 The Saucy Arethusa

The Saucy Arethusa is a nautical song (Roud # 12675) which, although usually considered 'traditional', has been attributed to Prince Hoare, a comic opera librettist, as part of a "musical entertainment" titled "The Lock and Key", performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in 1796.The melody to the song has been wrongly attributed to William Shield, who was the musical arranger of "The Lock and Key".