Quodlibets, by Robert Hayman, is quite likely the first work of English poetry penned in North America. Hayman composed this collection of witty verses during his service as governor of the English colony in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. Containing original poetry in addition to his translations of pieces by John Owen and Francois Rabelais, Hayman's poetic insight reflects on faith and the church, thieves and knaves, good wives and whores, as well as the beauty of Newfoundland's rugged landscape. This is a saucy appeal from an adventurer's soul, beckoning others to settle in Newfoundland. This...