Then Their Majesties, followed by the whole Court, ascended the Royal Platform and took Their places on the Thrones.

The King, in these words, declared the Court open:

Attention!
King Neptune I the Lord supreme
'Ere there were ships, or sails, or steam,
Of all the seven oceans wide,
The lord of wave, the lord of tide,
The monarch of the watery deep,
Whose laws the whales and fishes keep;
Here on this midship deck declare
'Fore fellows fine and ladies fair
Our Court is open.
And all Our honoured rules of Court

Shall be obeyed, let shrift be short
To any who shall dare transgress
The proper speech, the proper dress.
If one offend a rule of Mine
Though twenty times across Our Line,
He's crossed upon Our Azure Main,
Our Bears shall have him once again,
And treated worse than novice he
Shall by those Bears and Barbers be,
Therefore beware!

And now Our rule of Court decrees
The grant of Freedom of Our Seas
To all who've not yet got that rank
By ordeal of the suds and tank
Let them get ready!

And this the order in which they
Shall be presented here to-day:

The Admiral's charming better half,
The Commodore and then the staff,
The Ward Room Officers then bid,
The Gun Room with the mighty Mid.,
The Warrants-few I think of those,
The C.P.'s and the mere P.O.'s,
And then the rest until the crew
We've worked Our weary way right through.

So stand by Surgeon!
      Stand by Barber!
      Stand by Bears!

In order then as We command
Before Us let each novice stand
Who has that freedom yet to win:
Enough! My trusty men! begin!

KING NEPTUNE AND QUEEN AMPHITRITE RECEIVING NOVICES PREVIOUS TO INITIATION

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