The Copy Book

Traitorous Designs

Part 2 of 2

Frederick North (1732–1792), 2nd Earl of Guilford, in 1773 or 1774.

By Nathaniel Dance-Holland (1735–1811), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

More Info

Back to text

Traitorous Designs

By Nathaniel Dance-Holland (1735–1811), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Source

Frederick North (1732–1792), 2nd Earl of Guilford, in 1773 or 1774.

X

Detail from a portrait of Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guildford, by Nathaniel Dance-Holland (1735-1811), painted in 1773-74. Lord North was appointed Prime Minister in 1770, and as tensions rose in the American colonies he dutifully carried out King George’s order to send British troops to Massachusetts, leading to direct engagement at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The King’s use of military force convinced the rebels that the contract between Government and people had irretrievably broken down; a good many in Westminster agreed, prompting King George’s attempt to silence debate. A formal declaration of independence came from the revolutionaries on July 4th, 1776.

Back to text

Continued from Part 1

And We do accordingly strictly charge and command all Our Officers as well Civil as Military, and all other Our obedient and loyal Subjects, to use their utmost Endeavours to withstand and suppress such Rebellion, and to disclose and make known all Treasons and traitorous Conspiracies which they shall know to be against Us, Our Crown and Dignity; and for that Purpose, that they transmit to One of Our Principal Secretaries of State, or other proper Officer, due and full Information of all Persons who shall be found carrying on Correspondence with, or in any Manner or Degree aiding or abetting the Persons now in open Arms and Rebellion against Our Government within any of Our Colonies and Plantations in North America, in order to bring to condign Punishment the Authors, Perpetrators, and Abettors of such traitorous Designs.

Given at Our Court at St. James’s the Twenty-third Day of August, One thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, in the Fifteenth Year of Our Reign.

God save the King.

Original spelling

From ‘British Royal Proclamations Relating to America, 1603-1783’ (1911), edited by Clarence S. Brigham.

Précis

After making his case for informing on pro-American sympathisers, the King went on to lay out the procedure to be followed, by the armed forces or the general public, when denouncing to the State all those who conspired with the rebels, corresponded with them or gave them help in any way, and repeated that their cause was treason. (58 / 60 words)

After making his case for informing on pro-American sympathisers, the King went on to lay out the procedure to be followed, by the armed forces or the general public, when denouncing to the State all those who conspired with the rebels, corresponded with them or gave them help in any way, and repeated that their cause was treason.

Edit | Reset

Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, besides, despite, since, unless, whereas, whether.

Archive

Word Games

Sevens Based on this passage

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

What did the King want ordinary British subjects to do?

Suggestion

Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.

Jigsaws Based on this passage

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

Some people supported the rebels. They had friends. George told them to inform on them.

Variation: Try rewriting your sentence so that it uses one or more of these words: 1. If 2. Report 3. Who

Spinners Find in Think and Speak

For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1 According. Given. Save.

2 Command. Commit. Strict.

3 Endeavor. Manner. They.

Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)

High Tiles Find in Think and Speak

Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?

x 0 Add

Your Words ()

Show All Words (11)

If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.

Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.

Related Posts

English Spirit

Edmund Burke told the House of Commons that the American colonies’ refusal to be dictated to by Westminster was the very spirit that had made the Empire great.

A Declaration of Independence

On July 4th, 1776, a group of American colonists gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to present delegates of the Thirteen Colonies with a historic document.

The Battle of Flamborough Head

When captain Richard Pearson of the Royal Navy surrendered to American revolutionary John Paul Jones, Jones naturally assumed that meant he had won.

The Boston Tea Party

In the time of King George III, Parliament forgot that its job was not to regulate the people, but to represent them.