Knickerbocker's History of New York Vol. 2 Book VII Chapter VIII

In which the ponderous burghers of New Amsterdam, weighed down by their own lengthy speeches and factional disputes, futilely deliberate on how best to fortify their city against impending danger, their wisdom often hindered by an excess of talk and a scarcity of action. As clamorous debates rage over economy and defence, it falls to a sudden and urgent tidings to rouse them from their lethargy and confront the pressing reality.