Liberty Tree Thomas Paine Alexander Huber Editor Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BG UK
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive
Taylor Institution Library St Giles' Oxford OX1 3NA UK info@eighteenthcenturypoetry.org https://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/
Oxford This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Cleary, Scott M., ed. Claeys, Gregory, gen. ed. Thomas Paine Collected Writings. Vol. II. Part 2: Poetry. Princeton Princeton UP 2026 pp. []-[]. 5 Volumes.

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Liberty Tree
For the Pennsylvania Magazine

Liberty Tree . A new Song . Tune , The Gods of the Greeks

In a chariot of light from the regions of day , The Goddess of Liberty came ; Ten thousand celestials directed the way , And hither conducted the dame . A fair budding branch from the gardens above , Where millions with millions agree , She brought in her hand , as a pledge of her love , And the plant she named , Liberty Tree . II . The celestial exotic struck deep in the ground , Like a native it flourish’d and bore . The fame of its fruit drew the nations around , To seek out this peaceable shore . Unmindful of names or distinctions they came , For freemen like brothers agree , With one spirit endued , they one friendship pursued , And their temple was Liberty Tree . III . Beneath this fair tree , like the patriarchs of old , Their bread in contentment they eat , Unvex’d with the troubles of silver or gold , The cares of the grand and the great . With timber and tar they Old England supply’d , And supported her power on the sea ; Her battles they fought , without getting a groat , For the honour of Liberty Tree . IV . But hear , O ye swains , ( ’tis a tale most profane , ) How all the tyrannical powers , King , Commons , and Lords , are uniting amain , To cut down this guardian of ours ; From the east to the west , blow the trumpet to arms , Thro ’ the land let the sound of it flee , Let the far and the near , — all unite with a cheer , In defence of our Liberty tree . Atlanticus