Reliques of Ancient English Poetry consisting of Old Heroic Ballads, Songs, and other Pieces of our earlier Poets, (Chiefly of the Lyric kind.) Together with some few of later Date |
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Reliques of Ancient English Poetry | ||
IX. SIR JOHN SUCKLING'S CAMPAIGNE.
When the Scottish covenanters rose up in arms, and advanced to the English borders in 1639, many of the courtiers complimented the king by raising forces at their own expence. Among these none were more distinguished than the gallant Sir John Suckling, who raised a troop of horse, so richly accoutred, that it cost him 12,000 l. The like expensive equipment of other parts of the army, made the king remark, that “the Scots would fight stoutly, if it were but for the Englishmen's fine cloaths.” [Lloyd's memoirs.] When they came to action, the rugged Scots proved more than a match for the fine shewy English: many of whom behaved remarkably ill, and among the rest this splendid troop of Sir John Suckling's.
This humorous pasquil has been generally supposed to have been written by Sir John, as a banter upon himself. Some of his contemporaries however attributed it to Sir John Mennis, a wit of those times, among whose poems it is printed in a small poetical miscellany intitled, “Musarum deliciæ: or the muses recreation, containing several pieces of poetique wit. 2d edition.—By Sir J. M. [Sir John Mennis] and Ja. S. [James Smith.] Lond. 1656. 12mo.”—[See Wood's Athenæ. II. 397. 418.] In that copy is subjoined an additional stanza, which probably was written by this Sir John Mennis, viz.
“His money, which lately he spent-a,
“But his lost honour must lye still in the dust;
“At Barwick away it went-a.”
To Scotland for to ride-a,
With a hundred horse more, all his own he swore,
To guard him on every side-a.
With halfe so gay a bravado,
Had you seen but his look, you'ld have sworn on a book,
Hee'ld have conquer'd a whole armado.
So gallant and warlike a sight-a,
And as he pass'd by, they said with a sigh,
Sir John, why will you go fight-a?
His heart would not relent-a,
For, till he came there, what had he to fear?
Or why should he repent-a?
Of him and all his troop-a:
The borderers they, as they met him on the way,
For joy did hollow, and whoop-a.
Who took him for John de Wert-a;
But when there were shows of gunning and blows,
My gallant was so nothing pert-a.
And all prepared to fight-a,
He ran to his tent, they ask'd what he meant,
He swore he must needs goe sh*te-a.
To quarter him in the van-a,
But Sir John did swear, he would not come there,
To be kill'd the very first man-a.
Some ten miles back, and more-a;
Where Sir John did play at trip and away,
And ne'er saw the enemy more-a.
Reliques of Ancient English Poetry | ||