32 THOMAS HUTCHINSON 



came the demand from the ministry that the circular 

 letter should be rescinded, to which the Massachusetts 

 assembly replied with a flat refusal, and was forthwith 

 turned out of doors by the governor. Then, in order 

 to catch Samuel Adams and carry him to England for 

 trial, there was the revival of a half-forgotten act of 

 Henry VIII., about treason committed beyond sea. 

 The two regiments which were landed in Boston in 

 the autumn of 1 768 came at Bernard's solicitation, to 

 aid the crown officers in preserving order. Such an 

 event as the sacking of Hutchinson's house went far 

 toward creating an impression in England that such 

 assistance was necessary. The intention of the gov- 

 ernment in sending the troops was no doubt innocent 

 enough ; but it would have been hard to hit upon a 

 more dangerous measure, or one revealing a more 

 hopeless ignorance of the American character. It 

 could not be regarded otherwise than as a threat, and 

 it put Great Britain into somewhat the attitude of a 

 man who, in the course of an argument with his friend, 

 suddenly draws a pistol. An intelligent and disinter- 

 ested government might have asked itself the question 

 whether it were a wise policy to keep up an odious 

 revenue law that in such an orderly town as Boston 

 made it necessary to introduce soldiers to prevent dis- 

 order. But not only was the government neither in- 

 telligent nor disinterested, but it was entirely natural 

 to argue that a town whose magistrates could not pre- 

 vent the sacking of private houses did not deserve 

 to be called an orderly town. As for Hutchinson 

 himself, he would have been more than human if such 

 considerations had not coloured his own view of the 

 case, although the serenity and sweetness of temper 



