 | [Poems by Odell in] The Loyalist poetry of the Revolution |  |
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THE WORD OF CONGRESS.
Tartaream intendit vocem.—
Virgil.
Virgil.
The Word of Congress, like a round of beef,
To hungry Satire gives a sure relief:
No trifling tid-bits to delude the pen;
But solid victuals, cut and come again.
Whitfield, 'tis said, this simile was thine:
Unapt for thy discourse, it suits with mine.
O P---n, I should think it joy supreme
To win thy kind attention to my theme:
To cheer thy heart, with native humour fraught,
And steal thee from the painful task of thought.
Oft has thy lib'ral, thy capacious mind
Griev'd for the wicked, sorrow'd for the blind;
Deplor'd past errors, present ills bemoan'd,
And anxious for the future deeply groan'd.
Were it not best to quit these gloomy views,
And join the sportful sallies of the Muse?
Smile at those evils we must both endure,
And laugh at follies which we cannot cure?
Come, friend, and let us mock, till mirth be stirr'd
In every vein, the many colour'd Word.
To hungry Satire gives a sure relief:
No trifling tid-bits to delude the pen;
But solid victuals, cut and come again.
Whitfield, 'tis said, this simile was thine:
Unapt for thy discourse, it suits with mine.
O P---n, I should think it joy supreme
To win thy kind attention to my theme:
To cheer thy heart, with native humour fraught,
And steal thee from the painful task of thought.
Oft has thy lib'ral, thy capacious mind
Griev'd for the wicked, sorrow'd for the blind;
Deplor'd past errors, present ills bemoan'd,
And anxious for the future deeply groan'd.
Were it not best to quit these gloomy views,
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Smile at those evils we must both endure,
And laugh at follies which we cannot cure?
Come, friend, and let us mock, till mirth be stirr'd
In every vein, the many colour'd Word.
Oh! 'tis a Word of pow'r, of prime account:
I've seen it like the daring Osprey mount;
I've seen it like a dirty reptile creep,
Rush into flame, or plunge into the deep;
I've heard it like a hungry lion roar,
Who tears the prey, and bathes himself in gore;
I've seen it softer than the vernal rain,
Mildly descending on the grassy plain—
I've heard it pious, as a saint in pray'r—
I've heard it like an angry trooper swear—
I've known it suit itself to ev'ry plan—
I've known it lie to God, and lie to Man.
I've seen it like the daring Osprey mount;
I've seen it like a dirty reptile creep,
Rush into flame, or plunge into the deep;
I've heard it like a hungry lion roar,
Who tears the prey, and bathes himself in gore;
I've seen it softer than the vernal rain,
Mildly descending on the grassy plain—
I've heard it pious, as a saint in pray'r—
I've heard it like an angry trooper swear—
I've known it suit itself to ev'ry plan—
I've known it lie to God, and lie to Man.
Have you not read the marvellous escapes
Of Proteus shifting to a thousand shapes?
Have you not seen the wonders of the stage,
When Pantomime delights a trifling age?
Such and more various, such and more absurd,
Charles Thomson, witness of the changeful Word.
He'll sign to anything, no matter what:—
At truth alone his pen would make a blot.
Of Proteus shifting to a thousand shapes?
Have you not seen the wonders of the stage,
When Pantomime delights a trifling age?
Such and more various, such and more absurd,
Charles Thomson, witness of the changeful Word.
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At truth alone his pen would make a blot.
There dwelt in Norriton's sequester'd bow'rs,
A mortal bless'd with mathematic pow'rs.
To whom was David Rittenhouse unknown?
Fair Science saw, and mark'd him for her own.
His eye Creation to its bounds would trace—
His mind, the regions of unbounded Space.
Whilst thus he soar'd above the starry spheres,
The Word of Congress sounded in his ears:
He listen'd to the voice with strange delight,
And swift descended from his dazzling height;
Then, mixing eager with seditious tools,
Vice-President elect of rogues and fools,
His hopes resign'd of philosophic fame—
A paltry statesman Rittenhouse became.
A mortal bless'd with mathematic pow'rs.
To whom was David Rittenhouse unknown?
Fair Science saw, and mark'd him for her own.
His eye Creation to its bounds would trace—
His mind, the regions of unbounded Space.
Whilst thus he soar'd above the starry spheres,
The Word of Congress sounded in his ears:
He listen'd to the voice with strange delight,
And swift descended from his dazzling height;
Then, mixing eager with seditious tools,
Vice-President elect of rogues and fools,
His hopes resign'd of philosophic fame—
A paltry statesman Rittenhouse became.
A Saint of old, as learned monks have said,
Preach'd to the Fish—the Fish his voice obey'd.
The same good man conven'd the grunting herd,
Who bow'd obedient to his pow'rful word:
Such energy had truth, in days of yore;
Falsehood and nonsense, in our days, have more
Duffield avows them to be all in all,
And mounts, or quits the Pulpit, at their call.
In vain New Light displays her heav'nly shine;
In vain attract him Oracles divine;
Chaplain of Congress give him to become,
Light may be dark and Oracles be dumb.
It pleas'd Saint Anthony to preach to brutes;
To preach to Devils best with Duffield suits.
Preach'd to the Fish—the Fish his voice obey'd.
The same good man conven'd the grunting herd,
Who bow'd obedient to his pow'rful word:
Such energy had truth, in days of yore;
Falsehood and nonsense, in our days, have more
Duffield avows them to be all in all,
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In vain New Light displays her heav'nly shine;
In vain attract him Oracles divine;
Chaplain of Congress give him to become,
Light may be dark and Oracles be dumb.
It pleas'd Saint Anthony to preach to brutes;
To preach to Devils best with Duffield suits.
Tim Matlack once had credit and esteem:
His follies made them vanish as a dream.
By all his former friends abandon'd quite,
Game-cocks and Negroes were his sole delight.
Vagrant and poor, his reputation slurr'd,
He hasten'd to obey the factious Word.
Who now so active in the Cause as Tim?
Tho' death to honour, it was life to him.
Restor'd to Consequence, tho' not to Grace,
Behold him fill the Secretary's place!
His pen can write you paragraphs by scores;
His valour kick two Quakers out of doors:
Tim for their champion let the People dub;
Yet Virtue still must hold him for a scrub.
His follies made them vanish as a dream.
By all his former friends abandon'd quite,
Game-cocks and Negroes were his sole delight.
Vagrant and poor, his reputation slurr'd,
He hasten'd to obey the factious Word.
Who now so active in the Cause as Tim?
Tho' death to honour, it was life to him.
Restor'd to Consequence, tho' not to Grace,
Behold him fill the Secretary's place!
His pen can write you paragraphs by scores;
His valour kick two Quakers out of doors:
Tim for their champion let the People dub;
Yet Virtue still must hold him for a scrub.
Kerr, and Carmichael, Ishmaelites obscure;
Who deem that all things to the pure are pure;
Hag-rid by Congress, by sedition stirr'd,
Desert the Bible to proclaim the sword.
Such force attends the fascinating sound,
Murder is sainted, perjury renown'd.
Who deem that all things to the pure are pure;
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Desert the Bible to proclaim the sword.
Such force attends the fascinating sound,
Murder is sainted, perjury renown'd.
Spencer and Caldwell, evangelic pair—
This a smooth serpent, that a furious bear—
With equal zeal, but different cast of head,
Prepar'd the Doctrine of the Word to spread.
One on the thunder of his tongue relied:
The other, wisely to his pen applied.
Figures and tropes rough Spencer chose to pour:
Arabian figures suited Caldwell more.
The first was bold in treasonable talk;
The second took the Commissary's walk.
Both were detested, as they both deserv'd;
But while the penman throve, the spokesman starv'd.
Spencer a martyr falls to rage and rum;
While Caldwell safe retires with half a plumb.
This a smooth serpent, that a furious bear—
With equal zeal, but different cast of head,
Prepar'd the Doctrine of the Word to spread.
One on the thunder of his tongue relied:
The other, wisely to his pen applied.
Figures and tropes rough Spencer chose to pour:
Arabian figures suited Caldwell more.
The first was bold in treasonable talk;
The second took the Commissary's walk.
Both were detested, as they both deserv'd;
But while the penman throve, the spokesman starv'd.
Spencer a martyr falls to rage and rum;
While Caldwell safe retires with half a plumb.
Tucker, from want and dirt and darkness sprung,
Of formal face, and Oliverian tongue—
'Scap'd from the gallows, gain'd the mob's esteem;
But no promotion could from fraud redeem.
No rank his heart to honesty could fix;
Still graceless he pursued his native tricks:
Now rose against him the tumultuous den:
The Dev'l himself can sometimes rail at sin;
Too much a knave for knaves themselves to bear,
Abhorr'd by all men, Tucker quits the chair.
Of formal face, and Oliverian tongue—
'Scap'd from the gallows, gain'd the mob's esteem;
But no promotion could from fraud redeem.
No rank his heart to honesty could fix;
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Now rose against him the tumultuous den:
The Dev'l himself can sometimes rail at sin;
Too much a knave for knaves themselves to bear,
Abhorr'd by all men, Tucker quits the chair.
Paschal, who never right from wrong could tell;
Who never yet could read, or write, or spell;
From last, from awl, from cutting-knife is torn,
While tanners weep, and half-shod soldiers mourn.
He's now a Justice—wherefore should we grudge?
When Cong. reigns King, a Cobbler may be Judge.
Who never yet could read, or write, or spell;
From last, from awl, from cutting-knife is torn,
While tanners weep, and half-shod soldiers mourn.
He's now a Justice—wherefore should we grudge?
When Cong. reigns King, a Cobbler may be Judge.
These are poor characters—Rise, Satire! rise,
And seize on villains of superior size.
Let censure reach to Shippen and to Yates,
Or dignify the verse with Greene and Gates:
Expose the meanness of the P***s to view,
Or strike at Willing, Hamilton, and Chew:
Macdougall, Maxwell, Muhlenberg attack,
Or Baylor clad in white, or Knox in black:
Or blast Poughkeepsie's Lord, who soils a fame,
That never but in him was doom'd to shame.
Or vengeful draw the weapon from the sheath,
And plunge it in the murd'rous breast of Heath.
The blust'rer; the poltroon; the vile; the weak;
Who fight for Congress, or in Congress speak,
Or to its edicts cowardly submit,
Alike should undergo the lash of wit.
And seize on villains of superior size.
Let censure reach to Shippen and to Yates,
Or dignify the verse with Greene and Gates:
Expose the meanness of the P***s to view,
Or strike at Willing, Hamilton, and Chew:
Macdougall, Maxwell, Muhlenberg attack,
Or Baylor clad in white, or Knox in black:
Or blast Poughkeepsie's Lord, who soils a fame,
That never but in him was doom'd to shame.
Or vengeful draw the weapon from the sheath,
And plunge it in the murd'rous breast of Heath.
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Who fight for Congress, or in Congress speak,
Or to its edicts cowardly submit,
Alike should undergo the lash of wit.
Come, Mifflin, let me put thee on the stage:
As thou with Britain, war with thee I wage.
Fierce Mifflin foremost in the ranks was found:
Ask you the cause? He owed ten thousand pound.
Great thanks to Congress, and its doughty Word,
He cancell'd debts by flourishing his sword!
Not that he cares for Congress, or its voice;
Broils are his Int'rest, Tumult is his choice.
But that he wants the necessary skill
A pliant people to inflame at will:
But that his genius yields to Roberdeau,
In every art of managing the low:
Confusion would in aid of Justice rise,
Revenge the widow's groans, the orphan's cries;
The robbers of their ill-got treasure rob,
And give Joe Reed a victim to the mob.
As thou with Britain, war with thee I wage.
Fierce Mifflin foremost in the ranks was found:
Ask you the cause? He owed ten thousand pound.
Great thanks to Congress, and its doughty Word,
He cancell'd debts by flourishing his sword!
Not that he cares for Congress, or its voice;
Broils are his Int'rest, Tumult is his choice.
But that he wants the necessary skill
A pliant people to inflame at will:
But that his genius yields to Roberdeau,
In every art of managing the low:
Confusion would in aid of Justice rise,
Revenge the widow's groans, the orphan's cries;
The robbers of their ill-got treasure rob,
And give Joe Reed a victim to the mob.
Gates I have nam'd, but have not yet forsook:
Step forward, Gates—and tremble at my look.
Can'st thou, most harden'd tho' thou art, sustain
The glance of anger mingled with disdain?
I've seen thy father—has thy pride forgot—
Mean was his office—very mean his lot.
A gracious Master overlook'd thy birth,
And rais'd thee far above the dregs of earth.
Each act of favour how hast thou return'd?
How all the laws of sacred Honour spurn'd?
What vile ingratitude thy soul has shown,
Is fit for devils to relate alone.
Go hide, abandon'd monster, hide thy head—
Go fly, if fly thou can'st, from inward dread—
Call cliffs, call mountains on thee to descend:
But rocks nor hills from terror shall defend.
In Hell seek refuge—even there thou'lt find
A fiercer hell hot-bursting in thy mind.
Step forward, Gates—and tremble at my look.
Can'st thou, most harden'd tho' thou art, sustain
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I've seen thy father—has thy pride forgot—
Mean was his office—very mean his lot.
A gracious Master overlook'd thy birth,
And rais'd thee far above the dregs of earth.
Each act of favour how hast thou return'd?
How all the laws of sacred Honour spurn'd?
What vile ingratitude thy soul has shown,
Is fit for devils to relate alone.
Go hide, abandon'd monster, hide thy head—
Go fly, if fly thou can'st, from inward dread—
Call cliffs, call mountains on thee to descend:
But rocks nor hills from terror shall defend.
In Hell seek refuge—even there thou'lt find
A fiercer hell hot-bursting in thy mind.
Where, where is Sinclair? Takes he to his heels?
Blows aim'd at Gates by instinct Sinclair feels.
He too fought nobly in his Country's cause;
He too the sword against his Sov'reign draws.
Like Gates entangled in rebellion's snare,
He too, like him, should tremble and despair.
What comfort can they hope, what peace deserve,
Who forfeit virtue, and from duty swerve?
Avenging furies shall their steps pursue
Till, chas'd from earth, they join th' infernal crew.
Blows aim'd at Gates by instinct Sinclair feels.
He too fought nobly in his Country's cause;
He too the sword against his Sov'reign draws.
Like Gates entangled in rebellion's snare,
He too, like him, should tremble and despair.
What comfort can they hope, what peace deserve,
Who forfeit virtue, and from duty swerve?
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Till, chas'd from earth, they join th' infernal crew.
********, whose meanness in the prime of life,
Allow'd old ********** to pollute his wife;
Who still, regardless of the filthy blot,
Owns all the bastards that the letcher got;
In age, and equally to honour's grief,
From a tame cuckold grows a rebel chief.
O! may no saucy cannons round him roar;
No rude courtmartials vex his quiet more;
His days awhile, good Destiny, secure:
Tho' stinking, great; and wealthy, tho' impure.
Yes, let him live, kind Fate; but live abhorr'd,
Till Justice fastens to his neck the cord.
Allow'd old ********** to pollute his wife;
Who still, regardless of the filthy blot,
Owns all the bastards that the letcher got;
In age, and equally to honour's grief,
From a tame cuckold grows a rebel chief.
O! may no saucy cannons round him roar;
No rude courtmartials vex his quiet more;
His days awhile, good Destiny, secure:
Tho' stinking, great; and wealthy, tho' impure.
Yes, let him live, kind Fate; but live abhorr'd,
Till Justice fastens to his neck the cord.
Amidst ten thousand eminently base,
Thou, Sullivan, assume the highest place!
Sailor, and farmer—barrister of vogue—
Each state was thine, and thou in each a rogue.
Ambition came, and swallow'd in a trice,
Like Aaron's rod, the reptile fry of vice.
One giant passion then his soul possess'd,
And dreams of lawless sway disturb'd his rest.
He gave each wild imagination scope,
And flew to Congress on the wings of hope.
Behold him there, but still behold him curst—
He sate in Congress; but he sate not first—
What could the fever of his mind compose?
Make him a Gen'ral: Gen'ral straight he grows.
Head of a shirtless, shoeless gang he strides,
While Wisdom stares, and Folly shakes her sides.
Thou, Sullivan, assume the highest place!
Sailor, and farmer—barrister of vogue—
Each state was thine, and thou in each a rogue.
Ambition came, and swallow'd in a trice,
Like Aaron's rod, the reptile fry of vice.
One giant passion then his soul possess'd,
And dreams of lawless sway disturb'd his rest.
He gave each wild imagination scope,
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Behold him there, but still behold him curst—
He sate in Congress; but he sate not first—
What could the fever of his mind compose?
Make him a Gen'ral: Gen'ral straight he grows.
Head of a shirtless, shoeless gang he strides,
While Wisdom stares, and Folly shakes her sides.
And must I sing the wonders of his might?
What are they?—Rout, captivity, and flight.
Rhode-Island saw him to her forts advance,
Assisted by the ships of faithless France:
Rhode-Island saw him shamefully retreat,
In imitation of the Gallic fleet.
His banners last on Susquehannah wav'd,
Where, lucky to excess, his scalp he sav'd.
What are they?—Rout, captivity, and flight.
Rhode-Island saw him to her forts advance,
Assisted by the ships of faithless France:
Rhode-Island saw him shamefully retreat,
In imitation of the Gallic fleet.
His banners last on Susquehannah wav'd,
Where, lucky to excess, his scalp he sav'd.
All these, and more whose praise must be deferr'd,
Seditious rose when Congress gave the word:
Of various principles; from various soils;
Smit with desire of change, or love of broils.
As when an ass with hideous clamour brays,
Unnumber'd asses loud their voices raise:
As when a restless ram the fence o'erleaps,
Flocks leave their grazing, and pursue in heaps:
So, at one noisy, turbulent command,
Contagion seiz'd and uproar fill'd the land.
All rush'd like frighten'd sheep, to join the Cause;
Or in sonorous cadence bray'd applause.
Seditious rose when Congress gave the word:
Of various principles; from various soils;
Smit with desire of change, or love of broils.
As when an ass with hideous clamour brays,
Unnumber'd asses loud their voices raise:
As when a restless ram the fence o'erleaps,
Flocks leave their grazing, and pursue in heaps:
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Contagion seiz'd and uproar fill'd the land.
All rush'd like frighten'd sheep, to join the Cause;
Or in sonorous cadence bray'd applause.
Come, heav'n-born Truth, and analyze a Word
To all things human and divine preferr'd!
Guide of the will, and ruler of the heart—
Why not examine each component part?
Impress'd so deeply, and diffus'd so wide,
It ought the test of Reason to abide:
Serene and beautiful in outward face,
Within, all wisdom, sanctity, and grace:
Impartial it should be, and void of faults;
It should—but Truth from this account revolts.
To all things human and divine preferr'd!
Guide of the will, and ruler of the heart—
Why not examine each component part?
Impress'd so deeply, and diffus'd so wide,
It ought the test of Reason to abide:
Serene and beautiful in outward face,
Within, all wisdom, sanctity, and grace:
Impartial it should be, and void of faults;
It should—but Truth from this account revolts.
Far other portrait the prevailing Word
From Truth's unerring pencil has incurr'd.
Bid her describe the Congress:—straight she draws
An hydra-headed form, with harpies' claws—
Lo! num'rous mouths hiss, chatter, bark, or croak:
Here, one like Cacus belches fire and smoke;
The second like a monkey grins and chats;
A third squalls horrible, like angry cats:
Here, you've the growls and snarlings of a dog;
And there the beastly gruntings of a hog.
Others affect the puritanic tone;
The whine, the cant, the snuffle, and the groan.
In Candour's accents falsehoods some disguise;
Whilst others vomit forth essential lies—
All sounds delusive, all disgustful notes,
Pour like a torrent from their brazen throats,
To fill with rage the poor distracted crowd;
Whilst Discord claps her hands, and shouts aloud.
From Truth's unerring pencil has incurr'd.
Bid her describe the Congress:—straight she draws
An hydra-headed form, with harpies' claws—
Lo! num'rous mouths hiss, chatter, bark, or croak:
Here, one like Cacus belches fire and smoke;
The second like a monkey grins and chats;
A third squalls horrible, like angry cats:
Here, you've the growls and snarlings of a dog;
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Others affect the puritanic tone;
The whine, the cant, the snuffle, and the groan.
In Candour's accents falsehoods some disguise;
Whilst others vomit forth essential lies—
All sounds delusive, all disgustful notes,
Pour like a torrent from their brazen throats,
To fill with rage the poor distracted crowd;
Whilst Discord claps her hands, and shouts aloud.
This harsh account should Charity distrust,
Yet sad Experience will pronounce it just.
Whoe'er the Word of Congress shall peruse,
In every piece will see it change its views:
Now, swell with duty to the King elate;
Now, melt with kindness to the parent state;
Then back to Treason suddenly revolve,
And join in Suffolk's infamous resolve.
Trace it thro' all the windings of the press,
Vote or appeal, petition or address,—
Trace it in every act—in every speech—
Too sure you'll find duplicity in each.
Mark now its soothing, now its threat'ning strain;
Mark its hypocrisy, deceit, chicane;
From the soft breathings of the new-form'd board,
To that fell hour when Independence roar'd;
Forc'd, you'll acknowledge since Creation's dawn,
Earth never yet produc'd so vile a spawn.
Yet sad Experience will pronounce it just.
Whoe'er the Word of Congress shall peruse,
In every piece will see it change its views:
Now, swell with duty to the King elate;
Now, melt with kindness to the parent state;
Then back to Treason suddenly revolve,
And join in Suffolk's infamous resolve.
Trace it thro' all the windings of the press,
Vote or appeal, petition or address,—
Trace it in every act—in every speech—
Too sure you'll find duplicity in each.
Mark now its soothing, now its threat'ning strain;
Mark its hypocrisy, deceit, chicane;
From the soft breathings of the new-form'd board,
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Forc'd, you'll acknowledge since Creation's dawn,
Earth never yet produc'd so vile a spawn.
But still, in Britain, many disbelieve—
I own, 'tis hard such baseness to conceive.
Who, that beheld these foul impostors rave
When Law confirmed the rights that Treaties gave:
Heard them foretell Religion's general wreck,
From Romish faith establish'd in Quebec:
Who, that observ'd all this, could e'er opine
That Saints like these with Popery should join?
Imagination must it not surpass,
That Congress should proceed in pomp to Mass?
Yet that they did, authentic proofs can show;
Myriads the frontless act—nay, millions—know.
I own, 'tis hard such baseness to conceive.
Who, that beheld these foul impostors rave
When Law confirmed the rights that Treaties gave:
Heard them foretell Religion's general wreck,
From Romish faith establish'd in Quebec:
Who, that observ'd all this, could e'er opine
That Saints like these with Popery should join?
Imagination must it not surpass,
That Congress should proceed in pomp to Mass?
Yet that they did, authentic proofs can show;
Myriads the frontless act—nay, millions—know.
Here, gentle reader, we'll go back a space,
Two famous missions of the Word to trace.
Saint *****, with a priest in either hand,
Devoutly travell'd to Canadian land:
For those who should rebel, a copious store
Of Absolutions our apostles bore.
In faith, it prov'd a memorable job:
Its gracious sounds avail'd not with the mob—
Like Paul at Lystra, it provok'd the stones,
And scarce the factious preachers sav'd their bones.
McWhorter, Spencer, with the same designs;—
A brace of flaming, pestilent divines,—
To Carolina went, by Cong.'s decree,
From oaths the fetter'd populace to free.
Ridiculous attempt; unhallow'd work;
Plain sense abhorr'd the miserable quirk;
The wretched bigots were dismiss'd with jeers,
But kept ('twas more than they deserv'd) their ears.
Two famous missions of the Word to trace.
Saint *****, with a priest in either hand,
Devoutly travell'd to Canadian land:
For those who should rebel, a copious store
Of Absolutions our apostles bore.
In faith, it prov'd a memorable job:
Its gracious sounds avail'd not with the mob—
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And scarce the factious preachers sav'd their bones.
McWhorter, Spencer, with the same designs;—
A brace of flaming, pestilent divines,—
To Carolina went, by Cong.'s decree,
From oaths the fetter'd populace to free.
Ridiculous attempt; unhallow'd work;
Plain sense abhorr'd the miserable quirk;
The wretched bigots were dismiss'd with jeers,
But kept ('twas more than they deserv'd) their ears.
Not so discourag'd, the prolific Word
To more successful artifice recurr'd.
Swarms of deceivers, practis'd in the trade,
Were sent abroad to gull, cajole, persuade;
Scoff with the scoffer; with the pious pray;
Drink with the drunkard; frolick with the gay:
All things to all with varied art become,
And bribe with paper, or inflame with rum.
Others, apart in some obscure recess,
The studied lie for publication dress:
Prepare the vague report, fallacious tale;
Invent fresh calumnies; revive the stale;
Pervert all records sacred and profane:
And chief among them stands the villain Paine.
To more successful artifice recurr'd.
Swarms of deceivers, practis'd in the trade,
Were sent abroad to gull, cajole, persuade;
Scoff with the scoffer; with the pious pray;
Drink with the drunkard; frolick with the gay:
All things to all with varied art become,
And bribe with paper, or inflame with rum.
Others, apart in some obscure recess,
The studied lie for publication dress:
Prepare the vague report, fallacious tale;
Invent fresh calumnies; revive the stale;
Pervert all records sacred and profane:
And chief among them stands the villain Paine.
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This scribbling imp, 'tis said, from London came,
That seat of glory, intermixed with shame;
Imperial City, Queen of Arts enroll'd,
But full of vice as Sodom was of old;
Once with the deathless name of Barnard grac'd;
By Wilkes, and Bull, and Sawbridge now defac'd.
That seat of glory, intermixed with shame;
Imperial City, Queen of Arts enroll'd,
But full of vice as Sodom was of old;
Once with the deathless name of Barnard grac'd;
By Wilkes, and Bull, and Sawbridge now defac'd.
Our hireling author having chang'd his soil,
True son of Grubstreet, here renew'd his toil.
What cannot ceaseless impudence produce?
Old --- knows its value, and its use.
He caught at Paine; reliev'd his wretched plight;
And gave him notes, and set him down to write.
Fire from the Doctor's hints the miscreant took;
Discarded truth, and soon compos'd a book:
A pamphlet which, without the least pretence
To reason, bore the name of Common Sense.
No matter what you call this dogg'rel stuff,
Bad as it was, it pleas'd; and that's enough.
The work like wildfire through the Country ran,
And Folly bow'd the knee to ---'s plan.
Sense, reason, judgment were abash'd and fled;
And Congress reign'd triumphant in their stead.
O hapless Land! O People void of brains!
My heart bleeds for you, tho' my soul disdains.
True son of Grubstreet, here renew'd his toil.
What cannot ceaseless impudence produce?
Old --- knows its value, and its use.
He caught at Paine; reliev'd his wretched plight;
And gave him notes, and set him down to write.
Fire from the Doctor's hints the miscreant took;
Discarded truth, and soon compos'd a book:
A pamphlet which, without the least pretence
To reason, bore the name of Common Sense.
No matter what you call this dogg'rel stuff,
Bad as it was, it pleas'd; and that's enough.
The work like wildfire through the Country ran,
And Folly bow'd the knee to ---'s plan.
Sense, reason, judgment were abash'd and fled;
And Congress reign'd triumphant in their stead.
O hapless Land! O People void of brains!
My heart bleeds for you, tho' my soul disdains.
53
Deep schemes ensued, to all appearance vague,
But fitted to disseminate the plague.
From the back woods half savages came down,
And awkward troops paraded ev'ry town.
Committees and Conventions met by scores;
Justice was banish'd—Law turn'd out of doors;
Disorder seem'd to overset the land;
They, who appear'd to rule, the tumult fann'd,
But cunning stood behind with sure controul;
And in one centre caus'd to meet the whole.
By what contrivance this effect was gain'd;
How the new States were finish'd and sustain'd;
All, all should be held up to public scorn;
An useful lesson to the child unborn!
But fitted to disseminate the plague.
From the back woods half savages came down,
And awkward troops paraded ev'ry town.
Committees and Conventions met by scores;
Justice was banish'd—Law turn'd out of doors;
Disorder seem'd to overset the land;
They, who appear'd to rule, the tumult fann'd,
But cunning stood behind with sure controul;
And in one centre caus'd to meet the whole.
By what contrivance this effect was gain'd;
How the new States were finish'd and sustain'd;
All, all should be held up to public scorn;
An useful lesson to the child unborn!
But this would open an immense career,
And into port 'twere prudent now to steer.
Much have we labour'd in tempestuous seas:
'Tis time to give the shatter'd vessel ease.
When once refitted, we'll again display
Satire's red ensign on the wat'ry way;
Again encounter the rebellious Flag,
And from the staff the stripes of Faction drag;
These pirates hov'ring on the coast disperse,
And chase them with the flowing sail of verse.
O! grace of every Virtue—meek ey'd maid—
Sweet Modesty, in purple robes array'd—
Think me not vain of these enervate lines,
These feeble colourings, and faint designs.
To bring some stouter Champion on the scene
Is all I meditate, is all I mean.
I but endeavour to amuse the Foe,
Till Genius rise and deal the fatal blow.
But Genius, careless of his charge, sits still,
And lets the monster Congress rage at will:
Lifts not the terror of his pond'rous lance:
Arrests not those who sell the land to France:
Tilts not with bitter Wayne, with boist'rous Lee;
But leaves the task to Weakness, and to me.
And into port 'twere prudent now to steer.
Much have we labour'd in tempestuous seas:
'Tis time to give the shatter'd vessel ease.
When once refitted, we'll again display
Satire's red ensign on the wat'ry way;
Again encounter the rebellious Flag,
And from the staff the stripes of Faction drag;
These pirates hov'ring on the coast disperse,
And chase them with the flowing sail of verse.
54
Sweet Modesty, in purple robes array'd—
Think me not vain of these enervate lines,
These feeble colourings, and faint designs.
To bring some stouter Champion on the scene
Is all I meditate, is all I mean.
I but endeavour to amuse the Foe,
Till Genius rise and deal the fatal blow.
But Genius, careless of his charge, sits still,
And lets the monster Congress rage at will:
Lifts not the terror of his pond'rous lance:
Arrests not those who sell the land to France:
Tilts not with bitter Wayne, with boist'rous Lee;
But leaves the task to Weakness, and to me.
Thus, till some favour'd mortal raise his voice,
I must go on—'tis duty, and not choice.
Sister of Wisdom, Goddess of the Song,
Protect the meanest of the tuneful throng!
And when the feather'd weapon I prepare,
Once more to lay the villain's bosom bare;
Let inspiration from th' ethereal height
Shed on my soul her vivifying light—
Poetic ardour, strength of thought infuse,
The life, the spirit, of a glowing muse.
Ask I too much? then grant me for a time
Some deleterious pow'rs of acrid rhyme:
Some ars'nic verse, to poison with the pen
These rats, who nestle in the Lion's den!
I must go on—'tis duty, and not choice.
Sister of Wisdom, Goddess of the Song,
Protect the meanest of the tuneful throng!
And when the feather'd weapon I prepare,
Once more to lay the villain's bosom bare;
Let inspiration from th' ethereal height
Shed on my soul her vivifying light—
Poetic ardour, strength of thought infuse,
The life, the spirit, of a glowing muse.
55
Some deleterious pow'rs of acrid rhyme:
Some ars'nic verse, to poison with the pen
These rats, who nestle in the Lion's den!
Sept. 1779.
| [Poems by Odell in] The Loyalist poetry of the Revolution | |