From my research-pile, a snippet of one of the snarky songs of the late Regency period:
WHEN full sedition’s stalking through the land,
It then behoves each patriotic band
Of Noble Minded Yeomen Cavaliers;
To sally forth and rush upon the mob,
And execute the Magisterial Job
Of cutting off the Ragamuffin’s ears.HOW valiantly we met that crew
Of infants, men and women too,
Upon the Plain of Peterloo,
And gloriously did hack and hew
The d—–d reforming gang;
Our swords were sharp you may suppose,
Some lost their ears—some lost a nose,
Our horses trod upon their toes
E’re they could run t’ escape our blows,
With shrieks the welkin rang.
— from “ ‘The Renowned Atchievements of Peter-Loo’ by Sir Hugo Burlo Furioso Di Mulo Spinissimo, BART. M.Y.C. and A.S.S.,” which I found at the Manchester Education Wide Area Network site. Here’s a direct link to the full lyrics.
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