1764, Feb.] PAPER WARFARE. 151 



turned savagely upon each other ; while the more 

 philosophic citizens stood laughing by, and ridi- 

 culed them both. The Presbyterians grew furious, 

 the Quakers dogged and spiteful. Pamphlets, 

 farces, dialogues, and poems came forth in quick 

 succession. These sometimes exhibited a few 

 traces of wit. and even of reasoning ; but abuse 

 was the favorite weapon, and it is difficult to say 

 which of the combatants handled it with the 

 greater freedom and dexterity.^ The Quakers 



that even the sclioolboys became warmly engaged in the contest. For 

 my own part, though of the rehgious sect which had been long warring 

 with tlie Quakers, I was entirely on the side of humanity and pubhc duty, 

 (or in this do I beg the question ?) and perfectly recollect my indignation 

 at the sentiments of one of the ushers who was on the opposite side. His 

 name was Davis, and he was really a kind, good-natured man ; yet from 

 the dominion of his religious or political prejudices, he had been led to 

 apologize for, if not to approve of an outrage, which was a disgrace to a 

 civilized people. He had been among the riflemen on their coming into 

 the city, and, talking with them upon the subject of the Lancaster mas- 

 sacre, and particularly of the killing of Will Sock, the most distinguished 

 of the victims, related with an air of approbation, this rodomontade of the 

 real or pretended murderer, ' I,' said .he, ' am the man who killed Will 

 Sock — this is the arm that stabbed him to the heart, and, I glory in it.' " 



— Memoirs of a Life chiefly passed in Pennsylcania, 40. 



1 " Persons who were intimate now scarcely speak ; or, if they hap- 

 pen to meet and converse, presently get to quarrelling. In short, harmony 

 and love seem to be banished from amongst us." 



The above is an extract from the letter so often referred to. A frag- 

 ment of the " Paxtoniad," one of the poems of the day, is given in the 

 Appendix. Few of the party pamphlets are worth quoting, but the titles 

 of some of them will give an idea of their character : The Quaker Un- 

 masked — A Looking-Glass for Presbyterians — A Battle of Squirt — 

 Plain Truth — Plain Truth found to be Plain Falsehood — The Author of 

 Plain Truth Stripped Stark Naked — Clothes for a Stark Naked Author 



— The Squabble, a Pastoral Eclogue — etc., etc. 



The pamphlet called Plain Truth drew down the especial indignation 

 of the Quakers, and the foUowing extract from one of their replies to it 

 may serve as a fair specimen of the temper of the combatants : ** But 

 how came you to give your piece the Title of Plain Truth ; if you had 

 called it downright Lies, it would have agreed better with the Contents ; 



