John DoryisChild ballad number 284. The fish John Dory may be named for the title person.[1]
The song is a three-part round. The first printing of the tune and text is 1609 in Thomas Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia songbook but there are earlier mentions of the song in books.[2] It was quite popular, and both parodies and satires were written to the same melody.
John Dory, a ship's captain (perhaps a pirate, likely French) appeals to the king of France for a pardon, promising to bring him captive Englishmen. The first ship John Dory meets is a "good black bark" (ship) with "50 oars on a side" owned by Nicholl, a Cornish man. After a battle, John Dory is captured.
The king mentioned in the song ("good King John of France") might well be John II of France (1319–1364) who was known as "John the Good".
