The lyrics for this chest-thumping song were written by two Scotsfor a play about King Alfred the Great,and they were sung lastly by merchants and businessmen who saw Britain's future lay with the blue water empire of trade.But someone was in the way of this prosperous futureand that someone was Robert Walpole.Merchants felt Walpole was concerned and his cronies cared too much about land and not enough about business.So they were not amused when Walpole raised the taxes on the kind of things that made money for them,beer and coalwhile making damn sure to keep the land tax low.Now, what would be the only thing that could raise those land taxes?Well, war, of course.So no wonder Walpole, unforgivably,pussyfooted around the Spanishwhen they presumed to interfere with our ships.When he signed a treaty with Spain that was seen as an unpatriotic sell-out,the merchants were even more incensed.Walpole's effigy was burned in the streets by crowds roaring for his political head.Walpole's allies and time-servers in parliament were suddenly nowhere to be seen.His political enemies closed in gleefully for the kill.
