Free-born, No. II

Free-born, No. II. [No. 12]

Who are the favour’d mortals truly Free?
Not him who seeks to wrong his fellow-men;
Nor he who ever fear’d with tongue or pen
To plead the cause of Right. Freemasonry
Disdains the Tyrant and the willing Slave. 5
The vilest Serfdom is that of mind
Which ne’er by Truth and Virtue was refined,—
Oppressive when it can, always a knave.
A man might be unfortunately born
Of some poor Captive sold to Slavery; 10
And now in mind and body purely Free
Might seek admission. I would not him scorn
For his misfortune: and the man who would
Forgets God made all nations of one blood.
[Also quoted in William Andrew’s Modern Yorkshire
Poets (1888), p.54]
102

by George Markham Tweddell  1st published 1887