hich were
supposed to have been sent him, and had he been the man he ought to
have been, he never should have let slip. There in one building were, of
the chiefs of the "faction," Warren, Samuel Adams, Hancock, and many
lesser men. They could be taken at one blow. Some forty British officers
were present, whether to effect a capture or merely to cause a
disturbance was not known. At Samuel Adams' instance they were given
front seats, or places on the steps of the pulpit. There they listened
quietly to Warren's words.

The oration was, in the style of the day, florid; but it was full of
genuine feeling. Warren spoke of the rise of the British Empire in
America, the hope of its future, the policy of the king, and the
Massacre. Turning then to the present situation, he spoke in words which
no one could mistake, bolder, perhaps, than ever before had been
publicly spoken in the presence of hostile soldiers. He reminded his
countrymen of their martial achievements, he spoke of the critical
situation, and, while disclaiming the desire for independence,
encouraged the colonists to claim their rights. "An independence of
Great Britain is not our aim. No: our wish is, that Britain and the
colonies may, like the oak and ivy, grow and increase in strength
together. But, whilst the infatuated plan of making one part of the
empire slaves to the other is persisted in, the interest and safety of
Britain as well as the colonies require that the wise measures
recommended by the honorable, the Continental Congress be steadily
pursued, whereby the unnatural contest between a parent honored and a
child beloved may probably be brought to such an issue that the peace
and happiness of both may be established upon a lasting basis. But, if
these pacific measures are ineffectual, and it appears the only way to
safety lies through fields of blood, I know you will not turn your faces
from our foes, but will undauntedly press forward until tyranny is
trodden under foot, and you have fixed your adored goddess, Liberty,
fast by a Brunswick's side, on the American throne."[53]

These were fearless words, and full of meaning. Had there been men of
sense among the officers present, they must have been impressed by the
solemnity of the warning; in fact, they were silent until the end. It
was not until after the oration, when the meeting was voting thanks to
the orator, that the officers endeavored to interrupt the proceedings.
The cry of Fie! was mistak