The Orange Minstrel Author:Robert Young Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE DEFENCE OF ENNISKILLEN; AH HISTORICAL BOKO. Am—" Boyne Water." Hail Enniskillen ! warlike town, Long fam'd in ancient story; What place can ri... more »val thy renown, Or boast of half thy glory ? Here Freedom rais'd her standard bright, When James onr rights invaded, Here Freemen put their foes to flight, And Tyranny impeded. Spirit of song inspire my tongue, Fill me with animation— Tune ev'ry harp which hangs unstrung, Throughout this Irish nation: Let all in one vast chorus join, To sing each brave defender Of Enniskillen and the Boyne, Who made their foes surrender. If to these scenes we turn our eyes, We view with admiration, A band of heroes bold arise, To save a ruin'd nation; With mighly arm and glittering steel, They met the host approaching, And made their fiercest foemen feel The danger of encroaching. The Protestants of Erin, then, Were fiercely persecuted, By monsters, in the shape of men, Who this fair Isle polluted; Their maidens violated were— Their houses burn'd or plunder'd While shrieks of murder fill'd the air, And Pity wept and wonder'd ! But EnniskilJen's guardians brave, On Heaven for aid depending, Resolv'd their native land to save, By that strong pass defending ; And soon their great—their glorious name— Their enemies affrighted, For in the bloody field of fame Their hopes they always blighted. Great Hamilton, in this just cause, Stood forth the townsmen cheering; Creighton and Wolesley gain'd applause, And Lloyd, no danger fearing ; Stone, Cooper, Berry, Smith, and Gore, Galbraith and Vaughan steady, Still on renown'd Lough Erne's shore, To meet the foe were ready. On came the Irish, flush'd with rage, The town to enter vaunting— But forth in b...« less