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I spent an hour last evening at Mr. Wyer’s, with Judge Cushing*. Wyer’s father, who has a little place in the customs, came in. He began upon politics, and told us that Mr. Smith¹ had a fast last week which he attended. Mr. Gilman² preached, he said, part of the day, and told them that the judgments of God upon the land were in consequence of the mobs and riots which had prevailed in the country; and that turning to me old Wyer said, “What do you think of that, Mr. Adams?”
I answered, “I can’t say but mobs and violence may have been one cause of our calamities. I am inclined to think that they do come in for a share; but there are many other causes. Did not Mr. Gilman mention bribery and corruption as another cause? He ought to have been impartial, and pointed out the venality which prevails in the land as a cause, as well as tumults.” “I think he did,” says Wyer. I might have pursued my inquiry, whether he did not mention universal pilfering, robbery, and picking of pockets which prevails in the land,–as every man’s pocket upon the continent is picked every day by taking from him duties without his consent. I might have inquired whether he mentioned the universal spirit of debauchery, dissipation, luxury, effeminacy, and gaming, which the late ministerial measures are introducing, etc., etc., etc., but I forbore.
How much profaneness, lewdness, intemperance, etc., have been introduced by the army and navy and revenue; how much servility, venality, artifice, and hypocrisy have been introduced among the ambitious and avaricious by the British politics of the last ten years. In short the original faulty causes of all the vices which have been introduced are the political innovations of the last ten years. This is no justification and a poor excuse for the girls who have been debauched, and for the injustice which has been committed in some riots; but surely the soldiers, sailors, and excisemen who have occasioned these vices ought not to reproach those they have corrupted. These Tories act the part of the devil. They tempt men and women into sin and then reproach them for it, and become soon their tormentors for it. A tempter and tormentor is the character of the devil. Hutchinson, Oliver³, and others of their circle, who for their own ends of ambition and avarice have pursued, promoted, encouraged, counseled, aided, and abetted the taxation of America, have been the real tempters of their countrymen and women into all the vices, sins, crimes, and follies which that taxation has occasioned. And now by themselves and their friends, dependents, and votaries, they are reproaching those very men and women with those vices and follies, sins and crimes.
There is not a sin which prevails more universally and has prevailed longer than prodigality in furniture, equipage, apparel, and diet. And I believe that this vice, this sin, has a large a share in drawing down the judgments of Heaven as any. And perhaps the punishment that is inflicted may work medicinally and cure the disease.
John Adams
Falmouth
6 July 1774
Footnotes:
* – Judge William Cushing (1732-1810), an associate justice for the Superior Court of Massachusetts.
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¹ – Rev. Thomas Smith, minister from Falmouth.
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² – Rev. Tristram Gilman, also a minister from Falmouth. On a totally random note, I think “Tristram” is my new favorite name! It sounds like the name for some sort of product you’d see on a late-night infomercial, doesn’t it? Oh, oops, sorry, that really doesn’t sound very historic and intellectual, does it? 
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³ – Peter Oliver (1713-1791) was Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, but John may be referring to Lieutenant Governor Andrew Oliver (1703-1774), who along with his brother in law Thomas Hutchinson was a frequent target of John’s resentment. However, Andrew Oliver had died on March 3, 1774.
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Tags: 1774, America, Andrew Oliver, army, bribery, British, corruption, David Wyer, Devil, Falmouth, God, Heaven, hypocrisy, impartiality, intemperance, Judge William Cushing, judgment, lewdness, mobs, navy, Peter Oliver, Politics, preach, punishment, Rev Thomas Smith, Rev Tristram Gilman, riots, sermon, sin, taxation, Thomas Hutchinson, Tory, vices