1793 23
1793.23
France and England
David Garrick
The Star (December 2, 1793)
When, during the late war, there was a rumour of an intended invasion by the French, Hogarth engraved two prints, entitled France and England, to ridicule the idea. Beneath the prints are two inscriptions, written by the late David Garrick, but not inserted in the volume of his poems. The first is
FRANCE.
"With lanthern jaws and croaking gut
See how the half-starv'd Frenchmen strut,
And call us English dogs;
But soon we'll teach these bragging foes,
That beef and beer give heavier blows,
Than soup and roasted frogs.
The Priests inflam'd with righteous hopes,
Prepare their axes, wheels and ropes,
To bend the stiff-neck'd sinner;
But should they sink in coming over,
Old Nick may fish 'twixt France and Dover,
And catch a glorious dinner."
ENGLAND.
"See John, the soldier, Jack, the tar,
With sword and pistol arm'd for war,
Should Mounseer dare come here!
The hungry slaves have smelt our food,
They long to taste our flesh and blood,
Old England's beef and beer!
Britons, to arms, and let 'em come,
Be you but Britons still strike home,
And lion-like attack 'em,
No power can stand the deadly stroke
That's given from hands and hearts of oak,
With Liberty to back 'em."