1768] Essays 131 
articles, at the expense of the several provinces. And 
this act continued in force when the Stamp Act was 
repealed; though, if obligatory on the assemblies, it 
equally militated against the American principle 
above mentioned, that money is not to be raised on 
English subjects without their consent. 
The colonies nevertheless, being put into high 
good-humor by the repeal of the Stamp Act, chose to 
avoid a fresh dispute upon the other, it being tem- 
porary and soon to expire, never, as they hoped, to 
revive again; and in the meantime they, by various 
ways, in different colonies, provided for the quarter- 
ing of the troops; either by acts of their own assem- 
blies, without taking notice of the act of Parliament, 
or by some variety or small diminution, as of salt and 
vinegar, in the supplies required by the act; that 
what they did might appear a voluntary act of their 
own, and not done in due obedience to an act of 
Parliament, which, according to their ideas of their 
rights, they thought hard to obey. 
It might have been well if the matter had then 
passed without notice; but, a governor having writ- 
ten home an angry and aggravating letter upon this 
conduct in the Assembly of his province, the outed 
proposer * of the Stamp Act and his adherents, then 
in the opposition, raised such a clamor against Amer- 
ica, as being in rebellion, and against those who had 
been for the repeal of the Stamp Act, as having there- 
by been encouragers of this supposed rebellion, that 
it was thought necessary to enforce the quartering 
act by another act of Parliament, taking away from 
I Mr, George Grenville, 
dw