Musa Pedestris | Page 3

John S. Farmer
Answere to the Belman of London"_].
I
Towre out ben morts & towre,[1]?Looke out ben morts & towre,?For all the Rome coues are budgd a beake,[2]?And the quire coves tippe the lowre.[3]
II
The quire coues are budgd to the bowsing ken,[4]?As Romely as a ball,[5]?But if we be spid we shall be clyd,[6]?And carried to the quirken hall.[7]
III
Out budgd the Coue of the ken,[8]?With a ben filtch in his quarr'me[9]?That did the prigg good that bingd in the kisome,[10]?To towre the Coue budge alar'me.
[1: look-out, good women;]?[2: all the Rome-coves [Notes] have run away [Notes]]?[3: Queer-coves taken the money]?[4: have sneaked to the ale-house]?[5: nimbly]?[6: whipped]?[7: taken to gaol.]?[8: crept; master of the house]?[:9 staff; hand.]?[10: went to search for the man who had given the alarm.]
THE MAUNDER'S WOOING [Notes]?[1610]
[By SAMUEL ROWLANDS in _Martin Mark-all, Beadle of Bridewell: His Defence and Answere to the Belman of London_:--"I will shew you what I heard at Knock-vergos, drinking there a pot of English Ale, two Maunders borne and bred vp rogues wooing in their natiue language"].
I
O Ben mort wilt thou pad with me,[1]?One ben slate shall serue both thee and me,[2]?My Caster and Commission shall serue vs both to maund,[3] My bong, my lowre & fambling cheates[4]?Shall be at thy command.
II
O Ben Coue that may not be, [5]?For thou hast an Autem mort who euer that is she,[6]?If that she were dead & bingd to his long tibb,[7]?Then would I pad and maund with thee,[8]?And wap and fon the fibb.[9]
III
O ben mort Castle out & Towre,[10]?Where all the Roome coues slopne that we may tip the lowre,[11] Whe_ [*]we haue tipt the lowre & fenc't away the duds[12] Then binge we to the bowzing ken,[13]?Thats cut the Robin Hood.[14]
IV
But O ben Coue what if we be clyd, [15]?Long we cannot foist & nip at last we shall be spyed, [16]?If that we be spied, O then begins our woe,?With the Harman beake out and alas, [17]?To Wittington we goe. [18]
V
Stow your whids & plant, and whid no more of that [19]?Budg a beak the crackmas & tip lowr with thy prat [20]?If treyning thou dost feare, thou ner wilt foist a Ian, [21] Then mill, and wap and treine for me, [22]?A gere peck in thy gan. [23]
As they were thus after a strange maner a wooing, in comes by chance a clapper-dudgeon [24] for a pinte of Ale, who as soone as he was spied, they left off their roguish poetry, and fell to mocke of the poor maunder thus.
VI
The clapper dugeon lies in the skipper, [25]?He dares not come out for shame,?But when he binges out he dus budg to the gigger, [26]?Tip in my skew good dame.
[1: good woman, tramp]?[2: sheet]?[3: cloak; shirt; beg]?[4: purse; money; rings]?[5: good man]?[6: wife]?[7: gone to her longhome]?[8: tramp and beg]?[9: Notes]?[10: find out]?[11: thieves; congregate; get money]?[12: sold the swag]?[13: go to the alehouse]?[14: called the "Robin Hood."]?[15: arrested?]?[16: cheat and steal]?[17: magistrate]?[18: Newgate]?[19: Hold your jaw! hide, and say no more]?[20: Notes]?[21: hanging; pick a purse]?[22: rob; whore; hang]?[23: Notes]?[24: Notes]?[25: beggar; barn]?[26: comes out; goes to people's doors--"Put something in my wallet."]
"A GAGE OF BEN ROM-BOUSE" [Notes]?[1611]
[By MIDDLETON and DEKKER in "The Roaring Girl" V, 1. Sung by Moll-Cut-purse_ and _Tearcat a bullying rogue.]
Moll. Come you rogue, sing with me:--
A gage of ben Rom-bouse,[1]?In a bousing-ken of Rom-vile[2]
Tearcat. Is benar than a Caster,[3]?Peck, pennam, lap, or popler,[4]?Which we mill in deuse a vile.[5]
Moll. Oh, I wud lib all the lightmans,[6]?Oh, I woud lib all the darkemans,[7]?By the Salomon, under the Ruffemans[8]?By the Salomon in the Hartmans[9]
Tearcat. And scoure the queer cramp ring[10]?And couch till a palliard dock'd my dell,[11]?So my bousy nab might skew rome bouse well[12]?Avast to the pad, let us bing;[13]?Avast to the pad, let us bing.
[1 A pot of strong ale (or wine)]?[2 London ale-house]?[3 better than a cloak]?[4 meat, bread, drink, or porridge]?[5 steal on the country-side.]?[6 lie all day]?[7 night]?[8 By the mass! in the woods]?[9 stocks]?[10 in fetters]?[11 Notes]?[12 addle-pate may swill strong drink]?[13 Let us be off on the road.]
"BING OUT, BIEN MORTS" [Notes]?[1612]
[From O per se O, by THOMAS DEKKER].
Bing out, bien Morts, and toure, and toure,[1]?bing out, bien Morts, and toure;[2]?For all your Duds are bingd awaste,[3]?the bien coue hath the loure.[4]

I
I met a Dell, I viewde her well,[5]?she was benship to my watch; [6]?So she and I, did stall and cloy,[7]?whateuer we could catch. [8]
II
This Doxie dell, can cut bien whids, [9]?and wap well for a win; [10]?And prig and cloy so benshiply, [11]?all the dewsea-vile within. [12]
III
The boyle was vp, wee had good lucke,[13]?in frost, for and in snow;[14]?When they did seeke, then we did creepe,[15]?and plant in ruffe-mans low.[16]
IV
To Stawling Kenne the Mort bings then,[17]?to fetch loure for her cheates;[18]?Duds and Ruff-pecke, ruinboild by Harmanbecke,[19]?and won by Mawnder's feates.[20]
V
You Mawnders all,
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