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Loud-sounding drums, now with hoarse murmurs, Rouse the spirit up to war;

Fear not, fear not, though their numbers

Much to ours superior are.

Hear brave Warren, bold commanding :
"Gallant souls and veterans brave,
See the enemy just landing

From the navy-covered wave.
Close the wings-advance the centre-
Engineers point well your guns—
Clap the matches-let the rent air
Bellow to Britannia's sons."

Now, think you see three thousand moving,

Up the brow of Bunker's hill;

Many a gallant veteran shoving
Cowards on, against their will.

The curling volumes all behind them,
Dusky clouds of smoke arise;

Our cannon-balls, brave boys, shall find them,
At each shot a hero dies.

Once more, Warren, 'midst this terror,
"Charge, brave soldiers, charge again!
Many an expert veteran warrior

Of the enemy is slain.

Level well your charged pieces,

In direction to the town;

They shake, they shake, their lightning ceases; That shot brought six standards down."

Maids in virgin beauty blooming,

On Britannia's sea-girt isle,

Say no more your swains are coming,
Or with songs the day beguile,
For sleeping found in death's embraces,
On their clay-cold beds they lie;

Death, grim death, alas, defaces

Youth and pleasure, which must die.

"March the right wing, Gardiner, yonder;

The hero spirit lives in thunder;

Take the assailing foe in flank,

Close there, sergeants, close that rank.
The conflict now doth loudly call on

Highest proof of martial skill;
Heroes shall sing of them, who fall on
The slippery brow of Bunker's Hill."

Unkindest fortune, still thou changest,
As the wind upon the wave;
The good and bad alike thou rangest,
Undistinguished in the grave.

Shall kingly tyrants see thee smiling,
Whilst the brave and just must die;
Them of sweet hope and life beguiling
In the arms of victory?
"Behave this day, my lads, with spirit,
Wrap the hill-top as in flame;
Oh! if we fall, let each one merit
Immortality in fame.

From this high ground, like Vesuvius,
Pour the floods of fire along;
Let not, let not numbers move us,
We are yet five hundred strong."

Many a widow, sore bewailing

Tender husbands, shall remain,
With tears and sorrows unavailing,
From this hour to mourn them slain.
The rude scene, striking all by-standers,
Bids the little band retire;

Who can live like salamanders,

In such floods of liquid fire?

"Ah, our troops are sorely pressed—
Howe ascends the smoky hill;

Wheel inward, let these ranks be faced,
We have yet some blood to spill.

Our right wing pushed, our left surrounded,
Weight of numbers five to one;

Warren dead, and Gardiner wounded-
Ammunition is quite gone."

See the steely points, bright gleaming
In the sun's fierce dazzling ray;
Groans arising, life-blood streaming
Purple o'er the face of day.
The field is covered with the dying,
Freemen mixed with tyrants lie,
The living with each other vying
Raise the shout of battle high.

Now brave Putnam, aged soldier:

"Come, my veterans, we must yield;

More equal matched, we'll yet charge bolder, For the present quit the field.

The God of battles shall revisit

On their heads each soul that dies;

Take courage, boys, we yet sha'n't miss it, From a thousand victories."

PROVINCIAL HONORS TO AN EXCISEMAN.

[Modern Chivalry; or, The Adventures of Captain Farrago. 1796–1806.]

JUST

UST at this instant a noise was heard, and looking up, a crowd of people were discovered at a considerable distance, advancing toward them, but with acclamations that began to be heard. They were dragging a piece of timber of considerable length, which appeared to be just hewn from the woods; and was the natural stem of a small tree, cut down from the stump, and the bark stripped off. At the same time a couple of pack-horses were driven along, which appeared to be loaded with beds and pillow-cases.

The captain was led to believe that these were a number of the country people, who having heard of the revenue officer coming to his district, had come forward to pay their respects to him, and to receive him with that gratulation which is common to honest but illiterate people, in the first paroxysms of their transport. Having understood that country to be chiefly peopled with the descendants of the Irish, or with Irish emigrants themselves, he had supposed that hearing the new officer was a countryman, they had been carried forward, with such zeal to receive him, with huzzaing and tumult. On this occasion, he thought it not amiss to turn the conversation, and to prepare the mind and the manners of the deputy for this scene, which being unusual, might disconcert and embarrass him.

"Teague," said he, "it is not less difficult to preserve equanimity in a prosperous situation, than to sustain with fortitude a depression of fortune. These people, I perceive, in a flow of mind, are coming forward to express, with warmth, the honest but irregular sallies of their joy, on your arrival amongst them. It was usual in the provinces under the Roman republic, when a Quæstor, of whom a favorable impression had preceded, was about to come amongst them. It is a pleasing, but a transient felicity, and a wise man will not count too much upon it. For popular favor is unstable, to a proverb. These very people, in the course of a twelvemonth, if you displease them, may shout as loud at your degradation and removal from dignity. At the same time this ought. not to lead you to be indifferent, or at least to seem so, to their wellmeant expressions of favor at present; much less to affect a contempt, or even a neglect of them. A medium of ease and gracefulness in receiving their advances, and answering their addresses, whether it is a rustic orator in an extempore harangue, or some scholar of the academy, or school-master, they may have prevailed upon to draw up a speech, and read it to you. There is no manner of doubt but the President of the United States may have been a thousand times embarrassed with the multitude

of addresses delivered or presented to him; and it required no small patience and fortitude to sustain them. Yet it has been remarked, that he has received them all with complacency; showing himself neither elevated with the praise, nor irritated with the intrusion. And it is but reasonable, and what a benevolent man would indulge; for it is a happiness to these creatures, to give themselves the opportunity of being distinguished in this manner."

Duncan, who had heard a rumor in the village of what was going forward, had in the mean time come up, and understanding from the last words of the captain, what had been the drift of the conversation with Teague, and discovering his mistake, interrupted him at this place."Captain," said he, "ye need na be cautioning him against applause, and popularity, and the turning o' the head wi' praise and guid usage: for I doubt muckle if it comes to that wi' him yet. I wad rather suspect that these folks have na guid-will toward him. I dinna ken what they mean to do wi' him, but if a body might guess frae the bed ye see there on the pony's back, they mean to toss him in a blanket. But if it were to be judged frae the tree they hae trailing after them, I wad suppose they mean to mak a hanging matter o' it, and tak his life a' thegether. There is na doubt but they are coming in a mob, to make a seizure o' the gauger, and the talk o' the town is o' a punishment I dinna understand, o' tarring and feathering. I have heard o' the stocks, and the gallows, and drowning like a witch, but I never heard o' the like o' that in Scotland. I have heard o' tarring the sheep, to keep them frae the rot, but I never heard o' tarring a human creature. Maybe they mean to put it on his nose, to hinder him frae smelling their whiskey. I see they've got a keg o't there in their rear, drawn upon a sled; at least, I suppose it to be whiskey they hae in that keg, to take a dram, as they gae on wi' the frolic; unless it be the tar that they talk of to put upon the officer.”

This last conjecture was the true one. For it was tar; and the stem of a tree which they drew, was what is called a liberty-pole, which they were about to erect, in order to dance round it, with hallooing and the whoop of exultation.

The calvacade now approaching, they began to cast their eyes toward the group of three, as they stood together.

"By de holy faders," said Teague, "I see dey have deir looks upon me. Dey look as wild as de 'White Boys,' or de 'Hearts of Oak' in Ireland. By de holy apostles, dere is no fighting wid pitch-forks; we shall be kilt, and murdered into de bargain."

"Teague," said the captain, "recollect that you are an officer of government, and it becomes you to support its dignity, not betraying unmanly fear, but sustaining the violence even of a mob itself with fortitude."

"Fait, and I had rather be no officer at all," said Teague, "if dis is de way de paple get out o' deir senses in dis country. Take de office yourself; de divil burn me, but I shall be after laying it down, as fast as a hot piraty, if dis is to come of it; to be hooted at like a wild baste, and shot, and hanged upon a tree, like a squirrel, or a Paddy from Cork, on St. Patrick's day, to make fun o' de Irish. I scorn to be choked before I am dead; divil burn de office for me, I'll have none of it. I can take my oat upon de holy cross, dat I am no officer. By Saint Patrick, and if dere are any Irish boys amongst dem I would rather join wid 'em. What is de government wid offices to one dat is choked, and can't spake to his acquaintance in dis world? By de holy apostles, I am no officer; I just took it for a frolic as I was coming up de road, and you may be officer yourself, and good-luck wid de commission; captain, I shall have noting to do wid it."

At this instant the advancing crowd raised a loud shout, crying Liberty and no excise! liberty and no excise! down with all excise officers! Teague began to tremble, and to skulk behind the captain. "By de holy water o' de confession," said he, "dey are like de savages, dey have deir eyes upon me, I shall be scalped; I shall be kilt and have de skin of me head off, like a wolf or a shape. God love you, captain, spake a good word to dem, and tell dem a good story, or I shall be ate up like a toad, or a wild baste in de forests."

The bog-trotter was right; for this moment they had got their eyes upon the group, and began to distinguish him as the officer of the revenue. An exact description had been given them of his person and appearance, for these people had their correspondents, even at the seat of government; and travellers, moreover, had recognized him, and given an account of his physiognomy and apparel.

"There he is, there he is," was the language; "the rascally excise officer; we shall soon take care of him. He is of the name of O'Regan, is he? We shall O'Regan him in a short time."

"Divil burn me, if I am de excise officer," said Teague. "It's all a mistake, gentlemen. It is true I was offered de commission; but de captain here knows dat I would not take it. It is dis Scotchman dat is de officer. By my soul, you may tar and feader him, and welcome."

"No," said the captain, stepping forward, "no, gentlemen: for so I yet call you; though the menaces which you express, and the appearance of force which your preparations exhibit, depart from the desert of that appellation. Nevertheless, as there is still a probability of arresting violence, and reclaiming you from the error of your meditated acts, I address you with the epithet of gentlemen. You are not mistaken in your designation of the officer of the revenue, though he had not the candor to avow himself; but would meanly subject a fellow bog-trotter

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