Freneau The American Village 1772 The third publication of the Club for Colonial Reprints of Providence, Rhode Island ONE HUNDRED COPIES The American Village A Poem by Philip Freneau Reprinted in facsimile from the original edition published at New York in 1772, with an introduction by Harry Lyman Koopman and Bibliographical Data by Victor Hugo Paltsits Providence, Rhode Island 1906 ON COMCAN PROVIDENCE, R. Table of Contents 1 Page Introduction, by Harry Lyman Koopman vii Facsimile of a Letter from Freneau to Madison ix The American Village .... .,<, ; . ,23 Facsimile Title 25 Facsimile of Text . . . . . . 27 Bibliographical Data, by Victor Hugo Paltsits . . 55 Introduction by Harry Lyman Koopman Librarian of the Brown University Library Facsimile of the first page of a letter written by Philip Freneau to James Madison. From the original, preserved among the papers of President Madison, now in the Library of Congress. i x i i -^ i i 4 ? <J 3 y\ J *% ^ i,t 1 K % rs I ^ 1^ V* ) XH . t\ * 3 ^ 5 r< Nt l^ fr re i \ K , \ 4 3 IHILIP FRENEAU at nineteen, four years before the outbreak of the Revolution, celebrated in a metrical dialogue on the com mencement stage of Princeton College The Rising Glory of America. A year later, after an unsatisfactory experience at private teaching, he launched his first venture on the sea of literature the slender volume before us. In these youthful productions he was unconsciously preparing himself to take a position in the front rank of the Patriots in the wordy warfare which accompanied and some times determined that of the musket and the cannon. He was destined in the coming battle for Liberty to win laurels equal to those of his two great fellow- satirists, Hopkinson his elder, and Trumbull of his own age ; but he was to be carried in the press of the conflict far from the peaceful scenes beloved of his youthful Muse ; and one of the striking features of the book before us is the absolute unconsciousness of its author regarding the tremendous events that were then so closely impending as to seem to us at this distance already to have enveloped the poet and his country. [ x ] Introduction THE earliest mention of the volume here for the first time reproduced is contained in the letter of Freneau to his classmate, James Madison, dated Somerset County, Maryland, Nov. 22, 1772: " I have printed a poem in New York called the American Village, containing about 450 Lines, also a few short pieces added ; I would send you one if I had a proper opportunity the additional poems are, i. a Poem to the Nymph I never saw The miserable Life of a Pedagogue and Stanzas on an ancient Dutch house on Long Island As to the main poem it is damned by all good and judicious judges my name is in the title page, this is called Vanity by some but * who so fond as youthful bards of fame ? " Of the four poems in the book, The American Village, The Farmer s Winter Evening, The Miserable Life of a Pedagogue, and Upon a Very Ancient Dutch House on Long Island, the first and third were not reprinted by the author in any collective edition of his works ; the second was reissued in the edition of 1786 as The Citizen s Resolve. Written IJJO; while the last, as Pattee suspected, is the poem re- Introduction [ xi ] named The Deserted F arm-House and published in the Freeman s Journal for May 18, 1785. The fact that "the main poem" was "damned by all good and judicious judges" may or may not be indicative of the number of copies sold; but it is certain that the exclusion of this poem from Freneau s later vol umes sufficed to conceal for a hundred and thirty years his first independent publication. Aside from the great bibliographical interest of the little volume, which is heightened by the exceeding rarity of books issued from the press of its printers, it develops an unexpected literary importance. In any case, the first book of an American poet of such quality as to attract his English contemporaries, Scott and Camp bell, to the point of plagiarism, could not be lacking in interest ; but this little quarto of thirty pages makes a special appeal to us by reason of the light it throws upon Freneau s literary development. The poem from which the volume takes its name consists actually of 438 lines. The mention on the first page of Goldsmith and his " Deserted Auburn" is a frank acknowledgment of the in debtedness of the poem to the Deserted Village, which at that time had been hardly two years before the public. Echoes of Goldsmith s Traveller are heard as the poem progresses; and it may have [ xii ] Introduction been Freneau s consciousness of the secondary in spiration of his youthful poem that led him in after years to neglect it ; for The American Village y far from lacking literary finish, displays as high a tech nical skill as any later production of its author s. It is worth noting that there is a much more ob vious suggestion of the Deserted Village in Freneau s A New -York Tory s Epistle Written previous to his Departure for Nova-Scotia than in the poem before us. The American Village also offers interesting imi tations of Milton, such as the line "Or the slow wave of silent Acheron," which is clearly compounded of Milton s " Sad Acheron of sorrow, black and deep . . . Far off from these a slow and silent stream, Lethe the river of oblivion rolls . . . More than one-third of the poem is taken up with a defense of the character of the North American Indian, in the course of which is introduced the story of Caffraro and Colma euphonious names more suggestive of Covent Garden than of Hudson Bay. There is a charming note in the closing con fession of the poet s literary devotions ; none the less Introduction [ xiii ] charming that it recalls Milton s similar confessions in U Allegro and // Penseroso. To Freneau s own list of the poets to whom he was indebted an Ameri can critic adds with some propriety the name of Gray, but couples with it in sweet oblivion of chronology that of Shelley ! The second poem in the volume, which is graced with the long-drawn title : The Farmer s Winter Evening, a Poem. To the Nymph I never saw, after wards received greater though hardly kinder atten tion at the hands of its author than that accorded to the first. It was renamed, changed almost beyond recognition, and, worst of all, furnished with a new ending which mocks at the poet s own sentiment. The poem now becomes the old story of Horace s second Epode, which Sargent has so deftly para phrased, but the close makes none the less a discord. The literary trick of giving a good mess of milk and then kicking it all over at the last minute, though it afterwards became Heine s favorite device for raising a laugh at sentimentality, is here as out of place as it is in Dr. Holmes s poem On Lending a Punch Bowl, the concluding stanza of which Sted- man so justly condemns. Poe s transformation of his Lenore, from its initial to its final form, was not so fundamental as that to which Freneau mistakenly [ xiv ] Introduction subjected his boyish idyl. No tabulation of the changes could possibly make them clear, and there fore the poem is here reprinted entire for purposes of comparison with the original form. The edition of 1809 has been followed ; interesting variants will be found in those of 1786 and 1795. The word Citizen is, of course, to be taken in its eighteenth- century meaning of City-dweller or Cit. THE CITIZEN S RESOLVE. " FAR be the dull and heavy day " And toil, and restless care, from me " Sorrow attends on loads of gold, " And kings are wretched, I am told. " Soon from the noisy town removed " To such wild scenes as Plato lov d, " Where, placed the leafless oaks between, " Less haughty grows the winter green, " There, Night, will I (lock d in thy arms, " Sweet goddess of the sable charms) " Enjoy the dear, delightful dreams " That fancy prompts by shallow streams, " Where wood nymphs walk their evening round, " And fairies haunt the moonlight ground. " Beneath some mountain s towering height " In cottage low hail the night, " Where jovial swains with heart sincere " Welcome the new returning year; Introduction [ xv ] " Each tells a tale or chaunts a song " Of her, for whom he sigh d so long, " Of Cynthia fair, or Delia coy, " Neglecting still her love-sick boy " While, near, the hoary headed sage " Recalls the feats of youth s gay age, " All that in past time e er was seen, " And many a frolic on the green, " How champion he with champions met, " And fiercely they did combat it " Or how, full oft, with horn and hound " They chaced the deer the forest round " The panting deer as swiftly flies, " Yet by the well-aimed musquet dies ! " Thus pass the evening hours away, " Unnoticed dies the parting day ; " Unmeasured flows that happy juice, " Which mild October did produce, " No surly sage, too frugal found, " No niggard housewife deals it round : " And deep they quaff the inspiring bowl " That kindles gladness in the soul. " But now the moon, exalted high, " Adds lustre to the earth and sky, " And in the mighty ocean s glass " Admires the beauties of her face " About her orb you may behold " The circling stars that freeze with cold " But they in brighter seasons please, [ xvi ] Introduction " Winter can find no charms in these, " While less ambitious, we admire, " And more esteem domestic fire. " O could I there a mansion find " Suited exactly to my mind " Near that industrious, heavenly train " Of rustics honest, neat, and plain : " The days, the weeks, the years to pass " With some good-natured, longing lass, " With her the cooling spring to sip, " And seize, at will, her damask lip ; " The groves, the springs, the shades divine, " And all Arcadia should be mine ! " Steep me, steep me, some poppies deep "In beechen bowl to bring on sleep ; " Love hath my soul in fetters bound, " Through the dull night no sleep I found ; " O gentle sleep ! bestow thy dreams " Of fields, and woods, and murmuring streams, " Dark, tufted groves, and grottoes rare, " And Flora, charming Flora, there. " Dull Commerce, hence, with all thy train " Of debts, and dues, and loss, and gain ; " To hills, and groves, and purling streams, " To nights of ease, and heaven-born dreams " While wiser Damon hastes away, " Should I in this dull city stay, " Condemned to death by slow decays " And care that clouds my brightest days ? Introduction [ xvii ] " No by Silenus self I swear, "In rustic shades I 11 kill that care." So spoke Lysander, and in haste His clerks discharged, his goods re-cased, And to the western forests flew With fifty airy schemes in view; His ships were set to public sale But what did all this change avail ? In three short months, sick of the heavenly train, In three short months he moved to town again. It is not surprising that Freneau did not care to reprint his vigorous poem, The Miserable Life of a Pedagogue, for it too clearly recalls an unpleasant experience to have been agreeable reading for its author after the heat of composition had passed off. He may also have felt that the treatment was too crude. But the memory of his bad fortnight re mained with him, and we are reminded of this poem by a later one, The Deserted Academy afterwards altered, and renamed The Silent Academy and still more by his prose sketch, The Private Tutor, in which his unhappy experiences behind the desk are retold in a less autobiographical fashion. The last poem in our volume, Upon a Very ancient Dutch House on Long Island, was, like the second, altered for republication almost beyond the [ xviii ] Introduction point of recognition. Only a direct comparison can do justice to the extent and character of the changes which its author s perverted judgment dic tated, and it is therefore given below from the edi tion of 1809, which shows the widest departure from the original form. Dome, a romantic word for Dwelling, was much affected by poets of Fre- neau s day as a rhyme to Home. THE DESERTED FARM-HOUSE. This antique dome the insatiate tooth of time Now level with the dust has almost laid ; Yet ere tis gone, I seize my humble theme From these low ruins, that his years have made. Behold the unsocial hearth ! where once the fires Blazed high, and soothed the storm-stay d traveller s woes ; See the weak roof that abler props requires, Admits the winds, and swift descending snows. Here, to forget the labours of the day, No more the swains at evening hours repair, But wandering flocks assume the well known way To shun the rigours of the midnight air. In yonder chamber, half to ruin gone, Once stood the ancient housewife s curtained bed Timely the prudent matron has withdrawn, And each domestic comfort with her fled. Introduction [ xix ] The trees, the flowers that her own hands had reared, The plants, the vines, that were so verdant seen, The trees, the flowers, the vines have disappeared, And every plant has vanished from the green. So sits in tears on wide Campania s plain Rome, once the mistress of a world enslaved; That triumph d o er the land, subdued the main, And Time himself, in her wild transports, braved. So sits in tears on Palestina s shore The Hebrew town, of splendor once divine Her kings, her lords, her triumphs are no more ; Slain are her priests, and ruin d every shrine. Once, in the bounds of this deserted room, Perhaps some swain nocturnal courtship made, Perhaps some Sherlock mused amid the gloom ; Since love and death forever seek the shade. Perhaps some miser, doom d to discontent, Here counted o er the heaps acquired with pain ; He to the dust his gold, on traffick sent, Shall ne er disgrace these mouldering walls again. Nor shall the glow-worm fopling, suhshine bred, Seek, at the evening hour this wonted dome Time has reduced the fabrick to a shed, Scarce fit to be the wandering beggar s home. [ xx ] Introduction And none but I its dismal case lament None, none but I o er its cold relics mourn, Sent by the muse (the time perhaps mispent ) To write dull stanzas on this dome forlorn. With its humorous elements extruded, the poem becomes flat with all the insipidity that was the aspiration of eighteenth-century poetic elegance. Nor is our interest increased by the forced pleasantry at the close. Freneau seems to have felt that the rejected humor was worth using, for we find it reappearing in A Batavian Picture, a short poem, the form of which is borrowed from Goldsmith s Traveller. But the modern reader will acknowledge that the original poem with its rude genre touches is worth both its derivatives. Freneau at twenty, one year out of college, was evidently in this volume casting about to find his bearings in poetry. He succeeded in these four poems in striking every note for which he was afterwards to become distinguished satire, broad humor, local picturing, and tender human sentiment. The last note, which is the rarest in Freneau s later work, is the only one that preserves him in grateful remembrance. His bitter satires, which won him fame at home and abroad, wake now the interest Introduction [ xxi ] only of the bibliographer and the student of po litical history ; but his Eutaw Springs, his Wild Honeysuckle, his Indian Eury ing-Ground, and his Honey Bee will be read as long as any American writings of his century ; and the spirit that gives enduring life to these mature poems breathes fresh and fragrant from his first boyish ventures. HARRY LYMAN KOOPMAN. New Year s Day, 1906. The Reprint THE AMERICAN VILLAGE, A POEM. TO WHICH ARE ADDED, Several other ORIGINAL PIECES in VERSE. BY PHILIP FRENEAU, A. B. Arva, beata Petamus arva, divites & infulas. HOR. Epod. Ode 1 6, V. 41, & fcquentes, N E W-Y O R K: Printed by S. INSLEJS and A. CAR, on MOOR S WHARF. M.DCC,LXXII. THE AMERICAN VILLAGE, WHERE yonder ftream divides the fertile plain, Made fertile by the labours of the fwain ; And hills and woods high tow ring o er the reft, Behold a village with fair plenty bleft : Each year^taU harvefts crown the happy field ; Each year^the meads their (lores of fragrance yield, And ev ry joy and evVy blifs is there, And healthful labour crowns the flowing year. weeps in melancholy drains, Deferted Auburn and forfaken plains, And mourns his village with a patriot figh, And in that village fees Britannia die : Yet ihall this land with rifing pomp divine, In it s own fplendor and Britannia s mine. O mufe, forget to paint her ancient woes, Her Indian battles, or her Gallic foes ; Refume the pleafures of the rural fcene, Defcribe the village rifing on the green, It s harmlefs people, born to fmall command, Loft in the bofom of this weftern land : B So So fhall mj verfe run gentle as the floods, So anfwer all ye hills, and echo all ye woods 5 So glide ye dreams in hollow channels pent, Forever wafting, yet not ever fpenr. Ye cluft ring boughs by hoary thickets bore ! Ye fields high waving with eternal corn ! Ye woodland nymphs the tender tale rehearfe, The fabled authors of immortal verfe : Ye Dryads fair, attend the fcene I love, And Heav n (hall centre in yon* blooming grove What tho thy woods, AMERICA, contain The howling foreft, and the tiger s den, The dangVous ferpent, and the beaft of prey, Men are more fierce, more terrible than they. No monfter with it s vile contagious breath, No flying fcorpion darting inftant death ; No pois nous adder, burning to enrage, Has half the venom^or has half the rage. What tho the Turk protefts to heav n his ire, With lift up hand amidft his realms of fire ; And Ruflia s Emprefs fends her fleets afar, To aid the havock of the burning war : Their rage difmays not, and their arms in vain, In dreadful fury bathe with blood the plain ; Their terrors harmlefs, tho their ftory heard, How this one conquer d, or was nobly fpar d : Vaim [ 3 ] Vain is their rage, to us their anger vain, The deep Atlantic raves and roars between. To yonder village then will I defeend, There fpend my days, and there my ev nings fpend ; Sweet haunt of peace whofe mud* walPd fides delight, The rural mind beyond the city bright : Their tops with hazles or with alders wove, Remurmur magic to the neighb ring grove ; And each qne laboring in his own employ, Comes weary home at night, but comes with joy : The foil which lay for many thoufand years O er run by woods, by thickets and by bears ; Now reft of trees, admits the chearful light, And leaves long profpe&s to the piercing fight ; Where once the lynx nofturnal Tallies made, And the tall chefhuttaft .a dreadful (hade : No more the panther (talks his bloody rounds, Nor bird of night her hateful note refounds* Nor howling wolves roar to the rifing moon, As pale arofe (he o er yon eaftern down. Some prune their trees, a larger load to bear Of fruits ne&arine blooming once a year: See groaning waggons to the village come Fill d with the apple, apricot or plumb ; And heavy beams fufpended from a tree, To prefs their juice againft the winter s day : Or [ 4 ] Or fee the plough torn through the new made field, Ordain d a harveft, yet unknown to yield. The riling barn whofe fpacious floor receives The welcome thoufands of the wheaten fheaves, And fpreads it s arms to take the plenteous (lore, Sufficient for its matter and the poor : For as Eumoeus us d his beggar gueft The great UlyfTes in his tatters dreft : So here fair Charity puts forth her hand, And pours her bleflings o er the greatful land ; No needy wretch the rage of winter fears, Secure he fits and fpcnds his aged years, With thankful heart to gen rous fouls and kind, That fave him from the winter and the wind. A LOVELY ifland once adorn d the fea, Between New- Albion and .the Mexic* Bay ; Whofe fandy fides* wafli d by the ocean wave, Scarce heard a murmur but what the ocean gave: Small it s circumference, or high it s coaft, But (hady woods the happy ifle could boaft ; On ev ry fide new profpeds catch d the eye, There rofe blue mountains to the arched fky : Here thunder d ocean in conclufive throws, And dafh d the ifland as it s waters rofe : Yet peaceful all within, no tumults there, But fearlefs fteps of the unhunted hare $ Andl [ 5 ] And nightly chauntings of the fearlefs dove, Or blackbird s note, the harbinger of love. So peaceful was this haunt that nature gave, Still as the flars, and filent as the grave ; No loud applaufe there rais d the patriot bread, No fhouting armies their mad joy confeft, For battles gain d, or trophies nobly won, Or nations conquerM near the rifing fun ; No clain rous crews, or wild nofturnal cheer, Or murd rous ruffians, for no men were here. On it s eaft end a*grovc of oak 4 was feen, And fhrubby hazels fill d the (pace between , Dry alders too, and afpin leaves that fliook With ev ry wind, confpir d to fliade a brook, \Vhofe gentle dream juft bubbling frorrTthc ground, Was quickly in the falter^ ocean drown d. Beyond whofe fount,* the center of the ifle, Wild plumb trees flourifh d on the fhaded foil. In the dark bofom of this facred^wood, Had fate but fmil d, fomeVillage might w have flood Secluded from the world, and all it s own, Of other lands unknowing^ and unknown. Here might the hunter have deftroy d his prey, Transfix d the goat before the dawn of day - 9 And trudging homeward with his welcome load, The fruit of wand rings thro each by-way road : C Thrown [ 6 ] Thrown down his burthen with the needlefs figh, And gladly feafted his fmall family. Small fields had then fuffic d, and graceful they, The annual labours of his hands to pay $ And free his right to fearch the briny flood For fifh, or flay the creatures of the wood. THUS fpent his days in labour s pleafant pain, Had liv d and dy d the homely (hepherd fwain : Had feen his children and his children s heirs, The fruit of love and memory of years To agriculture s firft fair iervice bent, The work of mortals, and their great intent. So had the Sire his days of pleafure known, And wifti d to change no country for his own ; So had he with his fair endearing wife, Pafs d the flow circle of a harmlefs life \ With happy ignorance diyhiely blefr, The path, the centre and the home of reft, Long might the fun have run his bright career, And long the moon her mantled vifagc rear j And long the ftars their nightly vigils kept, And fpheres harmonious either fung or wept: He had not dream d of worlds befideshis own, And thought them only ftars, beyond the moon; Enjoy d [ 7 ] Enjoy d himfelf, nor hear d of future hell, Or heav n, the recompence of doing well ; Had fcarcely thought of an eternal ftate, And left his being in the hands of fate. O had this ifle fuch fouls fublime contain d, And there for ages future fons remain d: But envious time eonfpiring with the fea, Wafh d all it s landfcapes, and it s groves away. It s trees declining, ftretch d upon the fand, No more their fhadows throw acrofs the land. It s vines no more their cluft ring beauty fhow, Nor fturdy oaks embrace the mountain s brow. Bare fands alone now overwhelm the coaft, Lolt in it s grandeuri and it s beauty loft. THUS, tho f my fav rite ifle to ruin gone, Infpires my forrow, and demands my moan ; Yet this wide land it s place can well fupply With landfcapea, hills and grafly mountains high. O HUDSON ! thy fair flood (hall be my theme, Thy winding river, or thy glafly ftream ; On whofe tall banks tremendous rocks I fpy, Dread nature in primaeval majefty. Rocks, towhofc fummits clouds eternal cling, Or cluft ring birds in their wild wood notes fing. Hills, [ 8 ] Hills, from whofc fides the mountain echo roars, Rebounding dreadful from the diftant ihores , Or vallies, where refrefhing breezes blow., And ruftic huts in fair confufion grow. Safe from the winds, fecur d by mountains high, That feem to hide the concave of the iky, To whofe top oft* the curious hind afcends, And wonders where the arch d horizon bends j Pleas d with the diftant profpefts riling new, And hills o er hills, a never ending view. Through various paths with hafty ftep he fcours, And breathes the odours of furrounding flow rs, Caught from their bofoms by the fragrant breath, Of weftcrn breezes, or the gale of death. * Then low defcending, fecks the humble dome, And centres all his pleafurcs in his home, Till day returning, brings the welcome toil, To clear the foreft, or to tame the foil* To burn the woods, or catch the tim rous deer, To fcour the thicket, or contrive the fnare. SUCH was the life our great fore-fathers led, The golden fcafon now from BRITAIN fled, E er fince dread commerce ftrctch d the nimble fail, And fent her wealth with ev ry foreign gale. Strange South wind. [ 9 ] Strange fate, but yet to ev ry country known, To love all other riches but it s own* Thus fell the miftrefs of the conquered earth, Great ROME, who ow d to ROMULUS her birth, Fell to the monfter Luxury, a prey, Who forc d a hundred nations to obey. She whom nor mighty CARTHAGE could withlUnd, Nor flrong JUDEA S once thrice holy land: She all the weft, and BRITAIN could fubdue, While vi& ry with the ROMAN eagles flew ; She, (he herfelf eternal years deny d, Like ROME (he conquered, but by ROME flic dy*d : But if AMERICA, by this decay, The world itfelf muft fall as well as flic. No other regions latent yet remain, This fpacious globe has been refearch d in vain. Round it s whole circle oft have navies gone, And found but Tea or lands already known. When fhe has fecn her empires, cities,- kings,, Time muft begin to flap his weary wings ; The earth itfelf to brighter days afpire, . And wifh to feel the purifying fire. NOR think this mighty land of old contained The plund ring wretch, or man of bloody mind : Renowned D [ 10 ] Renowned SACHEMS once their empires rais d On wholefome laws-, and facrifices blaz d. The gen rous foul infpir d the honed bread, And to be free, was doubly to be bleft: Till the eaft winds did here COLUMBUS blow, And wond rng nations faw his canvas flow. Till here CABOT defcendcd on the ftrand, And hail d the beauties of the unknown land > And rav nous nations with induftrious toil, Confpir d to rob them of their native foil: Then bloody wars, and death and rage arofe, And ev ry tribe refolv d to be our foes. Full many a feat of them I could rchearfe, And a&ions worthy of immortal verfe: Deeds ever glorious to the INDIAN name, And fit to rival GREEK or ROMAN fame. But one fad.ftory (hall my Mufe relate, Full of paternal love, and full of fate-, Which when ev n yet the northern fli.epherd hears, It fwells his bread, and bathes his face in tears, Prompts the deep groan, and lifts the heaving figh, Or brings foft torrents from the female eye. FAR in the arctic ikies, where HUDSON S BAY Rolls it s cold wave, and combats with the fea, A dreary C 1 A dreary region lifts it s difmal head, True fitter to the regions of the dead. Here thund ring ftorms continue half the year, Or deep laid fnows their joylefs vifage rear : Eternal rocks, from whofe prodigious deep The angry tiger ftuns the neighboring deep \ While through the wild wood, or the fhrouded plain, The moofe deer feeks his food, but often feeks in vain. Yet in this land, froze by inclement fkies, The Indian huts in wild fucceffion rife , And daily hunting, when the fhort-liv d fpring Shoots joyous forth, th induftrious people bring Their beaver fpoils beneath another fky, PORT NELSON, and each BRITISH fa<5lory: In (lender boats from diftant lands they fail, Their fmall mafts bending to the inland gale, On traffic fent to gain the little (lore, Which keeps them plenteous, tho* it keeps them poor. Hither CAFFRARO in his flighty boat, One haplefs fpring his furry riches brought; And with him came, for faiPd he not alone, His confort COLMA, and his little fon. While yet from land o er the deep wave he plough d, And tow rds the more with manly prowefs row d. His barque unfaithful to it s trufted freight, Sprung the large leak, the meflenger of fate; But But no lament or female cry was heard, Each for their fate moft manfully prepared, From bubbling waves to fend the parting breath To lands of fhadows,* and the fhade of death. O FATE ! unworthy fuch a tender train, O day, lamented by the Indian Twain! Full oft* of it the ftrippling youth lhall hear, And fadly mourn their fortune with a tear: The Indian maids full oft the tale attend, And mourn their COLMA as they d mourn a friend. Now while in waves the barque demerged, they drive, Dead withdefpair, tho nature yet alive: Forth from the fhore a friendly brother flew, Intone fmall boatf to fave the drowning crew. He came, but in his barque of, trifling freight, Could fave but two, and one muft yield to fate. O dear CAFFRARO, faid thejiaplefs wife, O fave our fon, and fave thy dearer life : *Tis thou canft teach him how to hunt the doe. Transfix the buck, or tread the mountain fnow. Let me the fentence of my fate receive, And to thy care my tender infant leave. Hefigh d, noranfwer d, but as firm as death, Refolv d to fave her with his lateft breath: And C 3 J And as fufpcndcd by the barque s low fide, He rais d the infant from the chilling tide, And plac d it fafe ; he forc d bis COLMA too To fave herfelf, what more could mortal do? But nobly fcorning life, fhe rais d her head From the flulh d wave, and thus divinely faid : OF life regardlefs, I to fate refign, But thou, GAFFRARO, art forever mine. O let thy arms no future bride embrace, Remember COLM A, and her beauteous face, Which won^thee youthful in thy gayeft pride, With captives, trophies, vigors at thy fide; Now I ihall quick to blooming regions fly, A fprfng eternal, and a nightlefs (ky, Far to the weft," where radiant Sol defcends, And wonders_where the arch d horizon ends: There fhali my foul thy lov d idea keep? And till thy image comes, unceafmg weep. There, tho the tiger is but all a fhade, And mighty panthers but the name they had , And proudeft hills, and lofty mountains there, Light as the wind, and yielding as the air; Yet fliall our fouls their ancient feelings have, More ftrong, more noble than this fide the grave. There E [ 4 ] There lovely bloflbms blow throughout the year, And airy harvefts rife without our cate : And all our fires and mighty anceftors, Renown d for battles and fuccefsful wars, Behold their fons in fair fucceffion rife, And hail them happy to ferener fkies. There fhall I fee thee too, and fee with joy Thy future charge, my much lov d Indian boy: The thoughtlefs infant, whom with tears I fee, Once fought my breaft, or hung upon my knee; Tell Mm, ah tell him, when in manly years, His dauntlefs mind, nor death nor danger fears, Tell him, ah tell him, how thy COLMA dy d, His fondeft mother, and thy yourhful bride; Point to my tomb thro yonder furzy glade, And (how where thou thy much lov d COLMA laid, O may I foon thy bleft refemblance fee, And my fweet infant all reviv d in thee. Till then I ll haunt the bow r or lonely (hade, Or airy hills for contemplation made, And think I fee thee in each ghoftly fhoal, And think I clafp thee to my weary foul. Oft, oft thy for-n to my expeding eye, Shall come in dreams with gentle majefty 5 Then {hall I joy to find my blifs began To love an ange!,. whom I lov d a man! r * r She faid, and downward in the hoary deep Plung d her fair form to everlafting fleep; Her parting foul it s lateft ftruggle gave, And her laft breath came bubbling thro* the wave. THEN fad CAFFRARO all his grief declares, And fwells the torrent of the gulph with tears; And ienfelefs ftupid to the fhore is borne In death-like (lumbers, till the riling morn, Then forrowing, to the fea his courie he bent Full fad, but knew not for what caufe he went, Till, fight diftreffing, from the lonely ftrand, He faw dead COLMA wafting to the land. Then in a ftupid agony of pray r, He rent his mantle, and he tore his hair; Sigh d to the ftars, and Ihook his honour d head, And only wifh d a place among the dead ! O had the winds been fenfible of grief, Or whifp ring angels come to his relief; Then had the rocks not eeho d to his pain, Nor hollow mountains anfwer d him again : Then had the floods their peaceful courfes kept, Nor the fad pine in all it s murmurs wept; Nor penfive deer ftray d through the lonely grove, Nor fadly wept the fympathifing dove. Thus 16 Thus far d the fire through his long days of pain, Or with his offspring rov*d the filent plain ; Till years approaching, bow d his (acred head Deep in the duft, and fent him to the dead : Where now perhaps in fome ftrange fancy d land, He grafps the airy bow, and flies acrofs the ftrand ; Or with his COLMA fhares the fragrant grove, If s vernal bleflings, and the bills of love., FAREWELL lamented pair, and whatever ftate Now clafs you round, and finks you deep in fate; Whether the firey kingdom of the fun, Or the flow wave of filent Acheron, Or Chriftian s heaven, or planetary fphere, Or the third region of the cloudlefs air ; Or if returned to dread nihility, You ll dill be happy, for you will not be. Now /aireft village of the fertile plain, Made fertile by the labours of the fwain ; Who firft my drowfy fpirit did infpire, To fing of woods, and ftrrke the rural lyre : Who laft fhou d fee He wand ring from thy cells> And groves of oak where Contemplation dwells. Wou d fate but raife me o er the fmaller cares, Of Life unwelcome and diftrefsful years, Pedantic C 7 ] Pedantic labours and a hateful cafe, Which fcarce the hoary wrinkled fage cou d .pleafe. Hence fprings each grief, each long refleaive figh,, And not one comfort left but poetry. Long, long ago with her I could have ftray d, To woods, to thickets or the mountain fhade j Unfit for cities, and the noify throng, The drunken revel and the midnight fong j The gifded beau and fcenes of empty joy, Which pleafe a moment and forever die. Here then fliall center ev ry wifh, and all The tempting beauties of this fpacious ball : No thought ambitious, and no bold defign, But heaven born contemplation lhall be mine. In yonder village fhall my fancy ftray, Nor rove beyond the confines of to-day ; The aged volumes of fome plain divine, In broken order round my hut ihou d (bine * Whofe folemn lines fhould foften all my cares> And found devotion to th* eternal ftars : And if one fin my rigid bread did ftain, Thou poetry fliou dft be the darling fin ; Which heav n without repentance might forgive, And which an angel might commit and live : And where yon wave of filent water falls, O er the fmooth rock or Adamantine walls : F The [ 8 ] The fummer morns and veraal eves fliould fee, MJLTOM, immortal bard my company $ Or SHAKESPEARE, D.RYDEN, each high founding name, The pride of BRITAIN, and one half her fame : Or^ him who wak d the fairymufe of old. And pleafing tales of lands inchanted told. Still in my hand, he his foft verfefhou d find */- . * . t % " ^ His verfe,* the pi&ure of the poets mind : -4 V -. i * .- ||4i. Or .heavenly POPE," who now harmonious mourns, 4C Lik*e v the rapt feraph that adores and burns." Then in ftiarp fatire, with a* giant s* might, Forbids*the blo*ckhead T and the fool to write : r / - f *^-> - - . %*# And in the centre of the bards be fhown - . ?*( The deathlefs lines of godlike ADDISON -, Who, bard thrice "glorious, all delightful flows, And wrapt the foul of poetry in profe. Now ceafe, O mufe, thy tender tale to chaunt, The fmiling village, or the rural haunt; New fcenes invite me, and no more I rove, To tell of fhepherds, or the vernal grove. THE [ 9 ] THE FARMER S WINTER EVENING, A P O E M. fo the NYMPH I never faw. FA R be the pleafures of the day, .And mirth and feftive joy from me, When cold December nips the plains, Or frozen January reigns. Far be the hunts-man s noify horn, Arid courfers fleet thro* thickets borne, Swift as the\\vind, and far the fight, Of Tnowy .mountains, fadly white ; But thou^O^nighC^with fober ; charms, Shall clafp^me in thy fableVms. For thee .I love the winter^eve, Thfubify^day for thee j leave. Beneath fome mountain s *tow*ring height, In cottage low I hail the"night, Where jovial fwains,"*with heart fincere, And timely mirth difliearten care: Each Each tells his tale, or chaunts a fong Of her for whom he figh d fo long; Of CLARA fair, or FLORA coy, Difdaining ftill her fliepherd boy, While near the hoary headed fage,. Recalls the days of youthful age, Defcribes his courfe of manly years, His journey thro* this vale of tears; How champion he with champions met, And fiercely they did combat it, Till envious night in ebon chair, Urg d fafter oa her chariotteer, And robb d him, O for fhame, of glory And feats fit for renown in ftory. Thus fpent in tales the ev ning hour, And quaffing juice of fober pow r, Which handfome KATE with malt did fteep, To lead on balmy vifag d deep, While her neat hand the milk pail {trains, A fav ry fupper for the fwains. And now the moon exalted high, Gives luftre to the earth and fky, And from the mighty ocean s glafs, Refledts the beauty of her face : About her orb you may behold, A thoufand ftars of burnifh d gold, Which C 21 Which flowly to the weft retire, And lofe awhile their glitt rtog fire, O COULD I here find my abode, And live within this fancy d wood, With thee the weeks and years to pafs, My pretty rural fhepherdefs ; With thee the cooling fpring to fip, Or live upon thy damaflc lip: Then facred groves, and fhades divine, And all ARCADIA fhould be mine. Steep me, fteep me fome poppies deep In beechenbowl, to bring on deep; Love hath my mind in (hackles kept, Thrice the cock crew, nor cnce I fleptr. O gentfe deep, wrap me in dreams, Of fields and woods, and running ft reams; Of rivers wide, and caftles rare, And be my lovely FLORA there: A larger draught, a larger bowl To gratify my drowfy foul; u A larger draught is yet in ftore, Perhaps with this you wake no more." Then I my lovely maid fhall fee thee Drinking the deep ftreams of LETHE,, Where Where now dame ARETHUSA fcatters Her fbft ftream with v ALPH BUS* waters. To forget her earthly^ cares, Loft in LETHE, ? loft iifyears! And I too will quaff *the water, Left it ftiould be faid, O daughter Of my giddy, ward ring brain, I figh d for one I ve never feen. THE MISERABLE LIFE O F A PEDAGOGUE. TO form the manners of our youth, To guide them in the way of truth, To lead them through the jarring fchools, Arts, fciences, and grammar rules , Is certainly an arduous work, Enough to tire out Jew or Turk ; And [ 23 ] And make a chriftian bite his nails, For do his beft, Tie furely fails ; And fpite of all H that fome may fay, His praiie is trifling as his pay. FOR my part I, tho* vers d in booking, Still fav d my^carcafe from fuclTcooking j Arid jal ways flyly fhunn d aVade, Too^trifling^as I thoughtlaind faid > Bu t at a certain crazy feafon, When men have neither fenfe or ? reafon \ By fbme^cohfounded mi fad venture, I found myfelf juft in itVjcenfre.. ODD*S fifli and blood, and noun and neuter, And tenfes prefent, pad and future * I utter d with a wicked figh, ^Where^are my^ brains, br^where am I ? The^dulleft creaturcTof the wood, Knows how to (hun 4 the diftant flood ; Whales, ^dolphins, and *a hundred more, Are not the fools to-run afliore. WELL, aow contented I muft be, Forc d by the dame Neceflity, Who like the tribunal of Spain, Let s you fpeak once, but not again * And Andfvift to execute the blow, Ne er tells you why or whence it s fo, Now I am afk d a thoufand queftions, Of ALEXANDERS and EPHESTIONS , With fly defign to know if I Am vers d in GRECIAN. hiftory $ And then again my time deftroy*, WithTaukward grace to tell of TROY : Fromthat huge giant POLYPHEMUS, Quite^down to ROMVLVS , and REMUS. Then rm^oblig d td give them leftures, prTqiiadrants, circles, fquares"and feclors ; O/in^my%retched memVy bear, What^weighs a cubic* ifTch of Vir. * c SIR, here s my fon^I beg you d mind, The graces have* been Very Jtind, flied> [ Except a gehius and a he ad] * Teach him the do61:rine t of !.thc; fphere, 1 Th^fliding"circle and the fquare, ? And ilarry worlds^/ 1 know not"where : J And let him quickly leafrrtcT fay, Thofe learned words Perina, Pcnn v Which Which late I heard our parfon call, As learning, knowledge all in all." AND there a city dame approaches, Known by her horfemen, chairs and coaches : " Sir, here s my fon, teach him to fpeak The Hebrew, Latin, and the Greek : And this I half forgot, pray teach My tender boy the parts of fpeech But never let this fon of me, Learn that vile thing Aftronomy : Upon my word it s all a fham," O I m your humble fervant ma am. There certainly is fomething in it " Boy, drive the coach off in a minute." And thus I m left in ftreet or road, A laughing (lock to half the crowd, To argue with myfelf the cafe, And prove its being to my face. A plague I fay on. fuch employment, Where s neither pleafure nor enjoyment : Whoe er to fuch a life is ty d, Was born the day he fhould have dy d v Born in an hour when angry fpheres Were tearing caps, or pulling ears : H And [ 26 ] And Saturn flow gainft fwift Mercurius, Was meditating battles furious 5 Or comets with their blazing train, Decreed their life, a life of pain. Upon a very ANCIENT DUTCH HOUSE on LONG- ISLAND. BEHOLD this antique dome by envious time, Grown crazy, and in ev ry part decay d ; Full well, alas, it claims my humble rhyme, For fuch lone haunts and contemplation made. Ah fee the hearth, where once the chearful fire Blaz d high, and warm d the winter trav lers toes ; And fee the walls, which once did high afpire, Admit the ftorms, and ev ry wind that blows. In yonder corner, now to ruin gone, The ancient houfewife s curtain d bed appear d, Where (he and her man JOHN did deep alone, Nor nightly robber, nor the fcreech owl fear d. There There did they fnore full oft* the whole night out, Smoking the fable pipe, till that did fall, Reft from their jaws by Somnus fleepy rout, And on their faces pour d its fcorched gal!. And in the compafs of yon fmaller gang, The fwain BATAVIAN once hiscourtfhip made, To fome DUTCH lafs, as thick as Ihe was long; " Come then, my angel, come, the fhepherd faid, " And let us for the bridal bed prepare ; For you alone fhall eafe my future life, And you alone Ihall foften all my care, My ftrong, my hearty, and induftrious wife." Thus they but eating ruin now hath fpread Its wings deftruclive o er the antique dome; The mighty fabrick now is all a fhed, Scarce fit to be the wand ring beggar s home. And none but me it s piteous fate lament, None, none but me o er it s fad afhes mourn, Sent by the fates, and by APOLLO fent, To filed their lateft tears upon it s filent um. ERRATA. Page 2, Line 5, for bore, read borne. 2, 17, for enrage, read engage. 4, 18, dele the. 4, 19, for or, read nor. 4, 23, for conclufive, read convulfive. 16, 10, for clafs, read clafps. 1 6, 21, for he, read me. Bibliographical Data by Victor Hugo Paltsits Assistant Librarian in the New York Public Library Bibliographical Data [ 57 ] ON November 22, 1772, Freneau wrote a letter to his friend James Madison, after wards President of the United States, of which the first page is reproduced in this volume in facsimile. Among other things he said : " I have printed a poem in New York called the American Village, containing about 450 Lines, also a few short pieces added ; I would send you one if I had a proper opportunity the additional poems are, i. a Poem to the Nymph I never saw The miserable Life of a Pedagogue and Stanzas on an ancient Dutch house on Long Island As to the main poem it is damned by all good and judicious judges My name is in the title page, this is called Vanity by some but who so fond as youthful bards of fame? This information was definite enough, but no extant copy of the first separately- printed work of " The Poet of the American Revo lution " was known by American bibliographers and literary specialists prior to November, 1902, at which time I was engaged in the preparation of my Freneau bibliography and submitted a list of queries to the Librarian of Congress, one of which sought to learn whether the national library possessed a copy of The American Village. By a singularly for tunate concourse of events, that library had just then [ 58 ] Bibliographical Data (November, 1902) purchased a volume of miscella neous pamphlets, one of which proved to be the gem for which I had been angling hopelessly. In the latter part of December, while in Washington, I was able to collate this copy de visu, and the results were published shortly thereafter.* The copy now reproduced in facsimile has come to light still more recently, and has been acquired by the John Carter Brown Library, of Providence. The original pamphlet collates analytically as follows : % Title, verso blank ; " The American Village, &c.," pp. [i] 1 8 ; "The Farmer s Winter Evening, A Poem. To the Nymph I never saw," pp. 19-22; "The Miserable Life of a Pedagogue," pp. 22-26 ; " Upon a very ancient Dutch House on Long-Island," pp. 26-27 ; " Errata," seven lines, on verso of p. 27. Signatures: Title, with stub, one leaf, and B-H in twos. The John Carter Brown Library copy does not show the stub. The printers of the pamphlet were Samuel Inslee and Anthony Car, of the city of New York. They were young men who had been in the employ of * Bibliography of the Separate and Collected Works of Philip Freneau. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1903. The title-page was also reproduced in facsimile as a frontispiece to the de Luxe edition. Bibliographical Data [ 59 ] James Parker of New York, and Car had served his apprenticeship in Parker s printing office.* Parker died in Burlington, N. J., on June 24, 1770, and his newspaper, The New-Tork Gazette; or, The Weekly Post-Boy, appeared on July 2, 1770 (No. 1435), for the last time with his name in the colophon. Beginning with the next number, July 9, and until August 6, inclusive, no printer s name was mentioned in the issues, yet they were without doubt put forth under the auspices of Parker s son, as shown later on. In No. 1441, for Monday, August 13, 1770, the following colophon appeared: "NEW YORK: Printed by SAMUEL INSLEE, and ANTHONY CAR, At the NEW PRINTING- OFFICE in BEAVER-STREET, where all Sorts of Printing Work is done in the neateft Manner, with Care and Expedition, and where Subfcriptions, Advertifements, &c. for this Paper are taken in." In the issue for August 20, they made their first address to the public in the following words : "To the PUBLIC. THE Business of this Printing-Office having de volved by the Death of JAMES PARKER, (the late *Thomas. History of Printing in America. Vol. I (Albany, N. Y., 1 8 74)i P- 3 6 - [ 60 ] Bibliographical Data Proprietor of this Paper) on his Son SAMUEL F. PARKER, who rinding the Prosecution of it at pres ent inconvenient, has leased the Office for a Term of Years to the Subscribers, who propose to carry on the Business in as extensive a Manner as it has hitherto been done. As they are young Beginners, they hope in particular for the Countenance of those who have kindly encouraged the said Office in Times past, and humbly sollicit the Favour of the respectable Public in general, assuring them that nothing shall be wanting on their Parts, to render the Paper as useful and entertaining as any on the Continent. They declare moreover, in the most explicit Manner, that it shall ever be sacred to the Cause of Truth and Liberty, and never be prosti tuted to the purposes of Party, but be equally free for all who vouchsafe to have their Productions inserted ; and no Compositions shall be refused a Place, but what are defamatory on private Charac ters, inconsistent with the Rules of Decorum, or unfriendly to Religion and good Morals. All Fa vours will be gratefully acknowledged, by The Public s humble Servants, SAMUEL INSLEE, ANTHONY CAR." Bibliographical Data [ 6 1 ] At this time Inslee and Car were still occupants of Parker s old premises in Beaver Street, but on February 25, 1771, this house was advertised "to be lett " and to be " entered on the first of May next." The printers informed their customers, on March 25, of their intention to remove "on the First of May next ... to Beekman s-Slip, in the House now in the Tenure of Mr. John Laboy- teaux, and next Door to Mr. Huybert Van Wag- enen." Here they occupied a "Part of the House" and, on May 6, 1771, the first issue of their news paper with the new address appeared. From a notice which was printed in the Post Boy, for August 19, 1771, we have positive evidence that their copartnership took form with the issue of August 13, 1770, and that the few issues preceding that number were sent out by Samuel Franklin Parker. In this notice, dated at the " New Printing-Office, Beekman s Slip, August 19, 1771," Inslee and Car inform their readers that "Last Week s Paper [August 12] completed Twelve Months since the Printers of this Paper first en tered on the Business of this Office," and they claimed to have then "near 1,000" customers. The place of imprint given on the title-page of The American Village, namely, " on Moor s Wharf," [ 62 ] Bibliographical Data was their printing office " adjoining Beekman s Slip," and here they continued during the remain der of their copartnership, which terminated on August 13, 1773, after completing the third year of its existence. Besides printing the newspaper and the publications listed at the end of this article, Inslee and Car carried on the business of selling books and " Articles in the Stationer s Way." They suffered the hardships usually associated with their calling in their generation. The newspapers were delivered to customers, but payment was deferred or denied by many of them. On June 8, 1772, after a period of nearly two years, " not above one Third of their Customers " had paid the first year s sub scription. The printers reminded them that they " began with a small Capital " and urged them to " chearfully comply " with the " reasonable Re quest " to pay up, in order to enable them to con tinue in business. Such epistolary hints from our colonial printers were of periodical recurrence. They used every subterfuge to attack the dull con sciences of their delinquent customers. For exam ple, Inslee and Car, on March 2, 1772, had urged the necessity of being "absolutely obliged to make up a considerable Sum of Money before the first Day of May next," and added : " All the Money Bibliographical Data [ 63 ] that the Printers have yet received for News Papers, has not paid for one Half of the Paper that they have been printed on, which is an Article that can not be had without ready Cash/ Yet, we have seen that May had gone by and left two-thirds of the previous year s bills unpaid. On September 7, 1772, they plead that after two years of publication "not one Half of their Subscribers have paid them for one Year," and add, " Paper cannot be had without ready Money ; Journeymen cannot be employed without weekly Payment ; Landlords will not be contented without Quarterly Rents, &c. and yet we only ask our Payment once a Year." To add to this dilemma, thieves broke into their printing-office in October of that year and looted it of money and other articles. Now the upshot of this matter was the failure of the business. There must have been forebodings of this outcome early in the year 1773, because on April 8 of that year, Samuel F. Parker and John Anderson, having entered into a copartner ship, proposed the resumption of the issue of the newspaper in August, when the third year s lease to Inslee and Car would expire. Anderson was already printing at "the lower Corner of Beekman s-Slip," a neighbor of the others, in May, 1773, and did actually issue the Post-Boy in partnership with [ 64 ] Bibliographical Data Parker, although not a single copy of this period is known to be in existence. Upon the dissolution of the partnership of Inslee and Car opposing advertisements were inserted in virtually all of the contemporary newspapers of New York City, and the following, from Game s New- Tork Gazette ; and the Weekly Mercury," .for August 1 6, are the best samples : "THOSE Gentlemen and others, who are indebted to the PARTNERSHIP of INSLEE and CAR, (which expired the 1 3th Instant) are desired to stop Pay ment, till the Accounts relating to the Partnership are settled ; of which public Notice will be given in this Paper by ANTHONY CAR." " ALL Persons indebted to the Partnership of INSLEE and CAR, are hereby informed, that they cannot with Safety settle or pay their Accounts to any other Person than the Subscriber, who has the Books in his Hands, and who only can give a proper Discharge. SAMUEL INSLEE." In September Car adverted to the disagreement Bibliographical Data [ 65 ] in another newspaper notice, to which Inslee re plied in Holt s New-Tork Journal, of September 9, as follows: "To the Public in general, but in particular, to the Subscribers to Inslee and Car s Gazettee. IN an Addition, (published in Parker and Ander son s Paper of last Monday) which my late Partner, Anthony Car has made to his Advertisement, he has equally manifested his Ignorance and the Malevo lence of his Disposition towards me He says he is assured some Persons have paid me Money since the Dissolution of the Partnership, and hopes no Person will ATTEMPT to pay any more until Accounts are properly settled. Now, how he expects to have the Accounts settled, is a Mystery to me, for he will not come near me, altho I have frequently sent for him on that Account I have also repeatedly sent him Word, I was willing to deliver the Books of the Partnership into the Hands of any two credit able Persons in this City, (one of whom he should choose) for them to settle, and to say in whose Favour the Balance was ; but Car knowing within himself, he should fall more in my Debt than he should ever be able to pay, still declines making choice of any Person to take the Books ; and at [ 66 ] Bibliographical Data the same Time keeps himself close, so that I have no Opportunity of settling with him ; and yet he has the Confidence to advertise against any Person s paying me Money. As I cannot have the Pleasure of seeing Mr. Car, I hereby inform him, that if he does not come and settle with me, I shall be under an immediate Ne cessity of using Measures to oblige him to it, which will be very disagreeable to him, as well as to me. I also now beg Leave to Inform the Ladies and Gentlemen who were Subscribers to our Paper, or who otherwise employed us on Credit, that they may with the greatest Safety, pay their Accounts to the Subscriber, who will give a proper Discharge for any Debt they may owe the Partnership, which will be gratefully acknowledged by one who always hopes to prove himself, the Public s most obedient, and obliged humble servant, SAMUEL INSLEE." New -York, ) Sept. 8, 1773.) We have discovered that Inslee was among those who signed the non-importation agreement in New York, on July 23, 1770. Later we find him em ployed by Isaac Collins, of Trenton, N. J., and Bibliographical Data [ 67 ] while there he committed suicide, as the following brief entry in Shepard Kollock s New Jersey Jour nal, for Wednesday, March 27, 1782, witnesses: "CHATHAM, March 27. Monday the i8th instant, Samuel Inslee, printer, at Trenton, shot himself through the head Insanity, it is supposed, had got the empire over his Reason, which occa sioned him to commit this rash act/ Of the sub sequent career of Car nothing has been discovered. The following list is offered tentatively as a con tribution to the issues of the press of Inslee and Car, and of all save Bard s Enquiry and the Freneau no copies are known to be extant. No files of the Post Boy for 1773 having been found, other titles for that year could not be determined. 1770 The American Country Almanac, For the Year 1771. By Roger More, Philodespot. [Adver tised in the Post Boy, for October 15, 1770, as " Just Published . . . Price 35. 6d. per Dozen, or 6d. single."] Roger More s Americaanse Almanak Voor t Jaar na Christi Geboorte 1771. [Advertised in the [ 68 ] Bibliographical Data Post Boy, for October 15, 1770, "to be delivered Monday next/ ] An Elegiac Poem, On the Death of the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, Wrote by Phillis, a Servant Girl of 17 Years of Age, belonging to Mr. Wheatley, of Boston. [Advertised in the Post Boy, for October 30, 1770, as "Just Published/ and no doubt re printed from the eight-page edition published in Boston by Ezekiel Russell and John Boyles.] 1771 The Speech of the Honourable Robert R. Living ston, Esq ; Made on the 25th of January, in Support of his Claim to a Seat in the House of the General Assembly. [Advertised in the Post Boy, for February 1 1 , 1771, and undoubtedly a broadside.] A Vindication of the Rights of Election, Containing an Answer to a Paper, entitled, " The Sentiments of a Free and Independent Elector/ [Advertised in the Post Boy, for March 18, 1771, and evi dently a pamphlet.] An Enquiry into the Nature, Cause and Cure, of the Angina Suffocativa, or, Sore Throat Dis- Bibliographical Data [ 69 ] temper, As it is commonly called by the In habitants of this City and Colony. By Samuel Bard, M. D. And Professor of Medicine in King s College, New York. New York, 1771. [Advertised in the Post Boy, for April 29, 1771, as "This Day is published." A facsimile of the title-page of this treatise on diphtheria is given in Hildeburn s Sketches of Printers and Printing in Colonial New Torkl\ Poor Roger s American Country Almanack, for the Year 1772. [Advertised in the Post Boy y for November 11, 1771.] 1772 The American Village, A Poem. To which are added, Several other original Pieces in Verse. By Philip Freneau, A. B. New York, 1772. [Not advertised for sale in the Post Boy ; perhaps printed privately for the author.] Poor Roger s Almanack for the Year 1773. [Ad vertised in the Post Boy, for November 30 and December 7, 1772, as "now in the Press, and in a few Days may be had of the Printers of this Paper."] RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 202 Main Library LOAN PERIOD 1 HOME USE 2 3 4 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS Renewals and Recharges may be made 4 days prior to the due date. Books may be Renewed by calling 642-3405. DUE AS STAMPED BELOW )OV 1 9 1992 AUTO DISC CIRC DEC 12 92 ?\]fi\/ ^ n ?nm F ro 2 01996 l\UV O U LUUJ nT^iVT"! CifrARR 7 inn? fir n , f ijjf SffiDMOfflTT MAY"^: FORM NO. DD6, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY BERKELEY, CA 94720 U.C.BERKELEY LIBRARIES