twenty-seventh year of his age, he married Mrs. Custis, a lady to whom he had been long attached, and who was deserving of his affection. She had an amiable temper, and was an agreeable companion; and in performing all the duties of a wife, she made his home a scene of domestic comfort, which he felt no desire to leave. Employing himself in directing the cultivation of his ground, and in the performance of all the private duties of his situation, he lived for several years in retirement, except when attending the legislature of Virginia, of which he was a member.

For the benefit of his health, he sometimes visited a public spring in his native state, to which sick persons went, with the hope of being relieved by using the water. At the season when there were many persons there, it was the custom of a baker to furnish a particular kind of bread, for those who could afford to pay a good price for it. One day it was observed by a visiter, that several miserably poor sick persons tottered into the room where the bread was kept, and looked at the baker, who nodded his head, and each one took up a loaf, and, with a cheerful countenance, walked feebly away. The visiter praised the baker for his charitable conduct, in letting those have his bread, whom he knew could never pay him; but he honestly answered, "I lose nothing,-Colonel Washington is here,

and all the sick poor may have as much of my bread as they can eat; he pays the bill, and I assure you it is no small one.

All his private actions were as deserving of the approbation of his countrymen, as those of a public nature had been of their respect and praise; and those who were nearest to him, and knew him best, loved him most.

CHAPTER II.

1763-1776.

THE desire to possess power, and the ill use of it when possessed, have caused much misery in nations, societies, and families; and even children show the evil effects in overbearing conduct to each other, and in delighting to crush the feeble worm which crawls at their feet. But if that love which fulfils the law of God were in every heart, the precept of our divine Redeemer, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them," would be the rule of all actions; then families, societies, and nations, would be ever peaceful. The English government, however, disregarded this precept, and made an unjust use of their power over the American provinces. The people paid various

duties on their trade, and made no objection to doing so; but at the close of the war with the French, the English parliament determined on taxing them, for the purpose, they said, of assisting to pay the expenses of the war. The Americans had lost a great number of their young men in that war, and had also contributed their full proportion of money for carrying it on; this new tax, therefore, caused universal displeasure, and they began to think, and to say, that parliament had no right to tax them, as they were not allowed to send members to that body to represent them.

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Petitions against the tax were sent to the king and to parliament, but they were disregarded; and in March 1765, a law called the stamp act," was passed, which was to oblige the Americans in their business transactions, to use paper on which the seal of the British government was stamped. That paper was to be taxed, and no writings of agreement were to be considered binding, unless they were written on stamped paper. The Americans resolutely determined on opposing this tax. In New York the act was printed, and carried about the streets, by the title of "The Folly of England, and the ruin of America ;" and when the ships that brought the stamps arrived at Philadelphia, all the vessels in the harbour hoisted their colours half-mast high, as a sign of mourning, and the state-house bell was muffled, and continued to toll until evening.

The same dissatisfaction was felt in all the provinces; and when this was known in England, there were many speeches made on the subject, by members of parliament. One of them, Mr. Grenville, said, the Americans ought not to object to assist in paying the debts of the English government, for they were "children of their planting, and were nourished by their indulgence, and protected by their arms, until they had grown up to a good degree of strength and opulence." Colonel Barré, a member who was desirous that they should be treated justly, said, in answer— "Children planted by your care'! No-your oppression planted them in America! They fled from your tyranny into a then uncultivated land, where they were exposed to all the hardships to which human nature is liable. They nourished by your indulgence!' No-they grew by your neglect! When you began to care about them, that care was exercised in sending persons to rule over them, whose behaviour, on many occasions, has caused the blood of those sons of liberty to boil within them! 6 They protected by your arms !' They have nobly taken up arms in your defence; have exerted their valour amidst their constant and laborious industry, for the defence of a country, the interior of which, while its frontiers were drenched in blood, has yielded all its little savings to your enlargement." His appeal, however, had no

effect, and the eloquence of the great Earl of Chatham, with the efforts of other patriots in England, availed as little in stopping the mad career of the British government in its oppressive acts.

The assembly of Massachusetts, proposed a Congress to be held at New York, to consult together on the subject of the right of the English government to tax them. Representatives from nine of the provinces met accordingly, in October 1765, and decided that the colonies alone had the right to lay taxes. This decision was expressed in a petition to the king, and to the parliament. When the parliament found that the resolution to oppose the stamp act, was so general and firm in all the provinces, it was repealed; but as they were determined to show the Americans that they would not give up the power of taxing them, the next year they laid a duty on glass, paints, and tea. Objections and petitions were again sent to parliament, by the Americans, and at length, in 1769, those duties were all taken off, excepting that on tea. While one tax was continued, the Americans would not be satisfied. They were not unwilling to pay it, because they did not wish to part with their money, but because they would not give up the principle that the English government had no just right to it, unless they were allowed to have a part in the government, by sending members to the parliament