Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

three and a third per cent.; and, from that period to this time, they have risen fifty per cent. more; and the intelligence from abroad announces effects proportionally favorable to our national credit and consequence.

It cannot but merit particular attention, that, among ourselves, the most enlightened friends of good government are those whose expectations are the highest.

To justify and preserve their confidence; to promote the increasing respectability of the American name; to answer the calls of justice; to restore landed property to its due value; to furnish new resources, both to agriculture and commerce; to cement more closely the union of the States; to add to their security against foreign attack; to establish public order on the basis of an upright and liberal policy; - these are the great and invaluable ends to be secured by a proper and adequate provision, at the present period, for the support of public credit.

FRANCIS HOPKINSON

[Francis Hopkinson (1737-1791) illustrates literary tendencies that were naturally rare in the colonial time, and to the student of literary development his writings have an interest disproportionate to their intrinsic merits. He was born in Philadelphia, and after taking a course at the College of Philadelphia, studied law, served for a year as librarian of the Philadelphia library, and spent a year in England. He held many public offices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, among them member of the Continental Congress, judge of the admiralty, and United States district judge. Though able and active in his profession and in the discharge of his public duties, he had wide interests and many accomplishments. He was a member of scientific and learned societies, a musician and a composer, and an amateur painter. His versatility is shown in the three volumes of miscellaneous writings in prose and verse which he prepared for publication, and which were issued shortly after his death. These include opinions rendered as judge of the admiralty; essays after the Addisonian model; orations on a variety of subjects; satires and burlesques on political topics, on college examinations, on literary fashions, and many other things; scientific papers; and songs written to be set to music by the author. In prose he was perhaps best as a genial humorist. Two of his best-known prose productions are "A Pretty Story" and "The New Roof,” political allegories in which he represents respectively the troubles between Great Britain and the colonies, and the proposed federal constitution. His most famous political effort in verse is "The Battle of the Kegs," one of the most popular ballads of the Revolution. Fashions in humor change, and allegory has gone out of favor. To-day "A Pretty Story" may seem less effective than a simple narrative of historical fact, and "The Battle of the Kegs" may appear rather flat; but both appealed to readers of the Revolutionary time. The wit of some of the non-political satires and burlesques may seem fresher, though the subjects of these pieces are mostly of little present interest.

Francis Hopkinson's works are significant as showing that the middle colonies had reached a stage of development where a distinguished lawyer and public man, a signer of the Declaration and a United States judge, could throw off such trifles for his amusement without feeling that they were a waste of time or beneath his dignity. Both Franklin and Byrd sometimes wrote for the pleasure of writing; but Hopkinson is more spontaneous, if less excellent; he relaxes more, and more naturally. The very amateurishness which makes his style inferior to that of either Franklin or Byrd is a sign of the qualities that make him important.

The selections are from the edition before referred to, which was printed in 1792 from manuscripts prepared for the press by the author.]

CONTEMPORARY HISTORY IN ALLEGORY

[From "A Pretty Story" 1]

CHAP. V

In the mean time the new settlers encreased exceedingly, their dealings at their father's shop became proportionably enlarged, and their partiality for their brethren of the old farm was sincere and manifest. They suffered, indeed, some inconveniences from the protectors which had been stationed amongst them, who became very troublesome in their houses. They introduced riot and intemperance into their families, debauched their daughters, and derided the orders they had made for their own good government. Moreover, the old nobleman had, at different times, sent over to them a great number of thieves, murderers, and robbers, who did much mischief by practising those crimes for which they had been banished from the old farm. But they bore those evils with as much patience as could be expected; not chusing to trouble their old father with complaints, unless in cases of important necessity.

Now the steward began to hate the new settlers with exceeding great hatred, and determined to renew his attack upon their peace and happiness. He artfully insinuated to the nobleman and his foolish wife, that it was very mean, and unbecoming their greatness, to receive the contributions of the people of the new farm through the consent of their respective wives: that upon this footing they might some time or other refuse to comply with his requisitions, if they should take into their heads to think them oppressive and unreasonable; and that it was high time they should be compelled to acknowledge his unlimited power and his wife's omnipotence, which, if not enforced now, they would soon be able to resist, as they were daily encreasing in numbers and strength.

Another decree was, therefore, prepared and published, directing that the people of the new farm should pay a certain stipend

[1In this elaborate political allegory, originally published in 1774, the "old farm" represents England, and the "new farm" America. The "old nobleman" is the king, his "wife" is the parliament, and his "steward" is the ministry. His "sons," the "new settlers," are of course the colonists, and their "wives" are the legislatures of the respective colonies.]

upon particular goods,' which they were not allowed to purchase any where but at their father's shop; specifying that this imposition should not be laid as an advance upon the original price of these goods, but should be paid as a tax on their arrival in the new farm; for the express purpose of supporting the dignity of the nobleman's family, and for re-imbursing the expences he pretended to have been at on their account.

This new decree occasioned great uneasiness. The people saw plainly that the steward and their mother-in-law were determined to enslave and ruin them. They again consulted together, and wrote, as before, the most dutiful and persuasive letters to their father - but to no purpose a deaf ear was turned against all their remonstrances, and their humble requests rejected with contempt.

Finding that this moderate and decent conduct brought them no relief, they had recourse to another expedient: they bound themselves to each other in a solemn engagement,2 not to deal any more at their father's shop, until this unconstitutional decree should be repealed, which they one and all declared to be a direct violation of the Great Paper.

This agreement was so strictly observed, that in a few months the clerks and apprentices in the old gentleman's shop began to raise a terrible outcry. They declared, that their master's trade was declining exceedingly, and that his wife and steward would by their mischievous machinations ruin the whole farm. They sharpened their pens, and attacked the steward, and even the old lady herself, with great severity: insomuch, that it was thought proper to withdraw this attempt also, upon the rights and liberties of the new settlers. One part only of the decree was left still in force, viz. the tax upon water-gruel.3

Now there were certain men in the old farm, who had obtained an exclusive right of selling water-gruel. Vast quantities of this gruel were vended amongst the new settlers, as they were extremely fond of it, and used it universally in their families. They did not, however, trouble themselves much about the tax on water-gruel; they were well pleased with the repeal of the

1 Painter's colours, glass, &c.

a Tea.

Non-importation agreement,
The India company,

other parts of the decree, and fond as they were of this gruel, they considered it as not absolutely necessary to the comfort of life, and determined to give up the use of it in their families, and so avoid the effects of that part of the decree.

The steward found his designs again frustrated: but was not discouraged by the disappointment. He devised another scheme, so artfully contrived, that he thought himself sure of success. He sent for the persons who had the sole right of vending watergruel; and after reminding them of the obligations they were under to the nobleman and his wife for the exclusive privilege they enjoyed, he requested that they would send sundry waggons laden with gruel to the new farm; promising that the accustomed duty which they paid for their exclusive right should be taken off from all the gruel they should so send amongst the new settlers; and that in case their cargoes should come to any damage, the loss should be made good to them out of his master's coffers.

The gruel-merchants readily consented to this proposal; considering that if their cargoes were sold, their profits would be very great; and if they failed, the steward was to pay the damage. On the other hand, the steward hoped that the new settlers would not be able to resist a temptation, thus thrown in their way, of purchasing their favourite gruel, to which they had been so long accustomed; and if they did use it, subject to the tax aforesaid, he would consider this as a voluntary acknowledgment that the nobleman and his wife had a right to lay upon them what impositions they pleased, and as a resignation of the privileges of the Great Paper.

But the new settlers were well aware of this decoy. They saw plainly that the gruel was not sent for their accommodation; and that if they suffered any part of it to be sold amongst them, subject to the tax imposed by the new decree, it would be considered as a willing submission to the assumed omnipotence of their motherin-law, and a precedent for future unlimited impositions. Some, therefore, would not permit the waggons to be unladen at all; but sent them back untouched to the gruel-merchants; and others suffered them to unload, but would not touch the dangerous commodity; so that it lay neglected about the roads and high-ways till it was quite spoiled. But one of the new settlers, whose name

« AnteriorContinuar »