Wit and Mirth: or Pills to Purge Melancholy, Vol. 5 of 6
General
Wit and Mirth: or Pills to Purge Melancholy, Vol. 5 of 6
Ballads, English; Songs, English
To common Fidlers I _Will_ that they,
Shall go in poor and thread-bare Coats;
And at most places where they Play,
To carry away more _Tunes_ than _Groats_:
To wand'ring _Players_ I do give,
Before their _Substance_ be all spent;
Proud Silk'n _Beggars_ for to live,
_By this_, &c.
To _Wenching_ Smell-smocks give I these,
Dead looks, gaunt purrs, and crasy Back;
And now and then the foul _Disease_,
Such as _Gill_ gave to _Jack_;
To _Parretors_ I give them clear,
For all their _Toil_ and _Travel_ spent;
The _Devil_ away such _Knaves_ to bear,
By _this my_ Will _and_ Testament.
I _Will_ that _Cutpurses_ haunt all _Fairs_,
And thrust among the thickest Throng;
That neither _Purse_ nor _Pocket_ spare,
But what they get to bear along:
But if they Falter in their Trade,
And so betray their bad intent;
I give them _Tyburn_ for their share,
_By this my_ Will _and_ Testament.
To serving Men I give this Gift,
That when their Strength is once decay'd;
The Master of such Men do shift,
As Horsemen do a toothless _Jade_:
_Item._ I give them leave to _Pine_,
For all their Service so ill spent:
And with _Duke Humphry_ for to Dine,
_By this_, &c.
_Item._ To _Millers_ I Grant withal,
That they Spare, nor Poke, nor Sack;
But with _Grist_, so e'er befal,
They Grind a Strike, and steal a Peck:
I _Will_ that _Butchers_ Huff their Meat,
And sell a lump of _Ramish_ scent;
For Weather Mutton good and sweet,
_By this_, &c.
I _Will_ Ale Wives punish their Guests,
With hungry Cakes and little Canns;
And Barm their Drink with new found _Yeest_,
Such as is made of _Pispot_ Grounds:
And she that meaneth for to Gain,
And in her House have Money spent,
I _Will_ she keep a pretty Punck,
_By this my_ Will _and_ Testament.
To jealous Husbands I do grant,
Lack of Pleasure, want of Sleep;
That Lanthorn Horns they never want,
Tho' ne'er so close their Wives they keep:
And for their Wives, I _Will_ that they,
The closer up that they are pent;
The closer still they seek to Play,
_By this my_ Will _and_ Testament.
For Swearing _Swaggerers_ nought is left,
To give them for a parting Blow;
But leaving off of damned Oaths,
And that of them I will bestow:
_Item._ I give them for their Pain,
That when all Hope and Livelihood's spent,
A Wallet or a Hempen Chain,
_By this_ &c.
Time and longest Livers do I make,
The Supervisor of my _Will_:
My Gold and Silver let them take,
That will dig for't in _Malvein_ Hill.
_A New_ SONG, _Sung at the Playhouse. By Mr._ DOGGET.
[Music]
In the Devil's Country there lately did dwell,
A crew of such Whores as was ne'er bred in Hell,
The Devil himself he knows it full well,
_Which no Body can deny, deny;_
_Which no Body can deny._
There were Six of the Gang, and all of a Bud,
Which open'd as soon as got into the Blood,
There are five to be hang'd, when the other proves good,
_Which no Body_, &c.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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