270 A BOOK OF ENGLISH GARDENS 



joined the Duke of York as a volunteer and was 

 with him when the Dutch ships were destroyed ; it 

 was on the eve of this battle that he is supposed to 

 have written his graceful ballad, " To all you ladies 

 now at land," showing great calmness of character 

 as well as wit, The following verses the first and 

 the last give some idea of its character : 



"To all you ladies now at land, 



We men at sea indite; 

 But first would have you understand, 



How hard it is to write : 

 The Muses now, and Neptune too, 

 We must implore to write to you 



With a fa, la, la, la, la. 



And now we've told you all our loves 



And likewise all our fears, 

 In hopes this declaration moves 



Some pity for our tears : 

 Let's hear of no inconstancy 

 We have too much of that at sea 



With a fa, la, la, la, la." 



Dr. Johnson comments shrewdly upon this story ; 

 " Seldom any splendid story is wholly true, I have 

 heard, from the late Earl of Orrery, who was likely 

 to have good hereditary intelligence, that Lord 

 Buckhurst had been a week employed upon it, and 

 only retouched or finished it on the memorable 

 evening. But even this, whatever it may subtract 

 from his facility, leaves him his courage." 



