J. Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur's "Letters from an American Farmer"

ere

ˈer 
Preposition
old-fashioned + literary
preceding in time earlier than BEFORE entry 2 sense 2
ere nightfall
'The wind is north from the snows,' said Aragorn. 'And ere morning it will be in the East,' said Legolas.—J. R. R. Tolkien

Source