RULE, BRITANNIA! The music of this noble ‘ode in honour of Great Britain,
’ which, according to Southey, ‘will be the political hymn of this country as long as she maintains her political power,
’ was composed by Arne for his masque of ‘Alfred
’ (the words by Thomson and Mallet), and first performed at Cliefden House, Maidenhead, Aug. 1, 1740. Cliefden was then the residence of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and the occasion was to commemorate the accession of George...
