94

Each man equipp'd on Sunday morn
With psalm-book, shot, and powder-horn,
And look'd in form, as all must grant,
Like th' ancient true church militant;
Or fierce, like modern deep divines,
Who fight with quills like porcupines.
Or let us turn the style and see
Our belles assembled o'er their tea,
Where folly sweetens ev'ry theme,

110

115

And scandal serves for sugar'd cream.

"And did you hear the news?" they cry;

"The court wear caps full three feet high,

120

Built gay with wire, and at the end on 't
Red tassels streaming like a pendant:
Well, sure, it must be vastly pretty;
"T is all the fashion in the city.
And were you at the ball last night?
Well, Chloe look'd like any fright;
Her day is over for a toast-
She'd now do best to act a ghost.
You saw our Fanny; envy must own
She figures since she came from Boston:
Good company improves one's air-
I think the troops were station'd there.
Poor Cœlia ventured to the place:

125

130

The small-pox quite has spoil'd her face;
A sad affair, we all confest,

135

But providence knows what is best.

Poor Dolly, too, that writ the letter
Of love to Dick, but Dick knew better;
A secret that-you 'll not disclose it-
There's not a person living knows it.
Sylvia shone out, no peacock finer;
I wonder what the fops see in her:
Perhaps 't is true what Harry maintains-
She mends on intimate acquaintance."

And now the conversation sporting
From scandal turns to trying fortune;
Their future luck the fair foresee
In dreams, in cards, but most in tea.
Each finds of love some future trophy

140

145

When Yankies, skill'd in martial rule,
First put the British troops to school,
Instructed them in warlike trade
And new manœuvres of parade,
The true war-dance of Yankee reels,

And manual exercise of heels,

Made them give up, like saints complete,
The arm of flesh and trust the feet,
And work, like Christians undissembling,
Salvation out by fear and trembling,
Taught Percy fashionable races,
And modern modes of Chevy-Chases;
From Boston, in his best array,
Great 'Squire M'FINGAL took his way,
And, graced with ensigns of renown,
Steer'd homeward to his native town.

The Town, our hero's scene of action,
Had long been torn by feuds of faction;
And as each party's strength prevails,
It turn'd up different, heads or tails;
With constant rattling, in a trice
Show'd various sides as oft as dice.
As that famed weaver, wife t' Ulysses.
By night her day's-work pick'd in pieces,

And though she stoutly did bestir her
Its finishing was ne'er the nearer,
So did this town with ardent zeal
Weave cobwebs for the public weal,

5

ΙΟ

15

20

25

Waved potent round, the peace to keep,
As that laid dead men's souls to sleep.
Above and near th' hermetic staff
The Moderator's upper half
In grandeur o'er the cushion bow'd,
Like Sol half seen behind a cloud.
Beneath stood voters of all colours,
Whigs, Tories, orators and brawlers,
With every tongue in either faction
Prepared like minute-men for action,
Where truth and falsehood, wrong and right,
Drew all their legions forth to fight.
With equal uproar scarcely rave
Opposing winds in Æolus' cave;
Such dialogues with earnest face
Held never Balaam with his ass.
With daring zeal and courage blest,

45

50

55

60

65

"What wonder, then, ere this was over, That she should make her children suffer? She first, without pretence or reason, Claim'd right whate'er we had to seize on, And, with determin'd resolution

To put her claims in execution,

Sent fire and sword and call'd it Lenity,
Starv'd us and christen'd it Humanity;
For she, her case grown desperater,
Mistook the plainest things in nature,
Had lost all use of eyes or wits,
Took slavery for the bill of rights,
Trembled at whigs and deem'd them foes,
And stopp'd at loyalty her nose,

Styled her own children brats and catiffs,
And knew us not from th' Indian natives.
What though with supplicating prayer

We begg'd our lives and goods she 'd spare?
Not vainer vows with sillier call
Elijah's prophets raised to Baal;
A worshipp'd stock of god or goddess
Had better heard and understood us.
So once Egyptians at the Nile
Ador'd their guardian crocodile,

Who heard them first with kindest ear,

And ate them to reward their prayer;

And could he talk as kings can do,

Had made as gracious speeches too."

As thus he spake, our 'Squire M'FINGAL

Gave to his partisans a signal:

Not quicker roll'd the waves to land

105

When Moses waved his potent wand,

Nor with more uproar, than the Tories

Set up a general rout in chorus,

Laugh'd, hiss'd, hem'd, murmur'd, groan'd and jeer'd;

Honorius now could scarce be heard.

Quoth he, ""T is wondrous what strange stuff