And bravely quell'd seditious buz, 395 By dint of massy fly-flops. Surviving flies do curses breathe, And maggots too, at Cæsar: But George he shav'd the dragon's beard, And Askelon 5 was his razor. St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi soit qui mal y pense. 400 John Grubb, the facetious writer of the foregoing song, makes a distinguished figure among the Oxford wits so humorously enumerated in the following distich. Alma novem genuit celebres Rhedycina poetas: Bub, Stubb, Grubb, Crabb, Trap, Young, Carey, Tickel, Evans. These were Bub Dodington (the late Lord Melcombe), Dr. Stubbes, our poet Grubb, Mr. Crabb, Dr. Trapp, the poetry-professor, Dr. Edward Young, the author of Night Thoughts, Walter Carey, Thomas Tickel, Esq., and Dr. Evans, the epigrammatist. As for our poet Grubb, all that we can learn further of him, is contained in a few extracts from the University Register, and from his epitaph. It appears from the former that he was matriculated in 1667, being the son of John Grubb, "de Acton Burnel in comitatu Salop. pauperis." He took his degree of Bachelor of Arts, June 28, 1671: and became Master of Arts, June 28, 1675. He was appointed Head Master of the Grammar School at Christ Church; and afterwards chosen into the same employment at Gloucester, where he died in 1697, as appears from his monument in the church of St. Mary de Crypt in Gloucester, which is inscribed with the following epitaph : 5 The name of St. George's sword. H. S. E. JOHANNES GRUBB, A.M. Natus apud Acton Burnel in agro Salopiensi Cujus variam in linguis notitiam, Pueros ad easdem mox excolendas accuratè formavit: Huc demum unanimi omnium consensu accitus, ut nihil optandum sit nisi nt diutius nobis interfuisset. propter festivam ingenii suavitatem, Obiit 2do die Aprilis, Anno D'ni, 1697, XVI. Margaret's Ghost. This ballad, which appeared in some of the public newspapers in or before the year 1724, came from the pen of David Mallet, Esq., who, in the edition of his poems, 3 vols. 1759, informs us that the plan was suggested by the four verses quoted above in page 186, which he supposed to be the beginning of some ballad now lost. "These lines," says he, "naked of ornament and simple as they are, struck my fancy; and bringing fresh into my mind an unhappy adventure much talked of formerly, gave birth to the following poem, which was written many years ago." The two introductory lines (and one or two others elsewhere) had originally more of the ballad simplicity, viz. "When all was wrapt in dark midnight, And all were fast asleep," &c. 'Twas at the silent, solemn hour, 5 "Awake!" she cry'd, "thy true love calls, 'Come from her midnight grave; Now let thy pity hear the maid Thy love refus❜d to save. "This is the dark and dreary hour 25 When injur'd ghosts complain; Now yawning graves give up their dead, "Bethink thee, William, of thy fault, Thy pledge and broken oath; And give me back my troth. 30 And give me back my maiden vow, Why did you promise love to me, And not that promise keep? Why did you swear mine eyes were bright, "How could you say my face was fair, How could you win my virgin heart, Yet leave that heart to break? "Why did you say my lip was sweet, And made the scarlet pale? 35 40 "But hark! the cock has warn'd me hence! Where Margaret's body lay, And stretch'd him on the grass-green turf, That wrapt her breathless clay; And thrice he call'd on Margaret's name, 65 And thrice he wept full sore; Then laid his cheek to her cold grave, And word spake never more. *In a late publication, entitled, The Friends, &c. Lond. 1773, 2 vols. 12mo (in the first volume), is inserted a copy of the foregoing ballad, with very great variations, which the editor of that work contends was the original; and that Mallet adopted it for his own, and altered it, as here given. But the superior beauty and simplicity of the present copy gives it so much more the air of an original, that it will rather be believed that some transcriber altered it from Mallet's, and adapted the lines to his own taste; than which nothing is more common in popular songs and ballads. XVII. Lucy and Colin Was written by Thomas Tickell, Esq., the celebrated friend of Mr. Addison, and editor of his works. He was son of a clergyman in the North of England; had his education at Queen's College, Oxon.; was under-secretary to Mr. Addison and Mr. Craggs, when successively secretaries of state; and was lastly (in June, 1724) appointed secretary to the Lords Justices in Ireland, which place he held till his death in 1740. He acquired Mr. Addison's patronage by a poem in praise of the opera of Rosamond, written while he was at the University. It is a tradition in Ireland, that this song was written at Castletown, in the county of Kildare, at the request of the then Mrs. Conolly,— probably on some event recent in that neighbourhood. Or Leinster, fam'd for maidens fair, Till luckless love and pining care Her coral lip, and damask cheek, 5 |