Reliques of ancient English poetry: consisting of old heroic ballads ...

318
ANCIENT SONGS
Great Hercules, the
pring of
ffs
Great Jove, and fair Alcmene :
One part of him celeftial was,
The other part terrene.
To fcale the hero's cradle walls
Two fiery fnakes combin'd, ,
And, curling into fwadling cloaths,
About the infant twin'd :
55
But he put out thefe dragons' fires,
And did their hifiing flop ; 1 60
As red-hot iron with hifling noife
Is quencht in blackfmith's {hop.
He cleans'd a liable, and rubb'd down
The horfes of new-comers ;
And out of horfe-dung he rais'd fame, 165
As Tom Wrench f does cucumbers.
He made a river help him through ;
Alpheus was under groom ;
The ftream, grumbling at office mean,
Ran murmuring thro' the room
This liquid oftler to prevent
Being tired with that long work,
His father Neptune's trident took,
Inftead of three-tooth'd dung-fork.
:
170
This Hercules, as foldier, and 175
As fpinfter, could take pains ;
His club would fometimes fpin ye flax,
And fometimes knock out brains :
f Who kept Paradife gardens at Oxford*
H'was