[E] It is hoped that such a sentiment may not be deemed wholly illiberal—Every candid person will certainly draw a line between a brave and magnanimous people, and a most vicious and vitiating government. Perhaps the following extract from a pamphlet lately published in London and republished at Baltimore (June, 1809) by Mr. Bernard Dornin, will place the preceding sentiment in a fair point of view:

"A better spirit than exists in the English people, never existed in any people in the world; it has been misdirected, and squandered upon party purposes in the most degrading and scandalous manner; they have been led to believe that they were benefiting the commerce of England by destroying the commerce of America, that they were defending their sovereign by perpetuating the bigoted oppression of their fellow subjects; their rulers and their guides have told them that they would equal the vigour of France by equalling her atrocity, and they have gone on, wasting that opulence, patience and courage, which if husbanded by prudent, and moderate counsels, might have proved the salvation of mankind. The same policy of turning the good qualities of Englishmen to their own destruction, which made Mr. Pitt omnipotent, continues his power to those who resemble him only in his vices; advantage is taken of the loyalty of Englishmen, to make them meanly submissive; their piety is turned into persecution; their courage into useless and obstinate contention; they are plundered because they are ready to pay, and soothed into assinine stupidity because they are full of virtuous patience. If England must perish at last, so let it be: that event is in the hands of God; we must dry up our tears, and submit. But that England should perish swindling and stealing; that it should perish waging war against lazar-houses and hospitals; that it should perish persecuting with monastic bigotry; that it should calmly give itself up to be ruined by the flashy arrogance of one man, and the narrow fanaticism of another: these events are within the power of human beings, but I did not think that the magnanimity of Englishmen would ever stoop to such degradations."—Freneau's note.

[142] This poem appeared in the April 3, 1782, issue of the Freeman's Journal, filling the entire first page of the paper. I have followed the text of the 1809 edition.

[143] "On which were engraven twice."—Ed. 1786.

[144] This and the nine following lines were written for the edition of 1809.

[145] "Merely for music."—Ed. 1786.

[146] "If you will,"—Ib.

[147] "Length."—Ed. 1786.

[148] In the 1786 edition there was inserted at this point the following stanza omitted in the later versions:

"Jove peep'd thro' his moons, and examin'd their features,
 And said, 'By my truth, they are wonderful creatures,
 'The beards are so long that encircle their throats,
 'That (unless they are Welchmen) I swear they are goats.'"

DIALOGUE AT HYDE-PARK CORNER[149]

(London)

Burgoyne
Let those who will, be proud and sneer
 And call you an unwelcome peer,
 But I am glad to see you here:
 The prince that fills the British throne,
 Unless successful, honours none;
 Poor Jack Burgoyne!—you're not alone.
Cornwallis
Thy ships, De Grasse, have caused my grief—
 To rebel shores and their relief
 There never came a luckier chief:
 In fame's black page it shall be read,
 By Gallic arms my soldiers bled—
 The rebels thine in triumph led.
Burgoyne
Our fortunes different forms assume,
 I called and called for elbow-room,[150]
 Till Gates discharged me to my doom;[151]
 But you, that conquered far and wide,
 In little York thought fit to hide,
 The subject ocean at your side.
Cornwallis
And yet no force had gained that post—
 Not Washington, his country's boast,
 Nor Rochambeau, with all his host,
 Nor all the Gallic fleet's parade—
 Had Clinton hurried to my aid,
 And Sammy Graves been not afraid.
Burgoyne
For head knocked off, or broken bones,
 Or mangled corpse, no price atones;
 Nor all that prattling rumour says,
 Nor all the piles that art can raise,
 The poet's or the parson's praise.
Cornwallis
Though I am brave, as well as you,
 Yet still I think your notion true;
 Dear brother Jack, our toils are o'er—
 With foreign conquests plagued no more,
 We'll stay and guard our native shore.

[149] Text from the edition of 1809. The poem first appeared in the Freeman's Journal, April 24, 1782.

[150] See Vol. I, page 166, note.

[151]

"Had I been blest with elbow-room,
 I might have found a different doom."—Ed. 1786.

ON THE LATE ROYAL SLOOP OF WAR
GENERAL MONK[152]

(Formerly the Washington)

Mounting Six Quarter Deck Wooden Guns

When the Washington ship by the English was beat,
 They sent her to England to shew their great feat,
 And Sandwich straitway, as a proof of his spunk,
 Dashed out her old name, and called her the Monk.
"This Monk hated Rebels (said Sandy)—'od rot 'em—
 "So heave her down quickly, and copper her bottom;
 "With the sloops of our navy we'll have her enrolled,
 "And manned with picked sailors to make her feel bold;
"To shew that our king is both valiant and good,
 "Some guns shall be iron, and others be wood,
 "And, in truth, (though I wish not the secret to spread)
 "All her guns should be wooden—to suit with his head."

[152] First published in the Freeman's Journal, April 24, 1782. On April 10, the Journal contained the following account of the battle:

"Yesterday the Hyder Ally, a vessel fitted out for the protection of this river and its trade, returned to Chester after a severe conflict with a vessel of superior force, which with great gallantry and good conduct on the part of Capt. Barney and his crew, has been captured and brought into port. The particulars of the action, as far as we have been able to collect them, are that a fleet of merchantmen, having proceeded down the bay, were met by an enemy's frigate of forty guns, with the General Monk, Sloop of War, and Fair American, privateer; the General Monk having eighteen nine pounders and one hundred and fifty men. The fleet endeavored to return, but were pursued by the frigate, sloop, and privateer. The Fair American being engaged with one of the fleet, and the frigate being at a considerable distance, gave the Hyder Ally an opportunity to attack the General Monk singly, which Capt. Barney embraced, and after a very close and brave attack of about thirty minutes, the General Monk surrendered to her inferior adversary. The General Monk had fifty-three men killed and wounded, among whom are most of the officers; on board the Hyder Ally there were fifteen killed and wounded. A brig, one of the fleet, was taken, and the General Greene left engaged with the Fair American. The conduct of Capt. Barney has given the greatest satisfaction and shows him truly worthy of the trust committed to him."

TRUTH ANTICIPATED[153][A]

A Rivingtonian Dialogue

[A] "Occasioned by the naval victory gained by Admiral Rodney and Capt. Cornwallis, of the British fleet in the West Indies, over the squadron of Count De Grasse."—Freneau's note to 1809 edition.

On June 5, 1782, Freneau printed the following in the Journal:

"Formidable, between Guadaloupe and Monpenat,
April 14, 1782.        

"Sir: I am this moment favoured with your excellency's letter, and have the happiness to acquaint you that after having had a partial engagement with the enemy on the 9th, wherein 16 of my rear were prevented by calms from joining in the action, on the 12th I had the good fortune to bring them to a general action, which lasted from seven o'clock in the morning until half-past six in the afternoon, without a moment's intermission. Count de Grasse, with the Ville de Paris and four other ships of the line and one sunk, graced the victory. The remainder of their fleet was so miserably shattered and their loss of men so very great from their having their whole army consisting of 5,500 men on board the ships of war, that I am convinced it will be almost impossible to put them in a condition for service for some considerable time.

I am hastening with my whole fleet, etc.                
G. B. Rodney."

Freneau's early doubts as to this victory, which was loudly proclaimed in the Royal Gazette, is evidenced not only by the poem, but by the following comment on Rodney's letter:

"The unskilful forger of Sir George Rodney's letter, which is pretended to have been wafted from Jamaica to Savannah and thence to Charleston, exhibits Sir George not as a British admiral, but as a saucy upstart.... To comment on this absurd forgery would be nugatory."

What brilliant events have of late come to pass,
 No less than the capture of Monsieur de Grasse!
 His majesty's printer has told it for true,
 As we had it from him, so we give it to you.
Many folks of discernment the story believed,
 And the devil himself it at first had deceived,
 Had it not been that Satan imported the stuff,
 And signed it George Rodney, by way of high proof.[154]
Said Satan to Jemmy, "Let's give them the whappers—
 "Some news I have got that will bring in the coppers,
 "And truth it shall be, though I pass it for lies,
 "And making a page of your newspaper size.
"A wide field is open to favour my plan,
 "And the rebels may prove that I lie—if they can;
 "Since they jested and laughed at our lying before,
 "Let it pass for a lie, to torment them the more.
"My wings are yet wet with the West-India dew,
 "And Rodney I left, to come hither to you,
 "I left him bedeviled with brimstone and smoke,
 "The French in distress, and their armament broke.
"For news so delightful, with heart and with voice
 "The Tories of every degree may rejoice;
 "With charcoal and sulphur shall utter their joy
 "'Till they all get as black as they paint the old Boy."
Thus, pleased with the motion, each cutting a caper,
 Down they sat at the table, with pen, ink, and paper;
 In less than five minutes the matter was stated,
 And Jemmy turned scribe, while Satan dictated.
"Begin (said the devil) in the form of a Letter,
 "(If you call it true copy, 'tis so much the better)
 "Make Rodney assert he met the French fleet,
 "Engaged it, and gave 'em a total defeat.
"But the better to vamp up a show of reality,
 "The tale must be told with circumstantiality,
 "What vessels were conquered by Britain's bold sons,
 "Their quotas of men, and their number of guns.
"There's the Villa de Paris—one hundred and ten—
 "Write down that George Rodney has killed half her men—
 "That her hull and her rigging are shattered and shaken,
 "Her flag humbled down, and her admiral taken.
"Le Cesar, 'tis true, is a seventy-four,
 "But the Villa de Paris was thirty-six more;
 "With a grey goose's quill if that ship we did seize on,
 "Le Cesar must fall, or I'll know what's the reason.
"The next that I fix on to take is the Hector,
 "(Her name may be Trojan, but shall not protect her)
 "Don't faulter, dear comrade, and look like a goose,
 "If we've taken these three, we can take Glorieuse.
"The last mentioned ship runs their loss up to four,
 "Le Diadem sunk, shall make it one more;
 "And now, for the sake of round numbers, dear cousin,
 "Write Ardent, and then we have just half-a-dozen!"
Jemmy smiled at the notion, and whispered "O fy!
 "Indeed 'tis a shame to persuade one to lie"—
 But Satan replied—"Consider, my son,
 "I am a prince of the winds, and have seen what is done:
"With a conquest like this, how bright we shall shine!
 "That Rodney has taken six ships of the line,
 "Will be in your paper a brilliant affair;
 "How the Tories will laugh, and the rebels will swear.
"But farther, dear Jemmy, make Rodney to say,
 "If the sun two hours longer had held out the day,
 "The rest were so beaten, so baisted, so tore,
 "He had taken them all, and he knew not but more."
So the partners broke up, as good friends as they met,
 And soon it was all in the Royal Gazette;
 The Tories rejoiced at the very good news,
 And said, There's no fear we shall die in our shoes.
Now let us give credit to Jemmy, forsooth,
 Since once in a way he has hit on the truth:
 If again he returns to his practice of lies,
 He hardly reflects where he'll go when he dies.
But still, when he dies, let it never be said
 That he rests in his grave with no verse at his head;
 But furnish, ye poets, some short epitaph,
 And something like this, that readers may laugh:
Here lies a King's Printer, we needn't say who:
 There is reason to think that he tells what is true:
 But if he lies here, 'tis not over-strange,
 His present position is but a small change,
 So, reader, pass on—'tis a folly to sigh,
 For all his life long he did little but lie.

[153] The first trace that I can find of this poem is in the 1786 edition, where it is signed, "Written April, 1782."

[154] "For that was enough."—Ed. 1786.

BARNEY'S INVITATION[155]

Come all ye lads who know no fear,
 To wealth and honor with me steer
 In the Hyder Ali privateer,
 Commanded by brave Barney.
She's new and true, and tight and sound,
 Well rigged aloft, and all well found—
 Come away and be with laurel crowned,
 Away—and leave your lasses.
Accept our terms without delay,
 And make your fortunes while you may,
 Such offers are not every day
 In the power of the jolly sailor.
Success and fame attend the brave,
 But death the coward and the slave,
 Who fears to plow the Atlantic wave,
 To seek the bold invaders.
Come, then, and take a cruising bout,
 Our ship sails well, there is no doubt,
 She has been tried both in and out,
 And answers expectation.
Let no proud foes whom Europe bore,
 Distress our trade, insult our shore—
 Teach them to know their reign is o'er,
 Bold Philadelphia sailors!
We'll teach them how to sail so near,
 Or to venture on the Delaware,
 When we in warlike trim appear
 And cruise without Henlopen.
Who cannot wounds and battle dare
 Shall never clasp the blooming fair;
 The brave alone their charms should share,
 The brave are their protectors.
With hand and heart united all,
 Prepared to conquer or to fall,
 Attend, my lads, to honour's call,
 Embark in our Hyder Ali.
From an Eastern prince[156] she takes her name,
 Who, smit with Freedom's sacred flame,
 Usurping Britons brought to shame,
 His country's wrongs avenging;
See, on her stern the waving stars—
 Inured to blood, inured to wars,
 Come, enter quick, my jolly tars,
 To scourge these warlike Britons.
Here's grog enough—then drink a bout,
 I know your hearts are firm and stout;
 American blood will never give out,
 And often we have proved it.
Though stormy oceans round us roll,
 We'll keep a firm undaunted soul,
 Befriended by the cheering bowl,
 Sworn foes to melancholy:
While timorous landsmen lurk on shore,
 'Tis ours to go where cannons roar—
 On a coasting cruise we'll go once more,
 Despisers of all danger;
And Fortune still, who crowns the brave,
 Shall guard us over the gloomy wave
 A fearful heart betrays a knave—
 Success to the Hyder Ali.

[155] "A number of gentlemen having met in the evening [about April 1, 1782] at Crawford and Donaldson's insurance office in High street and, conversing on the subject of the captures making in the bay by the General Monk, just then arrived, it was resolved to raise a loan of money by which to fit out a vessel which might succeed to capture her. The money was obtained of the Bank of North America upon the responsibility of sundry individuals; the Hyder Ali was purchased of John W. Stanley and the command given to Capt. Barney; a crew of volunteers, chiefly from the regular service, was engaged, and a commission of a letter of marque procured. In a week the vessel was ready and sailed."—Watson's Annals of Philadelphia. The poem was included in the editions of 1786 and 1809. Why Freneau omitted this spirited lyric and also 'Barney's Victory over the Monk' from his edition of 1795 has never been explained.

[156] Hyder Ali, a prince of Mysore, India, who defeated in 1767 the British troops and forced them to sue for peace. In 1780, assisted by the French, he invaded Carnatic, but was defeated the following year by Sir Eyre Coote. From his hostility to the English and his alliance with the French he was hailed with enthusiasm by the American patriots.

SONG[157]

On Captain Barney's Victory over the Ship General Monk

O'er the waste of waters cruising,
 Long the General Monk had reigned;
 All subduing, all reducing,
 None her lawless rage restrained:
 Many a brave and hearty fellow
 Yielding to this warlike foe,
 When her guns began to bellow
 Struck his humbled colours low.
But grown bold with long successes,
 Leaving the wide watery way,
 She, a stranger to distresses,
 Came to cruise within Cape May:
 "Now we soon (said captain Rogers)
 "Shall their men of commerce meet;
 "In our hold we'll have them lodgers,
 "We shall capture half their fleet.
"Lo! I see their van appearing—
 "Back our topsails to the mast—
 "They toward us full are steering
 "With a gentle western blast:
 "I've a list of all their cargoes,
 "All their guns, and all their men:
 "I am sure these modern Argos
 "Cant escape us one in ten:
"Yonder comes the Charming Sally
 "Sailing with the General Greene—
 "First we'll fight the Hyder Ali,
 "Taking her is taking them:
 "She intends to give us battle,
 "Bearing down with all her sail—
 "Now, boys, let our cannon rattle!
 "To take her we cannot fail.
"Our eighteen guns, each a nine pounder,
 "Soon shall terrify this foe;
 "We shall maul her, we shall wound her,
 "Bringing rebel colours low."—
 While he thus anticipated
 Conquests that he could not gain,
 He in the Cape May channel waited
 For the ship that caused his pain.
Captain Barney then preparing,
 Thus addressed his gallant crew—
 "Now, brave lads, be bold and daring,
 "Let your hearts be firm and true;
 "This is a proud English cruiser,
 "Roving up and down the main,
 "We must fight her—must reduce her,
 "Though our decks be strewed with slain.
"Let who will be the survivor,
 "We must conquer or must die,
 "We must take her up the river,
 "Whate'er comes of you or I:
 "Though she shews most formidable
 "With her eighteen pointed nines,
 "And her quarters clad in sable,
 "Let us baulk her proud designs.
"With four nine pounders, and twelve sixes
 "We will face that daring band;
 "Let no dangers damp your courage,
 "Nothing can the brave withstand.
 "Fighting for your country's honour,
 "Now to gallant deeds aspire;
 "Helmsman, bear us down upon her,
 "Gunner, give the word to fire!"
Then yard arm and yard arm meeting,
 Strait began the dismal fray,
 Cannon mouths, each other greeting,
 Belched their smoky flames away:
 Soon the langrage, grape and chain shot,
 That from Barney's cannons flew,
 Swept the Monk, and cleared each round top,
 Killed and wounded half her crew.
Captain Rogers strove to rally
 But they from their quarters fled,
 While the roaring Hyder Ali
 Covered o'er his decks with dead.
 When from their tops their dead men tumbled,
 And the streams of blood did flow,
 Then their proudest hopes were humbled
 By their brave inferior foe.
All aghast, and all confounded,
 They beheld their champions fall,
 And their captain, sorely wounded,
 Bade them quick for quarters call.
 Then the Monk's proud flag descended,
 And her cannon ceased to roar;
 By her crew no more defended,
 She confessed the contest o'er.
Come, brave boys, and fill your glasses,
 You have humbled one proud foe,
 No brave action this surpasses,
 Fame shall tell the nations so—
 Thus be Britain's woes completed,
 Thus abridged her cruel reign,
 'Till she ever, thus defeated,
 Yields the sceptre of the main.

[157] First published in the Freeman's Journal May 8, 1782, with the following introduction:

"Mr. Bailey:

"Reading Capt. Barney's late gallant exploit in your and other newspapers, I could not restrain myself from scribbling the few following stanzas relative to that affair and descriptive not of what was really said or done in the most minute particulars but of what might be supposed to have passed in similar circumstances.

Yours,              
Rusticus.

"Dover, April 26, 1782.
     "To the Tune of the Tempest or Hosier's Ghost."

The omission of this stirring lyric from the edition of 1795 I can ascribe only to accident.

ON SIR HENRY CLINTON'S RECALL[158]

The dog that is beat has a right to complain—
 Sir Harry returns a disconsolate man,
 To the face of his master, the Lord's[159] oil-anointed,
 To the country provided for thieves disappointed.
Our freedom, he thought, to a tyrant must fall,
 He concluded the weakest must go to the wall;
 The more he was flattered, the bolder he grew—
 He quitted the old world to conquer the new.
But in spite of the deeds he has done in his garrison,
 (And they have been curious beyond all comparison)
 He now must go home, at the call of his king,
 To answer the charges that Arnold may bring.
But what are the acts that this chief has atchieved?—
 If good, it is hard he should now be aggrieved,
 And the more, as he fought for his national glory,
 Nor valued, a farthing, the right of the story.
This famous great man, and two birds[A] of his feather,
 In the Cerberus frigate came over together;
 But of all the bold chiefs that re-measure the trip,
 Not two have been known to return in one ship.[160]

[A] Generals Howe and Burgoyne.—Freneau's note.

Like children that wrestle and scuffle in sport,
 They are very well pleased as long as unhurt,
 But a thump on the nose, or a blow in the eye,
 Ends the fray—and they go to their daddy and cry.
Sir Clinton, thy deeds have been mighty and many,
 You said all our paper was not worth a penny,
 ('Tis nothing but rags,[B] quoth honest Will Tryon,
 Are rags to discourage the Sons of the Lion?)

[B] See his Letters to Gen. Parsons.—Freneau's note.

But Clinton thought thus—"It is folly to fight,
 "When things may by easier methods come right,
 "There is such an art as counterfeit-ation—
 "And I'll do my utmost to honour our nation;
"I'll shew this damned country that I can enslave her,
 "And that by the help of a skilful engraver,
 "And then let the rebels take care of their bacon,
 "We'll play them a trick, or I'm vastly mistaken."
But the project succeeded not quite to your liking,
 So you paid off your artist and gave up bill striking;
 But 'tis an affair I am glad you are quit on,
 You had surely been hanged had you tried it in Britain.
At the taking of Charleston you cut a great figure,
 The terms you propounded were terms full of rigour,
 Yet could not foresee poor Charley's[C] disgrace,
 Nor how soon your own colours would go to the case.

[C] Cornwallis.—Ib.

When the town had surrendered, the more to disgrace ye,
 (Like another true Briton that did it at 'Statia)
 You broke all the terms yourself had extended,
 Because you supposed the rebellion was ended;
Whoever the Tories marked out as a Whig,
 If gentle, or simple, or little, or big,
 No matter to you—to kill 'em and spite 'em,
 You soon had 'em up where the dogs couldn't bite 'em.
Then thinking these rebels were snug and secure,
 You left them to Rawdon and Nesbit Balfour:
 (The face of the latter a mask should be drawed on,
 And to fish for the devil my bait should be Rawdon.)
Returning to York with your ships and your plunder,
 And boasting that rebels must shortly knock under,
 The first thing that struck you, as soon as you landed,
 Was the fortress at West-Point, where Arnold commanded.
Thought you, "If friend Arnold this fort will deliver,
 "We then shall be masters of all Hudson's river,
 "The east and the south losing communication,
 "The Yankies will die by the act of starvation."
So off you sent André (not guided by Pallas)
 Who soon purchased Arnold, and with him the gallows;
 Your loss I conceive than your gain was far greater,
 You lost a good fellow, and got a vile[161] traitor.
Now Carleton comes over to give you relief,
 A knight like yourself, and commander in chief,
 But the chief he will get, you may tell the dear honey,
 Will be a black eye, hard knocks, and no money.
Now with—"Britons, strike home!" your sorrows dispel,
 Away to your master, and honestly tell,
 That his arms and his artists can nothing avail,
 His men are too few, and his tricks are too stale.
Advise him at length to be just and sincere;
 Of which not a sympton as yet doth appear,
 As we plainly perceive from his sending Sir Guy
 The Treaty to break with our Gallic Ally.[162]

[158] First published in the Freeman's Journal, May 22, 1782. Sir Henry Clinton was superseded as Commander-in-Chief of the British armies in America by Sir Guy Carleton, who took command May 5, 1782.

[159] "Devil's."—Ed. 1786.

[160] In 1775 Lord Howe was appointed Admiral of the British fleet in North America and leader of the commission to effect if possible a reconciliation with the colonists. With him were sent two major-generals, Clinton and Burgoyne, to conduct the war with vigor if war were found to be inevitable. The three leaders arrived in Boston May 25, 1775.