Nathan Hale's speech (1600s?)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

In a message dated 6/11/2006 6:33:59 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU writes:

On Sun,  11 Jun 2006, Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:

> Another Early American  Newspapers request. What does Fred (or anyone else)
> have for Nathan  Hale's final speech (and the speech as we now know it)?

There's nothing  pre-1812 in America's Historical Newspapers.  I do,
however, see an  1805 occurrence in Shaw-Shoemaker.

Fred  Shapiro



...
...
I just checked EEBO.
...
Cristobal de Fonseca (1550-1621) writes about "he had no more but one life
to lay downe" for his God. Also "I haue but one life to loose." Two similar
cites in this one book.
...
...
M. Le Roy sieur de Gomberville (1600-?), THE HISTORY OF POLEXANDER IN FIVE
BOOKES (1647), "I have but one life to lose."
...
...
Sir Robert Stapylton (d. 1669) (citation also Literature Online), THE
SLIGHTED MAID a comedy (1663), "My grief is, I've but one Life to lose for the
King's Honour."

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