island of Britain, " who erroneously call themselves friends to govern- " ment ; and are generally distinguished by the name " of Tories : and these should be called despotic " souls, as they well deserve the appellation ; for, by " their alert address, they have had influence enough " to buy all the votes in the Kingdom ; and the min- " istry has had foresight enough to buy all them ; so " that, all the laws of that once great nation, are now " framed, passed, and executed by one branch of the " legislature : And the consequences have been cor- " respondent; equity, justice, and reason, with all " the antient props of the state, are banished the sen- " ate : tyranny mounts her throne, and says, -- I " Will !