The Patowmac Guardian, And Berkeley Advertiser

TO MY OLD HAT.

From the Freeman's Journal.

An Address to my Old Hat.

Two years acquainted, must we part?
The very thought afflicts my heart.
Sheltering my head from sun and storm,
You keep it either cool or warm,
Tho' fashionable folks extol
The covert of the Parasol,
To patriotism and virtue true,
Still my old Hat, I stick to you.
But now (as time and fate decree)
Alas! you scarcely stick to me.
Although no Buckle you could boast,
Whose lustre charm'd the blooming toast.
Yet daily freed from dust or rain,
You grac'd the town or deck'd the plain,
At times, (your genuine form display'd)
The oro dispens'd an equal shade.
Triangular you next appear'd,
By gentle Belles, and Beaux rever'd.
Now one-third cock'd, the cock behind,
You shield the face from sun and wind.
Whether compos'd of wool or fur,
Who can in praising thee demur?
The college-cap some slightly prize,
The Turk's fierce Turban we despise,
The Straw Hat justly you disdain,
That thing which dares usurp your name;
And Liberty, with many a frown,
Beholds both coronet and crown.
Since, my old Hat! I you respect,
Let none my humble strains reject,
Thus you your functions may perform,
And shield my head from many a storm.

EPAMINONDAS.