The review of Mr. Wright's _England under the House of Hanover,
illustrated by the Caricatures and Satires of the Day_, given in
the _Athenæum_ (No. 1090.), cites a popular ballad on the flight
and attainder of the second Duke of Ormonde, as taken down from the
mouth of an Isle of Wight fishmonger. This review elicited from a
correspondent (_Athenæum_, No. 1092.) another version of the same
ballad as prevalent in Northumberland. I made a note of these at the
time; and was lately much interested at receiving from an esteemed
correspondent (the Rev. P. Moore, Rochenon, co. Kilkenny), a fragment
of another version of the same ballad, which he (being at the time
ignorant of the existence of any other version of the song) had taken
down from the lips of a very old man of the neighbourhood, viz.:--
"My name is Ormond; have you not heard of me?
For I have lately forsaken my own counterie;
I fought for my life, and they plundered my estate,
For being so loyal to Queen Anne the great.
Queen Anne's darling, and cavalier's delight,
And the Presbyterian crew, they shall never have their flight.
I am afraid of my calendry; my monasteries are all sold,
And my subjects are bartered for the sake of English gold.
* * * * *
* * * * *
But, as I am Ormond, I vow and declare,
I'll curb the heartless Whigs of their wigs, never fear."
I do not quote the versions given in the _Athenæum_, but, on a
comparison, it will be seen that they all must have been derived from
the same original.
The success of your queries concerning the Duke of Monmouth impel me
to propose a few concerning the almost as unfortunate, and nearly as
celebrated, second Duke of Ormonde. Many scraps of traditionary lore
relative to the latter nobleman must linger in and about London, where
he was the idol of the populace, as well as the leader of what we
should now call the "legitimist" party.
With your leave. I shall therefore propose the following Queries,
viz.:--
1. Who was the author of the anonymous life of the second Duke
of Ormonde, published in one volume octavo, some years after his
attainder?
2. Was the ballad, of which the above is a fragment, printed at the
time; and if so, does it exist?
3. What pamphlets, ballads, or fugitive pieces, were issued from the
press, or privately printed, on the occasion of the Duke's flight and
subsequent attainder?
4. Does any contemporary writer mention facts or incidents relative to
the matter in question, between the period of the accession of George
I., and the Duke's final departure from his residence at Richmond?
5. Does any traditionary or unpublished information on the subject
exist in or about London or Richmond.