Hark hark the dogs do bark The beggars are coming to town Some in rags and some in jags* And one in a velvet gown. * Jags - A slash or slit in a garment exposing material of a different color (especially popular during the Tudor period.) Additional Information regarding the history & origin of this rhyme Out thanks go to Yasmin Mazur for submitting the following possibilities for 'Hark, Hark the dogs do bark' In 1688 William of Orange brought his Dutch followers to England - it is suggested that the person referred do as being 'one in a velvet gown' was William himself and the beggars referred to his Dutch associates or It refers to the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536 - 1540) perpetrated by King Henry VIII and his chief minister Thomas Cromwell, when England broke from the Catholic religion. Their objective was to loot the monasteries and seize the monastic lands (which they promptly sold) thus increasing the wealth in the coffers of England. This resulted in monks begging in the streets and reflected in the lyrics of 'Hark, Hark the dogs do bark' |