Beating a parly on he went:
The captain ask’d for what he came?
He said, From gen’ral Stapleton,
To you, Sir Governor, with this letter,
’Tis to surrender, You can’t do better.
Then to your Gen’ral this answer give,
“No letters from rebels I’ll receive,
“I shall do better, and him defy,
“Ev’n to the last extremity.”
The drummer return’d to Stapleton,