‘Welcome to the British Shore’: An Allusion to a Song in William Cowper's Correspondence Identified

Abstract

IN a letter to his friend Joseph Hill dated Wednesday 14 August 1765, on Hill's return from ‘an Expedition to French Flanders’, William Cowper writes: ‘In the mean time you are welcome to the British Shore as the Song has it …’1 In 1911 ‘M. M.’ enquired if any reader of Notes and Queries could provide the source of: ‘Welcome to the British shore. Quoted by Cowper from “a [sic] song” in August, 1765.’2 ‘M. M.'s query remained unanswered. Writing in 1979, James King and Charles Ryskamp, editors of Cowper's correspondence, observed that, ‘This song has not been identified, but C[owper] may be referring to one of the nine welcome-songs composed by Purcell to commemorate the return to London of Charles II and James II.’3 In fact Cowper is quoting verbatim the refrain of a more recent composition, probably familiar to both Cowper and Hill, commemorating James II's Protestant rival for and ultimate successor to, the English throne, William, Prince of Orange, and his invasion landing at Torbay, Devon, in November 1688.4 Poet and songwriter Henry Carey's song ‘The Hero’ was originally composed for the masque The Happy Nuptials, revised as Britannia (1733–4). The first lines of the song, as published in Vocal Melody or The Songster's Magazine (1751) read as follows: He comes, he comes, the Hero comes, Sound, sound your Trumpets. He comes, the Hero comes, sound your Trumpets, Beat, beat your Drums; From Port to Port, let Cannons roar, From Port to Port, let Cannons roar, His [sic] welcome to the British shoar. Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to the British Shoar, Welcome, welcome, welcome to the British Shoar, Welcome, welcome to the British Shoar.5