The Sot-weed Factor | Page 4

Glass of Rum about;
Pleas'd with the
Treatment I did find,
I took my leave of Oast so kind;
Who to
oblige me, did provide,
His eldest son to be my Guide,
And lent me Horses of his own,

A skittish Colt, and aged Rhoan,

The four-leg'd prop of his Wife _Joan_:
Steering our Barks in Trot or
Pace,
We sail'd directly for a place
In _Mary-Land_, of high
renown,
Known by the Name of Battle-Town.
To view the Crowds did there resort,
Which Justice made, and Law

their sport,
In that sagacious County Court:
Scarce had we enter'd on the way,
Which thro' thick Woods and
Marshes lay;
But _Indians_ strange did soon appear,
In hot persuit
of wounded Deer;
No mortal Creature can express,
His wild
fantastick Air and Dress;
His painted Skin in Colours dy'd,
His sable hair in Satchel ty'd,

Shew'd Savages not free from Pride;
His tawny Thighs, and Bosom
bare,
Disdain'd a useless Coat to wear,
Scorn'd Summer's Heat, and
Winter's Air;
His manly shoulders such as please
Widows and
Wives, were bathed in grease,
Of Cub and Bear, whose supple Oil

Prepar'd his Limbs 'gainst Heat or Toil.
Thus naked Pict in Battel
fought,
Or undisguis'd his Mistress sought;
And knowing well his
Ware was good,
Refus'd to screen it with a Hood;
His visage dun, and chin that ne'er
Did Raizor feel or Scissers bare,

Or knew the Ornament of Hair,
Look'd sternly Grim, surprized with
Fear,
I spur'd my Horse as he drew near:
But Rhoan who better
knew than I,
The little Cause I had to fly;
Seem'd by his solemn
steps and pace,
Resolv'd I shou'd the Specter face,
Nor faster mov'd,
tho' spur'd and lick'd,
Than _Balaam's_ Ass by Prophet kick'd.

_Kekicknitop_ (q) the Heathen cry'd;
How is it, _Tom_, my Friend
reply'd,
Judging from thence the Brute was civil,
I boldly fac'd the
Courteous Devil;
And lugging out a Dram of Rum,
I gave his
Tawny worship some:
Who in his language as I guess,
(My Guide informing me no less,)

Implored the (r) Devil, me to bless.
I thank'd him for his good Intent,

And forwards on my Journey went,
Discoursing as along I rode,

Whether this Race was framed by God,
Or whether some Malignant
pow'r,
Contriv'd them in an evil hour,
And from his own Infernal
Look,
Their Dusky form and Image took:
From hence we fell to
Argument
Whence Peopled was this Continent.
My Friend suppos'd

_Tartarians_ wild,
Or _Chinese_ from their Home exiled,
Wandering thro' Mountains hid with Snow
And Rills did in the
Vallies flow
Far to the South of _Mexico_:
Broke thro' the Barrs
which Nature cast
And wide unbeaten Regions past,
Till near those
Streams the humane deludge roll'd,
Which sparkling shin'd with
glittering Sands of Gold
And fetch'd (s) _Pizarro_ from the (t)
_Iberian_ Shoar,
To rob the Natives of their fatal Stoar.
I smil'd to
hear my young Logician
Thus reason like a Politician;
Who ne're
by Father's Pains and Earning
Had got at Mother _Cambridge_
Learning;
Where Lubber youth just free from birch
Most stoutly
drink to prop the Church;
Nor with (u) _Grey Groat_ had taken Pains

To purge his Head and Cleanse his Reines:
And in obedience to the
Colledge,
Had pleas'd himself with carnal knowledge:
And tho' I
lik'd the youngster's Wit,
I judg'd the Truth he had not hit;
And
could not chuse but smile to think
What they could do for Meat and
Drink,
Who o'er so many Desarts ran
With Brats and Wives in
_Caravan_;
Unless perchance they'd got the Trick,
To eat no more
than Porker sick;
Or could with well contented Maws
Quarter like
(v) Bears upon their Paws.
Thinking his Reasons to confute,
I
gravely thus commenc'd Dispute,
And urged that tho' a _Chinese_
Host,
Might penetrate this _Indian_ Coast,
Yet this was certainly
most true,
They never cou'd the Isles subdue;
For knowing not to
steer a Boat,
They could not on the Ocean float,
Or plant their
Sunburnt Colonies,
In Regions parted by the Seas;

I thence inferr'd
(w) _Phoenicians_ old,
Discover'd first with Vessels bold
These
Western Shoars, and planted here,
Returning once or twice a Year,

With _Naval Stoars_ and Lasses kind,
To comfort those were left
behind;
Till by the Winds and Tempest toar,
From their intended
Golden Shoar,
They suffer'd Ship-wreck, or were drown'd,
And lost
the World so newly found.
But after long and learn'd Contention,

We could not finish our dissention;
And when that both had talk'd
their fill,
We had the self same Notion still.
Thus Parson grave well

read and Sage,
Does in dispute with Priest engage;
The one protests
they are not Wise,
Who judge by (x) Sense and trust their Eyes;

And vows he'd burn for it at Stake,
That Man may God his Maker
make;
The other smiles at his Religion,
And vows he's but a learned
Widgeon:
And when they have empty'd all their Stoar
From Books or Fathers,
are not more
Convinc'd or wiser than before.
Scarce had we finish'd
serious Story,
But I espy'd the Town before me,
And roaring
Planters on the ground,
Drinking of Healths in Circle round:

Dismounting Steed with friendly Guide,
Our Horses to a Tree we ty'd,

And forwards pass'd among the Rout,
To chuse convenient
_Quarters_ out:
But being none were to be found,
We sat like
others on the ground
Carousing Punch in open Air,
Till Cryer did
the Court declare;
The planting Rabble being met
Their Drunken
Worships likewise set;
Cryer proclaims that Noise shou'd cease

And streight the Lawyers broke the Peace:
Wrangling for