The Revolution at Market-Hill 1730
From distant regions Fortune sendsAn odd triumvirate of friends;Where Phoebus pays a scanty stipend,Where never yet a codling ripen'd:Hither the frantic goddess drawsThree sufferers in a ruin'd cause:By faction banish'd, here unite,A Dean, a Spaniard, and a Knight;Unite, but on conditions cruel;The Dean and Spaniard find it too well,Condemn'd to live in service hard;On either side his honour's guard:The Dean to guard his honour's back,Must build a castle at Drumlack;The Spaniard, sore against his will,Must raise a fort at Market-Hill.And thus the pair of humble gentryAt north and south are posted sentry;While in his lordly castle fixt,The knight triumphant reigns betwixt:And, what the wretches most resent,To be his slaves, must pay him rent;Attend him daily as their chief,Decant his wine, and carve his beef.O Fortune! 'tis a scandal for theeTo smile on those who are least worthy:Weigh but the merits of the three,His slaves have ten times more than he.Proud baronet of Nova Scotia!The Dean and Spaniard must reproach ye:Of their two fames the world enough rings:Where are thy services and sufferings?What if for nothing once you kiss'd,Against the grain, a monarch's fist?What if, among the courtly tribe,You lost a place and saved a bribe?And then in surly mood came here,To fifteen hundred pounds a-year,And fierce against the Whigs harangu'd?You never ventured to be hang'd.How dare you treat your betters thus?Are you to be compared with us?Come, Spaniard, let us from our farmsCall forth our cottagers to arms:Our forces let us both unite,Attack the foe at left and right;From Market-Hill's exalted head,Full northward let your troops be led;While I from Drapier's-Mount descend,And to the south my squadrons bend.New-River Walk, with friendly shade,Shall keep my host in ambuscade;While you, from where the basin stands,Shall scale the rampart with your bands.Nor need we doubt the fort to win;I hold intelligence within.True, Lady Anne no danger fears,Brave as the Upton fan she wears;Then, lest upon our first attackHer valiant arm should force us back,And we of all our hopes deprived;I have a stratagem contrived.By these embroider'd high-heel shoesShe shall be caught as in a noose:So well contriv'd her toes to pinch,She'll not have power to stir an inch:These gaudy shoes must Hannah placeDirect before her lady's face;The shoes put on, our faithful portressAdmits us in, to storm the fortress,While tortured madam bound remains,Like Montezume, in golden chains;Or like a cat with walnuts shod,Stumbling at every step she trod.Sly hunters thus, in Borneo's isle,To catch a monkey by a wile,The mimic animal amuse;They place before him gloves and shoes;Which, when the brute puts awkward on:All his agility is gone;In vain to frisk or climb he tries;The huntsmen seize the grinning prize.But let us on our first assaultSecure the larder and the vault;The valiant Dennis, you must fix on,And I'll engage with Peggy Dixon:Then, if we once can seize the keyAnd chest that keeps my lady's tea,They must surrender at discretion!And, soon as we have gain'd possession,We'll act as other conquerors do,Divide the realm between us two;Then, (let me see,) we'll make the knightOur clerk, for he can read and write.But must not think, I tell him that,Like Lorimer to wear his hat;Yet, when we dine without a friend,We'll place him at the lower end.Madam, whose skill does all in dress lie,May serve to wait on Mrs. Leslie;But, lest it might not be so properThat her own maid should over-top her,To mortify the creature more,We'll take her heels five inches lower.For Hannah, when we have no need of her,'Twill be our interest to get rid of her;And when we execute our plot,'Tis best to hang her on the spot;As all your politicians wise,Dispatch the rogues by whom they rise.
Acheson,and was to build on, but changed his mind, and called it Drapier's Hill.See the poem so named, and "The Dean's Reasons for not building at
Words in this poem 26
- triumvirate n.
- Government by three in coalition or association; the term of such a government. [L. triumviratus: cf. F. triumvirat.]
- phoebus n.
- Apollo; the sun god.
- codling n.
- A young cod; also, a hake. [Dim. of cod the fish.]
- spaniard n.
- A native or inhabitant of Spain.
- gentry n.
- Birth; condition; rank by birth. [OE. genterie, gentrie, noble birth, nobility, cf. gentrise, and OF. gentelise, genterise, E. gentilesse, also OE. genteleri high-mindedness. See Gent, a., Gentl]
- betwixt prep.
- In the space which separates; between. [OE. betwix, bitwix, rarely bitwixt, AS. betweox, betweohs, betweoh, betwih; pref. be- by + a form fr. AS. twa two. See Between.]
- resent v. t.
- To be sensible of; to feel; as: (a) In a good sense, to take well; to receive with satisfaction. [F. ressentir; L. pref. re- re- + sentire to feel. See Sense.]
- decant v. t.
- To pour off gently, as liquor, so as not to disturb the sediment; or to pour from one vessel into another; as, to decant wine. [F. décanter (cf. It. decantare), prop., to pour off from the edge of a vessel; pref. dé- (L. de) + OF. cant (It. canto) edge, border, end. See Cant an edge.]
- scandal n.
- Offense caused or experienced; reproach or reprobation called forth by what is regarded as wrong, criminal, heinous, or flagrant: opprobrium or disgrace. [F. scandale, fr. L. scandalum, Gr. scandle, OF. escandle. See Slander.]
- scotia n.
- A concave molding used especially in classical architecture. [L., fr. Gr. skoti`a darkness, a sunken molding in the base of a pillar, so called from the dark shadow it casts, from sko`tos darkness.]
- courtly a.
- Relating or belonging to a court. [From Court.]
- bribe n.
- A gift begged; a present. [F. bribe a lump of bread, scraps, leavings of meals (that are generally given to a beggar), LL. briba scrap of bread; cf. OF. briber, brifer, to eat gluttonousl]
- surly a.
- Arrogant; haughty. Cotgrave. [Probably from sir, and originally meaning, sirlike, i.e., proud. See Sir, and Like, a.]
- northward a.
- Toward the north; nearer to the north than to the east or west point. [AS. noredhweard.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- ambuscade n.
- A lying in a wood, concealed, for the purpose of attacking an enemy by surprise. Hence: A lying in wait, and concealed in any situation, for a like purpose; a snare laid for an enemy; an ambush. [F. embuscade, fr. It. imboscata, or Sp. emboscada, fr. emboscar to ambush, fr. LL. imboscare. See Ambush, v. t.]
- valiant a.
- Vigorous in body; strong; powerful; as, a valiant fencer. [OE. valiant, F. vaillant, OF. vaillant, valant, originally p. pr. of OF. & F. valoir to be worth, L. valere to be strong. See Wield, and cf. Avail, Convalesce, ]
- portress n.
- A female porter.
- isle v. t.
- To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
- wile n.
- A trick or stratagem practiced for insnaring or deception; a sly, insidious; artifice; a beguilement; an allurement. [OE. wile, AS. wil; cf. Icel. v, væl. Cf. Guile.]
- amuse v. t.
- To occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder. [F. amuser to make stay, to detain, to amuse, ad) + OF. muser. See Muse, v.]
- larder n.
- A room or place where meat and other articles of food are kept before they are cooked. [OF. lardier. See Lard, n.]
- discretion n.
- Disjunction; separation. Mede. [F. discrétion, L. discretio separation, difference, discernment, fr. discernere, discretum. See Discreet, Discern.]
- clerk n.
- A clergyman or ecclesiastic. [Either OF. clerc, fr. L. clericus a priest, or AS. clerc, cleric, clerk, priest, fr. L. clericus, fr. Gr. Clergy.]
- lorimer n.
- A maker of bits, spurs, and metal mounting for bridles and saddles; hence, a saddler. Holinshed. [OF. lormier, loremier, fr. LL. loranum bridle, L. lorum thong, the rein of a bridle.]
- dine v. i.
- To eat the principal regular meal of the day; to take dinner. [F. dîner, OF. disner, LL. disnare, contr. fr. an assumed disjunare; dis- + an assumed junare (OF. juner) to fast, for L. jejunare, fr. jejunus fasting. See Jeju]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Revolution at Market-Hill 1730 is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 2, Project Gutenberg ebook #13621; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Jonathan Swift, The Revolution at Market-Hill 1730, in Cadenus and Vanessa, and Other Poems (1710–1745), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13621, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/swift-poems/the-revolution-at-market-hill-1730.html, id L09287.
Form and metre
The Revolution at Market-Hill 1730 is 113 lines in 2 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 80% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.3 syllables. 17 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 12% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABB--CCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKL-LL-LMMNNOOPPQQRRSSTTUUVVWWXXYY--ZZaa--bbccccddeeffgg--hhiijjkkjjllmmnnoo--------ppqq sendsA · friendsA · stipendB · ripen'dB · draws · cause · uniteC · knightC · cruelD · wellD · hardE · guardE · backF · drumlackF · willG · hillG · gentryH · sentryH · fixtI · betwixtI · resentJ · rentJ · chiefK · beefK · theeL · worthy · threeL · heL · scotia · yeL · ringsM · sufferingsM · kiss'dN · fistN · tribeO · bribeO · hereP · yearP · harangu'dQ · hang'dQ · thusR · usR · farmsS · armsS · uniteT · rightT · headU · ledU · descendV · bendV · shadeW · ambuscadeW · standsX · bandsX · winY · withinY · fears · wears · attackZ · backZ · depriveda · contriveda · shoes · noose · pinchb · inchb · placec · facec · portressc · fortressc · remainsd · chainsd · shode · trode · islef · wilef · amuseg · shoesg · on · gone · triesh · prizeh · assaulti · vaulti · onj · dixonj · keyk · teak · discretionj · possessionj · dol · twol · knightm · writem · thatn · hatn · friendo · endo · lie · leslie · proper · her · more · lower · her · her · plotp · spotp · wiseq · riseq
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| From distant regions Fortune sends | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| An odd triumvirate of friends; | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| Where Phoebus pays a scanty stipend, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Where never yet a codling ripen'd: | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Hither the frantic goddess draws | 8 | /˘·/˘/˘· |
| Three sufferers in a ruin'd cause: | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| By faction banish'd, here unite, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·/· |
| A Dean, a Spaniard, and a Knight; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Unite, but on conditions cruel; | 9 | /···˘/˘/˘ |
| The Dean and Spaniard find it too well, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Condemn'd to live in service hard; | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| On either side his honour's guard: | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The Dean to guard his honour's back, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Must build a castle at Drumlack; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The Spaniard, sore against his will, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Must raise a fort at Market-Hill. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And thus the pair of humble gentry | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| At north and south are posted sentry; | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| While in his lordly castle fixt, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| The knight triumphant reigns betwixt: | 8 | ··˘/˘·˘/ |
| And, what the wretches most resent, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| To be his slaves, must pay him rent; | 8 | ········ |
| Attend him daily as their chief, | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| Decant his wine, and carve his beef. | 8 | ˘/······ |
| O Fortune! 'tis a scandal for thee | 9 | ·/˘··/˘·· |
| To smile on those who are least worthy: | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Weigh but the merits of the three, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| His slaves have ten times more than he. | 8 | ········ |
| Proud baronet of Nova Scotia! | 9 | ··˘/·/˘/˘ |
| The Dean and Spaniard must reproach ye: | 9 | ···/˘·˘/· |
| Of their two fames the world enough rings: | 9 | ······˘/· |
| Where are thy services and sufferings? | 9 | ···/˘·/˘˘ |
| What if for nothing once you kiss'd, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Against the grain, a monarch's fist? | 8 | ·····/·· |
| What if, among the courtly tribe, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| You lost a place and saved a bribe? | 8 | ········ |
| And then in surly mood came here, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| To fifteen hundred pounds a-year, | 8 | ·///˘··· |
| And fierce against the Whigs harangu'd? | 8 | ······˘/ |
| You never ventured to be hang'd. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| How dare you treat your betters thus? | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Are you to be compared with us? | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Come, Spaniard, let us from our farms | 8 | ·/˘···/· |
| Call forth our cottagers to arms: | 8 | ··/····· |
| Our forces let us both unite, | 8 | //˘···/· |
| Attack the foe at left and right; | 8 | ˘/······ |
| From Market-Hill's exalted head, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Full northward let your troops be led; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| While I from Drapier's-Mount descend, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And to the south my squadrons bend. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| New-River Walk, with friendly shade, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Shall keep my host in ambuscade; | 8 | ········ |
| While you, from where the basin stands, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Shall scale the rampart with your bands. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Nor need we doubt the fort to win; | 8 | ········ |
| I hold intelligence within. | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| True, Lady Anne no danger fears, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Brave as the Upton fan she wears; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Then, lest upon our first attack | 8 | ····/·˘/ |
| Her valiant arm should force us back, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And we of all our hopes deprived; | 8 | ····/·˘/ |
| I have a stratagem contrived. | 8 | ···/˘˘˘/ |
| By these embroider'd high-heel shoes | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| She shall be caught as in a noose: | 8 | ········ |
| So well contriv'd her toes to pinch, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| She'll not have power to stir an inch: | 8 | ···/···· |
| These gaudy shoes must Hannah place | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Direct before her lady's face; | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| The shoes put on, our faithful portress | 9 | ····//˘/˘ |
| Admits us in, to storm the fortress, | 9 | ˘/·····/˘ |
| While tortured madam bound remains, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Like Montezume, in golden chains; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Or like a cat with walnuts shod, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| Stumbling at every step she trod. | 8 | /˘·/˘··· |
| Sly hunters thus, in Borneo's isle, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘·· |
| To catch a monkey by a wile, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The mimic animal amuse; | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘˘/ |
| They place before him gloves and shoes; | 8 | ········ |
| Which, when the brute puts awkward on: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| All his agility is gone; | 8 | ··˘/˘˘·· |
| In vain to frisk or climb he tries; | 8 | ········ |
| The huntsmen seize the grinning prize. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| But let us on our first assault | 8 | ····/·˘/ |
| Secure the larder and the vault; | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| The valiant Dennis, you must fix on, | 9 | ·/˘/˘···· |
| And I'll engage with Peggy Dixon: | 9 | ··˘/·/˘/˘ |
| Then, if we once can seize the key | 8 | ········ |
| And chest that keeps my lady's tea, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| They must surrender at discretion! | 9 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| And, soon as we have gain'd possession, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| We'll act as other conquerors do, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Divide the realm between us two; | 8 | ˘/······ |
| Then, (let me see,) we'll make the knight | 8 | ········ |
| Our clerk, for he can read and write. | 8 | /······· |
| But must not think, I tell him that, | 8 | ········ |
| Like Lorimer to wear his hat; | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| Yet, when we dine without a friend, | 8 | ········ |
| We'll place him at the lower end. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Madam, whose skill does all in dress lie, | 9 | /˘······· |
| May serve to wait on Mrs. Leslie; | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| But, lest it might not be so proper | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| That her own maid should over-top her, | 8 | ········ |
| To mortify the creature more, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| We'll take her heels five inches lower. | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| For Hannah, when we have no need of her, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| 'Twill be our interest to get rid of her; | 10 | ··//˘····· |
| And when we execute our plot, | 8 | ···/˘·/· |
| 'Tis best to hang her on the spot; | 8 | ········ |
| As all your politicians wise, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Dispatch the rogues by whom they rise. | 8 | ˘/······ |
| Acheson, | 3 | /˘˘ |
| and was to build on, but changed his mind, and called it Drapier's Hill. | 15 | ··············· |
| See the poem so named, and "The Dean's Reasons for not building at | 15 | ··/·····/˘··/˘· |
Notes from the edition 11
The notes to the Poems of Jonathan Swift, Volume II (Project Gutenberg #13621).
- Stanza 1, line 8 Dr. Swift.
- Stanza 1, line 8 Colonel Henry Leslie, who served and lived long in Spain.--Dublin Edition.
- Stanza 1, line 8 Sir Arthur Acheson.
- Stanza 1, line 14 The Irish name of a farm the Dean took of Sir Arthur Acheson, and was to build on, but changed his mind, and called it Drapier's Hill. See the poem so named, and "The Dean's Reasons for not building at Drapier's-Hill," ante, p.107. --W. E. B.
- Stanza 1, line 47 A village near Sir Arthur Acheson's.
- Stanza 1, line 58 A parody on the phrase, "As brave as his sword."--Scott.
- Stanza 1, line 67 My lady's waiting-maid.
- Stanza 1, line 72 Montezuma or Mutezuma, the last Emperor of Mexico and the richest, taken prisoner by Hernando Cortes, about 1511, who also obtained possession of the whole empire. Hakluyt's "Navigations," etc., vols. viii, ix.--W. E. B.
- Stanza 1, line 85 The butler.
- Stanza 1, line 86 The housekeeper.
- Stanza 1, line 96 The agent.
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