The Vicar of Bray. When royal James possess'd the crown, The Church of Rome I found would fit Full well my constitution : And I had been a Jesuit, But for the Revolution. And this is law that I'll maintain When William was our king declar'd, Old principles I did revoke, Set conscience at a distance; Passive obedience was a joke, A jest was non-resistance. And this is law that I'll maintain Until my dying day, sir, When royal Anne became our queen, I blam'd their moderation; And thought the church in danger was, By such prevarication. And this is law that I'll maintain Until my dying day, sir, That whatsoever King shall reign, The Vicar of Bray. When George in pudding-time came o'er, The Pope and the Pretender. And this is law that I'll maintain Th' illustrious house of Hanover, For in my faith and loyalty, I never more will falter, And George my lawful king shall be- And this is law that I'll maintain A Hunting we will Go. Some are thrown in, some are thrown out, And some are thrown in the ditch, A Hunting we will Go. Sly Reynard now like lightning flies, And sweeps across the vale; And when the hounds too near he spies, There are several versions of this song, of various degrees of length and of merit. "This song," says Mr. Chappell, in his Collection of National English Airs, "was originally to the tune of Begging we will go,' (1660). The words by Fielding are contained in his ballad opera of Don Quixote in England, but have since been somewhat altered. |