Great Britain -- History -- 18th century -- Sources; Pitt, William, Earl of Chatham, 1708-1778; Walpole, Robert, Earl of Orford, 1676-1745
BRETHREN, FRIENDS, COUNTRYMEN AND FELLOW-SUBJECTS,
What I intend now to say to you, is, next to your duty to God and the
care of your salvation, of the greatest concern to yourselves, and your
children, your bread and clothing, and every common necessary of life
entirely depend upon it. Therefore I do most earnestly exhort you as
men, as Christians, as parents, and as lovers of our country, to read
this paper with the utmost attention, or get it read to you by others;
which that you may do at the less expense, I have ordered the printer to
sell it at the lowest rate.
It is a great fault among you, that when a person writes with no other
intention than to do you good, you will not be at the pains to read his
advice: One copy of this paper may serve a dozen of you, which will be
less than a farthing a-piece. It is your folly that you have no common
or general interest in your view, not even the wisest among you, neither
do you know or enquire, or care who are your friends, or who are your
enemies.
About three years ago a little book[3] was written to advise all people
to wear the manufactures of this our own dear country: It had no other
design, said nothing against the King or Parliament, or any man, yet the
POOR PRINTER was prosecuted two years, with the utmost violence, and
even some WEAVERS themselves, for whose sake it was written, being upon
the JURY, FOUND HIM GUILTY. This would be enough to discourage any man
from endeavouring to do you good, when you will either neglect him or
fly in his face for his pains, and when he must expect only danger to
himself and loss of money, perhaps to his ruin.
However I cannot but warn you once more of the manifest destruction
before your eyes, if you do not behave yourselves as you ought.
I will therefore first tell you the plain story of the fact; and then I
will lay before you how you ought to act in common prudence, and
according to the laws of your country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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