All ages shall speak with amaze and applause, Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all, A song to the same tune was composed in New York, in honor of some of the leaders of opinion in that day, a portion of whom afterwards figured on the royalist side. It appeared in the New York Journal, January 26, 1769. A SONG. Come, cheer up, my lads, like a true British band, In the cause of our country who join heart and hand; Fair Freedom invites-she cries out-" Agree! And be steadfast for those that are steadfast for me." Hearts of oak are we all, To give them our voices again and again. With the brave sons of Freedom, of every degree, Unite all the good-and united are we : But still be the lot of the villains disgrace— See! their unblushing chieftain! perverter of laws! First-the worth of good Cruger let's crown with applause, Who has join'd us again in fair Liberty's cause- And weeps that she finds not a blot in his fame. To Jauncey, my souls, let your praises resound! With health and success may his goodness be crown'd: May the cup of his joy never cease to run o'er- What Briton, undaunted, that pants to be free, you here! Whose head is approved, and whose heart is sincere." Hearts of oak, &c. For worth and for truth, and good nature renown'd, Huzza! for the patriots whose virtue is tried- The planting of the first liberty pole in the country in The Fields at New York, in that portion of the present Park between the west end of the City Hall and Broadway, by the Sons of Liberty, and the struggle which ensued between that energetic band and the government troops, during which the pole was cut down, again set up, again felled, and finally hooped and otherwise protected with iron, seems to have excited the attention of some Tory versifier, who perpetrated a burlesque cantata, a copy of which is preserved in its original form of four folio pages, printed in large type, in the collection of broadsides made by Du Simitière, now in the possession of the Library Company of Philadelphia. A MS. note by that antiquary on the copy, informs us that "this paper was found under the front door of a great many houses in New York on the morning of the fifth of March, 1770." The Procession with the Standard of Faction: a Cantata, opens with a few lines of RECITATIVE. "Twas on the morn when Virtue wept to see BALLAD LITERATURE We give this song entire, for its minute description of the liberty-pole. Air-" Derry-down." Come listen, good neighbours of every degree, Its bottom, so artfully fix'd under ground, Derry down, &c. The iron clasp'd around it, so firm and so neat, This curious production has never, to our knowledge, been reprinted or noticed. Our extracts are from Du Simitière's copy, the only one we have met with. The burning of the armed schooner Gaspee in the waters of Rhode Island, one of the earliest instances of resistance to British authority, gave rise to a ballad at the time which has a genuine flavor of the popular feeling. The passage of history to which it refers is thus related by Bancroft. The time was June, 1772. "Inhabitants of Providence, in Rhode Island, had in the last March, complained to the Deputy Governor of the conduct of Lieutenant Dudingston, Commander of the Gaspee, who obstructed their vessels and boats, without showing any evidence of his authority. Hopkins, the Chief Justice, on being consulted, gave the opinion, that any person who should come into the Colony and exercise any authority by force of arms, without showing his commission to the Governor, and if a Custom House officer, without being sworn into his office, was guilty of a trespass, if not piracy.' The Governor, therefore, sent a sheriff on board the Gaspee, to ascertain by what orders the Lieutenant acted; and Dudingston referred the subject to the Admiral. The Admiral answered from Boston: The Lieutenant, Sir, has done his duty. I shall give the King's officers directions, that they send every man taken in molesting them to me. As sure as the people of Newport attempt to rescue any vessel, and any of them are taken, I will hang them as pirates.' Dudingston seconded the insolence of his superior officer, insulted the inhabitants, plundered the islands of sheep and hogs, cut down trees, fired at market boats, detained vessels without a colorable pretext, and made illegal seizures of goods of which the recovery cost more than they were worth. "On the ninth of June, the Providence Packet was returning to Providence, and proud of its speed, went gayly on, heedless of the Gaspee. Dudingston gave chase. The tide being at flood, the Packet ventured near shore; the Gaspee confidently followed; and drawing more water ran aground on Nauquit, a little below Pautuxet. The following night a party of men in six or seven boats, led by John Brown and Joseph Brown of Providence, and Simeon Potter of Bristol, boarded the stranded schooner, after a scuffle in which Dudingston was wounded, took and landed its crew, and then set it on fire."* The author of the old ballad is unknown: NEW SONG CALLED the GasPEE.† That play'd the parts of pirates there, Sometimes they'd weigh, and give them chase, But what they would let some shot fly. Bancroft's United States, vi. 416, 417. + From Sketches of Newport and its Vicinity, published by John S. Taylor, New York, 1842, pp. 150–2. Which did provoke to high degree It was not long, ere it fell out That William Duddingston, so stout, Because, as people do assert, The news of it flew that very day, Soon made this stout coxcomb surrender- Then set the men upon the land One thousand more, he says he'll spare Likewise one hundred pound per man, We have next to present three out of several scraps of verse on the exciting topic of tea. The first is from the New Hampshire Gazette of July 22, 1774; the second from the Pennsylvania Journal of September 14, in the same year; the third is also from a newspaper of about the same period : IV. Forbid it, Heaven, let us be wise, V. Since we so great a plenty have, VI. When we survey the breathless corpse, For crawling worms a sweet resort, VII. Noxious effluvia sending out VIII. To view the same enroll'd in TE, IX. Some of it tinctur'd with the filth Taste of this herb then if thou wilt, X. Adieu, away, O TEA begone, VIRGINIA BANISHING TEA, By a Lady. Begone, pernicious baneful tea, And venal men their birth-right sell: This great good cause we will defend: Nor bribe, nor Gage, nor North's decree, Shall make us "at his feet to bend.” From Anglia's ancient sons we came, Those heroes who for freedom fought: In Freedom's cause we'll match their fame, By their example greatly taught. Our king we love, but North we hate, Nor will to him submission own; If death's our doom, we'll brave our fate, But pay allegiance to the throne. A LADY'S ADIEU TO HER TEA-TABLE, Farewell the tea-board, with its gaudy equipage Full many a joyous moment have I sat by ye, Because I am taught (and I believe it true) The Association, &c., of the Colonies at the Grand Congress held at Philadelphia, September 1, 1774, by "Bob Jingle, Esq., Poet-Laureat to the Congress," printed in that year, is a parody in verse of the Articles of Association, which seems to have been a favorite species of wit with the Tory bards, who found in the new proceedings of legislation novel matter for their jocularity. A clever squib, in verse, A Dialogue between a Southern Delegate and his Spouse, on his return from the Grand Continental Congress, of the same year, is in a similar vein, the humor consisting in the indignant wife rating her simpleminded husband for his rashness in intermeddling with affairs of state. A single passage of the altercation will suffice: WIFE Good Lord! how magnanimous ! Dost thou think thyself, deary, a Cromwell, or Monck? Dost thou think that wise nature meant thy shallow pate, To digest the important affairs of a state? Thou born! thou! the machine of an empire to wield? And thou wise in debate? Should'st feel bold in the field? If thou'st wisdom to manage tobacco, and slave, Heavens! we couldn't have bungled it so for our lives! If you had even consulted the boys of a school, Believe me, Love, you could not have played so the fool: Would it bluster, and frighten its own poor dear wife, As the Congress does England! quite out of her life? HUSBAND. This same Congress, my dear, much disturbeth thy rest, God and man ask no more than that men do their best; Tis their fate, not their crimes, if they've little pretence, To your most transcendent penetration and sense; Tis great pity, I grant, they hadn't ask'd the advice Of a judge of affairs, so profound and so nice; You're so patient, so cool, so monstrous eloquent, Next Congress, my Empress shall be made President. A mild remonstrance against a famous practice appears in Rivington's Gazette at this date. We give it with its introductory note, showing its author at least did not set an extravagant value on his contribution. MR. RIVINGTON— I shall take it very kind in you, sir, if you will be so good to put the verses, wrapt up in this paper, into your next Gazetteer, for fear of some terrible mischief: I am concerned I can't afford to give you any thing for't, but I hope you will do it for nothing, for A POOR MAN. New York, Dec. 19, 1774. ON HEARING THAT THE POOR MAN WAS TARRED AND FEATHERED. Upon my word it's very hard A man can't speak his mind, God knows my heart, my neighbours dear, My pride would have such fall. I meant to serve you all, 'tis true, With heart, and strength, and might, Alas! 'twas all an idle dream, These tyrants to oppose, Our noses they will grind full well, And cry, Enuff, enuff. Ah, where's the man in your defence, With homely language, downright sense, Tar, feathers, haunt him day and night, But loves his wife full dear. Ah, should she view him dress'd in tar, She'd rage and rave, and storm and swear, Inspectors all, beware, beware, Come not unto our house, She'll scratch your eyes, and tear your hair, "Twould be a shame, a woman poor Your pow'r should dare oppose, Rivington's New York Gazette, Thursday, Another, but more vigorous Tory strain, appears in the same journal a little later. As these pieces show the spirit of the time, and the activity of the foe enhances the glory of the conqueror, we do not scruple to insert them. Each section of the country seems to have furnished its quota. On Calvert's plains new faction reigns, The British bands with glory crown'd, Our martial deeds loud fame shall sound, Then faction spurn, think for yourselves, From real griefs, from factious elves, Contributed by "Agricola" to Rivington's New York Gazetteer, Thursday, Jan. 5, 1775. We find in the Pennsylvania Journal of May 31, 1775, a song, which we have not met in any other shape, and which well deserves the honor of a reprint: A SONG. To the tune of "The Echoing Horn." Hark! 'tis Freedom that calls, come, patriots, awake! II. Triumphant returning with Freedom secur'd, With our wives and our friends, we'll sport, love, and drink, And lose the fatigues of the day. 'Tis freedom alone gives a relish to mirth, But oppression all happiness sours; It will smooth life's dull passage, 'twill slope the descent, And strew the way over with flowers. A few months later in the same year, we meet the date, October, 1775, of the composition of one of the finest and most popular productions of the war, the "Why should vain mortals tremble?" of Nathaniel Niles: THE AMERICAN HERO. A Sapphic ode, written in the time of the American Revolu tion, at Norwich, Conn., October, 1775. Why should vain mortals tremble at the sight of Sounding with death-groans? Death will invade us by the means appointed, What shape he comes in. Infinite Goodness teaches us submission, God, our Creator. Well may we praise him: all his ways are perfect: Good is Jehovah in bestowing sunshine, O, then, exult that God forever reigneth; Then to the wisdom of my Lord and Master Now, Mars, I dare thee, clad in smoky pillars, Torturing ether. While all their hearts quick palpitate for havoc, Let oceans waft on all your floating castles, From the dire caverns, made by ghostly miners, Quick to destruction. Still shall the banner of the King of Heaven Fame and dear freedom lure me on to battle, Life, for my country and the cause of freedom, Nathaniel Niles was a graduate of Princeton of 1766 and Master of Arts of Harvard 1772; be settled in Vermont, where he became District Judge of the United States. He died in West Fairlee, Vermont, in November, 1828, at the age of eighty-six. His grandfather, Samuel Niles, the minister of Braintree, Mass., was an author of note. He wrote Tristia Ecclesiarum, an account of the New England churches in 1745, and a tract in verse, God's Wonder Working Providence for New England in the reduction of Louisburg, in 1747, also several theological publications, and a History of the Indian Wars published in the Massachusetts Historical Collections, dying in 1762 at the age of eighty-nine.t Niles, we learn further, preached occasionally as a Presbyterian clergyman in Norwich, Conn., during the Revolution, where he also established a wire manufactory, previous to his removal to |