English & Other 284. John Dory
CONTENTS:
A sailor's garland edited by John Masefield
POEMS OF PIRATES AND SMUGGLERS
JOHN DORY
As it fell on a holy day,
And upon a holy tide-a,
John Dory bought him an ambling nag
To Paris for to ride-a.
And when John Dory to Paris was come
A little before the gate-a;
John Dory was fitted, the porter was witted,
To let him in thereat-a.
The first man that John Dory did meet,
Was good King John of France-a:
John Dory could well of his courtesy,
But fell down in a trance-a.
A pardon, a pardon, my liege and king,
For my merry men and me-a:
And all the churls in merry England
I'll being them bound to thee-a,
And Nichol was then a Cornish man,
A little beside Bohyde-a;
And he manned forth a good black bark,
With fifty good oars on a side-a.
Run up, my boy, into the main-top,
And look what thou canst spy-a;
Who ho, who ho, a good ship I do see,
I trow it be John Dory-a.
They hoist their sails, both top and top,
The mizzen and all was tried-a;
And every man stood to his lot,
Whatever should betide-a.
The roaring cannons then were plied,
And dub-a-dub went the drum-a;
The braying trumpets loud they cried,
To courage both all and some-a.
The grappling hooks were brought at length,
The brown bill and the sword-a;
John Dory [1] at length, for all his strength,
Was clapt fast under board-a.
1 One Nicholas, son to a widow near Foy, . . . fought bravely at sea with one John Dory, (a Genowey, as I conjecture) set forth by John, the French king, and, after much bloodshed, . . . took and slew him."—Carew, Survey of Cornwall.