Alack, alack! he might have stay'd
And followed here the scribbling trade,
And lived without the royal aid.
But democratic laws he hated,
Our government he so be-rated
That his own projects he defeated.
He took his leave from Sandy-Hook,
And parted with a surly look,
That all observed and few mistook.
[173] From the 1815 edition. William Cobbett sailed for England in June, 1800.
[174] Cobbett was sued by Dr. Rush for libel, was found guilty, and compelled to pay a fine of $5,000.
THE NAUTICAL RENDEZVOUS[175]
Written at a house in Guadaloupe, in 1800, where they were collecting Recruits for a Privateer
The ship preparing for the main
Enlists a wild, but gallant train,
Who in a moving jail would roam
Disgusted with the world at home.