How cheerfully would I go, undieted, for a long summer's day, to know who was the author of "Jonny Armstrong's Last Good Night;" and for a much longer term, to ascertain the writer of Chevy Chase, of which Ben Jonson used to say, he had rather have been the author of it, than of all his works. The words of Sir Philip Sidney, in his Discourse on Poetry, are quoted, by Addison, in No. 70 of the Spectator--"_I never heard the old song of Percy and Douglas, that I found not my heart more moved than with a trumpet_." The ballad of Chevy Chase was founded upon the battle of Otterburn, which was fought in 1388, and of which a brief account will be found in the fourteenth chapter of Sir Walter's first series of the Grandfathers Tales. The author of those songs for children, which have been lisped, by the tongues of millions, shall never be forgotten, while dogs delight to bark and bite--but who was the author of Hush-a-bye baby--Now we go up, up, up--Cock Robin--or Dickory Dock, no human tongue can tell! Poor André, we know, was the author of the Cow Chace; but the composer of our national air is utterly unknown. Who would not give more of the _siller_, to know to whose immortal mind we are indebted for Yankee Doodle, than to ascertain the authorship of the Letters of Junius? Both France and England have been more fortunate, in respect to the origin and authorship of their most popular, national songs. Speaking of Barbaroux and the Marseillois, Sir Walter Scott, in his Life of Napoleon, observes--"Besides the advantage of this enthusiastic leader, the Marseillois marched to the air of the finest hymn, to which Liberty or the Revolution had yet given birth." I am aware that something like doubt or obscurity hangs over the reputed authorship of the Hymn of the Marseillais. But in respect to the national air of Great Britain--_God save the King_--the authorship appears to be more satisfactorily, if not perfectly, indicated. It is certainly worthy of note, that this celebrated air, in which _John Bull_ has taken so much delight, ever since it came into existence, is by some persons supposed to have been the production of JOHN BULL himself, a celebrated composer of his day. An engraving of him may be found, in the History of Music, by Hawkins. There is an original painting of him, by J. W. Childe, in the Music School, at Oxford, which was engraved by Illman, with the words below--"John Bull, Mus. Doct. Cantab. Instaur. Oxon. MDXCII." A portrait of Dr. Bull will also be found, in Richard Clarke's _Account of the National Anthem, God save the King_, 8vo. Lond. 1822.