Fourth Verse.—‘Mine hostess’s maid’ is an allusion to the Queen, who was a Roman Catholic, and her maid, the Church. The singer we must suppose was one of the leaders of the party, and his ‘dog’ a companion, or faithful official of the Society, and the song was sung on occasions when the members met together socially; and thus, as the Roman Catholics were Royalists, the allusion to the mutual attachment between the ‘maid’ and ‘my dog and I,’ is plain and consistent.
Fifth Verse.—The ‘dog’ had a ‘trick of visiting maids when they were sick.’ The meaning is, that when any of the members were in distress or desponding, or likely to give up the Royal cause in despair, the officials, or active members visited, counselled, and assisted them.
Sixth Verse.—The ‘dog’ was ‘good to catch a hen,’ a ‘duck,’ or a ‘goose.’—That is, to enlist as members of the Society any who were well affected to the Royal cause.
Seventh Verse.—‘The good ale tap’ is an allusion, under cover of the similarity in sound between the words ale and aisle, to the Church, of which it was dangerous at the time to be an avowed follower; and so the members were cautioned that indiscretion might lead to their discovery and ‘overthrow.’
Eighth Verse.—The allusion here is to those unfaithful supporters of the Royal cause, who ‘welcomed’ the members of the Society when it appeared to be prospering, but ‘parted’ from them in adversity.
Ninth Verse.—An expression of the singer’s wish that if he should die he may be buried with his faithful companion, as representing the principles of the Society, under the good aisles of the church.
The following text has been collated with a version published in Notes and Queries, from the ‘fragments of a MS. found in the speech-house of Dean.’ The tune is the same as that of the Wassailers’ Song, and is printed in Popular Music. Other ditties appear to have been founded on this ancient piece. The fourth, seventh, and ninth verses are in the old ditty called My Dog and I: and the eighth verse appears in another old song. The air and words bear some resemblance to Todlen Hame.]
The stwons that built George Ridler’s oven,
And thauy keam vrom the Bleakney quaar,
And George he wur a jolly old mon,
And his yead it grow’d above his yare.
One thing of George Ridler I must commend,
And that wur vor a notable thing;
He mead his brags avoore he died,
Wi’ any dree brooders his zons zshould zing.
There’s Dick the treble, and John the meean,
(Let every mon zing in his auwn pleace,)
And George he wur the elder brother,
And therevoor he would zing the beass.