...over as if it did not exist. He quoted Burke 's lovely metaphor for imperial rule as it should be — "ties which, though light as air, are as strong as links of iron" — and as he moved towards the end of his speech he warned that this was the "eleventh hour" and the...

...Edmund Burke stated in his Speech on Conciliation with America, in reference to human bonds, that 'these ties which, though light as air, are as strong as links of iron.' This, of course, is a metaphor. The links of iron are called metallic bonds, in which the atoms are...

...service, whether of revenue, trade, or empire, my trust is in her interest in the British Constitution. My hold of the colonies is in the close affection...light as air, are as strong as links of iron. Let the colonies always keep the idea of their civil rights associated with your government, — they will...