Quebec Gazette - 1773 - August - Poems in Early Canadian Newspapers

August


August 5, 1773. No. 447.
The MACARONI’s DOWNFAL, To the Tune of the Babes of the Wood.
A MACARONI once was I, In vice and folly try’d; I pack’d the cards, I cogg’d the die, And gloried in my pride. At Quinze the live-long night I play’d, 5 Stak’d thousands on a card; Only my debts of honour paid, Which vulgar cits thought hard. My learning was from JONAS bought, From classick lumber free, 10 And my religion pure was taught By Hume’s divinity. To none a civil thing I said, To none was ever kind; For dull politeness too well bred, 15 For feeling too refin’d. The fairest form ne’er conquer’d me, So polish’d was my taste; From love by selfishness kept free, By constitution chaste. 20 But by my evil genius crost (For Jonas’ art may fail) My money, credit, fashion, lost, I fly the threaten’d jail. In cloister drear I weep my fall, 25 My fortune lost deplore, My crimes I now repent them all, For I can sin no more.

August 12, 1773. No. 448.
Protestation
YOU I love, my dearest life, More than Gorgy loves his wife, More than ministers to rule, More than North to play the fool, More than nabobs love to rob, 5 More than Pitt to catch the mob, More than Camden loves grimace, More than Barrington his place, More than Clive his black Jagheer, More than Bute the royal ear, 10 More than patriots love their price, More than Fox loves cards or dice, More than cits the court to spite, More than Townshend not to fight, More than Colebrooke heaps of pelf, 15 More than Elliot loves himself, More than aldermen their gut, More than Hilsborough to strut, More than cullies love a jilt, More than Grosvenor horns well gilt, 20 More than Dartmouth loves field-preachers, More than Huntingdon her teachers, More than Carlisle those who cheat him, More than Long Tom those who treat him, More than Pomsret a lead-mine, 25 More than Weymouth play and wine, More than fools at wits to nibble, More than Walpole loves to scribble, More than Lyttelton to write, More than black-legg’d March to bite, 30 More than country squires their dogs, More than Mawbey loves his hogs, More than Demi-reps a spark, More than Martin a sure mark, More than Grafton loves his pimps, 35 Or the divil loves his imps, More than Tories love the Stuarts, More than staunch Whigs love all true hearts. Thus, my fair, I love you more Than e’er man lov’d fair before. 40