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FAMOUS SONGS
numerous church renegades, and especially of one who lived in the reigns of Charles II., James II., William III., and George I. The words were by an officer in Colonel Fuller's regiment. The original vicar is believed to have been Simon Aleyn; though Ray gives the honour to an " independent" named Simon Symonds.
Of that absure song," Lilliburlero," Dr. Percy says, in his " Reliques of Ancient Poetry:" " The following rhymes, slight and insignificant as they may now seem, had once a most powerful effect and contributed not a little towards the great revolution in 1688." " Burnet says," he con-tinues, " a foolish ballad was made at that time treating the papists, and chiefly the Irish, in a very ridiculous manner, which had a burden said to be Irish words, ' Lero, lero, lilliburlero' that made an impression on the (King's) army that cannot be imagined by those that saw it not. The whole army, and at last the people, both in city and country, were singing it perpetually. And perhaps never had so slight a thing so great an effect."
It was written, or at least published, on the Earl of Tyrconnel's going a second time to Ireland, in October, 1688. The ridiculous bur-den is said to date from 1641. The words are
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