ed by the overhanging shadow
of coming events that it seemed to shrink from pronouncing its opinion.
Edmund Burke, eager to add glory as an orator to his just renown as an
author, argued for England's right in such a manner that the strongest
friends of power declared his speech to have been 'far superior to that
of every other speaker;' while Grenville, Yorke, and all the lawyers;
the temperate Richard Hussey, who yet was practically for humanity and
justice; Blackstone, the commentator on the laws of England, who still
disliked internal taxation of America by Parliament, filled many hours
with solemn arguments for England's unlimited supremacy. They persuaded
one another, and the House, that the Charters which kings had granted
were, by the unbroken opinions of lawyers, from 1689, subordinate to the
good-will of the Houses of Parliament; that Parliament, for a stronger
reason, had power to tax--a power which it had been proposed to exert in
1713, while Harley was at the head of the Treasury, and again at the
opening of the Seven Years' War." ...

"So the watches of the long winter's night wore away, and at about four
o'clock in the morning, when the question was called, less than ten
voices, some say five, or four, some said but three, spoke out in the
minority; and the resolution passed for England's right to do what the
Treasury pleased with three millions of freemen in America." (Bancroft's
History of the United States., Vol. V., pp. 415-417.)]

[Footnote 289: Allen's History of the American Revolution, Vol. I.,
Chap. v., p. 101. Bancroft's History of the United States, Vol. VI.,
Chap. xxv., p. 6.]

[Footnote 290: Bancroft's History of the United States, Vol. VI., Chap.
xxv., pp. 15, 16.

"The colonies were required, at their own expense, to furnish the troops
quartered upon them by Parliament with fuel, bedding, utensils for
cooking, and various articles of food and drink. To take off the edge
from this bill, bounties were granted on the importation of lumber and
timber from the plantations; coffee of domestic growth was exempted from
additional duty; and iron was permitted to be carried to Ireland."
(Barry's History of Massachusetts, Second Period, Chap. x., p. 295.)]

CHAPTER XIII.

EVENTS OF 1767--A NEW PARLIAMENT--FIRST ACT AGAINST THE PROVINCE OF NEW
YORK--BILLETING SOLDIERS ON THE COLONIES.

A new House of Commons was elected in 1766, less favourable to the
colonies than the preceding one; an