Canary’s Coronation

From the Loyal Garland.

Come, let’s purge our brains
From ale and grains,
   That do smell of anarchy;
Let’s chuse a King
From whose blood may spring
   Such a sparkling progeny;
It will be fit, strew mine in it,
   Whose flames are bright and clear;
We’ll not bind our hands with drayman’s bands,
   When as we may be freer;
Why should we droop, or basely stoop
   To popular ale or beer?

Who shall be King? how comes the thing
   For which we all are met?
Claret is a prince that hath long since
   In the royal order set:
His face is spread with a warlike seed,
   And so he loves to see men;
When he bears the sway, his subjects they
   Shall be as good as freemen;
But here’s the plot, almost forgot,
   ’Tis too much burnt with women.

By the river of Rhine is a valiant wine
   That can all other replenish;
Let’s then consent to the government
   And the royal rule of Rhenish:
The German wine will warm the chine,
   And frisk in every vein;
’Twill make the bride forget to chide,
   And call him to’t again:
But that’s not all, he is too small
   To be our sovereign.

Let us never think of a noble drink,
   But with notes advance on high,
Let’s proclaim good Canary’s name,—
   Heaven bless his Majesty!
He is a King in everything,
   Whose nature doth renounce all,
He’ll make us skip and nimbly trip
   From ceiling to the groundsil;
Especially when poets be
   Lords of the Privy Council.

But a vintner will his taster be,
   Here’s nothing that can him let;
A drawer that hath a good palat
   Shall be squire of the gimblet.
The bar-boys shall be pages all,
   A tavern well-prepared,
And nothing shall be spared;
   In jovial sort shall be the court,
Wine-porters that are soldiers tall
   Be yeomen of the guard.

But if a cooper we with a red nose see
   In any part of the town;
The cooper shall, with his aids-royal,
   Bear the sceptre of the crown;
Young wits that wash away their cash
   In wine and recreation,
Who hates ale and beer, shall be welcome here
   To give their approbation;
So shall all you that will allow
   Canary’s recreation.