Excerpt from Early Prose and Verse

In the first two volumes of the Library of American Literature, edited by Mr. Sted man and Miss Hutchinson, of the one hun dred and twenty-five colonial authors named, but six, in any sense, could be called of New York. Of these, two were but short sojourners there - Charles Wolley, an English chaplain under Andros, lived but four years in New York, and wrote a journal of his life there; and John Miller, another chaplain, who lived three years in New York, and wrote a description of the city. Daniel Denton, a settler of Jamaica, Long Island, wrote a brief account of the colony. Cadwallader Colden, properly the first New York author did not come to the State to live until he was thirty years old.

William Livingstone, the first native-born New York author, and William Smith, also a native of the State, and its historian, end the short list. These three were all of Scotch or scotch-irish blood. I think Charlotte Len nox, who was born and livcd in New York till she was fifteen years old, and Anne Grant, who spent her youth from three to thirteen years of age there, might with equal propriety be added; and both have, I am sure, far more literary pretensions than any of the above-named masculine authors. As Charlotte Lennox was born in 1720, three years before William Livingstone, it thus chances that the first native-born New York author was a woman.

It was not until the liberty of the Press was assailed in New York City that a glow ing spark of patriotism, a demand for freedom of speech, and unrestricted presentation to the public of such speech, kindled the latent intelligence, and evinced the possible liter ary capacity of the men of New York; then they burst forth in print, in crude but forcible sallies of wit and satire and argu ment. When editor Zenger and his asso ciates stoutly contended for the right to saywhat they pleased of the Governor and the Government in the little New York Week ly Journal, they builded better than they knew; without any great literary skill of their own, they laid the foundation for a New York State literature. In the years succeeding a woman took a hand in this newspaper work - the widow Zenger carried on the Journal after the death of her hus band, and did it pretty well too.

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