Murder, murder, the dragon cry'd,

145

Alack, alack, for grief;

Had you but mift that place, you could

Have done me no mifchief.

Then his head he shaked, trembled and quaked,

And down he laid and cry'd;

150

First on one knee, then on back tumbled he,

So groan'd, kickt, f..., and dy'd.

A defcription of the fuppofed fcene of the foregoing Ballad, which was communicated to the Editor in 1767, is bere given in the words of the Relater:

"In Yorkhire, 6 miles from Rotherham, is a village, called "WORTLEY, the feat of the late WORTLEY MONTAGUE, "Efq; About a mile from this village is a Lodge, named "WARNCLIFF LODGE, but vulgarly called WANTLEY: "here lies the fcene of the Song. I was there above forty

56

years ago: and it being a woody rocky place, my friend "made me clamber over rocks and ftones, not telling me to "what end, till I came to a fort of a cave; then asked my "opinion of the place, and pointing to one end, fays, Here lay "the Dragon killed by Moor of MOOR-HALL: here lay "his head; here lay his tail; and the ftones we came over 66 on the bill, are thofe he could not crack; and yon white "houfe you fee half a mile off, is MOOR-HALL. I had "dined at the lodge, and knew the man's name was "MATTHEW, who was a keeper to Mr. Wortley, and, as he "endeavoured to perfuade me, was the fame Matthew men"tioned in the Song: In the house is the picture of the "Dragon and Moor of Moor-Hall, and near it a Well, "which, fays he, is the Well defcribed in the Ballad."

+++ Since

+++ Since the former Editions of this humorous old Song were printed, the following KEY TO THE SATIRE hath been communicated by GODFREY BOSVILLE, Efq. of Thorp, near Malton, in Yorkshire; who, in the most obliging manner, gave full permiffion to fubjoin it to the Poem.

WARNCLIFFE Lodge, and WARNCLIFFE Wood (vulgarly pronounce! WANTLEY), are in the parish of Pennifton, in Yorkshire. The rectory of Pennifton was part of the diffolved monaftry of St. Stephen's, Weftminster; and was granted to the Duke of Norfolk's family: who therewith endowed an hofpital, which he built at Sheffield, for women. The trustees let the impropriation of the great Tythes of Pennifton to the Wortley family, who got a great deal by it, and wanted to get ftill more: for Mr. Nicholas Wortley attempted to take the tythes in kind, but Mr. Francis Bofville oppofed him, and there was a decree in favour of the Modus in 37th Eliz. The vicarage of Pennifton did not go along with the rectory, but with the copyhold rents, and was part of a large purchafe made by Ralph Bofville, Efq. from 2u. Elizabeth, in the 2d year of her reign: and that part he fold in 12th Eliz. to his elder brother Godfrey, the father of Francis; who left it, with the rest of his eftate, to his wife, for her life, and then to Ralph, 3d fon of his uncle Ralph. The widow married Lyonel Rowleftone, lived eighteen years, and furvived Ralph.

This premifed, the Ballad apparently relates to the lawfuit carried on concerning this claim of Tythes made by the Wortley family. "Honfes and Churches, were to him Geefe "and Turkeys" which are tytheable things, the Dragon chofe to live on. Sir Francis Wortley, the fon of Nicholas, attempted again to take the Tythes in kind: but the parishio ners fubfcribed an agreement to defend their Modus. And at the head of the agreement was Lyonel Rowlestone, who is fuppofed to be one of the Stones, dear Jack, which the "Dragon could not crack." The agreement is still preferved in a large fheet of parchment, dated 1ft of Fames I, and is full of names and feals, which might be meant by the coat of armour, "with Spikes all about, both within and

X 2

with

without." MORE of MORE-HALL was either the attorneys or counsellor, who conducted the fuit. He is not diftinctly remembered, but More-hall is ftill extant at the very bottom of Wantley [Warncliff] Wood, and lies fo low, that it might be faid to be in a Well: as the Dragon's den [Warncliff Lodge] was at the top of the wood," with Mat"thew's houfe hard by it." The Keepers belonging to the Wortley family were named, for many generations, Matthew Northall: the laft of them left this lodge, within memory, to be Keeper to the Duke of Norfolk. The prefent owner of More-hall fill attends Mr. Bofville's Manor-Court at Oxfpring, and pays a Rofe a year. "More of More-ball, with nothing at all, flew the Dragon of Wantley." He gave him, inftead of Tythes, fo fmall a Modus, that it was in effect nothing at all, and was flaying him with a vengeance. "The poor children three," &c. cannot furely mean the three fifters of Francis Bofville, who would have been Coheireffes, had he made no will? The late Mr. Bofville had a conteft with the defcendants of two of them, the late Sir Geo. Saville's father, and Mr. Copley, about the prefentation to Pennifton, they fuppofing Francis had not the power to give this part of the eftate from the heirs at law; but it was decided against them. The Dragon (Sir Francis Wortley) fucceeded better with his coufin Wordefworth, the freehold Lord of the manor (for it is the copyhold manor that belongs to Mr. Bofville) having perfuaded him not to join the refractory parishioners, under a promife that he would let him his Tythes cheap: and now the eftates of Wortley and Wordefworth are the only lands that pay Tythes in the parish.

XIV. ST.

XIV.

ST. GEORGE FOR ENGLAND.

THE FIRST PART.

As the former fong is in ridicule of the extravagant ineidents in old ballads and metrical romances; fo this is a burlesque of their ftyle; particularly of the rambling tran fitions and wild accumulation of unconnected parts, fo free quent in many of them.

This ballad is given from an old black-letter copy in the Pepys collection, "imprinted at London, 1612." It is more ancient than many of the preceding; but we place it here for the fake of connecting it with the SECOND PART.

W

HY doe you boast of Arthur and his knightes, Knowing 'well' how many men have endured fightes?

T'

For befides king Arthur, and Lancelot du lake,
Or fir Tristram de Lionel, that fought for ladies fake;
Read in old hiftories, and there you fhall fee

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

Mark our father Abraham, when first he refckued Lot Onely with his household, what conqueft there he got t

David was elected a prophet and a king,

He flew the great Goliah, with a stone within a fling: 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 foit 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 Baffe; And Sampson flew a thousand with the jawbone of an affe,

And eke he threw a temple downe, and did a mighty spoyle:

But St. George, St. George he did the dragon føyle. St. George he was for England; St. Dennis was for France; Sing, Honi foit qui maly penfe.

The warres of ancient monarchs it were too long to tell,

And likewife of the Romans, how farre they did excell; Hannyball and Scipio in many a fielde did fighte: Orlando Furiofo 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 foit qui mal y penfe.

The