Thomas Winterbottom Hance
IN all the towns and cities fairOn Merry England’s broad expanse,No swordsman ever could compareWith THOMAS WINTERBOTTOM HANCE.
The dauntless lad could fairly hewA silken handkerchief in twain,Divide a leg of mutton too—And this without unwholesome strain.
On whole half-sheep, with cunning trick,His sabre sometimes he’d employ—No bar of lead, however thick,Had terrors for the stalwart boy.
At Dover daily he’d prepareTo hew and slash, behind, before—Which aggravated MONSIEUR PIERRE,Who watched him from the Calais shore.
It caused good PIERRE to swear and dance,The sight annoyed and vexed him so;He was the bravest man in France—He said so, and he ought to know.
“Regardez donc, ce cochon gros—Ce polisson! Oh, sacré bleu!Son sabre, son plomb, et ses gigotsComme cela m’ennuye, enfin, mon Dieu!
“Il sait que les foulards de soieGive no retaliating whack—Les gigots morts n’ont pas de quoi—Le plomb don’t ever hit you back.”
But every day the headstrong ladCut lead and mutton more and more;And every day poor PIERRE, half mad,Shrieked loud defiance from his shore.
HANCE had a mother, poor and old,A simple, harmless village dame,Who crowed and clapped as people toldOf WINTERBOTTOM’S rising fame.
She said, “I’ll be upon the spotTo see my TOMMY’S sabre-play;”And so she left her leafy cot,And walked to Dover in a day.
PIERRE had a doating mother, whoHad heard of his defiant rage;His Ma was nearly ninety-two,And rather dressy for her age.
At HANCE’S doings every morn,With sheer delight his mother cried;And MONSIEUR PIERRE’S contemptuous scornFilled his mamma with proper pride.
But HANCE’S powers began to fail—His constitution was not strong—And PIERRE, who once was stout and hale,Grew thin from shouting all day long.
Their mothers saw them pale and wan,Maternal anguish tore each breast,And so they met to find a planTo set their offsprings’ minds at rest.
Said MRS. HANCE, “Of course I shrinksFrom bloodshed, ma’am, as you’re aware,But still they’d better meet, I thinks.”“Assurément!” said MADAME PIERRE.
A sunny spot in sunny FranceWas hit upon for this affair;The ground was picked by MRS. HANCE,The stakes were pitched by MADAME PIERRE.
Said MRS. H., “Your work you see—Go in, my noble boy, and win.”“En garde, mon fils!” said MADAME P.“Allons!” “Go on!” “En garde!” “Begin!”
(The mothers were of decent size,Though not particularly tall;But in the sketch that meets your eyesI’ve been obliged to draw them small.)
Loud sneered the doughty man of France,“Ho! ho! Ho! ho! Ha! ha! Ha! ha!”“The French for ‘Pish’” said THOMAS HANCE.Said PIERRE, “L’Anglais, Monsieur, pour ‘Bah.’”
Said MRS. H., “Come, one! two! three!—We’re sittin’ here to see all fair.”“C’est magnifique!” said MADAME P.,“Mais, parbleu! ce n’est pas la guerre!”
“Je scorn un foe si lache que vous,”Said PIERRE, the doughty son of France.“I fight not coward foe like you!”Said our undaunted TOMMY HANCE.
“The French for ‘Pooh!’” our TOMMY cried.“L’Anglais pour ‘Va!’” the Frenchman crowed.And so, with undiminished pride,Each went on his respective road.
Words in this poem 31
- swordsman n.
- A soldier; a fighting man.
- hance v. t.
- To raise; to elevate. Lydgate. [See Enhance.]
- dauntless a.
- Incapable of being daunted; undaunted; bold; fearless; intrepid.
- fairly adv.
- In a fairmanner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly; frankly.
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
- mutton n.
- A sheep. Chapman. [OE. motoun, OF. moton, molton, a sheep, wether, F. mouton, LL. multo, by transposition of l fr. L. mutilus mutilated. See Mutilate.]
- sabre n.
- A sword with a broad and heavy blade, thick at the back, and usually more or less curved like a scimiter; a cavalry sword. Saber fish, or Sabre fish (Zoöl.), the cutlass fish.
- stalwart a.
- Brave; bold; strong; redoubted; daring; vehement; violent. [OE. stalworth, AS. stælwyrth serviceable, probably originally, good at stealing, or worth stealing or taking, and afterwards extended to other causes of estimat]
- slash v. t.
- To cut by striking violently and at random; to cut in long slits. [OE. slaschen, of uncertain origin; cf. OF. esclachier to break, esclechier, esclichier, to break, and E. slate, slice, slit, v. t.]
- monsieur n.
- The common title of civility in France in speaking to, or of, a man; Mr. or Sir. [Represented by the abbreviation M. or Mons. in the singular, and by MM. or Messrs. in the plural.] [F., fr. mon my + Sieur, abbrev. of seigneur lord. See Monseigneur.]
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- gros n.
- A heavy silk with a dull finish; as, gros de Naples; gros de Tours. [F. See Gross.]
- whack v. t.
- To strike; to beat; to give a heavy or resounding blow to; to thrash; to make with whacks. [Cf. Thwack.]
- dame n.
- A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a womam in authority; especially, a lady. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam mother, Dan, Danger]
- tommy n.
- Bread, -- generally a penny roll; the supply of food carried by workmen as their daily allowance.
- defiant a.
- Full of defiance; bold; insolent; as, a defiant spirit or act. [Cf. F. défiant, p. pr. of défier. See Defy.]
- dressy a.
- Showy in dress; attentive to dress.
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- maternal a.
- Of or pertaining to a mother; becoming to a mother; motherly; as, maternal love; maternal tenderness. [F. maternel, L. maternus, fr. mater mother. See Mother.]
- tore n.
- The dead grass that remains on mowing land in winter and spring. Mortimer. [Probably from the root of tear; cf. W. tór a break, cut, tóri to break, cut.]
- madame n.
- My lady; -- a French title formerly given to ladies of quality; now, in France, given to all married women. [F., fr. ma my (L. mea) + dame dame. See Dame, and cf. Madonna.]
- sunny a.
- Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
- fils n.
- Son; -- sometimes used after a French proper name to distinguish a son from his father, as, Alexandre Dumas, fils.
- doughty a.
- Able; strong; valiant; redoubtable; as, a doughty hero.
- pish interj.
- An exclamation of contempt.
- lache n.
- Neglect; negligence; remissness; neglect to do a thing at the proper time; delay to assert a claim. [OF. lachesse, fr. lache lax, indolent, F. lâche, ultimately fr. L. laxus loose, lax. See Lax.]
- undaunted a.
- Not daunted; not subdued or depressed by fear.
- pooh interj.
- Pshaw! pish! nonsense! -- an expression of scorn, dislike, or contempt. [Of. imitative origin; cf. Icel. pu.]
- frenchman n.
- A native or one of the people of France.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- respective a.
- Noticing with attention; hence, careful; wary; considerate. [Cf. F. respectif, LL. respectivus. See Respect.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Thomas Winterbottom Hance is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Bab Ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #931; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: W. S. Gilbert, Thomas Winterbottom Hance, in The Bab Ballads (1869), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #931, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/gilbert-bab-ballads/thomas-winterbottom-hance.html, id L02385.
Form and metre
Thomas Winterbottom Hance is 88 lines in 22 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 19 of its 22 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.1 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 17% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABAB fairA · expanseB · compareA · hanceB
- 2 ABAB hewA · twainB · tooA · strainB
- 3 ABAB trickA · employB · thickA · boyB
- 4 ABAB prepareA · beforeB · pierreA · shoreB
- 5 ABAB danceA · soB · franceA · knowB
- 6 -A-A gros · bleuA · gigots · dieuA
- 7 -A-A soie · whackA · quoi · backA
- 8 ABAB ladA · moreB · madA · shoreB
- 9 ABAB oldA · dameB · toldA · fameB
- 10 ABAB spotA · playB · cotA · dayB
- 11 ABAB whoA · rageB · twoA · ageB
- 12 ABAB mornA · criedB · scornA · prideB
- 13 ABAB failA · strongB · haleA · longB
- 14 -A-A wan · breastA · plan · restA
- 15 ABAB shrinksA · awareB · thinksA · pierreB
- 16 ABAB franceA · affairB · hanceA · pierreB
- 17 ABAB seeA · winB · pA · beginB
- 18 ABAB sizeA · tallB · eyesA · smallB
- 19 ABAB franceA · haB · hanceA · bahB
- 20 ABAB threeA · fairB · pA · guerreB
- 21 ABAB vousA · franceB · youA · hanceB
- 22 ABAB criedA · crowedB · prideA · roadB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| IN all the towns and cities fair | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| On Merry England’s broad expanse, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| No swordsman ever could compare | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| With THOMAS WINTERBOTTOM HANCE. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The dauntless lad could fairly hew | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| A silken handkerchief in twain, | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘·· |
| Divide a leg of mutton too— | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| And this without unwholesome strain. | 9 | ········· |
| On whole half-sheep, with cunning trick, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| His sabre sometimes he’d employ— | 8 | ·/˘/··˘/ |
| No bar of lead, however thick, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Had terrors for the stalwart boy. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| At Dover daily he’d prepare | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| To hew and slash, behind, before— | 8 | ········ |
| Which aggravated MONSIEUR PIERRE, | 9 | ·/˘·˘˘/˘/ |
| Who watched him from the Calais shore. | 8 | ·····˘/· |
| It caused good PIERRE to swear and dance, | 9 | ···˘/···· |
| The sight annoyed and vexed him so; | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| He was the bravest man in France— | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| He said so, and he ought to know. | 8 | ········ |
| “Regardez donc, ce cochon gros— | 8 | ········ |
| Ce polisson! Oh, sacré bleu! | 7 | ······· |
| Son sabre, son plomb, et ses gigots | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| Comme cela m’ennuye, enfin, mon Dieu! | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| “Il sait que les foulards de soie | 8 | ········ |
| Give no retaliating whack— | 8 | ··˘/˘·˘· |
| Les gigots morts n’ont pas de quoi— | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Le plomb don’t ever hit you back.” | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| But every day the headstrong lad | 8 | ·/˘··/·· |
| Cut lead and mutton more and more; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And every day poor PIERRE, half mad, | 9 | ·/˘··˘/·· |
| Shrieked loud defiance from his shore. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| HANCE had a mother, poor and old, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| A simple, harmless village dame, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| Who crowed and clapped as people told | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Of WINTERBOTTOM’S rising fame. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| She said, “I’ll be upon the spot | 8 | ········ |
| To see my TOMMY’S sabre-play;” | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| And so she left her leafy cot, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And walked to Dover in a day. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| PIERRE had a doating mother, who | 9 | ˘/····/˘· |
| Had heard of his defiant rage; | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| His Ma was nearly ninety-two, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| And rather dressy for her age. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| At HANCE’S doings every morn, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| With sheer delight his mother cried; | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| And MONSIEUR PIERRE’S contemptuous scorn | 9 | ·˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| Filled his mamma with proper pride. | 8 | ··/˘·/˘· |
| But HANCE’S powers began to fail— | 8 | ·/˘/˘/·· |
| His constitution was not strong— | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| And PIERRE, who once was stout and hale, | 9 | ·˘/······ |
| Grew thin from shouting all day long. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Their mothers saw them pale and wan, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Maternal anguish tore each breast, | 8 | ˘/˘/˘··· |
| And so they met to find a plan | 8 | ········ |
| To set their offsprings’ minds at rest. | 8 | ········ |
| Said MRS. HANCE, “Of course I shrinks | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| From bloodshed, ma’am, as you’re aware, | 8 | ·/····˘/ |
| But still they’d better meet, I thinks.” | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| “Assurément!” said MADAME PIERRE. | 9 | ·····˘/˘/ |
| A sunny spot in sunny France | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Was hit upon for this affair; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| The ground was picked by MRS. HANCE, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The stakes were pitched by MADAME PIERRE. | 9 | ·····˘/˘/ |
| Said MRS. H., “Your work you see— | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Go in, my noble boy, and win.” | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| “En garde, mon fils!” said MADAME P. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| “Allons!” “Go on!” “En garde!” “Begin!” | 8 | ······˘/ |
| (The mothers were of decent size, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Though not particularly tall; | 8 | ··˘/˘˘˘· |
| But in the sketch that meets your eyes | 8 | ········ |
| I’ve been obliged to draw them small.) | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Loud sneered the doughty man of France, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| “Ho! ho! Ho! ho! Ha! ha! Ha! ha!” | 8 | ········ |
| “The French for ‘Pish’” said THOMAS HANCE. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Said PIERRE, “L’Anglais, Monsieur, pour ‘Bah.’” | 9 | ·˘/˘/˘/·· |
| Said MRS. H., “Come, one! two! three!— | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| We’re sittin’ here to see all fair.” | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| “C’est magnifique!” said MADAME P., | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| “Mais, parbleu! ce n’est pas la guerre!” | 8 | ········ |
| “Je scorn un foe si lache que vous,” | 8 | ········ |
| Said PIERRE, the doughty son of France. | 9 | ·˘/·/˘··· |
| “I fight not coward foe like you!” | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Said our undaunted TOMMY HANCE. | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| “The French for ‘Pooh!’” our TOMMY cried. | 8 | ····//˘· |
| “L’Anglais pour ‘Va!’” the Frenchman crowed. | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| And so, with undiminished pride, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Each went on his respective road. | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
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