Classic Poem

Good Republicans all,
The Directory's call
Invites you to visit John B ULL ;
Oppress'd by the rod
Of a King, and a God,
The cup of his misery's full.

Old JohnNY shall see
What makes a man free;
Not parchments, nor statutes on paper;
And stripp'd of his riches,
Great charter, and breeches,
Shall cut a free citizen's caper.

Then away let us over,
To Deal, or to Dover —
We laugh at his talking so big;
He's pamper'd with feeding,
And wants a sound bleeding —
Par Dieu! he shall bleed like a pig!

John , tied to the stake,
A grand baiting will make,
When worried by mastiffs of France;
What Republican fun!
To see his blood run,
As at Lyons, La Vendee, and Nantz.

With grape shot discharges,
And plugs in his barges,
With National Razors good store,
We'll pepper, and shave him,
And in the Thames lave him —
How sweetly he'll bellow and roar!

What the villain likes worse,
We'll vomit his purse,
And make it the guineas disgorge;
For your Raphaels and Rubens,
We would not give two-pence;
Stick, stick to the PICTURES OF G EORGE .

No Venus of stone,
But of good flesh and bone,
Will do for a true Democrat;
When weary with slaughter,
With John 's wife and daughter
We'll join in a little chit-chat .

The shop-keeping hoard,
The tenant, and lord,
And the merchants, are excellent prey:
At our cannon's first thunder,
Rape, pillage , and plunder ,
The Order shall be of the day .

French fortunes and lives,
French daughters and wives,
Have five honest men to defend 'em;
And Barras and Co.
When to England we go,
Will kindly take John 's in commendam .