and your conviction of the absolute, urgent
_necessity_ there is that something of the kind should be done. If there
is any sacrifice to be made, either of estimation or of fortune, the
smallest is the best. Commanders-in-chief are not to be put upon the
forlorn hope. But, indeed, it is necessary that the attempt should be
made. It is necessary from our own political circumstances; it is
necessary from the operations of the enemy; it is necessary from the
demands of the people, whose desires, when they do not militate with the
stable and eternal rules of justice and reason, (rules which are above
us and above them,) ought to be as a law to a House of Commons.

As to our circumstances, I do not mean to aggravate the difficulties of
them by the strength of any coloring whatsoever. On the contrary, I
observe, and observe with pleasure, that our affairs rather wear a more
promising aspect than they did on the opening of this session. We have
had some leading successes. But those who rate them at the highest
(higher a great deal, indeed, than I dare to do) are of opinion, that,
upon the ground of such advantages, we cannot at this time hope to make
any treaty of peace which would not be ruinous and completely
disgraceful. In such an anxious state of things, if dawnings of success
serve to animate our diligence, they are good; if they tend to increase
our presumption, they are worse than defeats. The state of our affairs
shall, then, be as promising as any one may choose to conceive it: it
is, however, but promising. We must recollect, that, with but half of
our natural strength, we are at war against confederated powers who have
singly threatened us with ruin; we must recollect, that, whilst we are
left naked on one side, our other flank is uncovered by any alliance;
that, whilst we are weighing and balancing our successes against our
losses, we are accumulating debt to the amount of at least fourteen
millions in the year. That loss is certain.

I have no wish to deny that our successes are as brilliant as any one
chooses to make them; our resources, too, may, for me, be as
unfathomable as they are represented. Indeed, they are just whatever the
people possess and will submit to pay. Taxing is an easy business. Any
projector can contrive new impositions; any bungler can add to the old.
But is it altogether wise to have no other bounds to your impositions
than the patience of those who are to bear them?

All I claim upon th