"Rule, Britannia, &c."
Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame;
All their attempts to bend thee down
Will but arouse thy generous flame,
And work their woe and thy renown.
"Rule, Britannia, &c."
To thee belongs the rural reign;
Thy cities shall with commerce shine;
All thine shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles thine.
"Rule, Britannia, &c."
The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coast repair;
Bless'd isle! with matchless beauty crown'd,
And manly hearts to guard the fair.
"Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves!
Britons never shall be slaves!"
--_James Thomson._
GOD SAVE THE KING!
The words we now sing with such hearty British loyalty all round the
Seven Seas originated in the parole and countersign on board the famous
Portsmouth Fleet of 1545, when the parole was _God save the King!_ and
the answering countersign was _Long to reign over us!_ The National
Anthems of all the other Empires, Kingdoms, and Republics in the world
come from their armies and the land.
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