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by Marriott Edgar (1934)
Illustrations by John Hassall
Here's another potted history lesson for those of us who didn't bother with such things at school.
After being threatened by his barons for abusing power, King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. This gives certain rights to the King's subjects and binds the monarch to the law.
In Edgar's poem below, look out for the lovely archaic term for procrastinating: 'Shall I? Shall I?', which morphed into 'shilly-shally'.
We no longer 'shilly-shally'; now, we just 'sit on our bums'.
Magna Carta is old Italian for 'Great Charter'.
Magna Gati is modern Italian for something completely different!
I'll tell of the Magna Charter Some say it were wrong of the Barons For John, from the moment they crowned him, He squandered the ratepayers' money, | |
The way he behaved to young Arthur It were all right him being a tyrant He started bombarding their castles, So they went to the King in a body, The King starts to shilly and shally, |
Started acting cunning and sly |
Said Fitz, through the 'ole in his 'elmet, This angered the gallant Fitzwalter; "We'll get him a Magna Charter," So they set about making a Charter, |
Next day, King John, all unsuspecting, He'd just pulled the 'ead off a big 'un, When they told him they'd brought Magna Charter, |
All their cattle and corn he did take |
He tried it on with the barons |
"You'd best sign at once," said Fitzwalter, So they spread Charter out on t' tea table, And it's through that there Magna Charter, |
or 'butts', as they say in the USA