The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-11-13 00:00:00, page 4

On another bill it impre&d a wild boar of the foreß ruffing on
the (pear of the hunter ; with this motto, Aut mors aut
VTA SacetA; which may he traaflated— Death \ u r Liberty.
The wiki boar is as animal of great ftreogth and courage, armed
with long and (harp tufa, which he well knows how to ufc in his
defeocr. Me is ind&ive while fuffcred to enj >y his freedom
but when teufed and wounded by the hunter, often turns and
makes him pay dearly far his iojuftice and temerity..
On another is drawn an c^gle on the wing, pouncing upon a
grant, who turns upon bis back, and receives the e>gle on the
point of his long bill which pierces the eagle's breatt ; with this
motto, Extras im dubio bst ; —The ev.nl is uncertain The
eagle, I fupp^fe, re^ feats Great Britain, the cr ne America.
This device offers an admonition to each of the contending par
ties. To the crane, not to depend too much on the success of
its endeavor; ft avoid the coated (by petition negociation, &: )
bat prepare for ufiog the means of d fence God and nature hath
given it ; and to the eagle tot to prelate oo its fupcrior ftreogth,
&ce a weaker bird may wound it mortally.
Sunt dubis eventus ince r taque preia martis :
Vincitur, basso raro, qui pr,% vifler erat.
On another bill we hare a thorny bujh which a band seems at
tempting to eradicate. The hand appears to b eed, as pricked
by the (pines. The motto is GUSTINE vel abs time; wrich
may be rendered, Bear wirb me or let me alone ; or thus Either
/port or leave me The both I suppose to mean America and the
bleeding hand Britain. Would to God that bleeding were
flopt. the wounds of that hand healed, and its future operations
directed by wildcat and equity ; bflull the hawthorn flam (h,
and form an It dge aroaod it, annoying with her thorns only its
iar^iog enemies.
Another bath the figure of a beaver gnawing a large tree, with
this motto, Pbrseverambo: By per/eversnee. I apprehend
the great tree may be intended to represent the enormous p,wcr
Britain has affamed over us, aid endeavour, to enforce by arms,
of taxing m at pleafare, and binding us in all cases whatfaver,
as the exorbitant prefix (h: makes by monopolizing oar com
aferce. Then the beaver which is known to be able, by affi Ju,
ous aad steady working, to fell Urge trees, may fyofy America,
which, by perfeveraace in her prefeat measures, will probably
reduce that power within proper bounds, qnd by eftiblilhiog the
Soft oeceiury manufactures among ourf&es, abolish the British
menoply.
another bill we hire the plant acanthus, fproutiog oo all
der a weight placed open it, with the motto, DapaaisA
AasuaoiT ; Though o^pregedit rifa The ancients tellur, that
the fight ol(noh an accidental circumftaaee garg the firft hint to
an arabite#, in forming the beautiful capital of the Corinthian
Coamo. This, perhaps, was intended to encourage us, by ie
presenting, that oar prefect oppressions will not defray as, bat
thatthe, m,, by iacroiGeg oar indalry, and forcin' it, inho
n^wcaafes, famafc the prosperity of out country, apd establish
that prosperity on the bast of lioerty, and the, well proportioned
pitte of property, elevated for a pleafiog (prattle to all con
wifcurs, who can taste and delight in the architecture of human
happitnfr'
The figure of a bind and flail over (heaves offbeat, with the
motto, T&ustfLATio DtDAT, Threshing improves it (which we
find on another of the ^ills)may perhaps be intended to admonifo
us, that though at prefeat we are uader the fail, its blows, how
Frem the PENNSYLVANIAGAZ^TTE;
To the PRt NTERS.
Gentlemem,
Nrihplanation of the Devices on the Continental Bids of Credit
having yet appeared, 1 fend you the following Account of them,
with my CoijeAures of their Meaning.
CLERICUS.
AN emblematical Device, when rightly formed, is laid to
confitt of two ,gyrts, a body and a mind, neither of which
if com pleat or intelligible, without the aid of the other. The
figure is called the b,a,, the motto the mind. These 'hat I am
about to confider appear formed on that rule, and seem to relate
to the prefect druggie between the colonies and the parent date,
for liberty, property, and fafety on the one hand, -for abfo^c
power and plunder oo the other.
On one denomination of the bills there is the (igu r e of a harp,
with this motto, Majoba minoribus consonant literally.
The grater and /matter ones found together . As <bt harp is an id
foam?■JomP°fcd of great and (male brings included io a firong
frame, V.J all so toned as to agree in concord with each other I
conceive that the frame may be intended to represent our new
government by a Continental Cougrefs ; and the firings of dis
ftreat lengths and fub&ance, either the feverai colonies of dis
ferent weight and force, or the various ranks of people in all of
them who arc now united by that government io the most per
fta harmony.
hard footer, trill te tther advantageous iho hatful t,us : so,
they whl bring forth e er, grain of gewus and meriv, in art£.
mout.acres w.r and council, that are oww concealed i, the :&&
and then the 'breath of a breeze will be (efficient to fefrarate fra^
os all the chaff of Toryim Tribulation toe, in tur English
leak eftbe word, improves the mind, it m^kes us tumbler, and
teod* td make os wiser. And sh,efhi^g in one of i^s feefes, that
of bearing often improves thcle that are iMelhrd. Many act
iawarhkc nation have been beaten into heroes b, troablcfom^
Warlike neighbours ; and the coorinoance cf a far, though it
less os the numbers of a people often eucreJes it ftreogth, by
the iacreafed difeiplite aod con/cq^ot courage cf the rumbef
remaining Thus England, after ntr civil w?r ibrihich her peo
p'e threshed coe another, became pore formid/b c to her veigl#-
hours. The public difireft: oo that arim from w*r, by ibCrcsfeg
frugality and iadadry, often ffves habits that remfoin after the
diftreU is orer. and thereby naturally enriches thole oo wheto it
hat enforced these enriching virtues.
Another of these bills has for its deric% , a flares „efcendirg
from a b ack b^v, cloud, with the motto, SEREN^BJg ;It
uiC clear up Ibis seems defyned to eccogrsge fc defaced;
who may be too feci ' ^ of prefect inconveoieoccß, and fearvihcir
continuance. It reminds them, agreeable to the act ge,that 4,tsr
a fl^m comes a calm, or as Horace more elegant , has si.
Informer b,ernes reduci, Jupiter : idem Jummovet.
Non fima'.e nu c et olirn
Sic erst NefseJemper arcum tendit Apollo.
On another bii there is (tamped the topic Mentation cf a ti?n-
pefluwjea ; a face with swollen cheeks, wr*pt io a black cl# IH,
appearing to bow violently on the waters, the maves 'high % d
allro'log me way ; The motto Vi concitata ; which mi y
be rendered, raised b, force. From the rcn)o.c(t antiquity, in fi
gurative language great waters have lignified the people, and watt cs
an icfuireaion. The peop eof themfelscs arc (applied as net a
rally inclined to be Ibll; as the water, t remain level qjis (.
Their rfi^g hre appears not to be from any internal c&e, ba t
from an iotetnal power, e^pc/Ted by the head ts JEo'us, Gil
of the wind; (or Boreal the North wied, as ufudiy the molt via -
lent) saiog furiooft; up^n them. The black cood perhaps det'
Ggns the Braifh Parliament, and the waves the co onics. Their
rolling all in one direction (hews, that the very force uled a„aiatl
th&m has produced their unanimity. On the reverie of this bill,,
we have a fmootb fcr; the fais of (hips on that fca hanging!
loose (hews a pcrfc& calm ; the fan (h nieg felly droo^a a clearl
&,. The motto ^CE^ANTE VENTO, CObQUI^CEMUS ^
The wino ceafi gme fbsC be quiet. Suppofig my expanatioag
es the proceeding device to be right, this will probably import^
that when those violent alls of power, which have reused the co ^
lonics, are repealed, they will return to the^r former trarquili ,„(
Britain fc^s thus charged with bring the folc cause of the pt
feat civil war, at the fame time that the only mole of putting ad
cod to it is thus plainly pointed cut to her.
The last is a wreath of laurel pn a marble monument or altar'.
The motto, SI REGETE FAC'ES ; Ij you aA right). Th ; a
seems intended as an encouragement to a biave end fleadf conk
d^a in defence of oar liberties, as it promises to crown with h^
nbur, by the laurel wreath, those who petfevere to the cod in
well doing; and with a long duration of that honour, expreffdd
by the monument of marble.
A learned friend of mine thinks this device tnore particularly
addrefcd to the Congress, He fays ttys ancients composed
tor their heroes a wreath of laurel, oak and olive twigs, iattrwjf
ven ; agreeable to the diftindh.
E lauro, querfte afque olca, duce digna corona.
Prudentum, fortem, pacificumqc decet.
Of laurel, as tint tree was dedicated to Apollo, and onderfa of
to figrify knsw'edge and prudence ; of oak as ptryioifyn to 'fu.
pirer, and expreffiag fortitude ; of olive, as the tree of P& I as,
and as a (ym^ol ofpra^e. The whole to flow, that those a ho
are intruded to conduct the great affairs of mankind (hould aft
prudently and firmly, retaining, above a 1!, a pacific difpofi i on.
This wfeth was firfl placed on an a tar, :u admorifh the h era
whu was to be crowned with it, that true glory is founded oot nd
proceeds from piety. My friend therefore thicks, the prel ent
device might intend a wreathe of that composite kind, then gh,
from the fmaUneh of the work, the engraver cruld fiot mark ^if
tiafely the differing leases : And he is rather confirmed in hi# o
pinion that this is defigoed as an admonition to the Cengrefs, uihen
he coofidered the passage in Horace from whence, the motto is
taken, Rex eris, aiunh
Si rede facies.
To which also Aufonius alludes,
f^,i re&ftfaciet nm qui dominatur erit R-x,
Not the King's Parliament, who aft wrflg, b^ ths Peop'e's Ci »•
grefs, if it a^s rights foil govern America.