WHY doe you boast of Arthur and his knightes,

6

Knowing well' how many men have endured fightes?
For besides King Arthur and Lancelot du Lake,

Or Sir Tristram de Lionel that fought for ladies sake,
Read in old histories, and there you shall see

How St. George, St. George the dragon made to flee.
St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France;
Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

Mark our father Abraham, when first he resckued Lot
Onely with his household, what conquest there he got.
David was elected a prophet and a king,

He slew the great Goliah with a stone within a sling.
Yet these were not knightes of the Table Round,

Nor St. George, St. George who the dragon did confound. St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

Jephthah and Gideon did lead their men to fight,

They conquered the Amorites and put them all to flight.
Hercules his labours' were on the plaines of Basse;
And Sampson slew a thousand with the jawbone of an

asse,

And eke he threw a temple downe and did a mighty spoyle.

But St. George, St. George he did the dragon foyle.

St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

The warres of ancient monarchs it were too long to tell, And likewise of the Romans, how farre they did excell; Hannyball and Scipio in many a fielde did fighte; Orlando Furioso he was a worthy knighte;

Remus and Romulus were they that Rome did builde. But St. George, St. George the dragon made to yielde. St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

The noble Alphonso, that was the Spanish king,

The order of the red scarffes and bandrolles in did bring;

1 This probably alludes to "An ancient Order of Knighthood, called the Order of the Band, instituted by Don Alphonsus, king of Spain, . wear a red riband of three fingers breadth," &c. See Ames, Typog. p. 327

.... tc

1

VOL. II.

Y

He had a troope of mighty knightes when first he did begin,

Which sought adventures farre and neare that conquest they might win;

The ranks of the Pagans he often put to flight.

But St. George, St. George did with the dragon fight. St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

6

Many knights' have fought with proud Tamberlaine;

Cutlax, the Dane, great warres he did maintaine;
Rowland of Beame and good 'Sir' Olivere

In the forest of Acon slew both woolfe and beare,
Besides that noble Hollander, 'Sir' Goward with the bill.
But St. George, St. George the dragon's blood did spill.
St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France;
Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

Valentine and Orson were of King Pepin's blood; Alfride and Henry they were brave knightes and good; The four sons of Aymon, that follow'd Charlemaine, Sir Hughon of Burdeaux and Godfrey of Bullaine, These were all French knightes that lived in that age. But St. George, St. George the dragon did assuage. St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

Bevis conquered Ascapart, and after slew the boare,

And then he crost beyond the seas to combat with the Moore;

Sir Isenbras and Eglamore, they were knightes most bold; And good Sir John Mandeville of travel much hath told; There were many English knights that Pagans did

convert.

But St. George, St. George pluckt out the dragon's heart. St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

The noble Earl of Warwick, that was call'd Sir Guy,
The infidels and pagans stoutlie did defie;

He slew the giant Brandimore, and after was the death

Of that most ghastly dun cowe, the divell of Dunsmore

heath;

Besides his noble deeds all done beyond the seas. But St. George, St. George the dragon did appease. St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

Richard Coeur-de-lion, erst king of this land,
He the lion gored with his naked hand;

2

The false Duke of Austria nothing did he feare;
But his son he killed with a boxe on the eare;

Besides his famous actes done in the Holy Lande.
But St. George, St. George the dragon did withstande.
St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France;
Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

Henry the Fifth he conquered all France,

And quartered their arms, his honour to advance; He their cities razed, and threw their castles downe, And his head he honoured with a double crowne; He thumped the French-men, and after home he came. But St. George, St. George he did the dragon tame. St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

St. David of Wales the Welsh-men much advance; St. Jaques of Spaine, that never yet broke lance; St. Patricke of Ireland, which was St. Georges boy, Seven yeares he kept his horse, and then stole him away : For which knavish act, as slaves they doe remaine. But St. George, St. George the dragon he hath slaine. St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense.

2 Alluding to the fabulous exploits attributed to this king in the old Romances. See the Dissertation prefixed to this volume

XV.

St. George for England.

THE SECOND PART.

Was written by John Grubb, M.A., of Christ Church, Oxford. The occasion of its being composed is said to have been as follows. A set of gentlemen of the university had formed themselves into a club, all the members of which were to be of the name of George: their anniversary feast was to be held on St. George's Day. Our author solicited strongly to be admitted; but his name being unfortunately John, this disqualification was dispensed with only upon this condition, that he would compose a song in honour of their patron saint, and would every year produce one or more new stanzas, to be sung on their annual festival. This gave birth to the following humorous performance, the several stanzas of which were the produce of many successive anniversaries.1

This diverting poem was long handed about in manuscript; at length a friend of Grubb's undertook to get it printed, who, not keeping pace with the impatience of his friends, was addressed in the following whimsical macaronic lines, which, in such a collection as this, may not improperly accompany the poem itself.

EXPOSTULATIUNCULA, sive QUERIMONIUNCULA ad ANTONIUM [ATHERTON] ob Poema JOHANNIS GRUBB, Viri Toυ Tavu ingeniosissimi in lucem nondum editi.

TONI! Tune sines divina poemata Grubbi

Intomb'd in secret thus still to remain any longer,
Τούνομα σου shall last, Ω Γρυββε διαμπερες αει
Grubbe tuum nomen vivet dum nobilis ale-a

Efficit heroas, dignamque heroe puellam.

Est genus heroum, quos nobilis efficit ale-a

Qui pro niperkin clamant, quaternque liquoris

Quem vocitant Homines Brandy, Superi Cherry-brandy.
Sæpe illi long-cut, vel smali-cut flare Tobacco
Sunt soliti pipos. Ast si generosior herba
(Per varios casus, per tot discrimina rerum)
Mundungus desit, tum non funcare recusant

1 To this circumstance it is owing that the Editor has never met with two copies in which the stanzas are arranged alike: he has therefore thrown them into what appeared the most natural order. The verses are properly long Alexandrines, but the narrowness of the page made it necessary to subdivide them: they are here printed with many improve

ments.

Brown-paper tostâ, vel quod fit arundine bed-mat.
Hic labor, hoc opus est heroum ascendere sedes!
Ast ego quo rapiar? quo me feret entheus ardor,
Grubbe, tui memorem? Divinum expande poema.
Quæ mora? quæ ratio est, quin Grubbi protinus anser
Virgilii, Flaccique simul canat inter olores?

At length the importunity of his friends prevailed, and Mr. Grubb's song was published at Oxford, under the following title: