past
over this government, do positively deny that any public engagements
have drawn any more wealth out of this colony than what many a single
person in it has on his own account expended in the time, so I do assert
that there is scarce a country of its figure in the Christian world less
burdened with public taxes. If yourselves sincerely believe that it is
reduced to the last degree of poverty, I wonder the more that you should
reject propositions for lessening the charges of assemblies; that you
should expel gentlemen out of your house for only offering to serve
their counties upon their own expense, and that while each day of your
sitting is so costly to your country, you should spend time so
fruitlessly, for now, after a session of twenty-five days, three bills
only have come from your house, and even some of these framed as if you
did not expect they should pass into acts."

On the seventh day of September the council sent to the burgesses a
review of some of their resolutions reflecting upon them, and the
governor, and the preceding assembly. This review is able and severe. On
this day the governor dissolved the assembly, after a speech no less
able, and still more severe. After animadverting upon the proceedings of
the house at length, and paying a high tribute to the merit of the
council, the governor concludes thus:--[394:A]

"But to be plain with you, the true interest of your country
is not what you have troubled your heads about. All your
proceedings have been calculated to answer the notions of the
ignorant populace, and if you can excuse yourselves to them,
you matter not how you stand before God, your prince, and all
judicious men, or before any others to whom you think you owe
not your elections. The new short method you have fallen upon
to clear your conduct by your own resolves, will prove the
censure to be just, for I appeal to all rational men who shall
read the assembly journals, as well of the last session as of
this, whether some of your resolves of your house of the
second instant are not as wide from truth and fair reasoning
as others are from good manners. In fine, I cannot but
attribute these miscarriages to the people's mistaken choice
of a set of representatives, whom Heaven has not generally
endowed with the ordinary qualifications requisite to
legislators, for I observe that the grand ruling party in yo