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

Sat Apr 21 21:49:04 UTC 2012

OK, I am lost here.

First, how could any Nathan Hale quote be dated 1799 when Nathan Hale died
in 1776??

I am, however, as a Yale man, relieved by the identification of a
contemporaneous quote.

DanG

On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 12:44 AM, 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:      Re: Quote: he only lamented, that he had but one life to
> lose for
>              his country (Nathan Hale 1799)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Many thanks to Larry for sending the photo of the Nathan Hale statue
> outside Connecticut Hall.
>
> Here are two citations within GenealogyBank for interesting early
> variants in 1777 and 1781 of the famous "last words" credited to
> Nathan Hale. In addition, here are two precursors (of many) in 1680
> for the 1777 saying.
>
> Cite: 1777 March 25, Pennsylvania Evening Post, "Newbury Port,
> February 13", Page 166, [Front page of the March 25, 1777 issue is
> numbered 163], Pennsylvania. (GenealogyBank)
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> However, at the gallows, he made a sensible and spirited speech; among
> other things, told them they were shedding the blood of the innocent,
> and that if he had ten thousand lives, he would lay them all down, if
> called to it, in defence of his injured bleeding country.
> [End excerpt]
>
> The above variant was mentioned in "Documentary Life of Nathan Hale"
> (1941) by George Dudley Seymour. The citation given by Seymour was for
> "Essex Journal" (Massachusetts) on February 13, 1777.
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=PxkkjSRgMiAC&q=%22lay+them%22#v=snippet&
>
> GenealogyBank contains issues of The Essex Journal (Newburyport,
> Massachusetts) in 1777, but the February 13, 1777 issue is missing. So
> I have only seen digital images of the March 25, 1777 reprint given
> above. The following cite is also mentioned by Seymour.
>
> Cite: 1781 May 17, Independent Chronicle and the Universal Advertiser
> [New-England Chronicle], "For the Boston Chronicle", Page 1, Column 1,
> Boston, Massachusetts. (GenealogyBank)
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> ... but just before he expired said, aloud, "I am so satisfied with
> the cause in which I have engaged, that my only regret is, that I have
> not more lives than one to offer in its service."
> [End excerpt]
>
> Here is a precursor published in 1680 (referring to a speech in 1649)
> in which the speaker is willing to lay down a thousand lives.
>
> Cite: 1680, England's black Tribunal: Set forth in the Tryal of King
> Charles I, Third Edition, [The Speech of Col. John Morris lately
> Governour of Pomfret Castle, at the place of his Execution at York,
> August 23 1649], Start Page 104, Quote Page 105, Printed for Playford,
> London. (Google Books full view)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=nfo9AAAAcAAJ&q=%22lay+them%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> I bless God I am thought worthy to suffer for his Name, and for so
> good a cause; and if I had a thousand lives, I would willingly lay
> them down for the cause of my King, the Lords Anointed ...
> [End excerpt]
>
> Here is a precursor from the same 1680 volume in which the speaker is
> willing to lay down 10 million lives.
>
> Cite: 1680, England's black Tribunal: Set forth in the Tryal of King
> Charles I, Third Edition, [The Speech and manner of putting to death
> Col. John Gerhard, who was beheaded on Tower Hill, July 10 1654;
> Published by his Friends], Start Page 142, Quote Page 145, Printed for
> Playford, London. (Google Books full view)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=nfo9AAAAcAAJ&q=%22lay+them%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> But this I desire all to take notice of, and this he spoke (with a
> double vehemence) that I die a faithful subject and servant to King
> Charles the second, whom I pray God to bless and restore to his
> Rights; and had I ten thousand thousand lives I would glady lay them
> all down thus for his service.
> [End excerpt]
>
> NewspaperArchive has an interesting precursor with a date of October
> 4, 1642 in the Scottish Mercury, London, Middlesex. But none of the
> page images show the date and there is no first page. It is wonky.
>
> Garson
>
> On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 2:06 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: Quote: he only lamented, that he had but one life to
> lose for
> >              his country (Nathan Hale 1799)
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > 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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> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
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>
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