"My gallant ships are ready to hoist you o'er the flood, And in my cause be steady, which is supremely good; Go ravage, steal, and plunder, and you shall have the

prey;

They quickly will knock under in North America. "The laws I have enacted, I never will revoke,

Although they are neglected, my fury to provoke,
I will forbear to flatter, I'll rule with mighty sway;
I'll take away the charter from North America.
"O George! you are distracted, by sad experience find
The laws you have enacted are of the blackest kind.
I'll make a short digression, and tell you by the way,
We fear not your oppression in North America.

"Our fathers were distressed, while in their native land;
By tyrants were oppressed, as I do understand;
For freedom and religion they were resolved to stray,
And try the desert regions of North America.

"Heaven was their protector while on the roaring tide,
Kind fortune their director, and Providence their guide ;
If I am not mistaken, about the first of May,
This voyage was undertaken for North America.

"To sail they were commanded, about the hour of noon,
At Plymouth shore they landed, the twenty-first of June ;
The savages were nettled, with fear they fled away,
And peaceably they settled in North America.
"We are their bold descendants, for liberty we'll fight,
The claim to independence we challenge as our right,
"Tis what kind Heaven gave us, who can take away?
Kind Heaven, too, will save us in North America.
"We never will knock under, O George, we do not fear
The rattling of your thunder, nor lightning of your spear:
Though rebels you declare us, we're strangers to dismay;
Therefore you can't scare us in North America.

"To what you have commanded we never will consent; Although your troops are landed upon the continent; We'll take our swords and muskets, and march in bright array,

And drive the British rustics from North America.

"We have a bold commander who fears not sword nor gui
The second Alexander, his name is Washington,
His men are all collected, and ready for the fray,
To fight they are directed for North America."

The "Whig songs" of 1840 are still fresh in the recollection of their authors, no doubt, and are pretty fair samples of what America has produced in the form of poetry for the people, and were besides valuable as specific signs of that period.

The work of Mr Moore named at the beginning of this article is intended to supply the want of a book containing all the good, or at least all of the best, ballads in the language. Certainly the want has long been felt, and remains still unsupplied. These volumes contain some pieces unworthy of a place in such a collection, as it seems to us, such as the "Story of John Gilpin," Kirk White's "Gondoline," and "The Rime of the Auncient Waggonere." Valuable ballads are omitted to make way for them. We miss, and who would have thought it, "the grand old ballad of Sir Patrick Spence," the " Friar of Orders Grey," the ballads relating to "sweet William" and "fair Margaret," and even those about King Arthur. "Auld Robin Gray" is likewise omitted. The most valuable that he has inserted which are not in the hands of lovers of ballad lore, are "The Luck of Muncaster," "Robin Conscience," "The King and a poore Northerne Man." The last-which seems to be the original of a popular song, "A Farmer there was in the west countrie," is supposed to have been written by one Martin Parker, a celebrated author of ballads. We give some extracts from it.

"Come hearken to me all around,

And I will tell you a merry

tale

Of a Northumberland man that held some ground,
Which was the King's land, in a dale.

"He was borne and bred thereupon,

And his father had dwelt there long before,
Who kept a good house in that country,
And staved the wolfe from off his doore.

"Now for this farm the good old man

Just twenty shillings a-year did pay.

At length came cruell death with his dart, And this old farmer he soone did slay; "Who left behind him an aulde wife then,

That troubled was with mickle paine,
And with her cruches she walkt about,

For she was likewise blinde and lame.
"When that his corpes were laid in the grave,
His eldest sonne possesse did the farme,
At the same rent as the father before :
He took great paines and thought no harme.
"By him there dwelt a Lawyer false,

That with his farme was not content,
But over the poore man still hanged his nose,
Because he did gather the King's rent.
"This farme layd by the Lawyer's land,

Which this vild kerne had a mind unto :
The deele a good conscience had he in his bulke,
That sought this poore man for to undoe.

"He told him he his lease had forfite,

And that he must there no longer abide :

The King by such lownes hath mickle wrong done,
And for you the world is broad and wide.

The poore man pray'd him for to cease,

And content himselfe, if he would be willing;
And picke no vantage in my lease,

And I will give thee forty shilling.

"Its neither forty shillings, no forty pound,
Ise warrant thee, so can agree thee and me,
Unlesse thou yield me thy farme so round,
And stand unto my curtesie."

The tenant sets off to carry the matter before the King.
“He had a humble staffe [stuffe] on his backe,
A jerkin, I wat, that was of gray,

With a good blue bonnet, he thought it no lacke;
To the King he is ganging as fast as he may.”

He

So he goes to London, and thence to Windsor. gives the porter a penny and a nobleman a groat to introduce him to the King, who is playing at bowls.

"Loe, yonder's the king, said the Nobleman,
Behold, fellow, loe, where he goes.

Beleevet hee's some unthrift, sayes the poore man,
That has lost his money and pawnd his cloathes.
"How hapt he hath gat neere a coate to his backe?
This bowling I like not; it hath him undone.
Ise warrant that fellow in those gay cloathes,
He hath his coyne and his doublet won.
"But when he came before the King,
The Nobleman did his curtesie:
The poore man followed after him,

And gave a nod with his head and a becke with his knee.

"If you be Sir King, then said the poore man,
As I can hardly thinke you be,

Here is a gude fellow that brought me hither,
Is liker to be the King than ye.

"I am the King, his Grace now sayd,

Fellow, let me thy cause understand.

If you be Sir King, Ime a tenant of yours,

That was borne and upbrought within your owne lande.

"There dwels a Lawyer harde by me,

And a fault in my lease he sayes he hath found : And all was for felling five poore ashes,

To build a house upon my owne ground.

"Hast thou a lease here? said the King,
Or canst thou shew to me the deed?
He put it into the King's owne hand,
And said, Sir, 'tis here, if that you can read.

"Why, what if I cannot? said our King,

That which I cannot, another may.

I have a boy of mine owne not seven yeares old,
A will read you as swift as yould run i' th' highway.

"Lets see thy lease, then said our King.

Then from his blacke boxe he puld it out.
He gave it into the King's owne hand,
With four or five knots ty'd fast in a clout.

"When the King had gotten these letters to read, And found the truth was very so;

I warrant thee, thou hast not forfeit thy lease,
If that thou hadst felld five ashes moe.

"Thoust have an injunction, said our King;
From troubling of thee he will cease:
Heele either shew thee a good cause why,
Or else heele let thee live in peace.

"Thoust have an attachment, said our King;
Charge all thou seest to take thy part.
Till he pay thee an hundred pound,
Be sure thou never let him start.

"A, waise me! the poore man saide then;
You ken no whit what you now do say,
A won undoe me a thousand times,

Ere he such a mickle of money will pay.

"Thou art hard a beleefe, then said our King:

To please him with letters he was right willing. I see you have taken great paines in writing, With all my heart Ile give you a shilling.

"Ile have none of thy shilling, said our King;
Man, with thy money God give thee win.
He threw it into the King's bosome;
The money lay cold next to his skin.

"Beshrew thy heart, then said our King;
Thou art a carle something too bold:
Dost thou not see I am hot with bowling?
The money next to my skin lies cold.

"The King called up his Treasurer,

And bad him fetch him twenty pound. If ever thy errant lye here away,

Ile beare thy charges up and downe.

"When the poore man saw the gold tendred, For to receive it he was willing.