From Reply to Peter Pratt
John Rogers, 2d.
As it has ever been allowed that the defaming of the dead is a mark of the most unmanly and base spirit of a coward and ought to be abhorred by all persons who bear the image of man; then how much more abominable is it of P. P. to sport himself with his own lies over a man in his grave? And I think no person of common reason will expect any apology of me on account of this my undertaking, since my silence in this matter would have rendered me very unmanly....
... If John Roger’s books contain “but few of his principles” then how comes P. P. to know what his principles are, several years after his death? except the same spirit which once deceived him in the matter of longitude has again deceived him concerning J. R.’s principles; and we have as much reason to question the truth of what he tells us of J. R.’s principles (since he has no better proof than his own bare word) as the General Assembly had to question the truth of longitude, which soon after proved a delusion of Satan....
Now by these foolish and vain pretended reasons, the reader may plainly see that he only wanted an excuse to evade J. R.’s books, that he might take his full swing to bely and abuse him at his pleasure; because he well knew that if he had quoted his books, they would have discovered his falsehoods....
But I should not have enlarged so much upon this head, were it not that I am sensible that there are many thousands of grown persons in this Colony that for want of opportunity to be informed in the principles of other sects remain so ignorant that they know no difference between the Church of England and the Papists, nor between the Quakers and the Baptists, but esteem each couple to be alike. And now is it possible that such persons should be able to discern the ignorance of P. P.?...
... Now how marvellous is it that P. P., who knew himself to be a man so inconstant and changeable, not only in his worldly concerns from his very childhood, but also in matters of religion since he has arrived to riper years, should presume to put out a book only on his bare word, without any proof at all. Surely he might reasonably have thought that all who knew him would expect better proof from such an inconstant person than from any other man....