igh rank amongst
English tenors. Another song which he wrote with the title
'The Victory and Death of Lord Viscount Nelson' met with no
success. The one quoted by Micawber was naturally one of Captain
Cuttle's favourites, and it is also made use of by Silas Wegg.

The musical gifts of Mr. and Mrs. Micawber descended to
their son Wilkins, who had 'a remarkable head voice,' but
having failed to get into the cathedral choir at Canterbury,
he had to take to singing in public-houses instead of in
sacred edifices. His great song appears to have been 'The
Woodpecker Tapping.' When the family emigrated Mr. M. expressed
the hope that 'the melody of my son will be acceptable at the
galley fire' on board ship. The final glimpse we get of him
is at Port Middlebay, where he delights a large assembly by
his rendering of 'Non Nobis' (see p. 149), and by his dancing
with the fourth daughter of Mr. Mell.

The 'Woodpecker' song is referred to in an illustrative way
by Mrs. Finching (_L.D._), who says that her papa

is sitting prosily breaking his new-laid egg in the
back parlour like the woodpecker tapping.

_Captain Cuttle_

Captain Cuttle is almost as full of melody as Micawber, though
his repertoire is chiefly confined to naval ditties. His great
song is 'Lovely Peg,' and his admiration for Florence Dombey
induces him to substitute her name in the song, though the
best he can accomplish is 'Lovely Fleg.'

There are at least three eighteenth-century ballads with Peg,
or Lovely Peg, for the subject, and it is not certain which
of these the Captain favoured. This is one of them:

Once more I'll tune the vocal shell,
To Hills and Dales my passion tell,
A flame which time can never quell,
That burns for lovely Peggy.

Then comes this tuneful refrain:

[Figure 6]

Lovely Peggy, lovely Peggy,
Lovely, lovely, lovely Peggy;
The heav'ns should sound with echoes rung
In praise of lovely Peggy.

The two others of this period that I have seen are called
'Peggy' and 'Lovely Peggy, an imitation.' However, it is most
probable that the one that the Captain favoured--in spite of
the mixture of names--was C. Dibdin's 'Lovely Polly.'

LOVELY POLLY

[Figure 7]

A seaman's love is void of art,
Plain sailing to his port the heart;
He knows no jealous folly,
He knows no jealous folly.

'Tis hard enough at sea to war
With boist'rous elements that jar-