SPENCE 200

On the site of Thomas Spence (1750-1814) 'Hive of Liberty' bookshop, Little Turnstile, Holborn, London 
Photos/film: Peter Dixon

Spence's most ambitious production, which bore the imprint of ‘The Hive of Liberty, No. 8 Little Turnstile, High Holburn,’ was entitled ‘Pigs' Meat or Lessons from the Swinish Multitude collected by the Poor Man's Advocate.’ (1793, 1794, 1795).

PIGS' MEAT

“Learning will be cast into the mire and trodden down under the hoofs of a swinish multitude.” (from Edmund Burke’s ‘Reflections on the Revolution in France’)

We are the swinish multitude,

Who feed off the Loose Meat,

Our brains are bacon,

Our balls pork chops,

We honk instead of speak.

We’re pigs’ meat,

Pigs' meat,

We wallow in our muck.

Our snouts deep in the stinking trough,

We don’t give a toss.

Pigs’ meat,

Pigs’ meat,

We riot in the street.

Pigs’ meat,

Pigs’ meat,

We piss on the elite.

We are the swinish multitude,

With sties that blind our eyes.

No sense of direction,

Just one big erection,

We bonk instead of think.

We’re pigs’ meat,

Pigs’ meat,

We wallow in our muck.

Our snouts deep in the stinking trough,

We don’t give a toss.

Pigs’ meat,

Pigs’ meat,

We riot in the street.

Pigs’ meat,

Pigs’ meat,

We piss on the Elite.

We are the swinish multitude,

Incapable of speeches,

We drink royal blood,

We eat the rich,

We fart in Halls of Art.

We’re pigs’ meat,

Pigs’ meat,

We wallow in our muck.

Our snots deep in the stinking trough,

We don’t give a toss.

Pigs’ meat,

Pigs’ meat,

We riot in the street.

Pigs’ meat,

Pigs’ meat,

We piss on the Elite.

KEITH ARMSTRONG

THE HIVE OF LIBERTY

(AFTER THE NAME OF THOMAS SPENCE’S BOOKSHOP AT 8 LITTLE TURNSTILE, HOLBORN)

I am a small and humble man,

my body frail and broken.

I strive to do the best I can.

I spend my life on tokens.

I traipse through Holborn all alone,

hawking crazy notions.

I am the lonely people’s friend.

I live on schemes and potions.

For, in my heart and in my mind,

ideas swarm right through me.

Yes, in this Hive of Liberty,

my words just flow like wine,

my words just flow like wine.

I am a teeming worker bee.

My dignity is working.

My restless thoughts swell like the sea.

My fantasies I’m stoking.

There is a rebel inside me,

a sting about to strike.

I hawk my works around the street.

I put the world to rights.

For, in my heart and in my mind,

ideas swarm right through me.

Yes, in this Hive of Liberty,

my words just flow like wine,

my words just flow like wine.

KEITH ARMSTRONG