The Legend of Ulenspiegel by Charles de Coster Book V Chapter 5

December was come, the month of long dark nights. Ulenspiegel sang:

“Monseigneur Sa Grande AltesseTakes off his mask,Eager to reign over the Belgian land.The Estates SpaniardizedBut not AngevinedDeal with the taxes.Beat upon the drumOf Anjou’s thwarting.“They have within their powerDomains, excise, and funds,Making of magistratesAnd offices as well.He hateth the ReformedMonsieur Sa Grande Altesse,An atheist in FranceOh! Anjou’s thwarting.“For he would fain be kingBy the sword and by force,King absolute in all.This Monseigneur, this Grande Altesse;Fain would he foully seizeMany fair towns, yea, Antwerp, too;Signorkes and pagaders rise early,Oh! Anjou’s thwarting!“’Tis not upon thee, France,That this folk rushes, mad with rage;These deadly weaponed blowsFall not upon thy noble body;And they are not thy offspringWhose corpses in great heapsChoke the Kip-Dorp Gate.Oh! the thwarting of Anjou!“No, these are no sons of thineThe people fling from the ramparts.’Tis the High Highness of Anjou,The passive libertine Anjou,Living, France, on thy very blood,And eager to drink ours;But ’twixt the cup and lip…Oh! the thwarting of Anjou.“Monsieur Sa Grande Altesse.In a defenceless townCried, ‘Kill! kill! Long live the Mass!’With his handsome minions,With eyes wherein gleamsThe shameful fire, impudent, restless,Lust without love.Oh! the thwarting of Anjou!“’Tis they that are smitten, not thee, poor folk,On whom they weigh with tax,Salt tax, poll tax, deflowering,Contemning thee, making thee giveThy corn, thy horses, thy wains,Thou that art a father to them.Oh! the thwarting of Anjou!“Thou that art a mother to them,Suckling the misbehaviourOf these parricides that sullyThy name abroad, France, that dost feastOn the savours of their gloryWhen they add by savage feast.Oh! the thwarting of Anjou!“A floret to thy soldier crown,A province to thy territory.Give the stupid cock ‘Lust and battle’Thy foot on the neck.People of France, people of men,The foot that treads them down!And all the peoples will love theeFor the thwarting of Anjou.”