It is
only those that are not in action, that feel languor and heaviness,
and the best way to rub it off is to turn out, and make sure work of
it.
Our army must undoubtedly feel fatigue, and want a reinforcement
of rest though not of valor. Our own interest and happiness call
upon us to give them every support in our power, and make the burden
of the day, on which the safety of this city depends, as light as
possible. Remember, gentlemen, that we have forces both to the
northward and southward of Philadelphia, and if the enemy be but
stopped till those can arrive, this city will be saved, and the
enemy finally routed. You have too much at stake to hesitate. You
ought not to think an hour upon the matter, but to spring to action at
once. Other states have been invaded, have likewise driven off the
invaders. Now our time and turn is come, and perhaps the finishing
stroke is reserved for us. When we look back on the dangers we have
been saved from, and reflect on the success we have been blessed with,
it would be sinful either to be idle or to despair.
I close this paper with a short address to General Howe. You, sir,
are only lingering out the period that shall bring with it your
defeat. You have yet scarce began upon the war, and the further you
enter, the faster will your troubles thicken. What you now enjoy is
only a respite from ruin; an invitation to destruction; something that
will lead on to our deliverance at your expense. We know the cause
which we are engaged in, and though a passionate fondness for it may
make us grieve at every injury which threatens it, yet, when the
moment of concern is over, the determination to duty returns.
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