The Haughty Cavaliers

They came by the Inn that morning,

A troop of Cavaliers,

With their swords and buckles shining,

And ringlets round their ears,

They called to the simple stable boy

To attend without delay,

To feed and water their horses,

The King would be there today.

 

They kicked the Inn door open

With boots that came to the knee,

Demanded an instant pottage

For the troop of twenty three,

‘So get your wife to the kitchen,

Your daughter up to the bar,

By serving us you will serve your King,’

They said to the Inn-Keeper.

 

They crowded into the tap room,

Where Molly was serving ale,

Made rude and haughty gestures

‘Til the girl had turned quite pale,

Their empty steins were flung at the hearth

And shattered, over the stair,

The Inn to them was beneath contempt

With its simple peasant fare.

 

The wife served up a ploughman’s lunch

Of wheaten bread and cheese,

They snatched and curled their lips at it

And not one mentioned ‘Please!’

They tore an edict of Parliament

That was hanging over the bar,

And held it over a candle ‘til

The ash was spread on the floor.

 

‘We have us an act of treason here,’

The Captain said to his men,

‘What shall we do with an Inn-Keeper

Who favours Parliament?’

They dragged him out to the stable yard

And hung him high on a tree,

Dragged the wife and the daughter out

As he died, so they could see.

 

‘God rot you each and every one,’

The wife screamed out in pain,

‘I curse your colours and curse a King

That could be so cruel - For shame!’

They held the daughter and dragged the wife

Out of sight, in alarm,

Despatched her with a rusty pike

And then set fire to the barn.

 

The soldiers started to fall about,

Were throwing up, and pale,

While Molly shrieked, ‘How did you like

My Belladonna Ale?’

They still were there when a troop rode up

Of Cromwell’s Ironsides,

Who slaughtered the King’s own troop that day

As the daughter sat, and cried.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[annie lee]

This is a story with basis in history, told so many times of arrogant aristocratic men who treated those they deemed "commoners" as animals. I have often tried to understand the minds that could trod on the backs of the less fortunate for their own gain. The money the King had came from the pitiful livings eked out by each and every commoner, and then the nobility (what a misnomer) had the gall to live like gilded angels. Very powerful indeed. And as I am a Game of Thrones junkie (books first, then the TV show), I can see the parallels there also. Elitism is a cancer upon our earth, and it just as prevalent in our "democratic" society as it was in 17th century England. Incredible read.

[Robert Lindsay]

Ye Olde England in verse.. another tale with a twist.
Terrible times indeed. If it wasn't about choosing the right religion it was about choosing the right politics.
The daughter served up some just desserts.. pardon the pun..

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

"Do unto others ..." and so the karma abounds. I'd say justice was served in those steins of belladonna ale. Very good.

[Tate Morgan]

Oh yeah this is good. Cromwell I have learned a few things about him.I also know about belladonna as it is used in race horses at times. Well done The arrogance of men seems to change little over time. All they need is a banner to follow and they think everything is mine.

[TL Boehm]

a vivid and gripping write! it reminds me of the Highwayman by Loreena McKennitt I could see this set to music

[Marie]

Great poem David...the descriptin was wonderful...the shining cavaliers, their desc=tructive ways...their own destruction.

[Strider Marcus Jones]

Fabulous control of rhythm and rhyme. Great storytelling and characterisation. Humour and tragedy blend nicely into this historical poem. A class above most. 100/100

[eatmills]

Dave, loved it. Yet another classical piece with a bizzare twist at the end. Cheers.