Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

When we've been at St. James's you'll hear of the matter.
Again then I charge ye,
Ye men of the clergy,

That ye follow the track all
Of your own bishop Blackall,
And preach, as ye should,
What's savory and good;
And together all cling,

As it were in a string;

Not falling out, quarrelling one with another,

Now we're treating with monsieur, — that son of his mother. Then proceeded on the common matters of the law, and concluded Once more, and no more, since few words are best,

I charge you all present, by way of request,

If ye honor as I do

Our dear royal widow,
Or have any compassion
For church or the nation,
And would live a long while

In continual smile,

And eat roast and boil,

And not be forgotten

When ye are dead and rotten,

That ye would be quiet and peaceably dwell,

And never fall out, but p-s in a quill.

PARODY

ON THE RECORDER OF BLESSINGTON'S ADDRESS TO QUEEN ANNE. Mr. William Crowe, Recorder of Blessington's Address to her Majesty, as copied from the London Gazette.

To the Queen's most Excellent Majesty,

The humble Address of the Sovereign, Recorder, Burgesses, and Freemen, of the Borough of Blessington.

May it please your Majesty,

THOUGH We stand almost last on the roll of boroughs of this your majesty's kingdom of Ireland, and therefore, in good manners to our elder brothers, press but late among the joyful crowd about your royal throne, yet we beg leave to assure your majesty that we come behind none in our good affection to your sacred person and government; insomuch that the late surprising accounts from Germany have filled us with a joy not inferior to any of our fellow-subjects.

We heard with transport that the English warmed the field to that degree that thirty squadrons, part of the vanquished enemy, were forced to fly to water, not able to stand their fire, and drank their last draught in the Danube, for the waste they had before committed on its injured banks, thereby putting an end to their master's long-boasted victories : a glorious push indeed, and worthy a general of the queen of England.

posts of your majesty's army, who drew their first breath in this country, sharing in the good fortune of those who so effectually put in execution the command of your gallant enterprising general, whose twinbattles have, with his own title of Marlborough, given immortality to the otherwise perishing names of Schellenberg and Hogstete: actions that speak him born under stars as propitious to England as that he now wears, on both which he has so often reflected lustre as to have now abundantly repaid the glory they once lent him. Nor can we but congratulate with a joy proportioned to the success of your majesty's fleet our last campaign at sea, since by it we observe the French obliged to steer their wonted course for security to their ports; and Gibraltar, the Spaniards' ancient defence, bravely stormed, possessed, and maintained by your majesty's subjects.

May the supplies for reducing the exorbitant power of France be such as may soon turn your wreaths of laurel into branches of olive; that after the toils of a just and honorable war, carried on by a confederacy of which your majesty is most truly, as of the faith, styled defender, we may live to enjoy, under your majesty's auspicious government, the blessings of a profound and lasting peace; a peace beyond the power of him to violate, who, but for his own unreasonable conveniency, destructive always of his neighbors, never yet kept any. And, to complete our happiness, may your majesty again prove to your own family what you have been so eminently to the true church-a nursing mother. So wish and so pray, may it please your majesty, your majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects and devoted humble servants.

This address was presented January 17, 1705.

Mr. William Crowe's Address to her Majesty, turned into Metre.
FROM a town that consists of a church and a steeple,
With three or four houses and as many people,
There went an address in great form and good order,
Composed as 'tis said, by Will Crowe, their recorder.
And thus it began to an excellent tune:

Forgive us, good madam, that we did not as soon
As the rest of the cities and towns of this nation
Wish your majesty joy on this glorious occasion.
Not that we're less hearty or loyal than others,
But having a great many sisters and brothers,
Our borough in riches and years far exceeding,
We let them speak first to show our good breeding.
We have heard with much transport and great satisfaction
Of the victory obtain'd in the late famous action,
When the field was so warm'd that it soon grew too hot,
For the French and Bavarians, who had all gone to pot,
But that they thought best in great haste to retire,
And leap into the water for fear of the fire.

But says the good river, Ye fools, plague confound ye,
Do ye think to swim through me, and that I'll not drown ye,

Who have ravish'd, and murder'd, and play'd such damn'd pranks,
And trod down the grass on my much injured banks?

Then swelling with anger and rage to the brink,

So it plainly appears they were very well bang'd,
And that some may be drown'd who deserved to be hang'd.
Great Marlbro' well push'd: 'twas well push'd indeed:
Oh, how we adore you because you succeed!
And now I may say it, I hope without blushing,
That you have got twins by your violent pushing;
Twin battles I mean, that will ne'er be forgotten,
But live and be talk'd of when we're dead and rotten.
Let other nice lords skulk at home from the wars,
Prank'd up and adorn'd with garters and stars,
Which but twinkle like those in a cold frosty night;
While to yours you are adding such lustre and light,
That if you proceed I'm sure very soon

'Twill be brighter and larger than the sun or the mool:
A blazing star, I foretell, 'twill prove to the Gaul,
That portends of his empire the ruin and fall.

Now God bless your majesty and our lord Murrough, And send him in safety and health to his borough.

[blocks in formation]

Then on horseback they got

By advice of their cousin Vendome ;

O Lord! cried out he,

Unto young Burgundy,

Would your brother and you were at home!

V.

While this he did say,
Without more delay

Away the young gentry fled;

Whose heels for that work,

Were much lighter than cork,

Though their hearts were as heavy as lead.

Not so did behave

VI.

Young IIanover brave,

In this bloody field I assure ye:
When his war-horse was shot

He valued it not,

But fought it on foot like a fury.

VII.

Full firmly he stood,

As became his high blood, Which runs in his viens so blue:

For this gallant young man,

Being a-kin to QUEEN ANNE,

Did as (were she a man) she would do.

VIII.

What a racket was here,
(I think 'twas last year,)

For a little misfortune in Spain!

For by letting 'em win,

We have drawn the puts in,

To lose all they're worth this campaign.

IX.

Though Bruges and Ghent

To Monsieur we lent,

With interest they shall repay 'em ;

While Paris may sing

With her sorrowful king,

Nunc dimittis instead of Te Deum.

X.

From this dream of success,

They'll awaken, we guess,

At the sound of great Marlborough's drums:

They may think, if they will,

Of Almanza still,

[blocks in formation]

We'll let Tallard out,

If he'll take t'other bout;

And much he's improved, let me tell ye,
With Nottingham ale

At every meal,

And good beef and pudding in belly.

XIII.

But as losers at play

Their dice throw away,

While the winners do still win on;

Let who will command,

Thou hadst better disband,

For, old Bully, thy doctors are gone.

THE GARDEN PLOT.

66

1709.

WHEN Naboth's vineyard look'd so fine,
The king cried out, Would this were mine!"
And yet no reason could prevail

To bring the owner to a sale.
Jezebel saw, with haughty pride,

How Ahab grieved to be denied ;

And thus accosted him with scorn:

66

'Shall Naboth make a monarch mourn?

A king, and weep! The ground's your own; I'll vest the garden in the crown.'

[ocr errors]

With that she hatch'd a plot, and made
Poor Naboth answer with his head:
And when his harmless blood was spilt,
The ground became his forfeit guilt.
Poor Hall, renown'd for comely hair,
Whose hands perhaps were not so fair,
Yet had a Jezebel as near;
Hall, of small scripture conversation,
Yet, howe'er Hungerford's quotation,
By some strange accident, had got
The story of this garden-plot-
Wisely foresaw he might have reason
To dread a modern bill of treason,
If Jezebel should please to want
His small addition to her grant:
Therefore resolved, in humble sort,
To begin first and make his court;
And, seeing nothing else would do,

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »