Choyce Drollery: Songs and Sonnets: Being a Collection of Divers Excellent Pieces of Poetry, of Several Eminent Authors.
History
Choyce Drollery: Songs and Sonnets: Being a Collection of Divers Excellent Pieces of Poetry, of Several Eminent Authors.
English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700; English wit and humor; Songs, English -- Texts
_Jephtha_ and _Gidion_ they led their men to fight
The _Gibeonites_ and _Amonites_, they put them all to flight;
Hercul’es Labour was in the Vale of Brass,
And _Sampson_ slew a thousand with the Jaw-bone of an Asse,
And when he was blind pull’d the Temple to the ground:
But St. _George_, St. _George_, the Dragon did confound.
St. _George_ he was, _&c._
_Valentine_ and _Orson_ they came of _Pipins_ blood,
_Alphred_ and _Aldrecus_ they were brave Knights and good,
The four sons of _Amnon_ that fought with _Charlemaine_,
Sir _Hugh de Burdeaux_ and _Godfray_ of _Bolaigne_,
These were all _French_ Knights the _Pagans_ did Convert,
But St. _George_, St. _George_, pull’d forth the Dragon’s heart:
St. _George_ he was, _&c._
_Henry_ the fifth he Conquered all _France_,
He quartered their Armes, his Honour to advance,
He razed their Walls, and pull’d their Cities down,
And garnished his Head with a double treble Crown;
He thumbed the _French_, and after home he came!
But St. _George_, St. _George_, he made the Dragon _tame_:
St. _George_ he was, _&c._
St. _David_ you know, loves _Leeks_ and tosted _Cheese_,
And _Jason_ was the Man, brought home the _Golden_ Fleece;
St. _Patrick_ you know he was St. _Georges_ Boy,
Seven years he kept his Horse, and then stole him away,
For which Knavish act, a slave he doth remain;
But St. _George_, St. _George_, he hath the Dragon slain:
St. _George_ he was, &c.
_Tamberline_, the Emperour, in Iron Cage did Crown,
With his bloody Flag’s display’d before the Town;
_Scanderbag_ magnanimous _Mahomets Bashaw_ did dread,
Whose Victorious Bones were worn when he was dead;
His _Bedlerbegs_, his Corn like drags, _George Castriot_ was he call’d,
But St. _George_, St. _George_, the Dragon he hath maul’d:
St. _George_ he was for _England_, St. _Denis_ was for _France_,
Sing _Hony soit qui mal y pense_.
_Ottoman_, the _Tartar_, _Cham_ of _Persia’s_ race,
The great _Mogul_, with his Chests so full of all his Cloves and Mace,
The _Grecian_ youth _Bucephalus_ he manly did bestride,
But those with all their Worthies Nine, St. _George_ did them deride,
_Gustavus Adolphus_ was _Swedelands_ Warlike King,
But St. _George_, St. _George_, pull’d forth the Dragon’s sting.
St. _George_ he was for _England_, St. _Dennis_ was for _France_,
Sing _Hony soit qui mal y pense_.
_Pendragon_ and _Cadwallader_ of _British_ blood doe boast,
Though _John_ of _Gant_ his foes did daunt, St. _George_ shal rule the
roast;
_Agamemnon_ and _Cleomedon_ and _Macedon_ did feats,
But, compared to our Champion, they were but merely cheats;
Brave _Malta_ Knights in _Turkish_ fights, their brandisht swords
out-drew,
But St. _George_ met the Dragon, and ran him through and through:
St. _George_ he was, &c.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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