[After the English Revolution of 1688, all bishops were compelled to swear allegiance to William and Mary. Seven of them, adherents of James II., refused and were imprisoned for treason,--the "Non-Jurors." Trelawney of Cornwall was one.]
A good sword and a trusty hand, A merry heart and true, King James's men shall understand What Cornish lads can do. And have they fixed the where and when, And shall Trelawney die? Then twenty thousand Cornish men Will know the reason why. _What! will they scorn Tre, Pol, and Pen? And shall Trelawney die? Then twenty thousand under ground Will know the reason why_.
Out spake the captain brave and bold, A merry wight was he: "Though London's Tower were Michael's hold, We'll set Trelawney free. We'll cross the Tarnar hand to hand, The Exe shall be no stay; We'll side by side from strand to strand, And who shall bid us nay? _What! will they scorn Tre, Pol, and Pen? And shall Trelawney die? Then twenty thousand Cornish men Will know the reason why_.
"And when we come to London wall We'll shout with it in view, 'Come forth, come forth, ye cowards all! We're better men than you! Trelawney, he's in keep and hold, Trelawney, he may die; But here's twenty thousand Cornish bold Will know the reason why!' _What! will they scorn Tre, Pol, and Pen? And shall Trelawney die? Then twenty thousand under ground Will know the reason why_."
The harp that once through Tara's halls The soul of music shed, Now hangs as mute on Tara's walls As if that soul were fled. So sleeps the pride of former days, So glory's thrill is o'er, And hearts that once beat high for praise Now feel that pulse no more!
No more to chiefs and ladies bright The harp of Tara swells; The chord alone that breaks at night Its tale of ruin tells. Thus Freedom now so seldom wakes, The only throb she gives Is when some heart indignant breaks, To show that still she lives.
As by the shore, at break of day, A vanquished chief expiring lay, Upon the sands, with broken sword, He traced his farewell to the free; And there the last unfinished word He dying wrote, was "Liberty!"
At night a sea-bird shrieked the knell Of him who thus for freedom fell: The words he wrote, ere evening came, Were covered by the sounding sea;-- So pass away the cause and name Of him who dies for liberty!