S18 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



' with that di.^nity of style becoming a Icgisla^ 

 •* tive assembly. 



* Fifth. Because the answer compliments 



* his excellency upon his style, when it should 



* have approbated his official conduct, and adopts 

 expressions, which might have been pardon- 

 able, but ought to have been corrected, in a 

 youth in the first classes of education. 



* Sixth. Because the expressions o^ beaiiti- 

 Jul language^ elegant simplicity^^ black detrac- 

 tion^ Qontumelious slander, our mild, our serene, 

 our benevolent, and page of argumtnit, are as 

 strong instances of a violation of rhetorical 

 propriety, as the sentiments of the answer are 

 an infringement of legislative decorum. And 

 lest the impropriety of the sentiments, the im- 

 becility and boldness of the language, and the 

 grammatical inaccuracies of this reply to his 

 excellency's speech, should be imputed to us 

 individually, and the party zeal, which it tends 

 manifestly to excite among our fellow citizens, 

 be charged upon us, by our constituents, we 

 do exercise our right, in thus publicly protest*- 

 ing against the same. And though we are un- 

 happily in a minority, we console ourselves in 

 the rtfiection, that we have in vain proposed 

 conciliatory amendments, combatted the zeal 

 of party with moderation, and the perverse- 

 ness of power with that charity which suffereth 

 lons2: and is kind. And we doubt not that we 

 shall meet the applause of our constituents, and 

 the approbation of men of discernment, science, 

 virtue, and literary taste. "^ 



The acrimony and recrimination that had at- 



* Page 28^ 285, 286, 287. 



