Sancho, Charles Ignatius (1729-1780)

Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, An African

London

Printed by J. Nichols

1782

"Oh! lads, beware the month of May;--for you blest girls--nature decked out--as in a birth-day suit--courts you with all its sweets--where-e'er you tread--the grass and wanton flowerets fondly kiss your feet--and humbly bow their pretty heads--to the gentle sweepings of your under-petticoats--the soft and amorous southern breezes--toy with your curls--and uncontroul'd steal numberless kisses--the blackbirds and thrushes suspend their songs--and eye beauty and humanity with pleasure;--and could their hearts be read--thank most sincerely the generous fair hands that fed them in the winter;--the cuckoo sings--on every tree--the joys of married life--the shrubery throws out all its sweets to charm you--tho', alas! an unlucky parciplepliviaplemontis seizes my imagination--my brains are on the ferment."

THE Sanchos--in full synod--humbly present their respectful compliments to the good Mrs. C---- and Miss--what a--C----! are happy in hearing they got well into Suffolk--that they continue so--and enjoy the beauties of this sweetest of seasons--with its attendant dainties--fresh butter--sweet milk--and the smiles of boon nature--on hill and dale--fields and groves--shepherds piping--milk-maids dancing--and the chearful respondent carolings of artless joy in the happy husbandmen.--Should you perchance rise early in pursuit of May dew--I earnestly make it my request--you will save--and bring to town a little bottle of it for my particular use.--Happy--thrice happy nymphs--be merciful to the poor hapless swains--the powerful little god of mischief and delight--now at this blest season--prunes his beauteous wings--new feathers--and sharpens his arrows--tight strings his bow--and takes too sure his aim.--Oh! lads, beware the month of May;--for you blest girls--nature decked out--as in a birth-day suit--courts you with all its sweets--where-e'er you tread--the grass and wanton flowerets fondly kiss your feet--and humbly bow their pretty heads--to the gentle sweepings of your under-petticoats--the soft and amorous southern breezes--toy with your curls--and uncontroul'd steal numberless kisses--the blackbirds and thrushes suspend their songs--and eye beauty and humanity with pleasure;--and could their hearts be read--thank most sincerely the generous fair hands that fed them in the winter;--the cuckoo sings--on every tree--the joys of married life--the shrubery throws out all its sweets to charm you--tho', alas! an unlucky parciplepliviaplemontis seizes my imagination--my brains are on the ferment.--Miss C---- will excuse me.--Make my best wishes to Mrs. C----, tell her I hope she rides and walks in moderation--eats heartily, and laughs much--sleeps soundly, dreams happily--that she--you--my R---- and your connexions--may enjoy the good of this life without its evil--is the true Black-a-moor wish of [...]
(I.lxi, pp. 187-9; pp. 117-8 in Carretta)

Writing::Reading Uncategorized::Parciplepliviaplemontis Uncategorized::Ferment

Reading; text from DocSouth

Five entries in ESTC (1782, 1783, 1784). [Second edition in 1783, third in 1784.]

See Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, An African. In Two Volumes. To Which Are Prefixed, Memoirs of His Life (London: Printed by J. Nichols, 1782). <Link to text from Documenting the American South at UNC>

Reading Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, ed. Vincent Carretta (New York: Penguin, 1998).

07/11/2013