CHRONICLES OF NATHAN BEN SADDI PHILOBIBLON CLUB 1904 A FRAGMENT OF THE CHRONICLES OF NATHAN BEN SADDI OF THIS BOOK ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY COPIES ARE PRINTED ON HAND-MADE PAPER Olljrflmrlpa of Natlian Mm BahU PRINTED IN PHILADELPHIA BY JAMES CHATTIN, 1758 M FACSIMILE PHILADELPHIA 1904 a^,z P^ ^ JIJL a 1904 R CoDvneht Entry . CLASS ft_ XXo. No. 9 t O 3 COPYRIGHT, 1904 BY THE PHILOBIBLON CLUB INTRODUCTORY NOTE INTRODUCTORY NOTE BY SAMUEL W. PENNYPACKER IN order properly to appreciate the remarkable Colonial Satire, entitled A Fragment of the Chronicles of Nathan Ben Saddiy printed in Phila- delphia by James Chattin in 1758, it is necessary to have some knowledge of the people and political conditions in Pennsylvania at the time of the French and Indian War and the period imme- diately prior and subsequent to that im- portant epoch. The Quakers had been in control of the Province since the time of William Penn and had a majority in the Assembly. They were supported by the Mennonites, Dunkers, Schwenkfelders, and Moravians, who represented among the Ger- mans those people whose religious views were opposed to warfare. They constituted the larger number of the inhabitants, and, in a political sense, may be designated as the Popular Party. Antagonistic to them was another party, at the head of which stood the Governor, appointed by the Proprietaries, composed of those who held office under him, the Church of England people, the Scotch - Irish, and the Lutherans and Reformed among the Germans, and desig- nated as the Proprietary Party. At each session of the Assembly for many years Isaac Norris, of Philadelphia, a man of wealth and culture, who possessed a fine library and used a book-plate and whose family more than a 8 half century before had emigrated from Jamaica, was chosen Speaker. The Chron- icle depicts him as proud and wielding great influence — "I bid one go and he goeth and another run and he runneth." The Assem- blies and the successive Governors were in a state of chronic contention, and each event as it arose was used by one or the other as a means of holding or securing the advantage. When the difficulties with the French threatened war and it began to appear prob- able that they would have the assistance of the Indians, Governor Robert Hunter Mor- ris wrote a message urging the necessity of taxation and a militia law in order that preparations for defence might be made, but the Assembly was controlled by Quakers who had always been able to live in accord with the natives without recourse to arms. While they passed a militia law it was not compulsory and they proposed to include in the scheme of taxation the proprietary estates, which led to controversy. At this time William Moore, President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County, and a Colonel in the Pro- vincial Militia, son of John Moore, who was Queen Anne's Collector of the Port at Philadelphia, was living at his home at Moore Hall on the banks of the Pickering Creek, in Chester County. He wrote in 1755 a letter in which he said he was coming to the city at the head of two thou- sand men to compel the Assembly to enact a law to provide for the defence of the Province. Meanwhile a number of peti- tions were presented to the Assembly, in great part no doubt instigated by political opponents, complaining of numerous acts of alleged injustice committed by Moore in his judicial office, and thereupon that body cited him to appear before them and make response. He denied their right to sit in judgment upon his conduct and later pub- lished in the newspapers an Address in which he berated the Assembly for what he regarded as its many failures in the perform- ance of duty. The Assembly had a hearing in his absence, asked the then Governor, William Denny, for his removal from office, and treating his paper as a breach of the privilege of the House directed its Sergeant- at-Arms to arrest him and Dr. William Smith, the first Provost of the College, who afterwards married a daughter of Moore and was supposed to have taken part in the preparation of the offensive paper. They were both thrown into prison, but were released by the Governor after the adjourn- ment of the House, and Smith carried the matter before the throne of Great Britain with the result that the King reproved the Assembly for its action. These events, the details of which may be found in T'he Life and Times of D?\ William Smithy Dr. Stille's Memoir of Dr. William Smithy and my own Historical a7id Biographical Sketches and Annals of Phcenixville, caused a great excite- ment throughout the Province and led to the production of much controversial litera- ture in newspapers and pamphlets. David James Dove, a rather acrid schoolmaster, living in Philadelphia, of whom while in England some anecdotes are told in a book, entitled The Life and Adventures of the Chevalier Taylor^ and who has secured a renewed immortality by the publication of Dr. S. Weir Mitchell's admirable novel Hugh Wynne^ wrote some verses, entitled Labor in Vain, or an Attempt to Wash the 12 Black-Moore U^hite^ which were widely cir- culated as a broadside accompanied by a caricature. Of the Fragment of the Chroni- cles of Nathan Ben Saddi only two copies are known to me and both are in the library of the Library Company of Philadel- phia. Its false imprint and its concealment of the names of the persons referred to have no doubt caused its importance to be over- looked and have prevented its preservation. The present facsimile is a reproduction of one of the copies in the Philadelphia Library. Its author is unknown, but he was, of course, a member of the Proprietary Party. The notes upon one of the MS. fly-leaves are in the hand of the late Charles R. Hildeburn, and I have accepted his in- terpretation of the characters as correct. As to the most of them there can be no doubt whatever. To Benjamin Franklin, 13 who appears as Adonis, the Scribe, is ac- corded the credit of suggesting that an attempt be made by the Assembly to incite the people against the Governor. At this time he was the Clerk of the Assembly, and the printing of the votes and the laws con- stituted a large part of his private business. He is described as having learned to say "the things that was not," and as asserting concerning himself, "I am one of them that are peaceable. ... If any man draweth a cane across my mouth I lick, the dirt as a serpent ; and if any man call me rascal in one ear I turn the other and bid him say on." This fling would seem to hint at an incident in his career not elsewhere narrated. The original of Daniel the Ethiopian was Daniel Roberdeau, of Philadelphia. Even a satire may be of value in giving information as to character and appearance, 14 and we may safely infer that Roberdeau was swarthy and taciturn. To the query of Isaac, the Judge, following the suggestions of Adonis, the Scribe, his answer was the monosyllable, "Yea." Nathaniel Grubb, of Chester County, called "Gruban, the son of Ashbosheth," was probably fluent. The Chronicle says of him that he was noisy, " for he spake and said nothing, and he talked and no reason was found." Shiptol, the Hermaphrodite, was Thomas Leech, and he is described as without means and a dependent of Isaac Norris. Hughall, the son of Gomarg, was John Hughes, of Philadelphia County. If the Chronicle is correct he must at one time have been a baker. He was one of the close political friends of Franklin, who at the time of the passage of the Stamp Act had him appointed Collector of Stamp 15 Duties. It was to him that Franklin wrote his famous letter denouncing those who were opposing the British Government and calling them rebels. Masterol of the suburbs, William Masters, of Philadelphia, through whose property the present Master Street in the northern part of the city runs, seems to have been reticent, "for he never spoke." Asber, the son of Amittai, George Ashbridge of Chester County, who has the distinction of having sat in the Assembly for forty years, the longest period of service down to the present time, is described as "stiff but not stately, gloomy but not grave." Tochal, the son of Stentor, John Douglass of Lancaster County, had a voice of thunder, "but without lightning." Wane- i6 reth, Isaac Wayne of Chester County, the father of the most brilliant of Revolutionary soldiers, and ev^er a political opponent of Moore, of Moore Hall, though both were members of St. David's Church at Radnor, is described as "the stupid." Edward Kelley, the doorkeeper of the House, appears as Kerak, Joshua Ash of Chester County as Asa the butcher, and Richard Pearne, of Philadelphia, as Peronal the Beastly. Shimei, a Rabbi, was Dr. William Smith; Morat, the son of Ahimiaz, was William Moore, and they were " two men that loved justice and law and eschewed evil things." The literary merit of the Chronicle and the art with which the barren tree is described in the last chapter were for the time when they were written re- 17 markable and excelled anything of a like kind up to that period produced in the American colonies. The satire well de- serves the wider attention which will now be given to it. i8 FACSIMILE PI. I. Q FRAGMENT O F T H E CHRONICLES Nathan Ben Saddi ; A Rabbi of the Jews. Lately difcovcrcd in the Ruins of HERCULANEUM: And TranflatedTrom the Original, into the ITALIAN LANGUAGE. fiy the Command of the King of the Two*Sicilies. AND Kow £rA publi£h*d in English. CONSTANTINOPLE: firiatod, b Che Tear of dm Yulgw JEn, ^jro/ PI. II A Fragment of the CHRONICLES of Nathan Ben Sadpi. BOOK I. CHAP I. AND ic came to pafs in the days of Ifaac^ judge o- ver Judabt that many woes happened, and there was great murmur- ing of the people } for the number of the Gentiles vrasedcreafed much in the land 2 And the Jews fald a mongft themfelves; Now is our power gone from us, and her glory depart-' edifrom Judah. 3 Then came thefc wdrds unto the ears ot Jfaae the judg^, and he U»a3 grievec? 4 Wherefore he fcnt unto his counfellors, bid- ding them come unto him that he might take counfe] concerning thefc things; and they came and flood before him 5 Now there was a- mon^ his counfellors a (erum tnan,a/ For the thing is not fo. fage was changed and be- 3 3 Upon this we Hand, came pale, and lengthened that it is contrary to the exceedingly, religion of our fathers, to >- 37 And they would worlhip in this mSnncr, have put the men Sbimei neither canlV thou make and Moratt and all that blacky white \ nor that Ihouted, to death.but they /««;/«/ which vi unlawful i were afraid i for that by moreover it is contraiy to the Uw of the Jews no nuui PI. X. Cmap.II.] chronicles. man might fufFcr death I do this great crime a» tor this thing. gainft the law ? 38 And Shiptol the -41 Or why do you re- Hermaphrodite (cnt a qucft me to take away the mclTage to the governor birth-rights of the people of the city, in the name of and to kill juftice. As I my Lord the judge, and hope for good things 1 all his counfeflors, fay- will not. ing, Come and join thy 42 Then Shiptol the ftrength to our Itrength, Hermaphrodite comman- and avenge us of our ene- ded Daniel the Ethiopian mies. Cut Sb'mti the i.evit, and Marat the fon xiKjIbimaz in pieces. 39 And we win fell the and Afa of the butchers, to feize on Shimei and Morat, and bind them and throw them into the birth-rights of the people darkcft and dirteft dun- unto my Lord the ^ver- geon, and they did fo nor, and we and our children will become his fervants, and his fervants fervants until the laft ge- neration. 43 And Shiptol the Her- maphrodite came down from his feat, and fat no more thereon. But liaac the judge wentup thereon; 40 Then the governor as he fat of old, fo did he of the city anfwered and fit now. faid, < Wherefore will you 44 And Ifaac the judge aik this wicked thing of made a proclamation, fay- me, that I fhould cut in ing. Thus Ihall be done pieces 5i&iwn' the Levit and to the man that faith Morat the fon of Ahimiaz^ ought againft my Lord or without caufe ? How can bis Calf. CHAP. m. AND it came to pa(s with his fpirit was troub- in the eight year of led and his deep brake Ifaac the judge^ that he from him. dreamed dreantSt where- « Then PI XI. CHRONICLES. s Then tfaac the judge commanded co call his counfcUurs to (hew his dreams. So they came and ftood betore him. 3 And Ifaac the judge iaid unto them, I dreamed a dream, but the thing is gonefromme: Now there- tore ihcw me the dream, and the interpretation thereof and ye (hall receive great gifts and reward. 4 But the counfellors could not (hew the dream. For they- were no tonjurers. 5 Therefore Ifaac was very angry and furious, and his wrath boiled in him, and he fpoke violent- ly. Hitherto have ye qioken many lying and (orrnpc words before me, but now the times are changed. TTiere is oo proof in you.