Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-02-15
THE SONG OF THE vERMoXTERs.

Ho, all to the borders. Vermonters come down.
With your breeches of deer-skin, and jackets Of
brown;
With your red " ooen caps, and your moccasins,
come
To the gathering summons of trumpet and drum
Come down with your rifles let gray wolf and
fox
Howl on in the shade Of their primitive rocks;
Let the bear feed securely from pig-pen and stall:
Here's two-leRged game for your pow der and ball.
on our south comes the Dutchman,. enyeloped in
And arming for battle While canting for peace:
On our east crafty Mesnech' has gathered his
band,
To hang up our leaders and eat out our land
Ho all to the rescue, For Satan shall work
No gain for his legions of Hampshire and York
They claim our possessions the pitiful knaves-
The tribute We pay shall be prisons and graves
Let Clinton and Ten Brock; With brides IN their
hands,
still seek to divide us and parcel our lands:
" eve coats for our traitors whoever they are
lie warp is Of feathers, the filing of tar,
oes the "Old Bay State" threaten: Does Con.
gresS complains
S"arms Hampshire in arms on our borders again,
ark the war dogs of Britain aloud on the lake,
LIT EN- come what they can, they are welcome
to take
What seek they among US: The pride of our
wealth
Is comfort, contentment. aud labor and health,
Independent OF all save the mercies of God.
Yet we owe no allegiance: We bow to no throne;
Our ruler is law and the law is our own;
our leaders themselves are our own fellow men,
Who can handle the sword, or the scythe, or the
pen.
our wives are all true and our daughters are fair
With their blue eyes of smiles, and their light
All brisk at their wheels till the dark eventual,
Then blithe at the sieigh-ride, the husking, and
ball.
We've sheep on the hillside; we've cows on the
And gay -tasseled corn fields, and rank growing
grain;
There are deer On the mountains and wood. pig,
cons fly
From the crack of our muskets, like clouds on
the sky.
And there's fish in our streamlets and rivers,
which take
Their course from the hills to our broad. bosomed
lake:
Through rock -arched winooski the salmon leaps
Tree.
And the portly ,had follows all fresh from the
Like a sunbeam the picbere side- through his
And the spotted trout sleeps where the water is
or darts from his shelter of rock and of root,
At the beavers quick plunge, or the anglers pur-
sun
Ana ours are the mountains winch aWiul.N rise.
Til they rest their green heads ON the top OF the
skies;
And ours are the forests unwasted, unshoru,
save where the wild path OF the tempest is torn.
Aud though savage and wild be this climate of
And brief be our seas Of fruit. and of flowers.
Far dearer the blast round our mountain which
raves.
Than the sweet summer zephyr which Dreathes
over slaves.
il
Must have sons to defend her, from valley and
hill:
Leave the harvest to rot on the field where it
And the reaping of wheat for the rcaping of foes
From far Michiscow's wild valley to where
Poosoomsuck steals down from his wood-circled
From shocticook river to Lutterlock town
Ho, ell 70 the rescue, Nermonters, come down,
Come York or come Hampshire. come traitors
and knaveS,
Ii ye uie DER our land, ye shall rule DER our
graves:
our vow is recorded, our banner unfurled
In he name Of Vermont We defy all the world rs
*The alusion is 10 the claim Of New York to
ownership Of the whole territory which is now the
state q Nermunt-a claim which the Nermonters
not only resisted WITH force of arms but declared
their absolute independence and maintained il
for nearly - years
tHon. Meshech Weare, governor of New Ramp
shire.
,Gov. Clinton of New York and Hon A. Ten
Brock. president of the New York convention
SEather than fail. will retire with my hardy
Green Mountain boys to the desolate caverns Of
the mountains. and wage war with human nature
AT large Ethan Aliens letter to Congress
March 2, 1871.
lNoTE.-The correspondence between Mr. Rob
erts and Mr.. Whittier in regard TO the Song of
the Nermonters' was printed in the Burlington
Free Press Aug (, 1877, and reprinted by the New
YORK Times. II seems a singular fact that the
slip from the Times, from which this publication
is made was sent to The PhHniX from South
Am rica by the late Carlos 5. Brown, native of
DummerSton who sIent the closing years of his
int in Honda. United states OF Colombia retain
ing to the last lively and affectonate interest in
everything relating to his native state,