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Thomas Winterbottom Hance

IN all the towns and cities

On Merry England's broad expanse,

No swordsman ever could

With

AS

OM

CE.

The dauntless lad could fairly hewA silken handkerchief in twain,

Divide a leg of mutton too -And this without unwholesome strain.

On whole half-sheep, with cunning trick,

His sabre sometimes he'd employ -No bar of lead, however thick,

Had terrors for the stalwart boy.

At Dover daily he'd

To hew and slash, behind, before -Which aggravated

UR

RE,

Who watched him from the Calais shore.

It caused good

RE to swear and dance,

The sight annoyed and vexed him so;

He was the bravest man in France -He said so, and he ought to know."Regardez donc, ce cochon gros -Ce polisson!

Oh, sacre bleu!

Son sabre, son plomb, et ses

Comme cela m'ennuye, enfin, mon Dieu!"Il sait que les foulards de

Give no retaliating whack -Les gigots morts n'ont pas de quoi -Le plomb don't ever hit you back."But every day the headstrong

Cut lead and mutton more and more;

And every day poor

RE, half mad,

Shrieked loud defiance from his shore.

CE had a mother, poor and old,

A simple, harmless village dame,

Who crowed and clapped as people

Of

OM'S rising fame.

She said, "I'll be upon the

To see my

MY'S sabre-play;"And so she left her leafy cot,

And walked to Dover in a day.

RE had a doating mother,

Had heard of his defiant rage;

IS Ma was nearly ninety-two,

And rather dressy for her age.

At

CE'S doings every morn,

With sheer delight

IS mother cried;

And

UR

RE'S contemptuous

Filled

IS mamma with proper pride.

But

CE'S powers began to fail -His constitution was not strong -And

RE, who once was stout and hale,

Grew thin from shouting all day long.

Their mothers saw them pale and wan,

Maternal anguish tore each breast,

And so they met to find a

To set their offsprings' minds at rest.

Said

RS.

CE, "Of course I

From bloodshed, ma'am, as you're aware,

But still they'd better meet,

I thinks.""Assurement!" said

ME

RE.

A sunny spot in sunny

Was hit upon for this affair;

The ground was picked by

RS.

CE,

The stakes were pitched by

ME

RE.

Said

RS.

H., "Your work you see -Go in, my noble boy, and win.""En garde, mon fils!" said

ME P."Allons!"  "Go on!"  "En garde!"  "Begin!"(The mothers were of decent size,

Though not particularly tall;

But in the sketch that meets your eyesI've been obliged to draw them small.)Loud sneered the doughty man of France,"Ho! ho!  Ho! ho!  Ha! ha!  Ha! ha!"The French for 'Pish'" said

AS

CE.

Said

RE, "L'Anglais,

Monsieur, pour 'Bah.'"Said

RS.

H., "Come, one! two! three! -We're sittin' here to see all fair.""C'est magnifique!" said

ME P.,"Mais, parbleu! ce n'est pas la guerre!""Je scorn un foe si lache que vous,"Said

RE, the doughty son of France."I fight not coward foe like you!"Said our undaunted

MY

CE."The French for 'Pooh!'" our

MY cried."L'Anglais pour 'Va!'" the Frenchman crowed.

And so, with undiminished pride,

Each went on his respective road.

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William Schwenck Gilbert

Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his coll…

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