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TRUE-BLUE; OR THE PRESS-GANG.

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TRUE-BLUE; OR, THE PRESS-GANG, A MUSICAL INTERLUDE? As revived at the THEATRE-ROYAL In COVENT-GARDEN.

LONDON: Printed in the Year 1770. Sold by J. BELL, near Exeter Exchange in the Strand; J. COOPER, Printer, Drury-lane; and at the THEATRE.

Price SIX-PENCE.

CHARACTERS.

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Trueblue,
Mr. MATTOCKS:
Lieut. Dreadnought,
Mr. REINHOLD.
Careful (Nancy's Father)
Mr. BAKER.
Nancy,
Mr. MATTOCKS.

Jolly Tars, Singers, Dancers, &c.

TRUE-BLUE, &c.

[7]
SCENE a Village.
TRUEBLUE and NANCY diſcovered.

AIR I.

TRUEBLUE.
TO be gazing on thoſe Charms;
To be ſolded in thoſe Arms;
To unite my Lips with thoſe,
Whence eternal Sweetneſs flows;
To be lov'd by one ſo fair,
Is to be bleſt beyond compare.
NANCY.
[8]
On my Deareſt to recline,
While his Hand is lock'd in mine:
In thoſe eyes myſelf to view,
Gazing ſtill and ſtill on you:
In thy Arms while thus I'm bleſt,
Of every Joy I am poſſeſs'd.
Both repeat—In thy Arms, &c.
[While they are embracing, the Lieutenant enters with his Gang, and preſſes him.
RECITATIVE.
LIEUTENANT.
Sir, you muſt learn another Song to ſing;
Come, come along with me, and ſerve the King.

AIR II.

NANCY.
[Kneeling.
I.
Oh! where will you hurry my Deareſt;
Say, ſay, to what Clime, or what Shore?
[9] You tear him from me, the ſincereſt
That ever lov'd Mortal before.
II.
Oh, cruel! hard-hearted, to preſs him,
And force the fond Swain from my Arms!
Reſtore him, that I may careſs him,
And ſhield him from future Alarms.
[The Lieutenant putting her away ſhe riſes.
III.
In vain you inſult and deride me,
And make but a Scoff of my Woes;
You ne'er from my Dear ſhall divide me,
I'll follow wherever he goes.
IV.
Think not of the mercileſs Oc [...]an
My Soul any Terror can have;
For as ſoon as the Ship makes its Motion,
So ſoon ſhall the Sea be my Grave.

AIR III.

[10]
LIEUTENANT.
I.
Honour calls, he muſt obey:
Love to Glory muſt give Way:
With Heart prepar'd, each Britiſh Tar
Pants, by Turns, for Love and War.
II.
Plead no more, but bid him go,
Bid him brave his Country's Foe.
Triumphant after all his Toils,
He ſhall return with warlike Spoils

AIR IV.

DIALOGUE.
NANCY.
And can'ſt thou leave thy Nancy,
And quit thy native Shore?
It comes into my Fancy,
I ne'er ſhall ſee thee more.
TRUEBLUE.
[11]
Yes, I muſt leave my Nancy,
To plow the boiſterous Main;
Let Fear ne'er fill thy Fancy,
For we ſhall meet again.
NANCY.
Amidſt the foaming Billows,
Where thund'ring Cannons roar,
You'll think on theſe green Willows,
And wiſh yourſelf on Shore.
TRUEBLUE.
Nor Fire, nor Sword appall me
When Glory points the way;
Great George and England call me,
And I with Joy obey.
NANCY.
May Guardian Gods protect thee,
From Water, Fire or Steel;
And may no Fears affect thee,
Like thoſe which now I feel.
TRUEBLUE.
[12]
I leave to Heaven's Protection,
My Life, my only Dear;
You have my Soul's Affection,
So ſtill conclude me here.
NANCY.
I leave to Heaven's Protection,
My Life, my only Dear;
So fond is my Affection,
That ſtill I wiſh you here.
[While they are embracing, Nancy's Father comes behind and pulls her from him.

AIR V.

CAREFUL.
I.
Daughter, you're too young to marry.
'Tis too ſoon to be a Wife;
Yet a little longer tarry,
E'er you know the Cares of Life.
Wedlock is a fickle Station,
Sometimes Sweetneſs, ſometimes Strife;
[13] Oh! how great the Alteration,
'Twixt the Maiden and the Wife!
II.
Love and Courtſhip are but ſtupid,
Glory has ſuperior Charms;
Mars ſhould triumph over Cupid,
When Britannia calls to Arms.
As for you, Sir, do your Duty,
O! were I but young again,
I'd not dangle after Beauty,
But go play my Part with Spain.

AIR laſt.

LIEUTENANT.
Now away, my brave Boys, hoiſt the Flag, beat the Drum,
Let our Streamers wave over the Main:
When old England calls us, we merrily come,
She can't call a Sailor in vain;
Already we ſeem an Armada to chace,
Already behold the Galleons;
Undaunted, unconquer'd, look Death in the Face,
And return with a Load of Doubloons.
CHORUS.
[14]
Already we ſeem an Armada to chace,
Already behold the Galleons;
Undaunted, unconquer'd, look Death in the Face,
And return with a Load of Doubloons.
TRUEBLUE.
Then farewel, for a Time, lovely Sweethearts, dear Wives!
Nancy, fear not the Fate of True-blue;
Tho' we leave you, and merrily venture our Lives,
To our Doxies we'll ever be true;
With Spirit we go an Armada to chace,
With Rapture behold the Galleons,
Undaunted, unconquer'd, look Death in the Face,
And return with a load of Doubloons.
CHORUS.
With Spirit we go an Armada to chace,
With Rapture behold the Galleons;
Undaunted, unconquer'd, look Death in the Face,
And return with a Load of Doubloons.
FINIS.
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Citation Suggestion for this Object
TextGrid Repository (2020). TEI. 5436 True blue or the press gang a musical interlude as revived at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden. University of Oxford Text Archive. . https://hdl.handle.net/21.T11991/0000-001A-6133-D