Quote: he only lamented, that he had but one life to lose for his country (Nathan Hale 1799)

Fri Apr 20 18:06:18 UTC 2012

FWIW--probably little--the official statue of Nathan Hale, a gift of the class of 1913 that stands outside Connecticut Hall on the campus of Yale University ("In this hall was the room of Nathan Hale, of the Class of 1773"), the legend on the base reads as follows:

I ONLY REGRET THAT I HAVE BUT ONE LIVE TO LOSE FOR MY COUNTRY

LH

(I have a photograph of the statue, with Connecticut Hall in the background, that I can send to anyone interested, although only a part of the legend is visible.)

On Apr 20, 2012, at 4:26 AM, Garson O'Toole wrote:

> Barry Popik already had an entry on this topic which I should have
> found and linked to in my previous post. Sorry.
>
> http://goo.gl/Mfl0L
> http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/i_only_regret_that_i_have_but_one_life_to_lose_for_my_country_nathan_hale/
>
> The precursors and partial matches I located were not included in the
> previous post which was focused on Nathan Hale. So here now are some
> of those earlier cites which may be of interest in chronological
> order.
>
> In this 1660 cite the word "griev'd" was used instead of "lamented" or
> "regretted". Also, the motivating force was religion and not
> nationalism.
>
> Cite: 1660, Three Decads of Sermons, Lately Preached to the University
> at St Mary's Church in Oxford by Henry Wilkinson, "Joy in the Lord, as
> a Strong Ground of Comfort Against All Discomforts", Start Page 157,
> Quote Page 174, Printed by H. H. for Thomas Robinson. (Google Books
> full view)\
> http://books.google.com/books?id=AXcGpZLJn5sC&q=%22one+life%22#v=snippet&
> [Begin excerpt]
> John Ardley a blessed Martyr griev'd that he had but one life to lay
> downe for Christ, if I had (saith he) as many lifes as there are
> heyres of my head, they should all goe for Christ.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Vexations in love seem to be the motive behind the following grand
> pronouncement.
>
> Cite: 1708, The Ingenious and Diverting Letters of the Lady's -
> Travels into Spain by [Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville d'
> Aulnoy], [The Seventh Edition], Page 80, Printed for Samuel Crouch,
> London. (Google Books full view)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=H-g_AAAAcAAJ&q=%22expiate+all%22#v=snippet&
> [Begin excerpt]
> I ought to die with Sorrow for having betray'd you; and if I regret
> any thing in dying, it is only the having one Life to lose to expiate
> all the Crimes you can justly accuse me of.
> [End excerpt]
>
> The following passage in a play by Joseph Addison was cited in the
> Yale Book of Quotations, the Quote Verifier, and Barry's website.
>
> Cite: 1713, Cato: A Tragedy: As It Is Acted at the Theatre-Royal in
> Drury-Lane By Joseph Addison, Page 53, Printed for J. Tonson, London.
> (Google Books full view)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=RkMJAAAAQAAJ&q=%22die+but%22#v=snippet&
> [Begin excerpt]
> How beautiful is Death, when earn'd by Virtue!
> Who wou'd not be that Youth? what Pity is it
> That we can die but once to serve our Country!
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> Cite: 1719, The State-Weathercocks: or, A New Secret History by John
> Dunton, Whig Loyalty or Mr. John Dunton's Private Letter to Queen
> Anne, Start Page 89, Quote Page 91, Printed for the Author and are to
> be Sold by S. Poping, London. (Google Books full view)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=VDkIAAAAQAAJ&q=%22one+Life%22#v=snippet&
> [Begin excerpt]
> However I have but one Life to lose, and in my suffering for detecting
> the Enemies to my Queen and Country, I think Death it self a Reward;
> for to be Martyr'd, for a Good Cause, is to die but once, and then to
> live for ever.
> [End excerpt]
>
> A biographical reference published in 1760 attributed a precursor
> statement to John Lilburne, a leader of the Levellers, who died in
> 1657.
>
> Cite: 1760, Biographia Britannica: or, The Lives of the Most Eminent
> Persons Who Have Flourished in Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 5,
> Section: Lilburne, Start Page 2937, Quote Page 2955, Printed for W.
> Meadows, J. Walthoee, etcetera, London. (Google Books full view)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=rYhDAAAAcAAJ&q=%22one+life%22#v=snippet&
> [Begin excerpt]
> ... give me leave to tell you, I am sorry I have but one life to lose,
> in maintaining the truth, justice, and righteousness, of so gallant a
> piece.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Barry Popik and Victor Steinbok kindly told me about the following
> citation off-list which I also had found independently
>
> Cite: 1770, A Fair Account of the Late Unhappy Disturbance At Boston
> in New England, [Testimony of Henry Dougan, Sworn before James Murray,
> March 14, 1770] Start Page 19, Quote Page 20, Printed for B. White,
> London. (Google Books full view)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=bKtbAAAAQAAJ&q=%22one+life%22#v=snippet&
> [Begin excerpt]
> I heard them repeatedly say, "they had but one life to lose, and that
> they were willing to lose it for their country;" and also said, "that
> Mr. Hancock said he had but one life, that he would lose it for his
> country, and why should not they?
> [End excerpt]
>
> Cite: 1782, A General History of Connecticut: from Its First
> Settlement Under George Fenwick by Samuel Peters, Second Edition,
> Appendix, Page 415, Printed for the Author; and sold by J. Bew,
> London. (Google Books full view)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=InsFAAAAQAAJ&q=%22one+life%22#v=snippet&
> [Begin excerpt]
> Peters told them he had but one life to lose, and he would lose it in
> defence of his house and property.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 5:59 PM, Garson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Quote: he only lamented, that he had but one life to lose for his
>>             country (Nathan Hale 1799)
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> The revolutionary rebel Nathan Hale was hanged by the British as a spy
>> in 1776. What Hale said or did not say shortly before his execution is
>> a complex question of history. The words attributed to him became
>> famous in the United States.
>>
>> The Yale Book of Quotations and the Quote Verifier have valuable
>> entries on the quotation credited to Hale.
>>
>> The earliest evidence I can find for a version of this saying is in a
>> 1799 history book by Hannah Adams. This book was, in part, compiled
>> using other history books. So an older source is possible in the gap
>> of twenty-three years between 1776 and 1799. Maybe some list member
>> has better access to databases with manuscripts from the 1700s.
>>
>> The words attributed to Hale are between quotation marks, but the use
>> of a third person grammatical construct is odd to this modern reader.
>> Maybe some list member knows more about this style of written (or
>> spoken) speech in the United States in 1799.
>>
>> Cite: 1799, A Summary History of New-England: From the First
>> Settlement at Plymouth to the Acceptance of the Federal Constitution:
>> Comprehending a General Sketch of the American War by Hannah Adams,
>> Quote Page 359, Printed for the Author by H. Mann and J. H. Adams,
>> Dedham. (HathiTrust)
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> "Unknown to all around him, without a single friend to offer him the
>> least consolation, thus fell as amiable and as worthy a young man as
>> America could boast, with this, as his dying observation, "that he
>> only lamented, that he had but one life to lose for his country."
>> [End excerpt]
>
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