THE HISTORY OF THE RISE, PROGRESS, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE United States of America: INCLUDING AN ACCOUNT OF THE LATE WAR, AND OF THE THIRTEEN COLONIES, FROM THEIR ORIGIN TO THAT PERIOD. BY WILLIAM GORDON, _D. D._ _Quid verum *** curo, et rogo et omnis in hoc sum._ HORAT. I Ep. I Lib. THE THIRD AMERICAN EDITION. VOL. I. _NEW-YORK_: PRINTED FOR SAMUEL CAMPBELL, NO. 124, PEARL-STREET, BY JOHN WOODS. M.DCCC.I PREFACE. History has been stiled, “The evidence of time—The light of truth—The school of virtue—The depository of events.” It is culculated for the purposes of showing the principles on which states and empires have risen to power, and errors by which they have fallen into decay, or been totally dissolved: and of pointing out the fatal effects of intestine divisions and civil wars, whether arising from the ambition, weakness, or inattention of princes; or from the mercenary disposition pride, and false policy of ministers and statesmen; or from mistaken ideas, and the abuse of government and liberty. It should oblige all, who have performed any distinguished part on the theatre of the world, to appear before us in their proper character; and to render an account of their actions at the tribunal of posterity, as models which ought to be followed, or as examples to be censured and avoided. The instructions that events afford, are the soul of history, which doubtless ought to be a true relation of real facts during the period it respects. An essential requisite in an historian is the knowledge of the truth; and, as in order to perfection, he ought to be superior to every temptation to disguise it: Some have said, that “he should have neither country, nor particular religion.” The compiler of the present history can assure the public, that he has paid a sacred regard to truth, conscious of his being answerable to a more awful tribunal than that of the public; and has labored to divest himself of all undue attachment to every person, country, religious name or profession: whenever the reader is inclined to pronounce him partial, let him recollect that he also is subject to the like human frailty. A regard to truth has often restrained him from the use of strong and florid expressions, that he might not impose upon the reader a pleasing delusion, and lead him into false conceptions of the events undertaken to be related.