Musa Pedestris | Page 3

into a gentleman's house,
To the magistrate we
go;
Then to gaol to be shackled,
Whence to be hanged on the
gallows in the morning,
The pox and the devil take the constable and
his stocks.]
"OWRE OUT BEN MORTS"
[1610]
[By SAMUEL ROWLANDS in _"Martin Mark-all, Beadle of
Bridewell: His Defence and 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