Old Virginia[16]

Vast in extent, Virginia meets our view, With streams immense, dark groves, and mountains blue; First in provincial rank she long was seen, Built the first town, and first subdued the plain: This was her praise--but what can years avail, When times succeeding see her efforts fail! On northern fields more vigorous arts display, Where pleasure holds no universal sway; No herds of slaves parade their sooty band From the rough plough to save the fopling's hand, Where urgent wants the daily pittance ask, Compel to labour, and complete the task. A race of slaves, throughout their country spread, From different soils extort the owner's bread; Averse to toil, the natives still rely On the sad negro for the year's supply; He, patient, early quits his poor abode, Toils at the hoe, or totes some ponderous load, Sweats at the axe, or, pensive and forlorn, Sighs for the eve, to parch his stinted corn! With watchful eye maintains his much-loved fire, Nor even in summer lets its sparks expire-- At night returns, his evening toils to share, Lament his rags, or sleep away his care, Bind up the recent wound, with many a groan; Or thank his gods that Sunday is his own. To these far climes the scheming Scotchman flies, Quits his bleak hills to court Virginian skies; Removed from oat-meal, sour-crout, debts, and duns, Prudent, he hastes to bask in kinder suns; Marks well the native--views his weaker side, And heaps up wealth from luxury and pride, Exports the produce of a thousand plains, Nor fears a rival, to divide his gains. Deep in their beds, as distant to their source Here many a river winds its wandering course: Proud of her bulky freight, through plains and woods Moves the tall ship, majestic, o'er the floods, Where James's strength the ocean brine repels, Or, like a sea, the deep Potowmack swells: Yet here the sailor views with wondering eye Impoverished fields that near their margins lie, Mercantile towns, where languor holds her reign, And boors inactive, on the exhausted plain.

In the Charleston City Gazette or Daily Advertiser of February 2, 1790, appeared "A Characteristic Sketch of the Long Island Dutch. From The Rising Empire: a Poem." Two days later the New York Daily Advertiser published "A View of Rhode Island. [Extracted from a new Poem, entitled The Rising Empire, not yet published.]" That Freneau for a time was actively engaged upon this projected volume is evident from the poems on the states which appeared in the Daily Advertiser, chiefly during the month of March, 1790. The last of these poems, "A Descriptive Sketch of Virginia," appeared June 11, 1790. On June 25 Freneau issued proposals for a new volume of poems, presumably to bear the title "The Rising Empire," but the volume was never published. Many of the pieces that undoubtedly would have gone to make up the book appeared in the Daily Advertiser. Of those that came directly under the title (and they are doubtless but a fragment of what the poet intended to write) all but "A View of Rhode Island" appeared in a greatly changed form in the poet's later volumes. I have followed in each case the edition of 1809.

In the Daily Advertiser of March 13, 1790, this poem bore the title "Philosophical Sketch of America."

Text from the New York Daily Advertiser of February 4, 1790.

In the original version published in the Daily Advertiser, May 10, 1790, this bore the title "Description of Connecticut."

Followed in the original version by the line:

"Sacred to him, that taught them to be keen;"

The fourteen lines following this are not in the original version.

In the edition of 1795 this reads "Greenfield's reverend son," alluding to Dr. Dwight.

In the index to the 1809 edition the title was "Lines on the old patriotic state, Massachusetts."

"All, all too weak to effect the vast design That swell'd, poor GAGE, that puny heart of thine, That urg'd BURGOYNE to slight his Celia's charms, The brother HOWES to furbish up their arms And modern PERCIES lose their wonted sleep To conquer countries, that they could--not keep."

--Original version in the Daily Advertiser, March 29, 1790.

The original title of this poem was "A Characteristic Sketch of the Long Island Dutch."

The original version in the Daily Advertiser began at this point.

The earliest version, as it appeared in the Daily Advertiser, March 17, 1790, had the following in place of the last six lines:

"Thy followers, FOX, pacific in each aim, In this far climate still revere your name; To them long practice prudent foresight gave, Proof to the projects of the keenest knave. On things to come they fix an anxious eye Fond to be thought the favourites of the sky, Paths of their own they clear to future bliss, Praise other worlds but keep their hold on this. Nor mean I, hence, to censure or condemn, Perhaps 'twere best the world should think like them;-- What tho' on visions they may place their trust, I hold their general principles are just, Good will to all, themselves their first great care, Precise in dealing, foes to blood and war; Let kings invade, or potentates assault, No aid they lend, for passive to a fault, They still are found, all complaisant to power To bow to ruffians in the trying hour."

In the edition of 1795 this bore the title "Virginia. [A Fragment]"

The original version in the Daily Advertiser, June 11, 1790, added here these lines:

"Yet shall not malice rob them of their due, Not all their worth is center'd in a few: On Fame's bright lists their sages they enroll, Theirs is the brave, and high aspiring soul, Heroes and chiefs, the firm unconquer'd mind That rul'd in councils, or in battles shin'd, Sent traitorous bands new regions to explore And drove their titled miscreant[a] from the shore."

[a] Lord Dunmore.--Freneau's note.

The original version added here the following:

"Rais'd by their care, tobacco spreads its leaf, The master's pleasure, and the labourer's grief; Hence comes the lofty port, the haughty air, The proud demeanour, and the brow severe."

The original version added here the couplet:

"While the keen lash some little tyrant wields, Foe to the free-born genius of the fields."

The original version added here:

"Silent beholds (proud object of reproach) His whole year's labour lost on Mammon's coach!"

As originally printed in the Daily Advertiser the poem ended as follows:

"Mercantile towns where dullness holds her reign And boors, too lazy to manure the plain:-- There, where two creeks divide the sickly lands, Mis-shapen pile, the gloomy college stands, With mingled chess the sophs their vigils keep And William nods to Mary--half asleep; The mopish muse no lively theme essays But toils in law, that best her toil repays, With modern Latin, ancient trash explains, Or deals in Logic--for the want of brains. "Attach'd to other times, I cast my view To former days, when all was fresh & new, When Pocahunta, in her bearskin clad, Sigh'd to be happy with her English lad: Queen of those woods, embarking on the main, (With Tomocomo following in her train) First of her race, she reach'd the British shore But doom'd to perish, saw her own no more! Chang'd is the scene--where once her gardens smil'd A negro race now wander through the wild And with base gabbling, vex that injur'd shade Where Freedom flourish'd and Powhatan stray'd."