Difference between revisions of "Poems on Witty Subjects in Congress"

To works supererogation
By others, some owe their salvation.
To what the good yankees are doing
Their duty beyond, we owe ruin.

For the two first Lines the author alludes to the Roman Catholics—
In the two first last to the additional Pay, and Bounty of given to
the Soldiers by the Eastern States.

As by works supererogatory
Rom. Caths are saved from purgatory,
So by what the Yankees good are doing
Buckskins will save from utter Ruin.

Instead of controlling our Mary's cross humour
You give what she asks you. Nay, you would do more
For the First Virginia, instead of a manly nobly persisting
Gives One up to Mary one Roll for enlisting.
Mary then rising in her wild Demands
The Virginia lays open the Claims about Lands
Nay, more abounding in Supererogation,
She too proposes the Mode of Taxation
To leave as it was before it was debated
For perhaps by this forward mighty Mary'll be sated.

Pray, what is the Cause of this Indulgence so great
Where Discord & Jarring subsisted of late?
Ill tell you, my Friend, 'tis a truth very serious:
Interest will join States of Sentiments various.

For farms in eutopia, the moon, or some fairyland,
Compensations more worth were offered by Maryland.
In this it's denied, Sir, our sister's cross humour'd,
Whatever by juntos or patriots be rumour'd.
Her brave men must fight, bleed, and suffer as others,
Leave orphans their dear babes, and childless their mothers,
Give full many a fair Penelope heartaches,
Whilst their country of their virtuous earnings partakes
A very small pittance. Why this noise and stir then,
If, lest her shoulders bear too much of the burthen,
She reject your unequal mode of taxation,
Demonstrate by numbers, without relaxation,
That ruin is doom'd her, and cries in distraction
She'll yield to the old, not the new-english faction?
With candor attend to her efflagitation,
And these two demands grant without hesitation.
Virginia must feel for any neighbour oppress'd,
Cannot easy remain til the mischief's suppress'd;

Like a Babbler ambitious of some little Fame
I follow when Freeman hath started the Game,
But when hunted down poor Puss sinks & dies
I give up to Freeman his Right to the Prize
Let Wythe take the Laurel his Genius demands
I ask but this Boon to be classed with his Friends.

With one epigram, though well hit off,
You must not expect, Sir, to get off.
I can't for my life give o'er scribbling,
Except whilst I'm dreaming or quibbling.
Scribendi tam dira cupido,^[5]
Quam amor quo consumpta Dido.^[6]
If Howe,^[7] hither marching, friend Ell'ry,
Were near with his train of artill'ry
And bells in the city were chiming,
This strange cacoëthes of rhiming
Would not cease. Tell me not, in answer,
You can't write. It's known you well can, Sir,
Proceed then; or haec tibi cura,^[8]
I shall draw your caricatura.
If who's the author, dubitatur?^[9]
He's your correspondent, Nugator.^[10]

Unless you will take one Line for your Ten
I never Shall pay you, and indeed I shan't then.
For to form One good Clink, invita Minerva,^[11]
I must ransack turn my poor Brains all quite topsy, turvy.
While you with a Portion of Latin & Greek
As n an An hundred good Lines can easily make
As the Virginian Tully^[12] can speak.
The Muses will readily yield up their Charms
To the Poet that dreads not the Thunder of Arms
They'll favour the brave the youthfull the blythe
Will fly from an Ellery and caress a Wythe
Compelled thus to rhime in my own Defense
These Lines are dictated a Lege Natura
Pray then forbear Sir, your Caricatura
I most humbly submit to your Candour & Sense.
What thus is forced from Me Lege magna Natura^[13]
And beg you would forbear Sir your Caricatura

You've not only quitted your arrear,
But check'd my poetical career.
I flatter'd myself that Apollo
Had told me the Muses to follow.
But they to Parnassus retiring
And frowning forbade my aspiring,
Rejected my awkward addresses,
Bestow'd on my rival caresses,
Made mirth of my passion for soaring,
And laugh'd at my anguish and roaring.
Whilst you mount with wing pegasean
And triumphint, sing Iö Paean,^[14]
With eyes full of envy and surprise,
The laurel I see becomes your prize.
My latin and greek not a bawbee^[15]
I value (Think not I bedaub ye
With praise, though this seems that way leaning)
When one of your couplets more meaning
Fine sense and true humour you fling in,
Than twenty of mine I can bring in.

Some mere poetaster call Tully,
In for a naggering bully;
Most others a speaker persuasive,
In reas'ning though sometimes evasive
Did you, making me his compeer, Sir,
An irony mean, or a sneer, Sir?

The gen'rous Idea your last Peice [sic] expresses
Instead of exal exciting my Ardour, depresses.
The Muses I know by Experience are Gilts
And he moves unsafely who moves upon Stilts.
When my Fancy was young I asked of those Lasses
To aid my Ascent up the Mount of Parnassus,
They told me to follow, but as swift as the Wind
They gained its high Top and left me behind.
Thus jilted, I labour'd but quickly I found
My Tread was too clumsy for poetick Ground.
And wanting their Aid to assist my weak Passes
I bid an Adieu to the Mount of Parnassus.
Since that contented with Limitation
Sometimes I've attempted an humble Translation,
Inspired with an Ardour deriv'd from gay Bacchus,
Of an Eclogue of Mars or some Ode of Flaccus.
Sometimes too when a Genius hath started Ideas
I've made use of his Hints ut nuper to videa.^[16]
Like a Babbler ambitious of some little Fame
I follow when Freeman hath started the Game,
And But when hunted down poor Puss sinks & dies
I give up to Freeman his Right to the Prize.
Let Wythe take the Laurel his Genius demands
I ask but this Boon to be rank'd class'd with his Friends.

In all thy humours, whether grave or mellow,
Thou'rt such a touchy, testy fellow,
Hast so much mirth, and wit, and splen about thee,
There is no living with thee, or without thee.

I remember to have seen
this translation of an
epigram of Martial.^[17]

Those with whom the powers of government are entrusted should be diligently watched; and when they act otherwise than they ought should at least be told of it. Their misdoings indeed cannot in many instances be discovered especially where they

^(a) 'In close recess and secret conclave sit!'^[18]

But shall loud reports of misrule only astonish us, and vanish in air?

As thunder rattling though the welkin flies,
Then rumbling shudd'ring, undulating dies.

And will the people, disturbed by them for a moment, settle again in halcyon tranquillity?

As when a rock, by Polyphemus thrown,
On some still lake falls splashing sinking down
The floating circles ripple to the main,
Disperse, and leave the surface smooth again.

Forbid it, ye college of censors, to whose zeal and vigilance your country is so much indebted. Inquire into a late ballot, and animadvert upon the transaction, and upon those who were concerned in it, as they deserve, with your wanted prudence; although one of the persons may be he

^(a) 'Whose tongue drops manna,^{[19] (b)} thick as driven snow,^[20]
(c) 'And from whose tongue words sweet as honey flow.'^[21]

What ballot? and what was amiss in it?

To the wise, Sirs, a word is enough.
If, by this aenigmatical stuff,
You would have me explain what I mean,
'Tis a false supernum'rary bean.

(a) Milton
(b) Homer
(c) τοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης μέλιτος γλυκίων ῥέεν αὐδή^[22]

Homer.

This was addressed to the committee of safety inspection, and sent to a printer, who would not insert it his paper.

Attend all ye People of ev'ry degree
No longer pretend that your Country you'll free
Declare for your Treasons a hearty Contrition
Regard as you tender your lives Admonition
E're too late to flee from impending Perdition
Who like me to the King Allegiance will swear
And future Submission to Congress forbear
Leave all his old Friends to the Parliaments Fury
Let Rebels be hang'd without Judge or Jury
Escapes condemnation to gibbet or halter
Nor needs forfeiture fear unless times should alter.

A C . . . . . . . . . . r to the people of P . . . . . . . . . . a

Declare for your treasons a hearty contrition
Who like me to the king allegiance will swear
Attend all ye people of ev'ry degree
Nor needs forfeiture fear unless times should alter.
Regard as you tender your lives admonition
Leave all his old friends to the parliaments fury
No longer pretend that your country you'll free
E're too late to flee from impending perdition
Let rebels be hang'd up without judge or jury
And future submission to congress forbear
Escapes condemnation to gibbet or halter.

A dialogue between [manuscript damaged] who wrote the above
and a printer who was desired and refused
to publish it.

H. Not Print it! sir, why? P. Because it is nonsense.

H. No prudent wight sure will then take offense.
Words without meaning are quite harmless things.
Minds of evil conscious of evil truth only stings.
Most readers besides will skip such stuff over,
Like advertisements where horses will cover.

P. A slander perhaps— H. No—that is denied,
Unless with letters initial supplied.
Nay, still if the lines remain untransposed,
Nothing unkind or sarcastic's inclos'd.

P. What? initials?—Let me see—aye—they make it
So plain that dunces alone can mistake it.
If calumny foul, though sweet flowering verse,
Or elegant prose, our devils disperse,

Fines with vile durance, 'twould cost and expose us
Worse pains to bear for libellus famosus.^[24]

H. In these times of license leave off your shrugs,
Nor prisons nor pillories fear, nor
Pillories fear not, nor prisons or cropt lugs.^[25]

P: Though pusillanimous call'd or a churl,
Venture I will not to suffer like Curl.^[26]