Burlesques William Makepeace Thackeray

242
'Could I bid the silver moon to pause upon her heavenly ride?
If the moon obeys my orders, sure I can command the tide.
"'Will the advancing waves obey me, Bishop, if I make the sign?'
Said the Bishop, bowing lowly, 'Land and sea, my lord, are thine.'
Canute turned towards the ocean—'Back!' he said, 'thou foaming
brine
"'From the sacred shore I stand on, I command thee to retreat;
Venture not, thou stormy rebel, to approach thy master's seat:
Ocean, be thou still! I bid thee come not nearer to my feet!'
"But the sullen ocean answered with a louder, deeper roar,
And the rapid waves drew nearer, falling sounding on the shore;
Back the Keeper and the Bishop, back the King and courtiers bore.
"And he sternly bade them never more to kneel to human clay,
But alone to praise and worship That which earth and seas obey:
And his golden crown of empire never wore he from that day.
King Canute is dead and gone: Parasites exist alway."
At this ballad, which, to be sure, was awfully long, and as grave as a sermon, some of the
courtiers tittered, some yawned, and some affected to be asleep and snore outright. But
Roger de Backbite thinking to curry favor with the King by this piece of vulgarity, his
Majesty fetched him a knock on the nose and a buffet on the ear, which, I warrant me,
wakened Master Roger; to whom the King said, "Listen and be civil, slave; Wilfrid is
singing about thee.—Wilfrid, thy ballad is long, but it is to the purpose, and I have grown
cool during thy homily. Give me thy hand, honest friend. Ladies, good night. Gentlemen,
we give the grand assault to-morrow; when I promise thee, Wilfrid, thy banner shall not be
before mine."—And the King, giving his arm to her Majesty, retired into the private
pavilion.