subjects of this town and province to be treated
as enemies and rebels, by an invasion of the
town by sea and land : to which the approaches
were made with all the circumspection, usual
where a vigorous opposition is expected. While
the town was surrounded by a considerable
number of his Majesty's ships of
war, two regi-
ments landed and took possession of it ; and to
support these, two other regiments arrived some
time after from
Ireland : one of which landed
at
Castle Island, and the other in the town.
Thus were we, in aggravation of our other
embarrassments, embarrassed with troops,
forced upon us contrary to our inclination
-- contrary to the spirit of Magna Charta, --
contrary to the very letter of the Bill of
Rights, in which it is declared, that the
raising or keeping a standing army within the
kingdom in time of peace, unless it be with the
consent of parliament, is against law -- and with-
out the desire of the civil magistrates, to aid
whom was the pretence for sending the troops
hither : who were quartered in the town in direct
violation of an act of parliament for quartering
troops in
America : and all this in consequence
of the representations of the said Commissioners
and the said Governor, as appears by their me-
morials and letters lately published.
As they were the procuring cause of troops
being sent hither, they must therefore be the re-
mote and a blameable cause of all the disturban-
ces and bloodshed that have taken place in con-
sequence of that Measure.