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William McCarty, comp. The American National Song Book. 1842.

Acrostic: ‘Go home, you vain Britons’

Written at Poughkeepsie, in November, 1781

G o home, you vain Britons, your nation’s perplex’d,

E mbarrass’d, confounded, divided and vex’d;

O ’erwhelm’d with confusion, go tell what you’ve done,

R elate to your king all the honours you’ve won,

G reat has been your exploits since hither you came;

E ach hog-pen and hen-roost can witness the same.

W hat think you, ye cut-throats, d’ye chose to remain,

A nd try the success of another campaign?

S ir Harry, take warning—Cornwallis you know

H ad high expectations a twelvemonth ago;

I n season take warning, ye blood-hounds away,

N o devil can save you if longer you stay,

G et quickly on ship-board, the sooner the better;

T hen take this acrostic, read every first letter;

O ne look is sufficient, I’ll venture to say;

N o spur can be better to haste you away.