See here: the British they found out a flaw In Cap'n Wilkes's readin' o' the law: (They _make_ all laws, you know, an' so, o' course, It's nateral they should understand their force:) He'd oughto took the vessel into port, An' hed her sot on by a reg'lar court; She was a mail-ship, an' a steamer, tu, An' thet, they say, hez changed the pint o' view, Coz the old practice, bein' meant for sails, Ef tried upon a steamer, kind o' falls; You _may_ take out despatches, but you mus'n't Take nary man-- THE BRIDGE. You mean to say, you dus'n't! Changed pint o' view! No, no,--it's overboard With law an' gospel, when their ox is gored! I tell ye, England's law, on sea an' land, Hez ollers ben, "_I've gut the heaviest hand_." Take nary man? Fine preachin' from _her_ lips! Why, she hez taken hunderds from our ships, An' would agin, an' swear she hed a right to, Ef we warn't strong enough to be perlite to. Of all the sarse thet I can call to mind, England _doos_ make the most onpleasant kind: It's you're the sinner ollers, she's the saint; Wut's good's all English, all thet isn't ain't; Wut profits her is ollers right an' just, An' ef you don't read Scriptur so, you must; She's praised herself ontil she fairly thinks There ain't no light in Natur when she winks; Hain't she the Ten Comman'ments in her pus? Could the world stir 'thout she went, tu, ez nus? She ain't like other mortals, thet's a fact: _She_ never stopped the habus-corpus act, Nor specie payments, nor she never yet Cut down the int'rest on her public debt; _She_ don't put down rebellions, lets 'em breed, An' 's ollers willin' Ireland should secede; She's all thet's honest, honnable, an' fair, An' when the vartoos died they made her heir. THE MONIMENT. Wal, wal, two wrongs don't never make a right; Ef we're mistaken, own it, an' don't fight: For gracious' sake, hain't we enough to du 'Thout gittin' up a fight with England, tu? She thinks we're rabble-rid------ THE BRIDGE An' so we can't Distinguish 'twixt _You oughtn't_ an' _You shan't!_ She jedges by herself; she's no idear How 't stiddies folks to give 'em their fair sheer: The odds 'twixt her an' us is plain's a steeple,-- Her People's turned to Mob, our Mob's turned People. THE MONIMENT. She's riled jes' now------ THE BRIDGE Plain proof her cause ain't strong,-- The one thet fust gits mad's most ollers wrong. THE MONIMENT. You're ollers quick to set your back aridge,-- Though't suits a tom-cat more 'n a sober bridge: Don't you git het: they thought the thing was planned; They'll cool off when they come to understand. THE BRIDGE