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The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan

Francis Drake's Story!
(A Sailor's Yarn!)
(Copyright © by Dr J Eric Ashton 2007)

"Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
[Burden¹, ding-dong ding-dong . . .]
Hark! now I hear them, - ding-dong bell."
Ariel's Song:   Act I  Scene II of The Tempest by William Shakespeare.

Foreword

Like Henry Newbolt and C V Stanford, W S Gilbert (with sea in his blood) and Arthur Sullivan were fascinated with the sea, sailing ships, and the Royal Navy - in their time the most powerful in the world. And this, of course, was based on Drake and . . .

Francis Drake's Story is one of the most compelling of all sea-stories. It does not always make for comfortable reading but it lacks nothing in the way of exhilarating thrills, love, hatred, courage, and sacrifice; exciting adventures, terrible cruelty, sincere hope, and sheer gutsy human endeavour; and of course a few smiles! And it's all based on facts. (Well nearly all!)

So, fasten your seat-belts. Click the galleon's fo'c'sle > > > (pronounced folksul - forecastle to us landlubbers!) to start our quest by taking a step back in time and visiting the:-

Prologue: Brothers in Devon!

OR: Click any of the top-of-the-page buttons to visit the chapter of your choice.

Footnote 1    In our dictionary, Burden means many things; but briefly, in this context, it signifies a repetitive phrase. Return to story.

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