Curiosities of History: Boston, September Seventeenth, 1630-1880

They murder, steal, rob and destroy,
And many a goodly Town annoy.”

Flushed with victory, they move toward England, “and now to London drive along.”

“Which brave Prince William quickly hears
And without any Dread or Fears,
Pursues the Rebels in full chase,
And lo, they fly before his Grace,
Who still pursues and overtakes,
And many a Highland captive makes.

······

The rest now fly, won’t stand to Fight,
But back to Scotland make their flight.
And there like Beasts who’ve furious grown
They range about from Town to Town.

······

But Heaven beheld these bloody men,
No longer now would bear with them,
Inspires the Duke of Cumberland
To take the work into his hand,
To scourge this cursed barbarous Brood
For all their Rapine, Stealth, and Blood.
Away he goes, post haste he flies,
To face the raging Enemies,
To Scotland, where the wretches fled,
When chas’d from Carlisle, full of dread,
Where being come, his troops combine,
And all in lovely Consort join,
And strong Desires do now express,
To slay these Sons of Wickedness.
Great Joy and Gladness now was shown,
When to the Folk it was made known
That Cumberland, the brave, was come
To save them from expected Ruin.”

The people joining the Duke, the enemy was pursued, when—

“A church in which their stores did lay,
They blow’d up ere they ran away,”

after they had bid the people enter in, and many “precious souls at one sad Blast, into eternity are cast.”

“But hard beset by British force
They dare not stay, or they’d do worse;
Some fly to mountains, some to dales,
When all their hellish Courage fails.

······

Flying I leave them, ’till we hear
The end of this most bloody war.

······

For which the thankful folk proclaim
Thanksgivings to the Almighty name,
And may we all now join with them,
And to their Thanks join our Amen.”

Sold by B. Gray, near the market. Without date; printed in 1744.

XII.

REVOLUTIONARY PROCLAMATIONS

Gen. Gage’s administration of less than a year and a half in the “Province of Massachusetts Bay,” for he never had any government over the province other than military, was prolific in proclamations, some of which are rather curious. On the 1st of June, 1774, by order of Parliament and the King, Boston Harbor was closed and possessed by ships of the British navy. Nothing could enter or leave the port: wood as fuel could not be brought from the islands, or merchandise or lumber removed from wharf to wharf by water; nothing whatever could be water borne within a circle of sixty miles, either to arrive or depart. At the same time British troops held the town; and the government, such as it was, was removed to Salem, where the General Court reassembled on the 7th of June. At this session, on the 17th, as the result of arrangements made by Samuel Adams and his fellow-patriots, five delegates were chosen to represent the colony in the proposed Continental Congress, at Philadelphia. As soon as these proceedings, while yet in progress, reached Gen. Gage’s ears by a tricky tory, who got out of the hall by feigning a call of nature, he issued his first proclamation, which Mr. Secretary Flucker, as he found the door locked and could not get into the chamber, had to read on the stairs, as follows:—

“Province of Massachusetts-Bay.

By the GOVERNOR

“a proclamation for dissolving the General-Court

“WHEREAS the Proceedings of the House of Representatives, in the present Session of the General Court, make it necessary, for his Majesty’s Service, that the said General Court should be dissolved:—

“I have therefore thought fit to dissolve the said General Court, and the same is hereby dissolved accordingly, and the Members thereof are discharged from any further Attendance.

“GIVEN under my Hand at Salem, the 17th Day of June, 1774, in the Fourteenth Year of his Majesty’s Reign.

“GOD save the KING.”

Gen. Gage’s next proclamation was against the existence of the famous “Committee of Correspondence,” which Samuel Adams had originated, and the “solemn league and covenant” “to suspend all commercial intercourse with the island of Great Britain,” &c. And “in tenderness to the inhabitants of this province,” he issued this proclamation of warning.

Then, as if to cap the climax of pretension and folly, not to say hypocrisy, on the 25th of July, while he relied upon the counsels and efforts of the tory party, issued what may be called a very curious proclamation, such as possibly, under some circumstances, might have been issued by Gov. Endicott, in the early days of New England Puritanism; but the Puritans had long before this time passed out of power. The following is the proclamation:—

MASSACHUSETTS BAY

By the GOVERNOR. A PROCLAMATION

For the Encouragement of Piety, and Virtue, and for preventing and punishing of vice, profanity and immorality

IN humble imitation of the laudable example of our most gracious sovereign George the third, who in the first year of his reign was pleased to issue his Royal proclamation for the encouragement of piety and virtue, and for preventing of vice and immorality, in which he declares his royal purpose to punish all persons guilty thereof; and upon all occasions to bestow marks of his royal favor on persons distinguished for their piety and virtue:

“I therefore, by and with the advice of his Majesty’s Council, publish this proclamation, exhorting all his Majesty’s subjects to avoid all hypocrisy, sedition, licentiousness, and all other immoralities, and to have a grateful sense of all God’s mercies, making the divine laws the rule of their conduct.