Battle of the Bush : dramas and historic legends ... elaborated from the startling events of the New England wars of an hundred years

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Incidents in New England's Primeval History 15

Trouble with the Tribes foreshadowed 16

Scene I. — A Country Kitchen with Wild-wood Surrotcndings

Brewster, Well, this world's events are varied, tiresome. But little of earth is there here to be cared for, or to be saved. Born in a foreign land, and of a good old English mother, ferried over to this at infancy unconscious, — to me the years unseemly have come, unseemly also they go. \Enter Susanna, listeniftg^ Now, nothing remains of nativity; nothing — nothing! A';;e in its hatefulness, sparing life but to make it a dreariness, is hovering. Time in its advance doth make the mind forgetful, delirious, dreamy, — oblivious TO all save a mother's love, a father's care, — making la'- re faint the flickering glimpses of boyhood's bewil-

'. igs. Of the " Mayflower " historic, though cradled in ' . . 10 me there is no return, naught of memory. Ah ! S.:5anna, you are here.

Susa?t?ta. Yes, I 've been listening to your soliloquy,

o. story sad but true. Stfll, reverend sir, you do not forget the perils which still invade this wilderness^ — •his wilderness of savage, wicked wanderers.

IS

Brewster. No ! These natives, slow to forget heathenism, have called forth many an agony. Tears there have been, and signs of tears still remain. Dreams are ominous. In the matter of a dream coming events foreshadow themselves. Massasoit is a king, noted, — peaceful he was and still may be, — yet wrong in its offensiveness, may make a tyrant. Other sagamores, though afar off, are more dreaded,

— hence more to be dreamed about. I tell ye true,

— for these three nights, successively, dream upon dream hath moved me ; for three long nights continuously these dim eyes of mine have discovered, upon the curious coat of a savage, three drops of blood. SjEnter Standish.] Now such a sign is ominous, bespeaking direst deeds. So says Sassamon, our soothsayer. Ah! Who comes? Is it Standish? [Raising his hand inqiiiringly7\ What news ? What do ye hear ?

Standish. I am sad to say, a story prevails that the Tribes are more and more in discontent; that far in the east the Tarratines, vexed in hunger and hardship, are arming themselves, meditating war, as some say, against the Mohawks on the south of the Great Lakes ; some say those tribes, and all the rest at heart, have ill designs towards us. But we shall see. Our English authorities in Boston, I 'm told, are already anxious, in deep deliberation ; that a committee of vigilance, promptly appointed, have gone forth eastward, northward, westward.

Brewster. Indeed, I fear it. To me it is ominous of dread war. And what, Susanna \tur?ting to her\ what news do you bring ?

SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.

Susanna. News! My dear sir, you don't, don't know what ominous dreadful things are coming to light. Let me tell ye, for three long weeks I 've been dreaming and dreaming — dreaming of blood.

Brewster. There it is, right there ; I told 'um so ! And dread fear begins to overspread our habitations, and is now again moving us ; tearful, troublesome times, apparently near, are at hand.

Standish. A foot messenger, as I hear, has arrived in Boston from the Sagadahock. It is rumored that the savages there are angry with us, and are in motion ; that one Captain Hunt long ago had kidnapped some of them, and that thence on board his ship upon the high seas he carried them to Spain, sold them there into slavery. These and other grievances they reiterate in their murmurings against our settlers.

Susanna. And faith that is it ! I understand how it comes. From that came the message to caution our Governor. Murders ! Alas ! Alas ! Murders ! Murders upon our English mothers, and upon our helpless innocent infants. \Exit.

Brewster, We may as well, through faith in our God, compose ourselves. It is often better to hazard much than never to trust. The Tribes are human, humane, and are created so to be. They have heads as we, hands as we, and hearts as we. In the human heart there is something written, — a rule righteous imprinted there as by an engraving. An engraving not of wood, not of steel, but of gold. Hence implanted in it there is that golden rule as from God, — continuous and eternal and to be adhered to. But what wickedness works, in violation of a righteous rule, may haunt us, does haunt us, nay, much mischief makes.

Standish. You are rights we grant, but what shall be done as against them. Hunt was conscienceless, devoid of faith, and without care or forethought. Yet our settlers, a pious people, must be defended.

Bre7vsfer. Yes, Hunt's behaviour was ruthless; his crime retroactive. His infamy entails itself, bringing forth threatenings, deathlike.

Standish. But what have we who are not slaves, nor to be enslaved, to do with slavery ?

Brewster. Nothing, mayhap, save through others, others our Saxons. Yet art thou not thy " brother's keeper ? " God's laws are inevitable, immutable, and he who enslaves a man, sooner or later dies, as die he ought, half man, half devil. Nay, deserves death and something more. Death falling upon Hunt as upon Adam may, and perhaps does, in its consequences fall prematurely upon us. In this our time, so it cometh to pass, from such experiences ; and it is no miracle that savages are made more savage, a match for demons. Hence, threatenings of blood are made the more and more terrible, bespeaking murderous deeds. \A cry without : " Taters I taters / turnips and cabbages ! plenty on ^um I "] \Exit Standish.

[Enter Snodgrass with basket in hand.

Snodgrass. How are ye. Elder? How are ye old gal ? Wal, I 've come to this market a terrible sight too late. I started from my plantation soon as the day cracked in the east. I 've come all the way down from Quampegan with my hand-cart loaded ; hard up I am ; nearly fagged out. I 've brought down some cabbages, turnips, harge-grass, taters, and I 've been clear away

THE LAST NIGHT OF A NATION. IQ

over on the t'other side of the meadow to sell 'urn. I sold the taters to an old Jew of a critter, and hy Jingoes f he had a beard longer than the flax on old Aunt Dinah's distaff. And says I, ^^Jew, where d 'ye get all that hair?" Why! it hung down from his joles all yellow. 'T was spotted like the fur of a coon's tail. And says I, "What will you take for it?" I kind 'er thought our Matilda would want it. That are thing, as I calculated, would have stuffed twenty bustles, and as many rag babies. And says I, "What '11 ye takeV And says he, "What '11 ye give?" Wall, I'll be blessed if I could trade with that old cuss at all. He had more love for money than I had for the whiskers. So I let him go, hook and line.

Brewster. Then you could n't trade ?

Snodgrass. No ! But I afterwards sold the cabbages to an old squaw for three shillings each — two feet of wampum, and took the rest in tobacco. Now I tell ye, that this wampum is a mighty nice thing. See here (holding up a piece of wampum). I bought this of a sneaking old curse, that had no trousers on. And says I, " Where do ye come from ? " And says he, " Wampum ! wampum 1 " I handed him out a pistereen, and don't ye think, that old curse did n't know what it was. And says I, ''Here, hand us that are string of clams ! " I did n't swallow but one on 'um. More than one at a time with the shells on alters lays hard on the stomach. Now, Elder Brewster, what do ye think of the redskins? I know an old Scotch woman who is terribly afeard of 'um. Why, she can't sleep o' nights in thought of 'um. And now I'll start along. [Efiier Huldah.] But here comes my old Duck, Huldah.

Huldah, Husband, where on earth have you been all these hours ? I have been tired, — tired of waiting and waiting, — and have heard awful ominous things.

Snodgrass. What things, Huldah ? In all ye have heard of 'urn, did ye hear any good of yourself ? If ye did, then let right on, — let right on, for that would kind 'er tickle us. It would tickle our fancies, — ha I ha ! ha ! But now tell us. what did ye hear ?

Huldah. Why, they say. Captain Mason has just come down from the Mohawk country. He brings awful terrible tidings. He 's been told that the Pequots are burning, destroying, and making murders ever}^- where up the Hudson, and as how the Dutch on Long Island have armed themselves, and are besetting the tribes at their camp-fires, perpetrating horrid, horrid slaughter. O dear, dear, if they come down upon us, what, what shall we do ?

Snodgrass. Do ? It 's of no use to be skeered. It 's the best way to take and kill 'um. Come, come along, old lady. {Exit. Enter Standish.

\A voice without : " Watnpum! wampum to sell !^^ [Enter Susanna, listening.

Standish. My dear Brewster, this day brings startling tidings. Our English authorities in Boston are alarmed ; are preparing for a savage war. I understand they are making an alliance with the Narragansetts and Mohegans, — and that united they are about to invade the Pequots, and that the Pequot depredations upon them are about to be avenged in blood.

Susanna. Then in turn, I fear it, the Pequots will come down upon us. Alas ! Alas ! The fagot, the tomahawk, and that bloody, bloody scalping-knife at

SNODGRASS IN THE SPRINGTIME.

morn, at noon, or at midnight ! Ah ! who shall know the hour of the dread conflagration, or of the crimson, cruel slaughter ? Oh ! A dread death is upon us Eng- Hsh wives, and upon our dearest little ones.

{Exit Susanna.

Brewster. Standish, whence comes this news ? Are there proclamations ?

Standish. No proclamations. Elder. Everything, as yet, is in secret. The tribes are coy, and coy are the measures that are to be taken to beset them. Our treaty with them has been set at naught, as you know. Colonial laws have been violated, broken, and Oldham on the Connecticut has been slain of savages. His blood upon them cries, cries from the very ground. It is time that all the volunteer recruits we can muster should be up and away. [Curtain.

[Horns and trumpets in the distance^

Scene same. \_Fresent Brewster, and Priscilla comes tripping in."]

Brewster, Ah ! here comes, as she is wont at night, my dear grand-daughter, Priscilla.

Priscilla. Grandpa, you bear the appearance of being quite fatigued to-night. The labors of the day, I fear, have greatly tired you. Shall I, my dear grandpa, help you to an easy chair ? {Seats him^ Shall I bring your slippers ? [Enter Standish.

Brewster. {Takes her hand.) Yes, and then, my dear, going to your rest, you may again bless me, as ever, with your sweet, sweet good night.

Priscilla. {Placing the slippers carefully and greett?ig him with a kiss, bids him) Good night, grandpa.

[Exit,

Brewster. A better, sweeter girl than that never lived. She is the common comfort of my old age, a pattern of loveUness. In this world, if an old man may prophesy, that lovely Priscilla in faith, in truth, and in usefulness shall live, and shall prove to be to this, and in this world a shining light, a prize to whoever shall win her hand. (From without great news). Now let me prophesy : that girl in womanhood shall live by making others live ; she shall be a servant of all in kindness, making herself to be a queen, loved, honored, and admired on earth as an angel.

{Exit Standish. Enter Mason.

Brewster. Now what have ye heard. Captain "i

Mason. I am from Boston. The colony has manned three ships of war. Endicott is commander, clothed with strict instructions to invade the Pequots on Block Island, and, sparing women and children, the braves are all to be put to the sv/ord.

Brewster. Such tidings seem to me, in my sadness of thought, to be incredible. The events as now foreshadowed portend more than I had ever dreamed about. I much fear that the colonies will lose much of life in the impending contest.

Mason. In the next place, as I learn, Endicott is commanded to advance into the Pequot dominions, obtain the infidel murderers of Stone, together with a thousand fathoms of wampum. He is to demand some of their children as hostages for the performance of all treaty conditions. And if the children are refused, they are to be seized by force, and with them taken back to Boston.

Brewster. When did the ships depart.

Mason. The fleet left some days ago. Startling events, as I think, are on foot nearing us. \Exit.

[Enter Snodgrass.

Snodgrass. Elder Brewster, what de ye think of all these tragical stories which are flying about. The Injuns are plagy pugnacious in these times. Only think, down in our parish they have pitched in, and have upset old Aunt Molly Pepperel's hen-pen; they've killed and carried off her creeper chicken, and two of her best roosters ; and, worst of all, the tarnal critters overturned her blue-pot, and have destroyed all her dye-stuff. I just got a glance at one of the tramps today ; he sneaked away over beyond old Nathan's cow-pen.

Brewster. Was he friendly ? Did he appear to be brutal, as they are wont — inclining to skulk as if at early dawn to betray and to destroy ?

Snodgrass. He was a beardless, black-haired curse of a critter. His nose originally, as I should guess, belonged to a Roman knight. There was a sort of a Mount ^tna of the face, standing high up on the middle on't. The full structure was enormous, turning up at the seed eend like the colter of a plow. He kind 'er shied away, and the last I discivered of him he was peeking around Deacon Drown's hog's stye. I '11 tell it to ye all : look out for y'r hogs, for y'r hens, and for y'r dye-stuff. And I '11 go home and tell Huldah to look out for her'n. If the scamps show their heads there she '11 go for 'um ; and I '11 tell ye if they get into a scratch with her — ha ! ha ! ha ! — if they don't catch it, then there 's no faith in finger-nails. Depend on 't they '11 feel the need of shin-plasters to be held constantly on hand. Such things have been needful, and will be so agin. Well, I '11 go. [£xU.

[Enter Hooke, a sailor.

Hooke. How are ye, Parson Brewster ? I have news to tell ye. There have been conflicts with the Indians by the naval force. I served on board the craft. Have just now returned. On the way up there, when the force reached Block Island, the Indians, cutting our acquaintance, were off to a vacation to the swamps, or to the ambush, or somewhere else. Pequots, unaccustomed to the smell of gunpowder, ventured not to run the risk of it. Powder proved quite offensive to their nasal organs, and they skedaddled.

Brewster. Well, in that case, what was done by the naval force ?

Hooke. Well, we conquered 'um. In two 'days we killed one Indian, shot one dog, burnt one wigwam, and destroyed all the corn.

Brewster. From thence, what next ?

Hooke. Then we sailed round to Saybrook, re-enforced Gardner; and then the craft proceeded along the coast of the Western Niantics. And there the Indians, at the sight of vessels and full of suspicion, came running down to the shore, inquiring, "What cheer, Englishmen ? What do ye come for ? "

Brewster. What answer was given to them, in return ?

Hooke. In faith and be sure our English commander made them no answer at all — at all. Perceiving this, the old squaws, with their little ones, again turning towards us, inquired : " What now ? Englishmen ? Are you angry with us, Englishmen ? Are you angry with us ? Will you kill us ? " No answer was made, our craft anchored there that night far out from the shore ; and the curious Pequot women and children silently but sadly turned away.

Brewster. Did ye see anything more of them ?

Hooke. Nothing, nothing more, my lord. Dread alarms during the night of darkness reverberated through the wilderness — and during the day, never a Pequot in that neighborhood was to be found. \_Exit.

[Enter Huldah, in trouble.

Huldah. Oh, dear. Elder Brewster, what is next — next to come upon us ? Danger on the island, danger in the wilderness, danger in the cot, danger in the church, and in the highway ! Oh, it threatens us ! It is like a pestilence ! With dread vengeance it is to come upon us, and upon our innocent children ! Pray for us ! Oh, pray for us, that the God of mercies may save — may save us ! [Enter Snodgrass, and listens.

Brewster. Sad, — so it is. {As if in prayer^

Save us, our God, from blood and tears below ;

A plaint goes up, a note of woman's woe.

Fierce vengeance tempts her singleness of heart —

Her heroism true, her guileless art,

Her purity, her own maternal care.

Her faith in God, that never knows despair,

Her love, indeed, that triumphs most and best

In trial sad, when most by danger pressed,

Whose truth endures when fails this vital breath.

Inspires fond hope "and smooths the bed of death,"

To her sweet peace let prayers wend up afar,

Avert, O God, a dread avenging war.

Snodgrass. Now what 's the use, Elder Brewster, of all this fear and fret ; of all this — this boo-hooing about — not much of anything. It's natural enough for a heartless heathen to be a murderer ; but they can't conquer us. As old Mother Goose used to say, it don't lay in their breeches (even when they have 'um on) to do much. They 're nothing but lousy, lazy, ignorant, savage sneaks. I know 'um, ^g^ and bird ; have sold 'um taters and cabbages, and bought wampum on *um. Why don't you English settlers do as I did ? Kinder bargain with 'um, and let 'um go along hunting and fishing, trousers or no trousers. It 's no use to kill 'um. No, — give 'um a blessing, a little fine salt, as the saying is, then they '11 be good natured. That 's the way to come it over 'um. They would n't hurt me ; I 'm not a bit afeard ; no ! I 'm not skeered. [^ warwhoop cry without — ^^JVoach, woach^ ha^ ha, ha, hack, woach ; " agtin explodes, and Snodgrass, alarmed, skedaddles, tumbling over chairs ; all fly hither and thither, pursued by the l7idiafts.'\ [Curtain.

Comic. — An Indian having been found frozen to death, an inquest of his race was convened to determine by what means he came to such a death. Upon a full hearing they returned the following verdict : Death from the freezing of a great quantity of water inside of him, which he had taken instead of rum.

ACT II. Scene I. — Governor Bradford at his Headquarters

Governor, Of the great past, with its many startUng events, forgetfulness, as it is wont, follows it, — loses it. Oblivion in its disguise, with stealthy tread, creeps creation o'er. All the way, where generations have advanced in this new world, it hath beclouded everything. Here, all along up to the advent of our settlers, all there was in the history of Indian exploits, on earth, oblivion hath covered in, — nay, departed, it lies deep buried down, and dwells only in the past : —

Give me thine aid, ye gods of early date, Or native nymph, or spirit from above ;

Snatch from the fangs of unrelenting fate. The by-gone page, unknown of light or love !

{Enter Standish.

What cheer, my Captain t

Standish, Governor, I am sad to say there 's but little to cheer us ; our intelligence is various, conflicting — threatening us, at times. Sure I am, however, that at the final trial the colonies will be more than equal to all emergencies. Our Plymouth colony, as you know, is threatened with savage invasions. Tidings also from the Pequot dominions are filled with startling, crimson cruelties. Yesterday, five men at Saybrook, haying in a meadow, were surprised by savages, and two of them were slain. Two men in a cornfield near there have been carried away captive. Six others were betrayed by savages ; two of them were slain. Almost everywhere in the settlements there are maimings, torturings, and kidnappings implacable.

\Governor points him to a seat.

Governor. We are at a loss — we hesitate — Miantonimo and the two sons of Canonicus — troubled and troublesome — have been here. They are now away. We have jointly resolved to declare all further alliance with the Pequot nation to be impossible. Katoshanakin has also been here; we received him with an escort. Vengeance inevitably must unmercifully fall upon all murderers ; and when the traitors are taken alive, as it is ordered, they must be delivered over to us.

{Exit Standish. Enter Mason.

Mason. Governor, the Pequots, mad and startled at the hearing of a gun in the distance, fell upon our man Tilly, maimed him, cut off his legs and arms, leaving him as yet alive — lingering. Also, three men at Wethersfield are slain — two were taken captive ; a horse and twenty cows are killed. \Exit.

[Enter Underhill presenting a letter to Governor^ who,

opening, requests it read."] Underhill (reads).

Capt. Underhill, — " The Pequots under Sassacus have sent their women and children away to an island. They are meditating a war of blood upon the settlements."

His (Signed) X Miantonimo.

Mark.

Governor, Indeed I am inclined to think all this may be true. \Exit. Enter Snodgrass and Hooke.

Snodgrass (to Underhilt). How are ye, Captain ? How are ye, ye reverence ? Posted — {seeing the letter^

— posted are ye ? Now, for instance, what do ye think of these tarnal tribes that threaten to murder everybody ? Accordin' to my notions, an Injun ain't worth the ghost of a noticing, anyhow. He comes to jist the nearest to a nasty nothingness of any critter I ever did see. They 're cursed cowards, sneaking about everywhere — in every place where they have no business to be. Give me forty men and I '11 drive 'um all into the

— the — into hell. Sneaks, and nothing else; pretending to own all the lands hereabouts, when they have n't a deed of an inch on 't. Captain, tell the Governor to send us forty blunderbusses, and fifty pounds of powder, with a hundred pounds of pudden, and I will give 'um some.

Hooke, Indade, what will ye want of the puddin' ? Why not give the blackguards powder and bullets ?

Snodgrass, First and foremost, ye see, the blunderbusses we must have, and the powder we must have, and pudden, ye see, will be good for their stomachs (bringing his hand up) and for mine — ha — ha — ha — and more than that, we can fill it into the blunderbusses on top of the powder, and then we '11 fire straight. The gods, we '11 spank it right into their blessed bosoms ! And, zounds, how it will splather 'um. It '11 give um old-fashioned all overishness.

Hooke. But and by faith they are numerous; and suppose, concentrating their tribes, they outnumber ye ?

Snodgrass. And then we '11 turn to and surround 'um. I '11 tell ye what, valor shall perch upon our blunderbusses. It'll swash all over and about us.

Hooke (aside). Valor outside more than in, perhaps. Now look-a-here, Snodgrass {beckoning hini)^ let meself advise ye to ye temperance ; and, sure, there 's one of three things ye must do, — ye must eat less, take phisick, or bu-burst 1

Snodgrass. Pshaw, Hooke, you are joking! Old Mother Morrill says that one of them 'ere Injun curses came creeping round her hen-house yesterday morning;, and what do ye think the critter did ?

Hooke. Can't say. What did he do ?

Snodgrass. Do ? Why he shot her old spotted sow, and then, the lords ! how he did take to his heels ! Now, if any Injun should come sneaking round my premises in that way, I 'd just let him have a dose of pudden. I 'd give it to him hot. If they come in tribes, then I'll splather 'um — I'll fire a buster of a bombshell straight into the flock. \Exit Hooke. Efiter HuLDAH.] Well, Huldah, you are 'round again — in terrible trouble, I dare say — doleful, dolorabus, dolorabum ! What now ?

Huldah, Oh ! husband, there is trouble ; a despatch has just come ! Canonicus has sent to the Governor at Plymouth a bundle of arrows — and, oh my ! — (don't you think) the bundle of arrows was tied up in a rattlesnake's skin ! And the rattlesnake's skin and arrows are interpreted as dread threatenings — threatenings of blood.

Snodgrass. Wa'll old lady, that 's kind'er snaky. What did the Governor do ?

Huldah. Do."* In return he filled up the snake's skin with powder and shot, and then sent it with its arrows straight back to Canonicus, as much as to say : "Ye infidels, if bloody, murderous war is what ye' mean, then, come on !

Snodgrass. Yes, yes, that '11 do ; that 's snaky enough. Yes, out from the snakes, I guess, by this, the sneaks will begin to smell gunpowder. Gunpowder inwardly, or on the joints of their hind legs, hath quite a weakening effect, especially when they begin to smell it hot. Before they get entirely through, as I guess, they '11 smell the powder and the pudden too. Come, we '11 go.

\Exit,

[Curtain. Governor seated. Enter Mason and Susanna.

Mason. Governor, we have news, startling news. There 's a man at the garrison who says, that the colonial governor at Boston is concentrating a large force with the intent to assail the Pequots on the Mystic. That they are to be reinforced by our Indian allies, the Mohegans and the Narragansetts.

Susanna. Oh, let us go back, Captain Mason ! O dear ! dear ! Let us go back and inquire further.

[They retire.

Governor (alone). Of what avail are treaties with these ungodly wanderers of the wilderness, — faithless, fearless heathen. Treaties we 've had with Sassacus, also with others, voluntary signed, sealed, yet as soon as made, violated. Discretion has no enduring stability in the heart of a savage. Of little economy is civilization if, in the event of revenge, its precepts and its conditions are to be set at naught and forgotten. Of what avail is religion if, through ambition and selfishness, your holy writ, the psalter, and prayer book, no longer to be cherished, are to be laid aside. Of what use if by force of a thirst for dominion or blood, might is allowed to make merchandise of manhood ? Still, at whatever cost, our colonies must be defended and sustained. [Enter Standish.] Good eve, Standish. What news ?

Standish. I learn that the murderers of Stone are still secreted, protected by the Pequots ; but we shall hear something more of this, mayhap, from the friendly natives. {Enter a Narragatisett and the Interpreter?^ Oh, yes !

Standish {introducing theni). This, your excellency, is a Narragansett sent here, as it appears, by Canonicus. {Narragansett bowing and at the same time laying at the Governor' s feet two bundles of sticks?)

Governor {privately to Standish). For what are these ?

Standish. This bundle, your excellency, as I am informed, — these sticks indicate the number of beaver skins which the Pequot nation proposes to present to the colony as an atonement for alleged wrongs. They are sent to invite a treaty with the pale faces, as they call us.

Governor. Captain Standish, what return ought the colony to make to this ?

Standish. Perhaps a present, bespeaking friendship, will best answer. Molasses tends to serve the fly-trap better than vinegar.

Governor (stepping out and returning^ beckons the leader^ and presents a coat). Here take this coat for Sassacus. Tell him in future to send to my court not you, but a delegation of chiefs, clothed with power for specific treaties, red men of note more discreet, more dignified.

Narragansett, That the chief will do. Thank! Thank you ! {bowing low.) Your commands me will carry to big Sagamore Sassacus — our king brave — 'Tis great gift — 'T is from white man's chief — 'T will please our big chief. Sassacus wants peace.

\Exit Narragansett and Interpreter.

Governor. From this I trust —

Sweet peace shall come, a harbinger of health, Of generous thrift foreshadowing weal and wealth. With prompt good will and noble deeds at hand, Glad tidings down to bring, to cheer the land, To heal the heart, and thus to make amends For wilful waste, which from the past descends.