英語背誦文選第二冊(陳冠商)30．Address To His Troops 喬治·華盛頓對部隊的演說

30．Address  To  His  Troops

The  time  is  now  near  at  hand  which  must  probably  determine  whether

Americans  are  to  be  freemen  or  slaves;  whether  they  are  to  have  any

property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms  are  to

be  pillaged  and  destroyed,  and  themselves  consigned  to  a  state  of

wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of

unborn  millions  will  now  depend,  under  God,  on  the  courage  and  conduct

of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the  choice

of a brave resistance or the most abject submission. We have, therefore,

to  resolve  to  conquer  or  to  die.

Our  own,  our  country's  honour,  calls  upon  us  for  a  vigorous  and  manly

exertion; and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the

whole  world.  Let  us  then  rely  on  the  goodness  of  our  cause,  and  the  aid

of the Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage

us to great and noble actions. The eyes of all our countrymen are now upon

us, and we shall have their blessings and praises, if happily we are the

instruments of saving them from the tyranny meditated against them. Let

us animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a free

man contending for liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish

mercenary  on  earth.

Liberty, property, life, and honour are all at stake, upon your courage

and conduct rest the hopes of our bleeding and insulted country; our wives,

children,  and  parents  expect  safety  from  us,  only;  and  they  have  every

reason to believe that Heaven will crown with success so just a cause(2).

The  enemy  will  endeavour  to  intimidate  by  show  and  appearance(3);  but,

remember,  they  have  been  repulsed  on  various  occasions  by  a  few  brave

Americans. Their cause is bad--their men are conscious of it; and if op-

posed with firmness and coolness on their first onset, with our advantage

of works, and knowledge of tile ground(4), the victory is most assuredly

ours. Every good soldier will be silent and attentive- wait for orders,

and  reserve  his  fire  until  he  is  sure  of  doing  execution(5).