Life of Count Rumford. 65 



recantation, unequivocally and strongly expressed, in- 

 volving a confession of some act or word in opposition 

 to the will of the popular party, and a solemn pledge 

 of future uncompromising fidelity to it. Major Thomp- 

 son insisted from the first, and steadfastly to the close 

 of his life affirmed, that he was friendly to the patriot 

 cause, and had never done or said anything which could 

 be truthfully alleged as hostile to it. He demanded, 

 first in private, and then in public, that his enemies 

 should confront him with any charges which they could 

 bring against him, and he promised to meet them, while 

 he also offered to render any service for which he was fit- 

 ted in the popular interest. He resolved, however, that 

 he would not plead except against explicit charges, nor 

 invite indignity by self-humiliation. We must draw 

 our own inferences here, whether by convincing our- 

 selves that the popular distrust of him was unerring in 

 its discernment and surmise, and had good reason on 

 its side, or that he was the innocent sufferer from un- 

 toward circumstances. If the people of Concord and 

 the jealous regimental officers of New Hampshire were 

 responsible for depriving the patriot cause of an effec- 

 tive military or executive servant, they may claim 

 credit for furnishing Europe with a very eminent and 

 practically useful philosopher. 



Major Thompson was summoned before a Committee 

 of the people in Concord, in the summer of 1774, to 

 answer to the suspicion of " being unfriendly to the 

 cause of Liberty." He positively denied the charge, 

 and boldly challenged proof. The evidence, if any 

 such was offered, and no trace of testimony, or even 

 of imputation, of that kind is on record, was not of a 

 sort to warrant any proceeding against him, and he was 

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