The Washington herald., 1910-10-16
No 81.

ANu1Ns H
JAMES
When Britain frst. OF heavens com
mand.
Arose from out the azure main,
This was the charter OF the land.
And guardian angels sang this
strain:
Rule, Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons never viii be slaves.
The nations, not so blest as these
Must in their turns 10 tyrants fall;
While thou shalt flourish great and
free,
The dread and envy OF them all.
Rule. Britannia. rule the waves;
Rritons never Will be slaves.
Stnl more majestic shalt thou rise
More dreadful from each foreign
stroke,
AS the loud blast that tears the skies
Serves but 10 root thy native oak:
Rule, Britannia, rule the waves
Britons never viii be slaves
Next to God Save the King." the
national anthem, Rule. Rritain-
MIA" finds a responsive chord in the
heart Of every Englishman. In a
measure 1t is more popular with the
people than their national hymn,
music is more Inspiring The for
mer song is addressed particularly
10 their sovereign, but Rule Brit
ANNA" is the boast of England as
10 her great power
Southey said that Rule, Britain
mia viii be the political hymn Of
his country as long as she main
tains her political power, OF Shich
there is no evidence of its wane at
the present writing The words Of
this hymn were composed by James
Thomson assisted by Mallet. and
the music was composed by Arne
for his masque Of Alfred" which
was first performed at Cnfden
House. Maidenhead, August l. 1740.
Cllfden was at that time the resi-
dence OF Frederick, Prince Of Wales
and the occasion Of this first per-
Torrance was 10 commemorate the
accession of George 1, and the birth
day of Princess Augusta. The
masque was repeated on the follow
ing evening, and was published by
Miller. on August 49, 1910 In the
notice announcing the masque. Il
was noted that il would conclude
with a favourable ode IN honor Of
Great Britain. beginning When
Britain first az heavens command %
II was not heard in London until
five years later on March 20. l745,
when 1t was used as a feature of a
benefit performance given in aid Of
Mrs Arne.
The year in which the opera was
produced was memorable for the
Jacobite rising IN the north. and In
1916 Handel produced his "Occa-
siOnal Oratorio." in which he refers
to its suppression, War shall cease.
welcome peace" adapting those
words 10 the opening bars Of Rule.
Britannia"-in itself a good proof
Of the popularity Of the air
In 1851 Mallet altered the words
of Alfred" which was shortly after
the death Of Thomson. and present
ed it. but the version was a failure.
in spite OF the fact that Garrick
acted the title part The score Of
Rule, Britannia" was printed by
Arne at the end OF The Judgment
OF Paris" which had also been pro-
duced at Clifden in 1910. The air
was adopted by Jacobites as well as
Hanoverians, but the former paro-
died, or changed, the words.
When DR.. Dinsdale re-edited the
poems OF Mallet in 1851, he raised A
doubt as to the authorship Of the
words, claiming them, as well as
the ballad of William and Marga-
ret" for Mallet As to the first
claim, the most convincing evidence
against Mallet-unknown when
Dinsdale wrote-is now 70 be found
In the library OF the British Mu-
scum. In the museum copy the tune
Is reproduced. which had been ut
terly lost 10 England as in Scot.
land. because It was not fitted for
dancing but only for recitation.
Until Dinsdale put IN a claim for
Mallet, Rule, Britannia" had been
universally ascribed TO Thomson.
from the advertisement Of the time
down 10 the Scotch Songs" Of Rit-
son-a most careful and trust
worthy authority for facts. Mallet
left the question in doubt. Thorn
son was but recently dead. and
consequently many OF his surviving
friends knew the facts According
to the present arrangement of the
fable says Mallet I was Obliged TO
reject p great deal of what I had
written in the other; neither could
/ retain of my friends part more
than three or four single sentences,
and a part OF one song"
Mallet does not say that il was
the one song of the whole that had
stood out OF the piece, and had be-
come nationalized, lest his friends
should have too much credit. but
Rule. Britannia" comes under this
description. because he allowed Lord
Copyright 1910, '"