RHYMES OF THE CANTING CREW. [Notes]
[c. 1536]
[From "_The Hye-way to the Spyttel-hons"_ by ROBERT COPLAND
(HAZLITT, _Early Popular Poetry of England, iv_.) ROBERT COPLAND
and the Porter of St. Bartholomew's Hospital _loquitor_].
_Copland._ Come none of these pedlers this way also,
With pak on bak with their bousy speche [1]
Jagged and ragged with broken hose and breche?
_Porter._ Inow, ynow; with bousy coue maimed nace,[2]
Teare the patryng coue in the darkeman cace
Docked the dell for a coper meke;
His watch shall feng a prounces nob-chete,
Cyarum, by Salmon, and thou shall pek my jere
In thy gan, for my watch it is nace gere
For the bene bouse my watch hath a coyn.
And thus they babble tyll their thryft is thin
I wote not what with their pedlyng frenche.
[1 crapulous]
[2 Notes]
THE BEGGAR'S CURSE
[1608]
[From _Lanthorne and Candlelight_, by THOMAS DEKKER, ed. GROSART
(188 ), iii, 203:--"a canting song, wherein you may learn, how
_this_ cursed _generation_ pray, or (to speake truth) curse
such officers as punish them"].
[Notes]
I
The Ruffin cly the nab of the Harmanbeck,
If we mawnd Pannam, lap, or Ruff-peck,
Or poplars of yarum: he cuts, bing to the Ruffmans,
Or els he sweares by the light-mans,
To put our stamps in the Harmans,
The ruffian cly the ghost of the Harmanbeck
If we heaue a booth we cly the lerk.
[The devil take the Constable's head!
If we beg bread, drink, bacon,
Or milk porridge, he says: "be off to the hedges"
Or swears, in the morning
To clap our feet in the stocks.
The devil take the Constable's ghost
If we rob a house we are flogged.]