p. 179 is the usual text, viz. that which is reprinted in Percy’s
_Reliques_. It no doubt represents the final version of Glover’s poem.
A version published in 1740, ‘printed for Mr. Webb, near St. Paul’s
(price sixpence),’ states that it was to be sung to the tune of ‘Come
and Listen to my Ditty.’ It supplies some various readings. Stanza 1,
line 1, instead of ‘our,’ ‘my’; stanza 4, line 7, ‘yet to hear of my
undoing’; stanza 5, line 7, instead of ‘tale,’ ‘fate’; stanza 6, lines
5-8,
‘Oh that, with my wrath complying,
I had cast them in the main,
Then, no more unactive lying,
I had lowered the pride of Spain.’
Stanza 7, line 4, instead of ‘hast achieved,’ ‘didst achieve’; stanza
7, line 8, ‘of these gallant men had been,’; stanza 9 runs as follows:
‘Unrepining at thy glory,
Thy successful arms we hail,
But remember our sad story,
When to Britain back you sail!
All your country’s foes subduing,
When your Patriot friends you see,
Think on vengeance for my ruin,
And for England sham’d in me.’
Stanzas 10 and 11 are omitted, and the form of stanza 9 seems to show
that the original version of the ballad did not contain these two.
For the tune, see Chappell, _Old English Popular Music_, ii. 165.
P. 181. =Vernon’s Glory.= _Roxburghe Ballads_, vii. 280. This ballad
was probably written in 1741, about May, before the failure to storm
Fort San Lazar on April 9 had become known. Vernon’s despatch, dated
April 1, had just come to hand, giving an account of his forcing
the passage through the Bocca Chica, and of having the whole fleet
inside the harbour. The capture of Cartagena was a natural, but
incorrect, inference. See Clowes, _The Royal Navy_, iii. 67-75. Another
contemporary ballad anticipates the capture in the same way--_English
Courage Displayed: or Admiral Vernon’s taking of Cartagena_. To the
tune of Glorious Charles of Sweden (Madden collection, _Slipsongs_, i.
252). It is an imitation of the ballad printed on p. 177.
P. 184. =The Saphirah in Triumph.= From the Madden collection
(_Garlands_, iii. 107, No. 699).
P. 186. =Admiral Matthews’ Engagement.= _Roxburghe Ballads_, viii. 289.
P. 187. =A Song in Praise of Captain Hornsby.= From _The Pretty
Milkmaid’s Garland_, in the British Museum (pressmark, 11621, c. 2
[59]). Several corrections have been made in the text.
P. 189. =Captain Cobb’s Bravery.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, i. 119, No. 258). The text is corrupt, and several
corrections have been made.
P. 190. =The Princess Royal’s Escape.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, iii. 62, No. 1597).
P. 192. =The Loss of the Victory.= Printed in Ashton’s _Real Sailor
Songs_, p. 42*.
P. 192. =Disconsolate Judy’s Lamentation.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, i. 223, No. 472).
P. 193. =England’s Glory.= Ashton, _Real Sailor Songs_, p. 29;
pressmark of the British Museum copy, 1876. e. 7. Date 1745; see
Beatson, _Naval and Military Memoirs_, i. 280.
P. 195. =The Lucky Sailor.= Madden collection (_Slipsongs_, ii,
156, No. 1034). In verse 6 the original gives ‘survive,’ instead of
‘revive.’ On Anson’s action with La Jonquière, May 3, 1757, see Clowes,
iii. 125.
P. 197. =Tit for Tat.= From a copy in the possession of the editor,
without name or date. On the action see Clowes, iii. 127, and Burrows,
_Life of Hawke_, ed. 1896, p. 67.
P. 199. =A New Song on Admiral Knowls.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, ii. 312). Rear-Admiral Charles Knowles captured Port
Louis in Hispaniola, March 8, 1748 (Clowes, iii. 133).
P. 200. =A New Song Sung by Hannah Snell.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, ii. 333, No. 1406). The original has a cut of a woman
in sailor’s dress, with long hair, a cutlass, brace of pistols, and
boarding axe. Hannah Snell’s narrative of her life, entitled, _The
Female Soldier, or the Surprising Adventures of Hannah Snell_, was
published in 1750, and reprinted in _Women Adventurers_, 1892. Her life
is contained in the _Dictionary of National Biography_, liii. 205,
P. 201. =The Lighterman’s Prentice.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, ii. 137, No. 993). In line 32 ‘Portsmouth’ is a
correction of ‘Plymouth.’
P. 203. =Great Britain’s Resolution to Fight the French.= From the
Madden collection (_Slipsongs_, i. 87, No. 199). ‘Plods’ in verse 8
means ‘plaids,’ and ‘Charley,’ Prince Charles Edward.
P. 204. =The Terrible Privateer.= From a slipsong in the possession
of the editor. ‘Valance,’ in verse 3, is a popular rendering of
‘Vengeance.’ ‘Carteel,’ in verse 8, means the ship employed to exchange
prisoners. ‘All into a hell’ is the last line in the original.
P. 205. =Captain Death.= From a slipsong in the possession of the
editor, with some corrections from Halliwell’s _Early Naval Ballads_,
p. 120. Another version is in Logan’s _Pedlar’s Pack_, p. 31. For the
facts see _A Faithful Narrative of the Cruel Sufferings of Captain
Death and his Crew_. By Samuel Stoaks. For the tune see F. Kidson’s
_Traditional Tunes_, Oxford, 1891, p. 105,
P. 206. =A New Song.= From the Madden collection (_Slipsongs_, ii. 270,
No. 1227). The following extracts will explain the reference. ‘Captain
Edgcumbe, with his little squadron, had been obliged to return from
off Minorca on the appearance of the French. He had left behind him
Captain Carr Scrope of the Dolphin, who commanded the naval detachment
on shore, to act as signal officer in the event of the appearance of
a British squadron before the island.’ When Byng appeared he sent the
Phœnix, Chesterfield, and Dolphin ‘to reconnoitre the mouth of Mahon
harbour, to pick up intelligence, and to endeavour to send ashore
a letter to General Blakeney ... the enemy’s fleet appeared in the
S.E., and the detachment had to be recalled’ (Clowes, iii. 147-8). In
the absence of Scrope, the Dolphin was commanded by Benjamin Marlow.
Scrope, who was on shore all the time, could not have distinguished
himself in the way the ballad makes him do, though he did good service
during the siege (see Entick, _History of the Late War_, ii. 282, 301).
The ballad is a specimen of the fictions circulated to increase the
popular hatred of Byng.
P. 207. =The Letter of a Certain Admiral=, printed in _Bungiana_ (a
collection of poems and letters against Byng, published in 1756), p.
17. It appeared in _The Evening Advertiser_ for July 3, and is a
parody of Byng’s despatch of May 25.
P. 209. =A Rueful Story.= From a broadside in the possession of the
editor. Said to be printed ‘at the sign of the Gibbet, near Execution
Dock; and sold by all well-wishers to Old England.’
P. 210. =Admiral Byng and Brave West.= Printed with the tune in W.
Christie’s _Traditional Ballad Airs_, ii. 261, 1881. In the last line
‘deen’ apparently means ‘done.’
P. 211. =Song on the Isle of Aix.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, ii. 337, No. 1418). Verse 4 seems to refer to the old
ballad on Henry V.’s conquest of France. ‘Recruit me Cheshire and
Lancashire, and Derby hills that are so free,’ says that King (see
Hales and Furnivall, _Bishop Percy’s Folio M.S._ ii. 597).
P. 212. =Bold Sawyer.= From a slipsong in the possession of the editor.
Also in the British Museum (pressmark 11621. l. 1 [190]). Printed in
Ashton’s _Real Sailor Songs_, p. 13. In verse 1 Sawyer = James Sayer,
captain of the Nassau. In verse 12, ‘Maclome’ is possibly a misprint
for ‘Mahon.’ Goree was taken December 28, 1758.
P. 214. =Captain Barton’s Distress.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, i. 118). For the shipwreck, see Duncan, _Mariner’s
Chronicle_, iii. 118.
P. 216. =Gilchrist and Hotham’s Bravery.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, i. 322, No. 680). ‘And’ is omitted in the title of the
original. The action took place March 28, 1759 (Entick, iv. 299).
P. 217. =Hawke’s Engagement.= Two copies of this are in the British
Museum (pressmarks 11621. c. 3 [81] and 11621. c. 6 [29]). Printed in
Ashton’s _Real Sailor Songs_, p. 14. The original gives the month as
September instead of November. The engagement was on November 20, not
November 15.
P. 218. =Neptune’s Resignation.= Printed in Halliwell’s _Early Naval
Ballads_, from a broadside, p. 131. Said to be written by J. Wignell.
P. 219. =Hearts of Oak.= It is agreed that this was first sung in the
winter of 1759. The version printed here is from _The Choice Spirits
Chaplet_, Whitehaven, 1771, p. 251, and is also to be found in _The
London Songster_, 1773, p. 232. Tune in Chappell’s _Old English Popular
Music_, ii. 189. Chappell entitles it ‘Heart of Oak,’ and gives that
phrase in the singular in the chorus also. _The Choice Spirits Chaplet_
also gives it in the singular.
P. 220. =Thurot’s Dream.= Printed in T. Crofton Croker’s _Popular
Songs Illustrative of the French Invasions of Ireland_, published
by the Percy Society, pt. ii. p. 17. Croker obtained it from Mr. Mac
Skimin, author of a _History of Carrickfergus_, who got it from oral
recitation. In verse 3, l. 2 there is a _varia lectio_ ‘That a spirit
came unto him.’ A printed version of the ballad entitled _Thurot’s
Defeat_ is in the _Garlands_ in the British Museum (pressmark, 11621.
a. 2 [29]). It is excessively corrupt. Croker also prints another
ballad called _The Siege of Carrickfergus_, printed in 1801, which
barely mentions Thurot’s fight with Elliot.
P. 222. =A New Song on Captain O’Brian.= Original in _Captain O’Brian’s
Garland_ in the British Museum (pressmark, 11621, c. 5 [15]). On the
action described see Charnock, v. 410.
P. 223. =A New Song on the Taking of Havannah.= Printed in Ashton’s
_Real Sailor Songs_, p. 15*. Original in a chapbook in the British
Museum called _The Havannah’s Garland_ (pressmark, 11621. c. 5 [14]).
The names of the Spanish commanders have been corrected.
P. 225. =Lord Anson and Hawke.= Printed in Ashton’s Real Sailor Songs,
p. 94. Original in _Lord Anson’s Garland_ in the British Museum (11621.
c. 5 [34]). The original gives the title ‘_Lords Anson and Hawke_.’ As
Hawke was not made a peer till 1776, this would lead to the conclusion
that the ballad was written about 1779, and, if so, it should have been
placed later in the volume. It is also possible that a single ship may
have borne the double name. On the other hand, the Anson and Hawke
privateers were cruising together about 1757.
P. 226. =A New Song on the Blandford.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, ii. 316, No. 1373).
P. 227. =The Sailors’ Dialogue.= From a broadside in the possession of
the editor, printed by Fowler of Salisbury.
P. 228. =Distressed Men-of-War.= From a broadside in the possession of
the editor, printed by J. Davenport, 6 George’s Court, St. John’s Lane,
West Smithfield.
P. 230. =The Sailor’s Complaint.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, iii. 87, No, 1649). In verse 3, ‘to a navy officer’ is
possibly a misprint for ‘to the Navy Office.’
P. 231. =The Sailor’s Garland, or the Ticket Buyer’s Lamentation.= From
a broadside in the possession of the editor, without date or printer’s
name.
P. 233. =The Sailor’s Complaint, or the True Character of the Purser
of a Ship.= From the Douce collection (_Douce Ballads_, iii. 85). A
broadside ‘printed for W. O., and are to be sold by the Booksellers of
Pye-corner and London-bridge.’
P. 234. =The Sailor’s Resolution to Fight the Spaniards.= From the
Madden collection (_Slipsongs_, iii. 93, No. 1663).
P. 235. =Jack Tar.= From the Douce collection; a garland entitled
_Tibbie Fowler_ (Douce, S. 370).
P. 236. =The Jolly Sailor’s True Description of a Man-of-War.= From the
Douce collection (_Douce Ballads_, iii. 47). A broadside printed and
sold in Aldermary Churchyard, Bow Lane, London.
P. 239. =New Sea Song.= From the Madden collection (_Country Printers_,
i. 258 _verso_). In line 5 the original reads ‘life,’ and in line 30
‘roar.’
P. 240. =The Humours of the Royal Billy.= Printed by Ashton, _Real
Sailor Songs_, p. 93* (British Museum, pressmark 11621, k. 5 [159]).
Probably belongs to the early part of the nineteenth century rather
than to the beginning of George III.’s reign.
P. 243. =The Dolphin’s Return.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, i. 230, No. 485). On the voyage, see Clowes iv. 119.
Samuel Wallis commanded the Dolphin and Philip Carteret the Swallow.
The Dolphin arrived at Plymouth May 20, 1768; the Swallow did not
return till March 1769.
P. 244. =The Brags of Washington.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, i. 82, No. 181).
P. 245. =On the Late Engagement in Charlestown River.= Ashton’s _Real
Sailor Songs_, p. 15. From _The Shepherd’s Garland_ in the British
Museum (pressmark 11621. c. 1 [7]). In verse 5 the original reads
‘displayed.’ On the attack upon Charleston, June 28, 1776, see Clowes,
iii. 372.
P. 246. =Sullivan’s Island.= From Frank Moore’s _Songs and Ballads of
the American Revolution_, 1856, p. 135. Sir Peter is Commodore Sir
Peter Parker, to whom the American satirist attributed this ‘war-song.’
P. 247. =The Cruisers.= _Roxburghe Ballads_, viii. 323. Said to be
‘written by Frederick Pilon, and sung in _The Liverpool Prize_.’
P. 248. =The Arethusa.= Words by Prince Hoare, music by Shield, in the
opera of _The Lock and Key_. In verse 2 some versions substitute ‘old
Keppel’ for ‘the spring fleet.’
P. 249. =The Greenlandmen.= From _Portsmouth Jack’s Garland_ in the
British Museum (pressmark 11261. c. 2 [58]).
P. 252. =Admiral Keppel Triumphant.= From a slipsong in the possession
of the editor.
P. 253. =Keppel and de Chartres.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, ii. 272, No. 1275). The captain of the Egmont, John
Carter Allen, is called Adieu, Allech, or Allen in the original, and in
the last line of stanza 7 it reads ‘we gave him a broadside, which put
their heart in fear.’
P. 255. =A New Song in Praise of Admiral Keppel’s Fleet.= From a
slipsong in the possession of the editor. Jack the Painter was the
nickname of an incendiary hanged March 10, 1777, for attempting to set
fire to the dockyards at Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Bristol. See Lord
Mahon’s _History of England_, ed. 1858, pp. 141-145.
P. 255. =Admiral Keppel Triumphant.= _Roxburghe Ballads_, viii. 326.
From Dr. Burney’s collection of English songs in the British Museum,
ix. 110. Words and music by J. Timms, of Dartford, published about
February 1779 after Keppel’s acquittal.
P. 257. =Keppel for Ever.= _Roxburghe Ballads_, viii. 325. ‘Sir Hugh’
is printed ‘Sir You,’ in the original. ‘Twitcher’ means Lord Sandwich.
P. 258. =A New Song on Admiral Barrington.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, ii. 311, No. 1364). On the battle, July 6, 1779, see
Clowes iv. 434.
P. 259. =Paul Jones.= There are many versions of this ballad. One is
printed in _Roxburghe Ballads_, viii. 332 (with four others). A more
correct version was printed by Such, Forth, and other country printers.
The version given in the text is a composite one put together from
these different sources by the editor.
P. 260. =Captain Farmer.= From the Madden collection (_London
Printers_, ii. 36). On Tyrrell and Cornwall see Clowes iii. 300, and
Charnock iv. 131.
P. 261. =The Bold Blades of Old England.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, i. 73, No. 164).
P. 262. =The Royal Sailor.= From a song-book called _The Vocal
Companion_, published at Preston, in the Bodleian Library (pressmark
2802. e. 1). In verse 6 ‘coral-red’ is an emendation for ‘coral-clad.’
_The Royal Sailor_ is also printed in _The New Vocal Enchantress_,
1789, p. 180.
P. 263. =Hood’s Conquest over the Count de Grasse.= From the Madden
collection (_Slipsongs_, ii. 34, and also _Garlands_, i. 1.)
P. 265. =The Loss of the Centaur.= Ashton, _Real Sailor Songs_, p. 40.
See Clowes iv. 88, and Duncan, _The Mariner’s Chronicle_, i. 191.
P. 266. =The Robin Hood.= From the Madden collection (_Slipsongs_, ii.
265). It has proved impossible to identify either the Robin Hood or her
captain.
P. 267. =Nymphe and Cleopatra.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, ii. 315, No. 1371). The statement of the ballad as to
the armament of the two frigates is inaccurate, as such statements
frequently are in songs. The Nymphe had on her main-deck twenty-six
12-pounders, the Cléopâtre, twenty-eight; the Nymphe had eight
carronades, 24-pounders, the Cléopâtre four 36-pounders. Their force
was practically equal.
P. 268. =The Downfall of the French Fleet.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, ii. 319, No. 1379).
P. 271. =A New Sea Song.= Bodleian Library (pressmark 2803. f. 4).
P. 274. =The Blanche Frigate.= A composite text put together from
three versions in the editor’s possession, printed by Pitts, Keys, and
Ferraby, and from one in the Madden collection (_Country Printers_,
i. 48_b_). The latter is the earliest and best, but some readings
have been adopted from the others, and there are several conjectural
emendations. An alternative title is _The Tars of the Blanche_.
P. 276. =The Amazon Frigate.= From a slipsong in the possession of the
editor, printed by J. Pitts. On the action see James’s _Naval History_,
ii. 12; on the wreck of the Droits de l’Homme see Duncan, _Mariner’s
Chronicle_, ii. 300.
P. 277. =A New Song= (=The Seventeen Bright Stars=). Record Office,
Admiralty, Secretary. _In Letters_ cxi. _Correspondence of Bridport and
Others_, August 1798.
P. 279. =The Genius of Britain.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, i. 318).
P. 280. =British Tars Rewarded.= From the Madden collection
(_Slipsongs_, i. 96, No. 316).
P. 282. =A New Song on Parker.= Printed by Masefield, _A Sailor’s
Garland_, p. 121.
P. 282. =The Death of Parker.= Printed by W. H. Logan, _A Pedlar’s
Pack_, p. 62. Other versions with variants are in the possession of the
editor.
P. 283. =A New Song in Praise of Admiral Duncan.= From the Madden
collection (_Country Printers_, i. 50).
P. 285. =A New Song on the Engagement between the Mars and La Hercule.=
From the Madden collection (_Slipsongs_, ii. 318, No. 1378).
P. 286. =Verses Written on Board the Astræa.= Extracted from the
_Memoirs of James Hardy Vaux_, 2nd edition, London 1827, p. 57.
Stanza 5, l. 5 ‘my poor half-pint.’ Half a pint of rum (or arrack in
India) was the ration till about 1825. Officers, and apparently the
midshipmen, got it in bottles. To the men, since Vernon’s time, it was
served out as grog twice a day.
P. 289. =The Arrow.= Printed in Ashton’s _Real Sailor Songs_, p. 23.
Original in the British Museum (pressmark 11621, c. 6 [1]).
P. 290. =Copenhagen.= Printed in Laughton’s _Nelson Memorial_, p. 196,
and in Beattie’s _Life of T. Campbell_, ii. 42-6.
P. 295. =Action off Copenhagen.= From the Madden collection (_London
Printers_, ii. 7). In the original the first line of the last verse
runs, ‘Now, my brave boys, we have beaten the Danes,’ and there is
another verse beginning, ‘Now to conclude and to finish my tale.’
P. 296. =A New Song on Lord Nelson’s Victory.= Printed in Ashton’s
_Real Sailor Songs_, p. 16. Original in the British Museum (pressmark
1077. g. 47 [18]--a chapbook entitled _Nelson’s Wreath_).
P. 297. =A New Song composed by the Wounded Tars at the Siege of
Boulogne.= Versions of this, entitled _The Battle of Boulogne_, were
printed by Catnach and Birt, and are reprinted by Ashton, _Real Sailor
Songs_, p. 17. The version in the text is from a chapbook in the
British Museum (pressmark 1076. l. 2 [45]).
P. 298. =France Covered with Glory.= From Haslewood’s collection of
songs in the Bodleian.
P. 300. =La Loire Frigate.= From Fairburn’s _Naval Songster_ for 1806,
p. 34. The action was June 2, 1805 (Clowes v. 362).
P. 301. =Nelson’s Glorious Victory at Trafalgar.= From Logan’s
_Pedlar’s Pack_, 1869, p. 67.
P. 302. =Death of Nelson.= Versions of this, differing slightly in the
words, were printed by Pitts, Such, Forth of Pocklington, and other
town and country printers during the first half of the nineteenth
century. In _The Scouring of the White Horse_, by T. Hughes, p. 153,
it is described as sung in a Berkshire public-house about 1859. ‘The
Doctor walked over to a lower table and spoke to a grisly-headed old
man in a velveteen coat and waistcoat and a blue birdseye neckerchief,
who seemed pleased, and drew his sleeve across his mouth, and cleared
his throat. Then there was a rapping on the table, and the old bargee
began in a rumbling bass voice: “Come all you gallant seamen as unites
a meeting.”’
Four verses only are given, the third in our version being omitted. The
last verse ends:
‘And now to conclude, and to finish these verses:
“My time it is come; kiss me, Hardy!” he cried.
Now thousands go with you, and ten thousand blessings
For gallant Lord Nelson, in battle who died.’
The text adopted on p. 302 is a composite version from Such’s and
Forth’s: the first four lines are from Such’s version, the last four
from Forth’s, and readings are taken from both. The order of the second
and third verses has been changed, and the two halves of stanza 3
transposed. Some verbal emendations have been made--_e.g._ ‘rest on,’
for ‘resting,’ in the last line.
P. 304. =Admiral Strachan’s Victory.= From Fairburn’s _Naval Songster_
for 1806, p. 32. The action was fought November 4, 1805 (Clowes, v.
171).
P. 305. =The Amethyst and Thetis.= From the Madden collection (_London
Printers_, ii. 227, No. 451). See Clowes, v. 427; James, iv. 376. The
action took place November 10-11, 1808.
P. 306. =The Successful Attempt ... in the Basque Roads.= From the
Madden collection (_London Printers_, i. 174). See Clowes, v. 252-270;
James, iv. 395-430.
P. 307. =Jefferys the Seaman.= From the Madden collection (_London
Printers_, ii. 2). A full account of the case is given by James, _Naval
History_, iv. 273, ed. 1886. Captain Warwick Lake was dismissed from
the Navy, February 1810, for marooning Robert Jeffery on the desert
island of Sombrero, in the West Indies.
P. 308. ‘=Ye Parliament of England.=’ Text from G. C. Eggleston’s
_American War Ballads and Lyrics_. New York (1889), i. 131. ‘It was
still a favourite song in many parts of the country as late as 1859,’
writes the editor.
P. 309. =The Constitution and Guerriere.= Text from Eggleston’s
_American War Ballads and Lyrics_, i. 115. Action August 19, 1812. See
James, v. 372; Clowes, vi. 34; Mahan, _Sea Power: its Relation to the
War of 1812_, i. 330.
I have been unable to discover the date of the tune mentioned in the
title, nor is the date of the song itself certain. It is contended
on the American side that this song preceded that on the Shannon and
Chesapeake, which was imitated from it, and on the other side that
_The Constitution and Guerriere_ is the later of the two. The evidence
alleged for the priority of the American song is, briefly: William
Dunlap’s _Yankee Chronology_ (a spirited musical drama) was produced
at the Park Theatre, in New York, September 9, 1812 (Ireland’s _New
York Stage_, i. 288), and Mr. Brander Matthews thinks that may be the
origin of these verses. An intelligent veteran of the war of 1812,
present at the unveiling of the Perry statue at Cleveland on Lake Erie
in 1860, told the historian Lossing that he heard them sung at the Park
Theatre, in New York, early in the fall of 1812, and that they were
much heard at public meetings, in bar-rooms, in work-shops, and in the
streets of the city (extract from the _Bulletin of the Essex Institute,
Salem, Mass._, vol. xx.). These arguments are not very conclusive.
The discovery of the original song, _The Landlady of France_, which
both imitate, would probably settle the matter. In the meantime it
seems best to print the song on the victory of the Constitution first,
because the incident it celebrates happened first.
P. 311. =Shannon and Chesapeake.= The text is a traditional version
supplied by Sir J. K. Laughton. There is a broadside version, reprinted
in Logan’s _Pedlar’s Pack_, p. 69, which omits the third verse and
gives many different readings. The most important differences are the
following:--In verse 4, ‘The engagement scarce begun, Ere they flinched
from their guns, Which at first they thought of working, &c. Then brave
Broke he drew his sword,’ &c. In verse 5, ‘They no sooner heard the
word, Ere they quickly jumped on board, And hauled down the Yankee
ensign, &c. Notwithstanding all their brag, Now the glorious British
flag At the Yankee’s mizen peak was quite the dandy O.’ The last verse
begins, ‘Here’s a health, brave Broke, to you, To your officers and
crew, Who on board the Shannon frigate fought so handy O!’ Another
version is to be found in the _Harrow School Song-book_.