Citation - Rivington's New York Gazette: 1774.02.17

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Index Entry Ballad maker, in satiric essay with scattered lyrics 
Location New York 
Citation
RNYG.774.012
17 Feb 1774:22,23 (44)
To the Printer.
Hickup--Ho, Ho, Ho,--Halloo--Halloo--
Tantivy, Tantivy, Tantivy;  I being already
inspired by Bacchus;  lubricating, and relubricating
Over my Mad-madicrial-lucubrations for the interest of my
cousin Beelzebub, at midnight nearly; as it was as-tronomi-
cally calculated from Saturday the 12th of February 1774,
over my diahexapla, or my six bottles of Madeira.
  Mr. Printer, Tit for Tat (flap-dash, ranthram swash) 
I am the true bon ton or the greasy bucbu powdered,
hickuping
Hottentot Priest, *alias the common ballad-
maker,; alias the blind ballad-singer; alias the 
Hottentot Touquoa, or Fortune-Teller, and 
Conjurer, alias Pop-Li-Cola, senior; alias Timothy
Tickly Bottle;. . . 
. . . [sections such as the above are interspersed with
short poems for about a column] 
  A Tra-Tra-Tra, Travesty, and ultimo, ultimo
  And Gra-Gra-Grammatical, and apropo, apropo.
  'Tis something more than nothing, as they say,
  That makes the muleish Hottentot to bray.
     . . . [13 lines]
  He whiffs--and scopes, for conversation sake,
  But Britain's sons will wiser methods take.
O Conscience, conscience, conscience! I am for certain a bad
preacher, and a much worse teacher, and never said an
earnest prayer in my whole life; and am now under very deep
and very great concern for my numerous family; as my hurtful
precepts and black-guard examples, in writing, are by no
manner of means, recommendatory to my age and station--For--
Ad deum te commendo.
  It is an easier talk, I find to give
  Instructive rules, than by the same to live,
  For I, who oft doth teach to others, art
  Myself a stranger to the practice part.
  "Spare my blushes, hide my shame;
  Buy my ADZ--excuse my name."
    An Hottentot deeply intrenched.
  O! that rhyming, propheting, independent, Not
Cromwell Skinner;  he has detected all my impo-
sitions, falsities, nonsense, and bad spelling, to my 
shame.--And likewise all my bad poetry--He says and very
justly, that it is neither rhyme, reason, nor proper
diction. . . [38 lines]
  Now for a great swell;  all wind and bluster and no
brains.--Old Prophet come cross my hand first with a bit
of silver; then lend me your hand;  and let me hickup and
stare you full in the face and . . . . . . . . . .stars.
  There's Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars,
  Then roll the earth among the S. . . ..,
  And round the earth the moon;
  There's Venus and Mercury next,
  The Sun is in the center fix'd,
  Which makes a glorious noon.
      Abboo--Abboo
  Here rides your Braiman Priest.
  I'm on a broom my dears,
  A flimsy ariel being that no one fears,
  Your fortunes are good for many long years,
  But mine is accurs'd, which makes me shed tears.
    Yax, yux, yux; O! O! O! blubber, blubber, &c.
     . . . [7 lines]
  However, if possible, I'll chear up my spirits once more
and shake and strain off my puddled muddy-brains--Draw
t'other cork, from a gor-bellyed Bellarmin;  wine whets and 
polishes the witling;  I will just finish another Bellarmin,
and then give a specimen of my flimsy wit, in ballad-making
and then I'll swear that I found it in my friend Plump's
Krael;  Hark! to me, the as-matographer--I'll sing a 
stanza of two verses only--The remainder of my intended 
di-a-gram song continued;  I'll sing it to you after sermon
as
usual.
    III.
  A Pigeon who'd think it, alas! a fine trinket,
  Went home for a mitered cap,
  And tho' it was pretty, affected, and witty;
  Yet in obis, it has fail'd for all that.
Chorus.  Sing pretty bird sing--Why what shall I sing?
      Unless I'm a B----p, a C---k for the K--g.
    Tolde-roddle, toroddle, toroll
    Tolde-roddle, toroddle, toroll.
. . . [Verse IV with the same chorus]
    An Hottentot Priest
Dated from my Kraal, hear the Cape of Forlorn-Hope.
N.B.  Now drink and swill, and laugh your fill,
  At Madeira Hill, and try your skill;
  First pick this bone, and knaw my file,
  Then take a nap, and mend your style.
    Epitaph.
Here lyeth Timothy Ticke Bottle, dark as the Egyptian mummy.
Whose death was by a Madeira dose, which made him tipsy
funny.
_____Stop traveller, __No tears;__But beg you'll bequeath.
____A little salt-water, upon a dead Priest.
    Troddle, troddle, straddle, straddle.
. . . [16 lines following are the notes explaining the
events and persons in the above]


Generic Title Rivington's New York Gazette 
Date 1774.02.17 
Publisher Rivington, James 
City, State New York, NY 
Year 1774 
Bibliography B0042693
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