Your letter, dear Mary, tho' resting so long,
Without a response, gave us infinite pleasure;
For seldom indeed, in the language of song,
And verse of so beautiful, smooth-flowing measure,
Have we met with the news and events of the day,
Reported and told, in so pleasing a way--
Is it _thus_, that the _Muses_ to each other write,
And render e'en _absence_, a source of delight?
_Euterpe_, perhaps, (ever partial, they say
To a _musical_ fête,) your concert attended,
And pleased with your talent to sing and to play,
Thought _music_ with _poetry_ happily blended--
And so, when you took up the pen to prepare
An account of your party, to make it more rare,
Bade you write it _in verse_--and _assisted_ you too,
To get up a style, so romantic and new.
Be this as it may--'tis certain that such
As have been indulged with a sight of your letter,
_Sans compliment_, all, have admired it much,
And say, of its kind, that they never read better.
But how can _we_ answer, in similar style,
A missive like yours?--we are sure you will smile
At our awkward and feeble attempt to compose,
An answer in verse, in our accent of prose.
But smile, if you please--even laugh, if you choose--
We _must_ make an effort to put rhymes together,
To give you some _items_ of Williamsburg news,
And tell you how well we got thro' the cold weather:
In converse and reading, we passed with delight,
The keen winter morning, the long winter night,
With a family never surpassed upon earth,
In kind hospitality, virtue and worth.
'Tis said, this _old city_ has seen its best days--
We cannot think so--its present possessors
Are subjects of just admiration and praise--
Whether _Judges_ or _Lawyers_, or learned _Professors_--
All mingle with freedom and ease in the throng,
And move in the current of fashion along;
At the _ball_, or the _board_, or the cheery _fire side_,
Society's ornament, pleasure and pride.
"And are there no _Doctors_ (perhaps you exclaim)
Distinguished by talents and virtues and merit?"
O yes, there are several; whom if we but _name_,
Or mention their liberal and generous spirit,
"The Messenger's" Critic may cry out--"O fie!
_Who ever blamed Hercules?_" Subjects so high,
Like Washington, need not a line to exalt
Their virtues and worth--_Who ever blamed G----?_
The fear we suggest, of the "Messenger's" lash,
As you well may imagine, is merely pretension;
Its _Critics_ at monarch-like _Hickories_ dash,
And smile at _flowret_ or _shrub's_ apprehension--
_Palmettoes_ escape too! but, _Party_, away!
'Tis time, to the _birthnight_ our homage to pay;
E'en _the Critic_ himself, we hope may agree
To spare our "_Sic semper_--PATRI PATRIÆ!"
The ball of the _birthnight_, on Monday took place,
And, once more, the hall of the _ancient Apollo_,
Assembled a train of youth, beauty, and grace,
In which, well escorted, we ventured to follow:
_Professors_ and _students_, the _bench_ and the _bar_,
The _single_ and _married_ of both sexes, _there_,
In mirth and good humor, the hours employed,
Partook of the _dance_, or the _music_ enjoyed.
The _supper_ was _superabundant_--in fine,
No _gourmand_ complained of a scanty provision
Of flesh, fish, or fowl--or of excellent wine,
Which _Bacchus's_ tribe thought a charming addition;
But the _nymphs_ and the _graces_ impatiently flew
To the ball room again, the _dance_ to renew;
And thoughtless of sleep or repose, in their glee,
Kept it up, it is said, till full _two_ or _three_.
Of the cake, fruit, and wine, there yet was such store,
Laid in and prepared for the festive occasion,
That the Managers thought of _a hop or two_ more,
As a matter of justice and easy persuasion;
So, on several nights, the beauty and grace
Of the young and the old that distinguish the place,
With music and dancing enlivened the hall,
Till the close of the week, gave repose to us all.
All needed it much; for a deep fall of snow,
Fatigued as we were, to _sleighing_ invited--
And who could refuse, pray, a gallant young _beau_,
_Alcibiades_ like, with _driving_ delighted?--
Thro' the streets, and _around and around_ on the _square_,
For the _belles_ and the _bells_, were all gathered _there_,
What racing--what contests _Olympic_ were seen,
On the snow-white expanse of the _cidevant_ green!
We have not half finished the _sleighing_ affair,
With some other topics of social diversion,
But here we must stop--as we now must prepare
For a trip to old _York_, on a pleasure excursion--
We _wish_ you were with us. Your eloquent pen
Might _there_ find a scene to amuse us again,
With lively description of things "old and new"--
But the carriage is waiting; so, dear girl, _adieu!_