Rule, Britannia!

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Versions of
Rule, Britannia!
James Thomson, with musical setting by Thomas Arne

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"When Britain first at Heaven's command,
Arose from out the azure main"

"Rule, Britannia!" is a patriotic British national song with lyrics by James Thomson and music by Thomas Arne. The song was originally written in 1740 as the finale of Alfred, a masque about Alfred the Great (with David Mallet as co-librettist), which was first performed at the country home of Frederick, Prince of Wales, to celebrate the accession of King George I and the third birthday of the Princess Augusta.

33464Rule, Britannia!James Thomson, with musical setting by Thomas Arne

Versions of Rule, Britannia! include:

"Rule, Britannia!" in The Works of James Thomson (1763)
"Britannia Rules the Waves", in The Echoing Horn (n.d.), a chapbook with no printing information
"Rule Britannia" in Twa weavers (n.d.), a chapbook printed in Glasgow
"Rule Britannia" in New minstrel (n.d.), a chapbook printed in Glasgow
"Rule, Britannia", in Nothing Like Grog (n.d.), a chapbook printed in Edinburgh
"Rule Britannia" in The Singers' Companion (n.d.), a chapbook printed in Glasgow
"Rule Britannia", in Corn Rigs are Bonny (1817), a chapbook printed in Stirling
"Rule, Britannia!" in The Songs of England, Vol. 1 (1890s).
"Rule Britannia" in The Canadian Soldiers' Song Book (1916).

This work was published before January 1, 1931, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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