d, and who, day by day, was committing
himself farther in the dreadful and desperate course of resistance.
"This is your friend," the people about his Excellency said, "this is
the man you favoured, who has had your special confidence, and who has
repeatedly shared your hospitality!" It could not but be owned much of
this was true: though what some of our eager Loyalists called treachery
was indeed rather a proof of the longing desire Mr. Washington and other
gentlemen had, not to withdraw from their allegiance to the Crown, but
to remain faithful, and exhaust the very last chance of reconciliation,
before they risked the other terrible alternative of revolt and
separation. Let traitors arm, and villains draw the parricidal sword! We
at least would remain faithful; the unconquerable power of England would
be exerted, and the misguided and ungrateful provinces punished and
brought back to their obedience. With what cheers we drank his Majesty's
health after our banquets! We would die in defence of his rights; we
would have a Prince of his Royal house to come and govern his ancient
dominions! In consideration of my own and my excellent mother's loyalty,
my brother's benighted conduct should be forgiven. Was it yet too late
to secure him by offering him a good command? Would I not intercede
with him, who, it was known, had a great influence over him? In our
Williamsburg councils we were alternately in every state of exaltation
and triumph, of hope, of fury against the rebels, of anxious expectancy
of home succour, of doubt, distrust, and gloom.

I promised to intercede with my brother; and wrote to him, I own, with
but little hope of success, repeating, and trying to strengthen the
arguments which I had many a time used in our conversations. My mother,
too, used her authority; but from this, I own, I expected little
advantage. She assailed him, as her habit was, with such texts of
Scripture as she thought bore out her own opinion, and threatened
punishment to him. She menaced him with the penalties which must fall
upon those who were disobedient to the powers that be. She pointed to
his elder brother's example; and hinted, I fear, at his subjection to
his wife, the very worst argument she could use in such a controversy.
She did not show me her own letter to him; possibly she knew I might
find fault with the energy of some of the expressions she thought proper
to employ; but she showed me his answer, from which I gathered w