A New Song in High Vogue in Northampton County
[To the Tune if Bold Sawyer.]
1.
THIS province has been famous for most excellent laws,
And justly was esteemed worthy of applause;
When theft and rapine were unknown,
And every man profess’d his own;
You may guess what thee was done,
By true PAXTON boys.
2.
But to the voice of conscience fame ‘squires are grown so deaf,
That where you’ll find a Just-ass he is ten to one a thief:
For justice, truth, and peace are fled,
And honest chanty is dead;
There’s none for liberty to plead,
But true PAXTON boys.
3.
Our freedom is exposed to mercenary sale,
Our Sovereign’s loyal subjects are forced into jail:
Where they must starve or give good bail,
To let their plaintiffs rob and steal—
If this be just I appeal
To true PAXTON boys.
4.
The twentieth of September march’d the rebel rout,
From Easton to Wyoming to drive our Yankies out:
With slavish dogs of spurious race,
Scant of money—void of grace;
Who’d rather steal than show their face
To true PAXTON boys.
5.
They halted all at Reamy’s their forces to review,
Where chief commander Logan encouraged the crew:
Brave lads, says he, who steals the most,
Shall obtain the highest post;
For none will prove our scheme unjust,
But true PAXTON boys.
6.
Then those infernal ravens in the dead of the night,
Surprized our cooing turtles, and put them all to flight:
To pillage went the savage band,
And plunder’d what came next to hand,
But yet they could not steal the land,
From true PAXTON boys.
7.
But Logan is disbanded by court-martial laws,
For sending off his brother with stolen Yankies’ clothes.
He stole no less than ten men’s share,
In spite of all their watch and care;
Such breach of truth seems quite unfair
To true PAXTON boys.
8.
We had no information from Sheriff Logan’s hand,
That had any commission as we do understand:
But Captain Daniel he must be
The man that gained the victory,
For stealing goods feloniously
From true PAXTON boys.
9.
Now comes bold *Harry Ogden, in cousin Logan’s place,
Whose strength and true attachment animates the case:
Dear friends, he said, did you but know,
How I fled bare-assed thro’ the snow,
You would join your forces to pursue
Those few PAXTON boys.
10.
His conduct was approved—his counsel was obeyed;
When Harry had commanded who would have disobeyed?
‘Squire John || depending on his skill,
As Quixote did to fight the mill,
He swore that night he’d take or kill
Our few PAXTON boys.
11.
He received some assistance, as I understand,
And shewed them his commission from Captain Harry’s hand:
But finding we were drawing near,
He staid no longer in the rear,
But pushed off foremost like a deer,
From a few PAXTON boys.
12.
Shall those Jersey bankrupts our property invade,
And fugitive pretenders make honest men afraid?
I find we must disperse the gang,
With Yankie boys this present spring,
Who worship GOD and serve their King,
Like true PAXTON boys.
13.
Be not impatient, brothers, we’ll make it soon appear,
Our hearts are quite undaunted, and strangers unto fear:
Depend upon it—before next May,
We’ll drive these locusts all away;
You may once more expect fair play,
From true PAXTON boys.
*A Negro—slave to Capt. A. Ogden.
|| V-nc—p.
Printed for the AUTHOR, Anno Domini 1771.
