DUKE
upon
DUKE,
An Excellent New
PLAY-HOUSE
BALLAD.
Set to
Musick
by Mr.
HOLDECOMBE.
LONDON:
Printed for
A. MOOR
near St.
Paul
's Church, and Sold by the Booksellers. 1723. (Price Three Pence.)
DUKE
upon
DUKE,
&c.
TO Lordings Proud I tune my SONG Who feast in Bow'r or Hall;
Tho' Dukes they be, Yet Dukes shall see, that Pride will have a
Fall, that Pride will have a Fall.
I.
TO Lordings Proud I tune my Song,
Who Feast in Bow'r or Hall;
Tho' Dukes they be, yet Dukes shall see
That Pride will have a fall.
II.
Now that this same it is Right Sooth,
Full plainly doth appear;
From what befel
JOHN
DUKE OF
GUISE,
And
NIC of
LANCASTERE.
III.
When
Richard Coeur de Lyon
Reign'd,
(which means a
Lyon's Heart
)
Like him his Barons rag'd and roar'd,
Each play'd a Lyon's Part.
IV.
A Word and Blow was then enough,
Such Honour did them Prick,
If you but turn'd your Cheek, a Cuff,
And if your A
e, a Kick.
V.
Look in their Face, they tweak'd your Nose,
At every turn fell to't;
Come near, they trode upon your Toes;
They fought from Head to Foot.
VI.
Of these the
Duke
of
Lancastere
Stood Paramount in Pride;
He kick'd and cuff'd, and tweak'd and trode
His Foes and
Friends
beside.
VII.
Firm on his Front his Beaver sate,
So broad it hid his Chin;
For why, he thought no Man his Mate,
And fear'd to Tan his Skin.
VIII.
With
Spanish
Wool he dy'd his Cheek,
With Essence oyl'd his Hair;
No vixen Civet Cat more Sweet,
Nor more could Scratch and Tear.
IX.
Right Tall
he made himself to show,
Tho' made
full short
by G
d;
And when
all other
Dukes did
Bow,
This Duke
did only
Nod.
X.
Yet Courteous, Blith and Debonaire,
To
GUISE's
DUKE was he;
Never was such a Loving Pair,
Why did they disagree?
XI.
Oh! thus it was, he lov'd him dear,
And cast how to requite him;
And having no Friend left but This,
He deem'd it meet to
fight him.
XII.
Forthwith he drench'd his desperate Quill,
And thus he did Indite,
This Eve at Wisk
OUR SELF
will Play,
Sir
Duke,
Be here to Night.
XIII.
Ah no! ah no!
the Guileless
GUISE,
Demurely did reply;
I cannot Go, nor yet can Stand,
So sore the Gout have I.
XIV.
The DUKE in Wrath call'd for his Steeds,
And fiercely drove them on;
Lord! Lord! how rattled then thy Stones,
O
Kingly Kensington!
XV.
All in a Trice on
GUISE
he rush'd,
Thrust out his Lady Dear;
He tweak'd his Nose, trod on his Toes,
And smote him on the Ear.
XVI.
But mark! how midst of Victory
Fate shews an
Old Dog-Trick;
Up leap'd DUKE
JOHN
and knock'd him down,
And so down fell DUKE
NIC.
XVII.
Alass, Oh
NIC!
Oh
NIC,
alass!
Right did thy Gossip call thee,
As who should say,
Alass the Day
When JOHN
of
GUISE shall maul thee.
XVIII.
For on thee did he clap his Chair,
And on that Chair did sit?
And look'd as if he meant therein
To do
what was not fit.
XIX.
Up didst thou look, Oh woful DUKE,
Thy Mouth yet durst not ope,
Certes,
for Fear of finding there
A T
d instead of Trope.
XX.
"
Lye there thou Caitiff vile, quoth GUISE,
"
No
Sheet
is here to save thee,
"
The Casememt it is shut likewise,
"
Beneath my Feet I have thee.
XXI.
"
If thou hast ought to say, now speak,
Then
Lancaster
did cry,
" Knowest thou not ME, not yet thy self,
" Who Thou, and WHO AM I?
XXII.
" Know'st Thou not ME, who God be prais'd,
" have bawl'd and quarell'd more
" Than all the Line of
Lancaster
" That battled heretofore?
XXIII.
" In Senates fam'd for many a Speech,
" And what some Awe must give Ye,
" Tho' laid thus low beneath thy Breech,
" Still of the Council Privy.
XXIV.
" Still of the Dutchy Chancellor,
"
Durante
Life I have it,
" And turn (as now thou dost on me)
" My A
e on those that gave it.
XXV.
But now the Servants they rush'd in,
And DUKE
NIC
up leap'd He,
I will not cope against such Odds,
But
GUISE, I'll fight with Thee.
XXVI.
To Morrow with Thee will I fight
Under the Greenwood Tree;
No, not to Morrow, but to Night,
Quoth GUISE,
I'll fight with Thee.
XXVII.
And now the Sun declining low,
Bestreak'd with Blood the Skies,
When with his Sword at Saddle Bow
Rode forth the Valiant
GUISE.
XXVIII.
Full gently praunc'd he on the Lawn,
Oft rowl'd his Eye around,
And from his Sirrup stretch'd to find
Who was not to be found.
XXIX.
Long brandish'd he his Blade in Air,
Long look'd the Field all o're,
At length he spy'd the merry Men brown,
And eke the Coach and Four.
XXX.
From out the Boot bold
NICHOLAS
Did wave his Hand so white,
As pointing out the gloomy Glade
Whereat he meant to fight.
XXXI.
All in that dreadful Hour so calm
Was
Lancaster
to see,
As if he meant to take the Air,
Or only take a Fee.
XXXII.
And so he did, for to
New Court
His trowling Wheels they run;
Not that he shunn'd the doubtful Strife,
But Business must be done.
XXXIII.
Back in the dark, by
Brompton
Park,
He turn'd up thro' the Gore,
So slunk to
Campden
House so high,
All in his Coach and four.
XXXIV.
Mean while the
GUISE
did fret and fume,
A Sight it was to see,
Benumm'd beneath the Evening Dew,
Under the Greenwood Tree.
XXXV.
Then wet and weary home he far'd,
Sore mutt'ring all the Way,
The Day I meet NIC
he shall rue
The Cudgel of that Day.
XXXVI.
Mean time on every pissing Post
Paste me this Recreant's Name,
So that each Pisser-by shall read,
And piss against the same.
XXXVII.
Now God preserve our GRACIOUS KING,
And grant his Nobles all
May learn this Lesson from
Duke Nic,
That
Pride will have a Fall.
FINIS.