''McFingal: a modern epic poem. Or, The town-meeting'' is a mock

epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...

written by American poet

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...

. This

canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from th ...

, about 1500 lines, contains some verses from

Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator best known for his many years of service in North America, including serving as Commander-in-Chief, North America during the early days ...

's Proclamation, published in the '' Connecticut Courant'' for the 7th and the 14th of August 1775; it portrays a Scottish Loyalist, McFingal, and his Whig opponent, Honorius, evidently a portrait of

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

. This first canto was divided into two, and with a third and a fourth canto was published in 1782.

1st edition

*Philadelphia: Printed and sold by William and Thomas Bradford, at the London coffee-house. 1775.

References

Mock-heroic English poems 1770s poems American satirical poems {{poetry-stub