Articles from Pigs' Meat

Spence's token advertising Pigs' Meat

Although Pigs' Meat mainly consisted of selections from other authors, Thomas Spence occasionally used it to publish his own works, particularly writings first printed long before. A Lesson for the Sheepish Multitude was first published in 1779, and the song Rights of Man in 1783. The Rights of Man by Question and Answer is probably another of this early group.

The land of Nineveh: a fragment. Addressed to the farmers of Great Britain and Ireland, by a friend to husbandry. was a pamphlet printed by Sir John Sinclair around 1795, using the argument that reforms demanded by small farmers would snowball till the very poorest were also demanding change, which would lead to chaos. Spence's Remarks did not argue with the premise, only with the conclusion: there would be no reason for chaos. The mock-biblical style may have inspired Spence's Fragment of an Ancient Prophecy

The Song to be sung an hundred years hence is initialled by Spence. The two songs, The Year 93 and The Progress of Liberty are not, and may or may not be by Spence. Two other songs in Pigs' Meat which were definitely written by Spence are included in the section on his arrests.

The Parody on the song of Poor jack was published by Spence as a separate leaflet, though without being signed by him. It was also printed in the Edinburgh publication Husks for Swine (3rd Ed., 1794), but again anonymously.