WILLIAM ROBERT HICKS, OF BODMIN. 
05 
" Wee, wee V says he, with his parlee francee, 
And something about mon doo. 
"Darn 'ee !" says I. "You French blackguard," says I, 
" I '11 very soon do for you ! " 
And then he shut fore, and then he shut back, 
And round about maister kep prancing ; 4 
I let an oak stick vail a top o 's head, 
And zoon zet his daylights a dancing. 
Ri-too-ral-oo, ri-too-ral-oo, &c. 
I knacked un about — ah ! that I did — 
And I bate un black and blue, 
From the top o's head to the zole o's foot, 
Till I made un call out, " Mor bleu ! " 
One officer had his head knacked off 
By manes of a cannon-ball. 
" Darn 'ee ! " says I, " if it 's honour to die, 
I don't like your honour at all." 
Ri-too-ral-oo, ri-too-ral-oo, &c. 
Then all the yards came tumbling down, 
And the great big masts likewise ; 
If Old Church tower 'd a vailed 
He couldn't a made more noise. 
And when we had vairly beat mun all, 
And drove the French blackguards below, 
Maister he hauled the colours down, 
And we all o' us gave a " Worroh ! 5 " 
Ri-too-ral-oo, ri-too-ral-oo, &c. 
So now come all you husbandmen 
And ostlers that would vight, 
Whenever you be called upon 
To wrastle for England's right ; 
If you'd vight as I 've a vaught, 
And I 've vought cruel well. 
If any of they French blackguards come here 
Us '11 send them all to . 
Ri-too-ral-oo, ri-too-ra-loo, &c. 
Hicks's violin was turned to good and laughable account. He 
used to give a ridiculous imitation of a musician who could only 
tune his fiddle by playing a particular familiar air on it, screwing 
the strings in the way common to fiddlers when he found some 
note in the air go wrong. He also imitated street players with 
their songs. There was a famous song of his, in which he 
mimicked a blind street fiddler and singer and his wife, with a 
4 The action of fencing. 5 Hurrah. 
VOL. X. F 
