Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

I

WHILE I relate my story,
Americans give ear:
Of Britain's fading glory
You presently shall hear.
I'll give a true relation -
Attend to what I say,
Concerning the taxation
Of North America.

2

O the cruel Lords of Britain,
Who glo[te] in their shame,
The proj[ect] they have lit on
They joyfully proclaim,
'Tis what they're striving after,
Our rights to take away.
And rob us of our charter
In North-America.

3

There is two mighty speakers,
Who rule in [Par]liament,
Who always have been seeking
Some mischief to invent;
'Twas North, and Bute, his father,
This horrid plan did lay,
A mighty tax to gather
In North-America.

4

He search'd the gloomy regions
Of the infernal pit,
To find, amongst th[rubbing] [regions]
One who excell'd in [rubbing]
To ask of him assista[nce],
Or tell them, how they may,
Subdue, without resistence
This North-America.

5

Old Satan, the arch traitor,
Resolv'd a voyage to take,
Who rules fo[illegible] navigator
Upon the burning lake;
For the Britannic ocean
He launches far away,
To land he hath no notion
In North-America.

6

He takes his seat in Britain,
It was his soul's intent,
Great George's throne to sit on,
And rule the parliament.
His comrades were pursuing
A diabolic way,
For to complete the ruin
Of North-America.

7

He tried the art of magic
To bring his schemes about,
At length the gloomy project
He artfully found out:
The plan was indulged,
In a clandestine way,
But lately was divulged
In North-America.

PART 2.

8.

These subtle arch contrivers
Address'd the British court,
All those were undersigners,
For to observe report-
There is a pleasant landscape
That lieth far away
Beyond the wide Atlantic,
In North-America.

9

There is a wealthy people.
Who sojourn in that land;
Their churches all with steeples,
Most delicately stand;
Their houses, like the lilies,
Are painted red and gay;
They flourish like the gallies,
In North-America.

10

Their land with milk and honey
Continually doth flow,
The want of food and money
They seldom ever know;
They heap up gold and silver,
They have no debts to pay,
They spend their time in pleasure,
In North-America.

11

On turkies, fowls and fishes,
Most frequently they dine,
With gold and silver dishes
Their tables always shine;
They crown their feasts with butter,
They eat, and rise to play,
In silk their ladies flutter,
In North-America.

12

With gold and silver laces
They do themselves adorn,
The rubies deck their faces,
Refulgent as the morn;
Wine sparkles in their glasses,
They spend their happy days
In meriments and dances,
In North-America.

13

Let not our suit affront you,
When we address your throne,
O king, this wealthy country,
And subjects are your own,
And you, their rightful sovereign,
They truly must obey,
You have a right to govern them,
In North-America.

14

O king, you've heard the sequel
Of what we now subscribe,
Is it not just and equal,
To tax this wealthy tribe?
The question being asked,
His majesty did say,
My subjects shall [be] taxed
In North-America.

15

Invested with a warrant,
My publicans shall go,
The tenth of all [rubbing]it current
They surely shall [be]llow
If they indulge rebellion,
Or from my projects stray,
I'll send my whole battalion
To North-America.

16

I'll rally all my forces,
By water and by land,
My light dragoon [horses]
Shall go at my command
I'll burn both town and city,
With smoke becloud the day,
I'll show no human pity
For North-America.

17

Go on, my hearty soldier,
You need not fear no ill-
There's Harly, Hills, and Rogers,
And Johnson, will fulfill-
They tell such ample stories,
Believe them, sure we may,
That one half of them are tories
In North-America.

18

My gallant ships are ready
To hoist you o'er the flood,
And in my cause be steady,
Which is supremely good.
Go ravage, steal and plunder,
And you shall have the prey;
They quickly will knock under
In North-America.

19

The laws I have erected,
I never will revoke,
Although they are neglected,
My fury to provoke;
I will forbear to flatter,
I'll rule with mighty sway,
I'll take away their charter
From North-America.

PART 3

20

O George! you are distracted;
By sad experience find,
The laws you have enacted
Are of the blackest kind.
I'll make a short digressor,
And tell you, by the way,
We fear not your oppression
In North-America.

21

Our fathers were dis[rubbing]
While in their native [l]and,
By tyrants were oppressed,
As I do understand;
For freedom and religion
They were resolv'd to stray,
And trace the desart regions
Of North-America.

22

Heaven was their sole protector,
Wild on the roving tide,
Kind fortune their director,
And providence their [guide.]
If I am not mistaken,
About the first of may,
This voyage was undertaken
For North-America.

23

To fail they were commanded,
About the hour of noon,
At Plymouth where they landed
The twenty first of June:
The savages they nettled,
With fear they fled away,
And peaceably they settled
In North-America.

24

We are their bold descendents,
For liberty we'll fight.
The name of Independence
We challenge as our right.
What Heaven has freely given,
No one can take away,
Kind Heaven, too will save us
In North-America.

25

We never will knock under,
O George, we do not fear,
The rattling of your thunder,
Not lightning of your spear,
Tho' rebels you declare us,
We're strangers to dismay,
Therefore you cannot scare us
In North-America.

26

To what you have commanded,
We never will consent.
Altho your troops are landed
Upon the continent.
We'll take our swords and muskets,
And march in bright array,
And drive the British rustics
From North-America.

27

We have a bold commander,
Who fears not sword or gun,
The second Alexander,
His name is Washington;
His men are all collected,
And ready for the fr[ay],
To fight, they are directed,
For North-America.

28

We have Green, Gates, and Puntam,
To manage in the field,
A gallant train of footmen,
Who had rather die than yield;
A stately troop of horses,
Train'd in a martial way,
For to augment our forces
In North-America.

29

Proud George you are engaged,
All in a dirty cause,
A cruel war hath raged,
Repugnant to all laws;
Go tell the savage nation,
You're crueler than they,
To fight your own relation
In North-America.

30

Ten millions you've expended,
And twice ten millions more,
Our riches your intended
Should pay the mighty score.
Who now will stand your sponsors,
Your charges to defray,
For sure you cannot conquer
This North-America.

31

I'll tell you, George, in metre,
If you attend awhile,
We forced you Sir Peter,
At Sullivan's fair isle;
At Monmouth too, we gained
The honor of the day-
The victory's obtained
In North America.

32

Surely we were your betters
Hard by the Brandywine;
We laid him fast in fetters,
Whose name as John Burgoyne
We make your horse to tremble,
With terror and dismay,
The heroes we resemble
In North-America.

33

Confusion to the tories,
That black, infernal name,
In which Great Britain glories
Forever to their shame;
We will send each fool revolter
To smutty Africa,
Or noose them in a halter,
In North-America.

34

A health to our brave footmen,
Who handles sword and gun,
To Green, Gates, and Putnam,
And conquering Washington;
Their names be wrote in letters,
Which never shall decay,
While sun and moon do glitter
In North-America.

35

Success unto our allies,
In Europe and in Spain,
Who man their ships and
Our freedom to main[tain]
May they subdue the rangers
Of boasting Britannia,
And drive them from their anchors
In North-America.

36

Success unto the Congress
Of the United States,
Who glories in the conquest
Of Washington and Gates-
To all, both land and seamen,
Who glories in the day,
When we shall be all freemen
In North-America.

37

Success to legislation,
That [rules] with gentle hand,
To trade and navigation,
By water and by land;
May all with one opinion,
Our wholesome laws obey,
Throughout this whole dominion
Of North-America.