Knickerbocker's history of New York, vol. 2 (of 2)Irving, Washington
History
Knickerbocker's history of New York, vol. 2 (of 2)
Irving, Washington
New York (State) -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
On the other side, the ox-eyed Juno, who had gained a pair of black eyes
overnight, in one of her curtain-lectures with old Jupiter, displayed
her haughty beauties on a baggage-wagon; Minerva, as a brawny
gin-sutler, tucked up her skirts, brandished her fists, and swore most
heroically, in exceeding bad Dutch (having but lately studied the
language), by way of keeping up the spirits of the soldiers; while
Vulcan halted as a club-footed blacksmith, lately promoted to be a
captain of militia. All was silent awe, or bustling preparation: war
reared his horrid front, gnashed loud his iron fangs, and shook his
direful crest of bristling bayonets.
And now the mighty chieftains marshalled out their hosts. Here stood
stout Risingh, firm as a thousand rocks,—incrusted with stockades, and
intrenched to the chin in mud batteries. His valiant soldiery lined the
breastwork in grim array, each having his mustachios fiercely greased,
and his hair pomatumed back, and queued so stiffly, that he grinned
above the ramparts like a grisly death’s-head.
There came on the intrepid Peter,—his brows knit, his teeth set, his
fists clenched, almost breathing forth volumes of smoke, so fierce was
the fire that raged within his bosom. His faithful squire Van Corlear
trudged valiantly at his heels, with his trumpet gorgeously bedecked
with red and yellow ribbons, the remembrances of his fair mistresses at
the Manhattoes. Then came waddling on the sturdy chivalry of the Hudson.
There were the Van Wycks, and the Van Dycks, and the Ten Eycks; the Van
Nesses, the Van Tassels, the Van Grolls; the Van Hœsens, the Van
Giesons, and the Van Blarcoms; the Van Warts, the Van Winkles, the Van
Dams; the Van Pelts, the Van Rippers, and the Van Brunts. There were the
Van Hornes, the Van Hooks, the Van Bunschotens; the Van Gelders, the Van
Arsdales, and the Van Bummels; the Vander Belts, the Vander Hoofs, the
Vander Voorts, the Vander Lyns, the Vander Pools, and the Vander
Spiegles;—then came the Hoffmans, the Hooghlands, the Hoppers, the
Cloppers, the Ryckmans, the Dyckmans, the Hogebooms, the Rosebooms, the
Oothouts, the Quackenbosses, the Roerbacks, the Garrebrantzes, the
Bensons, the Brouwers, the Waldrons, the Onderdonks, the Varra Vangers,
the Schermerhorns, the Stoutenburghs, the Brinkerhoffs, the Bontecous,
the Knickerbockers, the Hockstrassers, the Ten Breecheses and the Tough
Breecheses, with a host more of worthies, whose names are too crabbed to
be written, or if they could be written, it would be impossible for man
to utter,—all fortified with a mighty dinner, and, to use the words of a
great Dutch poet,
“Brimful of wrath and cabbage.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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