The Bab Ballads
Reading edition
WITH WHICH ARE INCLUDED
SONGS OF A SAVOYARD
BY
W. S. GILBERT
WITH 350 ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR
LONDON MACMILLAN & CO LTD NEW YORK. ST MARTIN'S PRESS
This book is copyright in all countries which are signatories to the Berne Convention Transferred to Macmillan and Co. Ltd., 1904 Sixth Edition 1904 Reprinted 1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1917, 1919 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1932, 1953, 1960 MACMILLAN AND COMPANY LIMITED London Bombay Calcutta Madras Melbourne THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA LIMITED Toronto ST MARTIN'S PRESS INC New York PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
AUTHOR'S NOTE
About thirty years since, several of "The Bab Ballads" (most of which had appeared, from time to time, in the pages of Fun) were collected by me, and published by Messrs. George Routledge and Sons. This volume passed through several editions, and, in due course, was followed by a second series under the title of "More Bab Ballads," which achieved a popularity equal to that of its predecessor. Subsequently, excerpts were made from these two volumes, and, under the title of "Fifty Bab Ballads," had a very considerable sale; but I soon discovered that in making the selection for this volume I had discarded certain Ballads that were greater favourites with my readers than with me. Nevertheless this issue was followed by many editions, English and American, of "Bab Ballads," "More Bab Ballads," and "Fifty Bab Ballads," to the no little bewilderment of such of the public as had been good enough to concern themselves with my verses. So it became desirable (for our own private ends) that this confusion should be definitely cleared up; and thus it came to pass that a reissue of the two earlier collections, in one volume, was decided upon.
Some seven years since, I collected the most popular of the songs and ballads which I had written for the series of light operas with which my name is associated, and published them under the title of "Songs of a Savoyard." It recently occurred to me that these songs had so much in common with "The Bab Ballads" that it might be advisable to weld the two books into one. This is, briefly, the history of the present volume.
I have always felt that many of the original illustrations to "The Bab Ballads" erred gravely in the direction of unnecessary extravagance. This defect I have endeavoured to correct through the medium of the two hundred new drawings which I have designed for this volume. I am afraid I cannot claim for them any other recommendation,
W. S. GILBERT.
Grim's Dyke, Harrow Weald, 4th December 1897.
CONTENTS.
Page
Captain Reece1
The Darned Mounseer6
The Rival Curates8
The Englishman13
Only a Dancing Girl14
The Disagreeable Man16
General John18
The Coming By-and-By22
To a Little Maid24
The Highly Respectable Gondolier26
John and Freddy28
The Fairy Queen's Song32
Sir Guy the Crusader34
Is Life a Boon?38
Haunted39
The Modern Major-General42
The Bishop and the 'Busman44
The Heavy Dragoon49
The Troubadour51
Proper Pride56
Ferdinando and Elvira; or, the Gentle Pieman58
The Policeman's Lot63
Lorenzo de Lardy64
The Baffled Grumbler69
Disillusioned71
The House of Peers74
Babette's Love76
A Merry Madrigal81
To my Bride82
The Duke and the Duchess84
The Folly of Brown87
Eheu Fugaces—!92
Sir Macklin94
They'll None of 'em be Missed99
The Yarn of the "Nancy Bell"101
Girl Graduates106
The Bishop of Rum-ti-Foo108
Braid the Raven Hair113
The Precocious Baby114
The Working Monarch119
To Phœbe122
The Ape and the Lady123
Baines Carew, Gentleman125
Only Roses130
Thomas Winterbottom Hance131
The Rover's Apology136
A Discontented Sugar Broker138
An Appeal143
The Pantomime "Super" to his Mask144
The Reward of Merit146
The Ghost, the Gallant, the Gael, and the Goblin148
The Magnet and the Churn153
King Borria Bungalee Boo155
The Family Fool161
The Periwinkle Girl164
Sans Souci169
Thomson Green and Harriet Hale171
A Recipe175
Bob Polter176
The Merryman and his Maid182
Ellen M'Jones Aberdeen185
The Susceptible Chancellor191
Peter the Wag193
When a Merry Maiden Marries198
The Three Kings of Chickeraboo200
The British Tar204
Gentle Alice Brown205
A Man who would Woo a Fair Maid209
The Sorcerer's Song211
The Bumboat Woman's Story214
The Fickle Breeze219
The Two Ogres221
The First Lord's Song227
Little Oliver229
Mister William235
Would you Know?240
Pasha Bailey Ben242
Lieutenant-Colonel Flare248
Speculation254
Ah Me!255
Lost Mr. Blake256
The Duke of Plaza-Toro262
The Baby's Vengeance265
The Æsthete271
The Captain and the Mermaids273
Said I to Myself, Said I278
Annie Protheroe280
Sorry her Lot286
An Unfortunate Likeness287
The Contemplative Sentry292
Gregory Parable, LL.D.294
The Philosophic Pill299
The King of Canoodle-dum301
Blue Blood307
First Love309
The Judge's Song315
Brave Alum Bey317
When I First put this Uniform on322
Sir Barnaby Bampton Boo324
Solatium329
The Modest Couple330
A Nightmare335
The Martinet338
Don't Forget!345
The Sailor Boy to his Lass348
The Suicide's Grave354
The Reverend Simon Magus356
He and She361
Damon v. Pythias363
The Mighty Must367
My Dream368
A Mirage374
The Bishop of Rum-ti-Foo Again376
The Ghosts' High Noon381
A Worm will Turn383
The Humane Mikado388
The Haughty Actor391
Willow Waly!397
The Two Majors399
Life is Lovely all the Year403
Emily, John, James, and I405
The Usher's Charge411
The Perils of Invisibility413
The Great Oak Tree418
Old Paul and Old Tim420
King Goodheart424
The Mystic Selvagee426
Sleep on!431
The Cunning Woman433
The Love-sick Boy439
Phrenology440
Poetry Everywhere445
The Fairy Curate446
He Loves!453
The Way of Wooing454
True Diffidence458
Hongree and Mahry460
The Tangled Skein466
The Reverend Micah Sowls467
My Lady471
One against the World473
The Force of Argument475
Put a Penny in the Slot480
Good Little Girls482
The Phantom Curate484
Life487
Limited Liability490
The Sensation Captain492
Anglicised Utopia497
An English Girl499
Tempora Mutantur501
A Manager's Perplexities504
Out of Sorts506
At a Pantomime508
How it's Done512
A Classical Revival515
The Story of Prince Agib518
The Practical Joker523
The National Anthem526
Joe Golightly; or, the First Lord's Daughter528
Her Terms534
The Independent Bee536
To the Terrestrial Globe539
Etiquette541
The Disconcerted Tenor547
Ben Allah Achmet; or, the Fatal Tum549
The Played-out Humorist553
Index to First Lines555
Alphabetical Index to Titles561
THE BAB BALLADS