Early American Ballads. 253
His high silk stock around his neck, With old Scotch snuff is always specked, His nankeen vest and ruffled frill, Smells of jalap, aloes, and calomel.
He rides about in an old green chaise, And doses patients night and day, While many an unreceipted bill Shows right much loss in calomel.
His good wife seldom leaves the house, But labors for her faithful spouse, She cooks his food and makes his pills, With seven grains of calomel.
At last the good old doctor died, And was mourned by people far and wide, Yet strange to tell, when he was ill, He would not take his calomel. 1
It has been observed that, of the historical ballads formerly current in New England, some have been printed. Among these is espe- cially to be mentioned the song of Lovewell's Fight, which is said to have been in its day " the most beloved song in New England." Of this ballad two versions were published in "Collections, Histori- cal and Miscellaneous," by J. Farmer and J. B. Moore, Concord, 1824, vol. ii. pp. 64 and 94. The first and oldest of these recounts with considerable spirit the events of the combat in 1725 : —
Of worthy Captain Love well I purpose now to sing, jilow valiantly he served his country and his king ; He and his valiant soldiers did range the woods full wide, And hardships they endured to quell the Indians' pride.
'Twas nigh unto Pigwacket, on the eighth day of May, They spied a rebel Indian soon after break of day; He on a bank was walking, upon a neck of land, Which leads into a pond, as we 're to understand.
" Our valiant English," as the song calls Lovewell's men, see an Indian, whom they approach with caution, fearing ambush ; however, the Indian shoots Lovewell and another, but is himself shot down in his flight.
Then, having scalped the Indian, they went back to the spot, Where they had laid their packs down, but there they found them not ; For the Indians having spied them, when they them down did lay, Did seize them for their plunder, and carry them away.
1 Sung in New Berne, N. C, about 1800. Contributed by Mrs. E. M. Backus.
�� �
