Some ran to furbish up their arms ; others rolled stones to build up
the walls--everybody, in short, was employed, and everybody was in
the way of his neighbor. Diogenes alone was the only man who could
find nothing to do--whereupon, determining not to be idle when the
welfare of his country was at stake, he tucked up his robe, and fell to
rolling his tub with might and main up and down the Gymnasium."
In like manner did every mother's son, in the patriotic community of
New Amsterdam, on receiving the missives of Peter Stuyvesant, busy
himself most mightily in putting things in confusion, and assisting the
general uproar. "Every man,"--saith the Stuyvesant manuscript--
"flew to arms!"--by which is meant, that not one of our honest Dutch
citizens would venture to church or to market without an old-fashioned
spit of a sword dangling at his side, and a long Dutch fowling-piece
on his shoulder--nor would he go out of a night without a lantern;
nor turn a corner without first peeping cautiously round, lest he should
come unawares upon a British army. And we are informed that
Stoffel Brinkerhoff, who was considered by the old women almost as
brave a man as the governor himself--actually had two one-pound
swivels mounted in his entry, one pointing out at the front door, and
the other at the back.

But the most strenuous measure resorted to on this awful occasion,
and one which has since been found of wonderful efficacy, was to
assemble popular meetings. These brawling convocations, I have
already shown, were extremely offensive to Peter Stuyvesant, but as
this was a moment of unusual agitation, and as the old governor was
not present to repress them, they broke out with intolerable violence.
Hither, therefore, the orators and politicians repaired, and there
seemed to be a competition among them who should bawl the loud-
est, and exceed the others in hyperbolical bursts of patriotism, and in
resolutions to uphold and defend the government. In these sage and
all-powerful meetings, it was determined, nem. con., that they were
the most enlightened, the most dignified, the most formidable, and
the most ancient community upon the face of the earth. Finding that
this resolution was so universally and readily carried, another was
immediately proposed--whether it were not possible and politic to
exterminate Great Britain? upon which sixty-nine members spoke
most eloquently in the affirmative, and only one rose to suggest some
doubts--who, as a punishment for his treasonable presumption, was
immediately seized by the mob, and tarred and feathered--which
punishment being equivalent to the Tarpeian Rock, he was afterwards
considered as an outcast from society, and his opinion went for nothing.
The question, therefore, being unanimously carried in the affirmative;
it was recommended to the grand council to pass it into a law; which
was accordingly done. By this measure, the hearts of the people at
large were wonderfully encouraged, and they waxed exceeding chol-
eric and valorous. Indeed, the first paroxysm of alarm having in
some measure subsided; the old women having buried all the money

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