XVI

It was not long after this that he wrote the pamphlets in reply to the tracts assailing the Congress and aimed particularly at setting the farmers against the merchants.  These tracts were by two of the ablest men on the Tory side, and were clever, subtle, and insinuating.  Hamilton’s pamphlets were entitled, “A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress from the Calumnies of Their Enemies,” and “The Farmer Refuted; or a More Comprehensive and Impartial View of the Disputes between Great Britain and the Colonies, Intended as a Further Vindication of the Congress.”  It is not possible to quote these pamphlets, and they can be found in his “Works,” but they were remarkable not only for their unanswerable logic, their comprehensive arraignment of Britain, their close discussion of the rights of the colonists under the British Constitution, their philosophical definition of “natural rights,” and their reminder that war was inevitable, but for their anticipation of the future resources of the country, particularly in regard to cotton and manufactures, and for the prophecies regarding the treatment of the colonies by Europe.  The style was clear, concise, and bold, and with a finish which alone would have suggested a pen pointed by long use.

These pamphlets, which created a profound sensation, were attributed to William Livingston and John Jay, two of the ablest men on the patriot side.  That side was profoundly grateful, for they put heart into the timid, decided the wavering, and left the Tory writers without a leg to stand on.  Nothing so brilliant had been contributed to the cause.

It was not long before the public had the author’s name.  Troup had been present at the writing of the pamphlets, and he called on Dr. Cooper, one day, and announced the authorship with considerable gusto.

“I’ll not believe it,” exclaimed the president, angrily; “Mr. Jay wrote those pamphlets, and none other.  A mere boy like that—­it’s absurd.  Why do you bring me such a story, sir?  I don’t like this Hamilton, he’s too forward and independent—­but I have no desire to hear more ill of him.”

“He wrote them, sir.  Mulligan, in whose house he lives, and I, can prove it.  He’s the finest brain in this country, and I mean you shall know it.”

He left Dr. Cooper foaming, and went to spread the news elsewhere.  The effect of his revelation was immediate distinction for Hamilton.  He was discussed everywhere as a prodigy of intellect; messages reached him from every colony.  “Sears,” said Willets, one of the leaders of the Liberty party, “was a warm man, but with little reflection; McDougall was strong-minded; and Jay, appearing to fall in with the measures of Sears, tempered and controlled them; but Hamilton, after these great writings, became our oracle.”