Part I. Letters of Agrippa

Abstract

The “Agrippa” letters appear to have been written by James Winthrop, who was register of probate in Middlesex when these letters were written. Although preoccupied with the interests of Massachusetts, they reflect the principled selfishness that is the ground of Agrippa's argument. The letters fall into two distinct sets, the first set (I-XI) were addressed to the people of Massachusetts, the second (XII-XVI) to the Massachusetts Convention. Parts of “Agrippa” letters VI–IX have been equated to Federalist 11, and given a title of “Urestricted Power Over Commerce Should Not Be Given the National Government”