Anonymous British

Leslie's March To Scotland

March!--march!--pinks of election, Why the devil don't you march onward in order? March!--march!--dogs of redemption, Ere the blue bonnets come over the Border. You shall preach, you shall pray, You shall teach night and day, You shall prevail o'er the kirk gone a whoring; Dance in blood to the knees Blood of God's enemies! The daughters of Scotland shall sing you to snoring. March!--march!--dregs of all wickedness! Glory that lower you can't be debased! March!--march!--dunghills of blessedness! March and rejoice for you shall be raised, Not to board, not to rope, But to faith and to hope, Scotland's athirst for the truth to be taught her; Her chosen virgin race, How they will grow in grace, Round as a neep, like calves for the slaughter. March!--march!--scourges of heresy! Down with the kirk and its whilliebaleery! March!--march!--down with supremacy And the kist fu' o' whistles, that mak's sic a cleary; Fife-men and pipers braw, Merry de'ils tak them a', Gown, lace, and livery -- lickpot and ladle; Jockey shall wear the hood, Jenny the sark of God-- For codpiece and petticoat, dishclout and daidle. March!--march!--blest ragamuffins! Sing, as ye go, the hymns of rejoicing! March!--march!--justified ruffians! Chosen of Heaven! to glory you're rising. Ragged and treacherous, Lousy and lecherous, Objects of misery, scorning, and laughter; Never, O happy race! Magnified so was grace; Host of the righteous! rush to the slaughter! [The hero of this song is the celebrated David Leslie (who is also immortalized in the song called Leslie's March to Longmaston) who commanded a division of the Whig army at the battle of Marston Moor, and contributed so materially to that victory, where the Earl of Leven, who commanded above him, fled. His cruelties in Scotland, after his victory over Montrose and some other successes, must have provoked some of the cavaliers to write these two songs in mockery of him and his army of furious zealots. They are both written to a tune that is well known to have been his favourite march, and to which his troopers always entered or left every town on their route. The March to Scotland is the most perfect thing of the kind to be found in that or any other age; and, wild as some of the expressions are, must be viewed as a great curiosity. It is the very essence of sarcasm and derision, and possesses a spirit and energy for which we may look in vain in any other song existing. ] ~Hogg's Jacobite Relics, vol. i. , p. 163. 1819.