With Vengeance we'll pursue them in Retreat: L[auderdale]. Thy Courage bold I cannot but commend, 1 For sure he's both our worthy Duke and Friend. Lauderdale]. By my Soul, Man, she's a most powerful Spell; The surest Friend to our brave Plots and Pope. By her Assistance we'll betray this Land. L[auderdale]. Sav'd me the Labour, Sir? What do you mean? 1 Louise Renée de Penencovet de Quérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth. Gossip declared that she lavished her favours on Danby, of more than Platonic affection. It appeared afterwards that she was in reality as much his enemy as his friend. Let us deal fairly, in love or war. Louise was less unfaithful to Charles than she was reported. Her chief rival, Barbara Palmer, was notorious. 2 The same, Duchess of Portsmouth. Compare Bagford Ballads, pp. 596 to 608; also our previous pages here, 82, 83, 89, and 90. """ My Dutchess," not " Your." This cannot reasonably be thought to refer to the (so-called) Popish Plot, denounced by Oates, for the Duchess (although a Romanist) was known in Parliament to hold this Plot in detestation, because it threatened the life of Charles. The Plot here is, however, a similar one, so far as implying the subjection of Britain to Popery and absolutism. 4 Alluding to the interference of Parliament with the army, on pretence of the Romanists being so disaffected to the Commons, and therefore unworthy to be trusted. Nearly all the Irish soldiers were Papists. Dialogue between Lauderdale and Danby. If you compare our Actions in this Plot,1 Danby]. My Lord, all this and more I do allow, I ne'er meant to detract from your Just Fame; FINIS. [In White-letter. No woodcut. Date, probably, between July, 1679, and October, 1680, or April, 1681; but possibly later: certainly before Danby was released from the Tower on bail, on 12th February, 168. It seems to be unlicensed.] 1 See note 3, on previous page. The Covenanters' rebellion, following their murder of Archbishop Sharp, May 3rd, 1679, was supposed to have been encouraged to grow to a head by Lauderdale. The Battle of Bothwell-Brig, which ended the revolt, took place on 22 June, 1679. But perhaps the reference in the poem to "the noise the Rebels made of late in Scotland" has application to the strife near Dumfries, the death of Cameron, and the execution of Cargill in 1680. See later in this Group, for the Murder of Sharp. 3 We suppose this to particularize " the Habeas Corpus Parliament," of March 6th, 1679. that at once resumed the impeachment of Lord Danby, and was accordingly prorogued on May 27th, and dissolved on July 10th, 1679. A GROUP OF ANTI-PAPAL BALLADS. "Since Popery of late is so much in debate, And great strivings have been to restore it, That the Ballad-makers are for it. We'll dispute no more, then; these Heretical men So that many do say, 'twill be our best way To sing for the Cause hereafter." THUS HUS began "The Catholick Ballad; or, An Invitation to Popery upon considerable Grounds and Reasons: to the Tune of [In] Eighty Eight [when I was born]." It was reprinted by Mr. William Chappell, among other Roxburghe Ballads (vol. i. p. 89, 1869), without the Sequel, beginning "From Infallible Rome once more I am come;" or the Answer to these two from the opposite camp; the commencement being "Since Drolling is grown such a trade in the town." Both are rare and valuable: given on our pp. 105 and 110. It is expedient also to join with the small group of Danby Ballads several others of the Roxburghe Collection which may be termed an Anti-Papal Group, chiefly relating to the supposititious "Popish Plot" manufactured by Titus Oates, in Danby's time: involving the execution of many Romanists on the shallowest pretence of their having committed treason. Among them were Edward Coleman, secretary to the Duchess of York, and William Howard, Viscount Stafford. On each of these executions we advance a ballad from the third volume of the Roxburghe Collection. In our Bagford Ballads, we gave a different ditty on Coleman's death, called "The Plotter's Downfall," p. 698. It is important to preserve all these political ballads, and give them thus early, completely as possible, into the hands of historical students. To the Roxburghe Ballad entitled "The Plotter Executed," there are two tunes named, one being "Captain Digby" (otherwise called "Captain Digby's Farewell," or "Digby's Farewell"); the other, the well-known and often-mentioned "Packington's Pound," concerning which see Mr. Chappell's Popular Music, pp. 123, 771,1 but especially p. 124, where the music is given. To "Captain Digby's Farewell we shall return, in "The Dying Lover's Reprieve," Roxb. Coll., II. 119, on one of our early following pages. Of other political ballads which we are advancing, for the purpose of including them in this Anti-Papal Group, two were appointed to be sung to the tune of "Now, now the Fight's done!" These two are "Protestant Unity," and "Religion made a Cloak for Villainy; or, the Loyal Subject's Delight." We devote a note to this tune. Concerning" The Papists' Lamentation for the Loss of their Agent, William Viscount Stafford," we give a separate introductory note. Of the two tune-titles, the first had hitherto eluded search, "Fair Phillis, your prevailing charms"; but came from an original song, by Thomas Carew. The other, "A Fig for France," has been recorded already as "A Fig for France and Holland too," perhaps the same as "Butter-Boxes curse the day," belonging to some ballads directed against the Dutch at the time of the Dutch War, 1665, 1666. (See Bagford Ballads, pp. 215, 458, 878, and 977.) We shall meet it again in Roxb. Coll., II. 184, etc., and give a "Group of Ballads on the Dutch War." We also reproduce the derisive song upon "The Pope's Great Year of Jubilee; or, The Catholick's Encouragement for the Entertainment of Popery." It appears to be in a great measure modelled on one of the Anti-Papal ditties which immediately preceded the Great Rebellion, viz., "A discovery of the Jesuits Trumpery, newly packed out of England." London, printed for Henry Gosson, dwelling on London Bridge. Date of purchase, 1641.2 There is more of contemptuous ridicule in "The Pope's Great Year of Jubilee" than of such a malignant cruelty as animated the anti Let it be mentioned in passing that the song beginning "Ye maidens, ye wives, and young widows, rejoice," which went to the tune of Packington's Pound, cited as in The Convivial Songster, 1782 (it is on p. 72), is also much earlier found in The Vocal Miscellany of 1734, vol. ii. p. 170. 2 This forms part of our own forthcoming work on The Ballads of the Civil War and Protectorate to the Restoration, Part First. papal ballads of three or four years' later date. The tune, "Have at all," is so named from the burden of a ballad, to be given hereafter, "The New Courtier " (Roxb. Coll., II. 378). See p. 113. The bitterness of party rancour, impatiently desirous of humiliating and crushing political foes, is freely shown in "Long lookt for come at Last! a ballad celebrating the calling of a Parliament in the later years of Charles the Second. It is undated, as usual, but may be attributed probably to the time of the Fourth Parlia ment (October 21st, 1680, to January 18th, 1681. See Bagford Ballads, pp. 742, 743). It is a sorry piece of work, sheer raving of Protestant spite, but useful as a record of the imbecility besides the malevolence of the Shaftesbury faction. The tune named is "Let Bumpers go round!" from the ninth line of an earlier ballad. The tune assigned by Dr. Walter Pope to his here-reprinted "Room for a Ballad; or, A Ballad for Rome," is ostensibly "The Powder-Plot." Of course, it refers to Guido Faux and the Papist conspiracy of 1605; concerning which the Catholics were constantly assailed. Probably it was merely badinage, or an insult. real tune was "In 'Eighty-Eight," The During the prevalence of the Anti-Popery terror, each recurrence of the festival in November1 was invariably seized as an opportunity for the licence of a "Protestant" mob. Members of Parliament and all the bitterest sectaries urged their dupes to acts of violence. Under a pretence of religious zeal, not only were bonfires lighted, but the Pope, the Jesuits, the Catholic noblemen, or any other obnoxious persons, were publicly burned in effigy. Encouragement had been given to fanatics, that they might toss into the flames their toy imitations of rosaries, crucifixes, grotesque puppets or images of mitred abbots or Superiors in barettas, and models of confessional boxes. The same fanatics, who indulged their malice in such follies, soon proved themselves apt scholars to "better the invention" by pillaging and burning private houses or secret chapels, where it was thought likely that priestly vestments and church furniture were hidden. From the first circulation of the sham "Popish Plot" reports, forged by Titus Oates and his confederates, the credulity and malice of the London rabble found increasing materials in the rumours of new conspiracies, fresh "Evidences," and " more converts to Popery." It is to the lasting disgrace of Lord Shaftesbury and his allies that, while they knew the falsehood of the popular reports, they strove to confirm them, and to increase the venomous rancour against the Court: Dark Convict, seared by History's branding curse, And hung in chains from Dryden's lofty verse.2 1 The seventeenth of November, Queen Elizabeth's Day, was the chief festival for Pope burning. See "London's Drollery," in this Group. 2 St. Stephen's, a poem by the first Earl Lytton, re-printed from Blackwood's Magazine. |