I Essays f 
The 8th the gentlemen were confident would never 
be granted. For the whole world would be of opinion 
that the king, who is to defend all parts of his domin- 
ions, should have of course a right to place his troops 
where they might best answer that purpose. I sup- 
ported the article upon principles equally important, 
in my opinion, to Britain as to the colonies; for that 
if the king could bring into one part of his domin- 
ions troops raised in any other part of them, without 
the consent of the legislatures of the part to which 
they were brought, he might bring armies raised in 
America into England without consent of Parlia- 
ment, which probably would not like it, as a few 
years since they had not liked the introduction of the 
Hessians and Hanoverians, though justified by the 
supposition of its being a time of danger. That, if 
there should be at any time real occasion for British 
troops in America, there was no doubt of obtaining 
the consent of the Assemblies there; and I was 
so far from being willing to drop this article, that I 
thought I ought to add another, requiring all the 
present troops to be withdrawn before America could 
be expected to treat or agree upon any terms of 
accommodation; as what they should now do of 
that kind might be deemed the effect of compulsion, 
the appearance of which ought as much as possible 
to be avoided, since those reasonable things might 
be agreed to, where the parties seemed at least to act 
freely, which would be strongly refused under threats 
or the semblance of force. That the withdrawing 
the troops was therefore necessary to make any 
treaty durably binding on the part of the Americans, 
m5] 187