《Common Sense》第5章

to　be　allowed　eight　hundred　thousand　sterling　a　year　for；　and　worshipped　into　the　bargain！ of　more　worth　is　one　honest　man　to　society　and　in　the　sight　of　god；　than　all　the　crowned　ruffians　that　ever　lived。
。。。！
mon　SenseII…3
2。3 thoughts　on　the　present　state　of　american　affairs
in　the　following　pages　i　offer　nothing　more　than　simple　facts；　plain　arguments；　and　mon　sense；　and　have　no　other　preliminaries　to　settle　with　the　reader；　than　that　he　will　divest　himself　of　prejudice　and　prepossession；　and　suffer　his　reason　and　his　feelings　to　determine　for　themselves；　that　he　will　put　on；　or　rather　that　he　will　not　put　off　the　true　character　of　a　man；　and　generously　enlarge　his　views　beyond　the　present　day。
volumes　have　been　written　on　the　subject　of　the　struggle　between　england　and　america。 men　of　all　ranks　have　embarked　in　the　controversy；　from　different　motives；　and　with　various　designs；　but　all　have　been　ineffectual；　and　the　period　of　debate　is　closed。 arms；　as　the　last　resource；　decide　this　contest；　the　appeal　was　the　choice　of　the　king；　and　the　continent　hath　accepted　the　challenge。
it　hath　been　reported　of　the　late　mr。　pelham　（who　tho　an　able　minister　was　not　without　his　faults）　that　on　his　being　attacked　in　the　house　of　mons；　on　the　score；　that　his　measures　were　only　of　a　temporary　kind；　replied　〃they　will　last　my　time。〃　should　a　thought　so　fatal　and　unmanly　possess　the　colonies　in　the　present　contest；　the　name　of　ancestors　will　be　remembered　by　future　generations　with　detestation。
the　sun　never　shined　on　a　cause　of　greater　worth。 tis　not　the　affair　of　a　city；　a　county；　a　province；　or　a　kingdom；　but　of　a　continent　…　of　at　least　one　eighth　part　of　the　habitable　globe。
tis　not　the　concern　of　a　day；　a　year；　or　an　age；　posterity　are　virtually　involved　in　the　contest；　and　will　be　more　or　less　affected；　even　to　the　end　of　time；　by　the　proceedings　now。
now　is　the　seed…time　of　continental　union；　faith　and　honour。
the　least　fracture　now　will　be　like　a　name　engraved　with　the　point　of　a　pin　on　the　tender　rind　of　a　young　oak；　the　wound　will　enlarge　with　the　tree；　and　posterity　read　it　in　full　grown　characters。
by　referring　the　matter　from　argument　to　arms；　a　new　aera　for　politics　is　struck；　a　new　method　of　thinking　hath　arisen。
all　plans；　proposals；　&c。 prior　to　the　nineteenth　of　april；　i。 e。 to　the　mencement　of　hostilities；　are　like　the　almanacs　of　the　last　year；　which；　though　proper　then　are　superseded　and　useless　now。 whatever　was　advanced　by　the　advocates　on　either　side　of　the　question　then；　terminated　in　one　and　the　same　point。 viz。 a　union　with　great…britain：　the　only　difference　between　the　parties　was　the　method　of　effecting　it；　the　one　proposing　force；　the　other　friendship；　but　it　hath　so　far　happened　that　the　first　hath　failed；　and　the　second　hath　withdrawn　her　influence。
as　much　hath　been　said　of　the　advantages　of　reconciliation　which；　like　an　agreeable　dream；　hath　passed　away　and　left　us　as　we　were；　it　is　but　right；　that　we　should　examine　the　contrary　side　of　the　argument；　and　inquire　into　some　of　the　many　material　injuries　which　these　colonies　sustain；　and　always　will　sustain；　by　being　connected　with；　and　dependent　on　great　britain：　to　examine　that　connection　and　dependence；　on　the　principles　of　nature　and　mon　sense；　to　see　what　we　have　to　trust　to；　if　separated；　and　what　we　are　to　expect；　if　dependant。
i　have　heard　it　asserted　by　some；　that　as　america　hath　flourished　under　her　former　connection　with　great　britain　that　the　same　connection　is　necessary　towards　her　future　happiness；　and　will　always　have　the　same　effect。
nothing　can　be　more　fallacious　than　this　kind　of　argument。
we　may　as　well　assert　that　because　a　child　has　thrived　upon　milk　that　it　is　never　to　have　meat；　or　that　the　first　twenty　years　of　our　lives　is　to　bee　a　precedent　for　the　next　twenty。
but　even　this　is　admitting　more　than　is　true；　for　i　answer　roundly；　that　america　would　have　flourished　as　much；　and　probably　much　more；　had　no　european　power　had　any　thing　to　do　with　her。 the　merce；　by　which　she　hath　enriched　herself；　are　the　necessaries　of　life；　and　will　always　have　a　market　while　eating　is　the　custom　of　europe。
but　she　has　protected　us；　say　some。 that　she　has　engrossed　us　is　true；　and　defended　the　continent　at　our　expense　as　well　as　her　own　is　admitted；　and　she　would　have　defended　turkey　from　the　same　motive；　viz。 the　sake　of　trade　and　dominion。
alas；　we　have　been　long　led　away　by　ancient　prejudices；　and　made　large　sacrifices　to　superstition。 we　have　boasted　the　protection　of　great　britain；　without　considering；　that　her　motive　was　interest　not　attachment；　that　she　did　not　protect　us　from　our　enemies　on　our　account；　but　from　her　enemies　on　her　own　account；　from　those　who　had　no　quarrel　with　us　on　any　other　account；　and　who　will　always　be　our　enemies　on　the　same　account。
let　britain　wave　her　pretensions　to　the　continent；　or　the　continent　throw　off　the　dependence；　and　we　should　be　at　peace　with　france　and　spain　were　they　at　war　with　britain。
the　miseries　of　hanover　last　war　ought　to　warn　us　against　connections。
it　has　lately　been　asserted　in　parliament；　that　the　colonies　have　no　relation　to　each　other　but　through　the　parent　country；　i。 e。 that　pennsylvania　and　the　jerseys；　and　so　on　for　the　rest；　are　sister　colonies　by　the　way　of　england；　this　is　certainly　a　very　round…about　way　of　proving　relationship；　but　it　is　the　nearest　and　only　true　way　of　proving　enemyship；　if　i　may　so　call　it。
france　and　spain　never　were。 nor　perhaps　ever　will　be　our　enemies　as　americans；　but　as　our　being　the　subjects　of　great　britain。
but　britain　is　the　parent　country；　say　some。 then　the　more　shame　upon　her　conduct。 even　brutes　do　not　devour　their　young；　nor　savages　make　war　upon　their　families；　wherefore　the　assertion；　if　true；　turns　to　her　reproach；　but　it　happens　not　to　be　true；　or　only　partly　so　and　the　phrase　parent　or　mother　country　hath　been　jesuitically　adopted　by　the　king　and　his　parasites；　with　a　low　papistical　design　of　gaining　an　unfair　bias　on　the　credulous　weakness　of　our　minds。 europe；　and　not　england；　is　the　parent　country　of　america。 this　new　world　hath　been　the　asylum