XIII. THE DRAGON OF WANTLEY. This humourous song (as a former Editor* has well observed) is to old metrical romances and ballads of chivalry, what Don Quixote is to prose narratives of that kinda lively satire on their extravagant fictions. But although the satire is thus general, the subject of this ballad is local and peculiar; so that many of the finest strokes of humour are lost for want of our knowing the minute circumstances to which they allude. Many of them can hardly now be recovered, although we have been fortunate enough to learn the general subject to which the satire referred, and shall detail the information with which we have been favoured, in a separate memoir at the end of the poem. mance. rages In handling his subject, the Author has brought in most of the common incidents which occur in RoThe description of the dragont—his outthe people flying to the knight for succour -his care in choosing his armour-his being drest for fight by a young damseland most of the circumstances of the battle and victory (allowing for the burlesque turn given to them) are what occur in every book of chivalry, whether in prose or verse. If any one piece, more than another, is more particularly levelled at, it seems to be the old rhyming legend *Collection of Historical Ballads in 3 vols. 1727. See above, p. 144, 145, and p. 270. of sir Bevis. There aDRAGON is attacked from a WELL in a manner not very remote from this of the ballad: There was a well, so have I wynne, And Bevis stumbled ryght therein. * Than was he glad without fayle, He assayled the dragon, I understande: And cast a galon and more Out of his mouthe of venim strong, And on syr Bevis he it flong: It was venymous y-wis. This seems to be meant by the Dragon of Wantley's stink, ver. 110. As the politic knight's creeping out, and attacking the dragon, &c. seems evidently to allude to the following: Bevis blessed himselfe, and forth yode, Betwene the dragon and that knyght: But ever whan syr Bevis was hurt sore, He went to the well, and washed him thore ; He was as hole as any man, Ever freshe as whan he began.' The dragon sawe it might not avayle He woulde have flowen then awaye, But Bevis lepte after with good Morglaye, As he was in his flyenge, &c. Sign. M.jv. L. j. &c. After all, perhaps the writer of this ballad was acquainted with the above incidents only through the medium of Spenser, who has assumed most of them in his Faery Queen. At least some particulars in the description of the Dragon, &c. seem evidently borrowed from the latter. See Book I. Canto 11. where the Dragon's "two wynges like sayls-huge long "tayl-with stings his cruel rending clawes "and yron teeth- -his breath of smothering "smoke and sulphur"—and the duration of the fight for upwards of two days, bear a great resemblance to passages in the following ballad; though it must be confessed that these particulars are common to all old writers of Romance. Although this Ballad must have been written early in the last century, we have met with none but such as were comparatively modern copies. It is here printed from one in Roman letter, in the Pepys Collection, collated with such others as could be procured. OLD stories tell, how Hercules A dragon slew at Lerna, To see and well discern-a: But he had a club, this dragon to drub, 5 This dragon had two furious wings, Each one upon each shoulder; With a sting in his tayl, as long as a flayl, Which made him bolder and bolder. He had long claws, and in his jaws With a hide as tough as any buff, Which did him round environ. 10 15 Have you not heard how the Trojan horse This dragon was not quite so big, But very near, I'll tell ye. Devoured he poor children three, And at one sup he eat them up, As one would eat an apple. All sorts of cattle this dragon did eat. And that the forests sure he would Devour up by degrees: For houses and churches were to him geese and turkies; He ate all, and left none behind, 30 But some stones, dear Jack, that he could not crack, Which on the hills you will find. Ver. 29. were to him gorse and birches. Other copies. In Yorkshire, near fair Rotherham, The place I know it well; Some two or three miles, or thereabouts, I vow I cannot tell; But there is a hedge, just on the hill edge, O there and then was this dragon's den, Some say, this dragon was a witch; For from his nose a smoke arose, And with it burning snivel; Which he cast off, when he did cough, 45 In a well that he did stand by; Which made it look, just like a brook Hard by a furious knight there dwelt, Of whom all towns did ring, 50 For he could wrestle, play at quarter-staff, kick, cuff and huff, Call son of a whore, do any kind of thing: By the tail and the main, with his hands twain He swung a horse till he was dead; And that which is stranger, he for very anger 55 Eat him all up but his head. |