Virginia Argus

As domestic manufactures are beginning to come into fashion, I hope that of Poetry (among others) will, at least, meet the encouragement of being honored with a reading, when it appears in a newspaper, and the Printer demands no additional payment for it; though greater encouragement than this cannot be expected by a poor Bard in the present hard times.

This being the case, I have determined, during the Embargo, to devote a portion of my time to Poetry, for the good of the public, & the rest to some other pursuit, for my own support. There has been a time, indeed, when a Poem would not even be read, unless it was known to have been written on the other side of the water, and Virginian Verses were treated with as much contempt as Virginia Cloth.

That time, however, is passed, the strong predilection for every thing British having happily been done away, and succeeded by some degree of national pride, and some little fondness for the productions of our own country. Under these fortunate circumstances, I have commenced a series of "PATRIOTIC ODES for the year 1808" and, by way of a sample of my manufacture, now send you "an address to the muse," composed by way of a prelude, or introduction to the rest. If you like it sufficiently to insert it in your paper, you will probably soon hear again from

VIRGINIENSIS.

PATRIOTIC ODES FOR THE YEAR

1808.

ODE 1.

AN ADDRESS TO THE MUSE.

Goddess divine! by whom, in ancient times,
All laws were given and lessons taught,
Inspir'd by whom, in Greek and Gothic climes,
Their sages sung, their heroes fought!

I now invoke thee to Columbia's shore!
Oh come, and leave it never more!

Goddess of poverty! who teachest those,
To whom thou dost thy charms disclose,
To love thee for thyself alone:..

Who makest thy favorites glad, tho' void
of cash,
And nobly scorn the glitt'ring trash;

To me let all thy beauties then be known.
And let thy presence from this happy land
The demon avarice expel;
(The virtues (pure and hallowed band,)
Redeeming from his deadly sway,
Which misers, rogues and usurers obey,)
And send him howling to his native hell.

Tho' here exists a money-loving crew
Of bank men, shavers, sharpers bold,
Voracious speculators not a few,
And office hunters all a-thirst for gold. ;

Tho' mean self interest seems to rule,
With boundless sway,
While wealth (with many) dignifies a fool,
Or makes the beams of honor 'round a
villain play ;

Yet some there are who love their country
more
Than private interest, offices or pelf ;
Who do not Mammon's deity adore,
And are not govern'd by the love of self.

Thy voice, oh Goddess, others, too, might
turn,
And cause their breasts with patriot zeal
to burn.

Come then, and aid me, while the lay
Is dedicated to my country's cause ;
Her rights, her wrongs, her duties to dis.
play,
And justly praise the champions of her
laws.

Now that her enemies (with strength re-
new'd,)
Are striving to destroy her,
To drive fair freedom from the earth,
Or slay her in the land which gave her birth,

Oh! be my verse with energy endued,
To lash with satire's scourge, the scoun-
drels who annoy her

Now that a wise embargo (laid to save,
Her sons from slavery, and their wealth
From burial in an Admiralty grave,
To force our foes to do us right,
And victory secure without a fight.)

The slaves of avarice still elude by stealth;
Now that they toil to serve a foreign state,
And pull our own down by th' embargo's
weight,.

Now, Goddess, now, or never, help what's
written
To free us from dependency on Britain;
Nor less, I pray thee, too, the verse advance,
Scourging submission to imperial France.

Instruct us how to shun them both,
Relying on ourselves alone,
And using (nothing loath)
No manufactures but our own.

Teach us of Freedom only to be proud,
With virtue and religion to be best,
And trust to Heaven the rest.

'Tis done. The Goddess comes. From
yonder cloud
Which opens, she reveals her glorious face,
And form refulgent with celestial grace.

I feel her spirit breathing thro' my heart,
And to Columbia thus her dictates I impart