I'll allow your briftled beau can count and tell his letters;
But can he name, and how, his gammons to his betters?

Spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts, your piggy well can handle;
But did his hinder parts ever hold a lighted candle?

Though your piggy screws his fnout in fuch learned grimaces,
I defy the fqueaking lout to fpit in Chriftians' faces.
And if the thing could be, is fuch the hoggifh faction,
That one third of the fly would applaud him for the action?
Then tell us no more of your little grunting creature,
But confefs that the LION is the GREATEST BEAST in nature.

Soliloquy of the Patriot.

(BACHE, folus, in a thoughtful pofture. In his hand TOM PAINE's works, and a HALTER on the table by him.)

It must be fo-TOM PAINE, thou reason'st well-
Elfe whence this pleafing hope, this fond defire,
This more than woman's longing after freedom?
Or whence this fecret dread, and inward horror,
Of falling into jail? Why fhrinks my foul
Back on herself, and startles at a gallows,
A writ, a fummons, or a God knows what?
Why do I flily fculk in corners dark,
And run amain from dun or constable?

'Tis guilt, 't is fear, that hates the fight of justice,
Dark, and unfathomably deep abyfs!

But Liberty! thou pleafing, dreadful thought!
Through what variety of hair-breadth fcapes,
Through what new fcenes and changes must I pass!
The wide, th' unbounded profpect lies before me;
But hungry guts and bloody noses rest upon it-
Here will I hold-If there's a devil in hell
(And that there is, the French have fully prov'd
Through all their works), he muft delight in mifchief;
Mischief dark and deep, pure and unalloy'd ;

And that which he delights in, was and is my pleasure.
Well then-but I'm weary of conjectures:

This must end them

(Laying hold of the halter.) Thus am I doubly arm'd; my death and fame,

My bane and antidote are both before me.

This rope, in the twinkling of a broomstick, ends me;
But my type informs me I shall never die.

The wretch, fecur'd in fome fnug plunder'd house,
Smiles at the halter and defies Jack Ketch;

And I, though poor, though plunder flies my grafp,
Shall yet be damn'd to everlasting fame.
Patriots fhall flink away, and PAINE himself

H 4

Grow

Grow gray and rot. The Crofs-keys Tavern,

The democratic club, the sans-culottes,

French gold, my cafes, judgments, bonds, and debts,
All fhall fink in years;

name,

But TOM PAINE's works, and my infernal
Shall remain for ever and for ever,
Unhurt amidst the wars of Carmagnoles,
The Hangman's hands, the blaze of bonfires,
The wreck of matter, and the cruth of worlds.

(Ties the halter about his neck.)

Virginia, Feb. 20, 1798.-Mr. PORCUPINE. Sir, I had written a few obfervations on the conduct of our Affembly at their laft feffion, which I intended to fend you for publication; but feeing your paper of the 15th ult. where you request a hiftory of the church property, and not being accuftomed to write for the prefs, I concluded to suppress the observations, and give you fuch information as I was poffeffed of; which, though not complete, may give you an idea of the jacobinifm of T- the bellwether of the House of Representatives, as alfo the duplicity or jacobinism of the majority, his aiders and abettors in this confifcation business.

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In examining the laws refpecting the church, I find that in the 13th Car. II. 1661, the church was re-established after the ufurpation of Cromwell; the preamble to which ftates, that from the licentioufnefs of the laws the people knew not what to obey, nor the judge what to punish, and expreffes the determination of the Legiflature to adhere to the excellent and often refined laws of England, without which the juft freedom of the people could hardly be preferved, and concludes in the following words, to wit: "And becaufe it is impoffible to honour the King as we fhould, unlefs we fear and ferve God as we ought; and that they might fhow equal care, they have fet down rules for the government of the church, until God fhall please to turn his Majesty's

pious thoughts towards us, and provide a better Tupply of minifters among us."

Chap. Ift. Decent churches or chapels of cafe to be built in every parish, according to the ability of the people.

24. Veftries appointed for the better management of parochial affairs, to take the oath of allegiance and fupremacy.

3d. Minifters to be qualified as in England, and inducted by the Governor into each parish: any perfon prefuming to preach without fuch qualifications, to be fent out of the country.

4th. Each parish to provide a reader.

5th. Canons of the church of England to be obferved, and liturgy read every Sunday.

6th. No other than the church catechifm to be taught or expounded.

7th. Minifters to preach weekly, and adminifter the facrament twice a year.

8th. Thirtieth of January to be a day of fafting. 9th. The twenty-ninth of May to be kept holy. 10th. Churchwardens to provide books, ornaments, and communion plate, to collect minifters' dues levied by the veftry on the parish by another branch of this act (not here recited).—A note in the margin ftates that the Legislature fuppofed all the acts relating to the church and religion to be one act.

I cannot find that any alteration to this fyftem: has ever taken place, nor have I feen the other branch of the act above alluded to. In the ift of Geo. I. a law was enacted for the fupport of the clergy, &c. which is not in the books now by me, but is alluded to in the repealing claufe of a law. paffed in the 22d Geo. II. under the fame title, one claufe of which is in the following words: "And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, that in every parish of this dominion, where a good and

convenient

and the laws above mentioned, is exactly fimilar with all the property of the church: this property it is now the with of atheistical democrats, and our moft inveterate enemies the Baptifts, to confifcate. The latter have never let a feffion pass fince the eftablishment was broken, without petitions to that effect; they have made a fociety bufinefs of it, and from a yearly meeting prefented a memorial, in which they have been partially joined by the Methodifts: the Prefbyterians in the House voted against it, while thofe who were born its members advocated it. Taylor is chief: "he does not know but Christianity is a fiction; he has obferved that churchmen are generally aristocrats ;" he was at the head of the prefentment bufinefs; he procured the name of a town to be altered from Fincastle to Monroe, because the former is the title of a fon of Lord Dunmore; he is about to effect an alteration in the names of all the counties in the State that have any affinity with royalty, as King George, Prince William, Prince Edward, &c. The people of Fincaftle petitioned to continue the old name of their town, but Taylor would not agree to it. I am told that he contemplates a diffolution of the union, and erecting the fouthern States into a feparate government; and to effect this, his plan is to establish an excife, which will destroy that branch of the revenue of the United States in this State, as an additional tax would amount to a prohibition. Although the bill for confifcating the church property paffed the House of Reprefentatives, I have hopes it will never be effected, as the Senate made an amendment to take the opinion of the Judiciary upon it; and, in the opinion of the ableft lawyers, the church cannot be deprived of her property: a decifion of that kind would put a period to the bufinefs, by tying up the hands of our enemies of every deIcription.

If this information will be of any fervice to you, I am happy in being able to tranfmit it; I fhall be fill further gratified if it will enable you to add another ftripe to the back of democracy, as my deteftation of their anarchical and fubverfive principles would prompt me to promote their difgrace by all legal means.

Were I in Congrefs, I fhould propofe impeaching M-, who, in my opinion, as juftly merits it as Blount; for, if he were as corpulent as Goliah, and armed cap-a-pee with the Philiftine, the hand of Midas could not convert him into value enough to compenfate a twentieth part of the damage to the United States he has been acceffory to.

I am, Sir, your humble fervant,
A VIRGINIAN.

Gafconades-Tranflations of the projected Descent on England.-Paris, Nov. 21. It is very certain that the plan of defcent upon England is traced out and determined on. The expedition will take place, in concert with the two powers allied to the Republic, the Batavian Republic, and Spain. One hundred and fifty thousand men are deftined to partake of this glory. We recollect what an effect was produced by the fine contraft of the annunciation of the continental peace, and the arret of the fame day, which created the Army of England.

Nov. 29. General Defaix is already at Paris, where he is preparing the organization of the Army of England.

Fifty thousand men from the Army of Italy are to traverte France, deftined to the coafts of the Channel and the Ocean. Already thirty-five thoufand of them are arrived in the Midi.

Leclerc this day addreffed a pathetic harangue to this army: "It is in conquering London," faid he, "that

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