Tr 



he "Parson's Cause" 



A legal dispute over tobacco, tried before a jury at 

 Hanover, Virginia, was to have dramatic consequences. 

 It brought sudden fame to a comparatively unknown 

 local lawyer, Patrick Henry, then only 27, aroused pub- 

 lic turmoil and provoked rebellious thoughts about royal 

 interference with Virginia's right to independent action. 

 It became known as the "Parson's Cause." 



The salaries of Virginia clergymen had been estab- 

 lished at a basic 16,000 pounds of tobacco annually, 

 assessed on tithe payers. Owing to a drought, the As- 

 sembly had enacted in 1758 that debts and obligations 

 payable in tobacco could be settled at the rate of two 

 pence a pound. This "Two-Penny" Act was to be in force 

 for one year. The clergy promptly petitioned the Privy 

 Council at London for its abrogation. Their plea finally 

 resulted in a royal veto. 



A suit for damages against the tithe payers came to 

 trial in 1763. The amount demanded was the difference 

 between the two pence a pound paid to clergymen in 

 1758-1759 and the market value of tobacco in that 

 period. The action was brought by a single parson— a 

 test case that would affect the amount due the rest of 

 the clergy. 



The tithe payers had engaged Patrick Henry as de- 

 fense counsel. His appeal to the jury was largely an 

 emotional one. Among other thundering, inflammatory 

 passages, he denounced the royal veto and denied that 

 obedience was due a king who had shown himself a 



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