country than King Nebuchadnezzar. Mind you that, and hold your tongue,
if you please! Stick to King John, sir, and King Macbeth; and if you
will send round your benefit-tickets, all the Assembly shall come and
hear you. Did you ever see Mr. Hagan on the boards, when you was
in London, General?" And, so saying, Henry turns round upon Mr.
Washington's second in command, General Lee, who was now come into
Virginia upon State affairs, and our shamefaced good Hagan was bustled
out of the room, reddening, and almost crying with shame. After this
event we thought that Hagan's ministrations were best confined to us in
the country, and removed the worthy pastor from his restive lambs in the
city.

The selection of Virginians to the very highest civil and military
appointments of the new government bribed and flattered many of our
leading people, who, otherwise, and but for the outrageous conduct of
our government, might have remained faithful to the Crown, and made
good head against the rising rebellion. But, although we Loyalists were
gagged and muzzled, though the Capitol was in the hands of the Whigs,
and our vaunted levies of loyal recruits so many Falstaff's regiments
for the most part, the faithful still kept intelligences with one
another in the colony, and with our neighbours; and though we did
not rise, and though we ran away, and though, in examination before
committees, justices, and so forth, some of our frightened people gave
themselves Republican airs, and vowed perdition to kings and nobles; yet
we knew each other pretty well, and--according as the chances were more
or less favourable to us, the master more or less hard--we concealed
our colours, showed our colours, half showed our colours, or downright
apostatised for the nonce, and cried, "Down with King George!" Our
negroes bore about, from house to house, all sorts of messages and
tokens. Endless underhand plots and schemes were engaged in by those who
could not afford the light. The battle over, the neutrals come and join
the winning side, and shout as loudly as the patriots. The runaways
are not counted. Will any man tell me that the signers and ardent
well-wishers of the Declaration of Independence were not in a minority
of the nation, and that the minority did not win? We knew that apart
of the defeated army of Massachusetts was about to make an important
expedition southward, upon the success of which the very greatest hopes
were founded; and I, for one,