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EBBA 30319

British Library - Roxburghe
Ballad XSLT Template
The Whoremongers Conversion,
And his Exhortation tos worshipfull friend,
To leave haunting whores; from his words this wasptennd:
And at his request, which makes the Author bolder:
It is to be sung like the maunding Souldier.

GOod your Worship cast your eye,
Upon a whore-house scornfully
Let not their painted faces gay,
Drive from your heart all grace away:
but like a Neaphite,
abandon quite
all sensuall pleasure and delight:
and then you soone shall finde
a sweete contented minde,
and have your purse still better linde.

To beg I was not borne, sweet sir,
Yet this petition I preferre
Unto your worship which may give
You good instructions how to live,
leave following of Whores,
and them that roares,
oh doe not come within their doores,
and then you soone will finde
a sweet contented minde
and have your purse still better linde.

Ide scorne to make comparison,
With a Jew, a Turke, or Sarizon:
That in their lives ner tasted grace,
But still have runne a wicked race:
yet in bad desires,
calld Cupids fires,
they passe not you, then need requires,
that you your Whores forsake,
and better courses take,
or else youll feele th infernall Lake.

Then scorne those painted counterfeits,
That get their meanes by wicked sleights,
Theyll learne you so much parly French,
From you shall come a rotten stench,
and at last you shall
be forst to fall,
ith Surgeons hands, oth Hospitall:
there you shall lye and rot
this is by Whoring got,
then good your worship use it not.

For I (sir) limping lame have beene,
Sore bitten by the Scorpiuns keene,
In a bawdy house I usd to roare,
Till all my joynts were pocky sore:
all this I have endurd,
which vice procurd,
and since of health I am assurd,
I will doe what I can,
to hinder every man
from that base course which once I ran.

Thrice thoron the skull I have beene shot,
Till all my haire came off, God wot,
I have at least a doozen times
Beene apprehended for those crimes:
the Constable and Watch
oft did me catch.
thus I disgrace got by the match:
and so shall every one
that does as I have done:
then, good your worship, wenching shun.

The second part, To the same tune.

AT pot and pipe I lost mine eye,
In quarrell most unluckily:
To old-street end, though then a lad,
Foure wenches at one time I had:
oh you would little weene,
that I have beene
a Champion unto many a Quean:
I have beene beaten sore,
ith quarrell of a whore,
but now I will be so no more.

I comming from a play was tane,
By th Marshals men in Golding-lane,
And stripped out of money quite,
Exchanging Gold for Silver white:
thus in poore aray
I hrisoner lay,
untill my friends the debp did pay,
for a bond of my word I past,
and thus was scornd at last:
then good your worship live more chaste.

Theres no bad place that you can name,
But I have bin int, the mores my shame:
In Turnbull street and Bloomesbury,
I have playd my part most shamelesly:
at Blackman-street I have
like a lustfull knave,
receivd what welcome harlots gave:
and at Rosemary lane
I did two whores maintaine,
but now their basenesse I disdaine.

And since I have beene at Cow-crosse
So punisht with my Purses losse:
Since that at Pickt-hatch I by chance
Learnd French of one that ner saw France:
there I lost my cloake,
which almost broke
me quite: all this for truth is spoke,
and now I home am come
with a newly mended bum,
such hap Jove keepe your worship from.

And now my case you understand,
Good sir, let me this boone demand:
That youll be warnd by me, and leave
These damned Queanes that will bereave
not onely you of wealth,
but bodies health,
nay thats not all, for they by stealth
will steale your soule away,
to be the devils prey:
then sweet sir, leave them while you may.

I pray your worship thinke on me,
That am a poore man, as you see:
Yet once I was with wealth indude,
Which I have spent with strumpets lewd
and so will you in time,
if this your prime
you waste away in such a crime:
but I for you will pray,
that you may mend this day.
Oh sweet sir, think of what I say.


M.P.
London Printed for Fr. Cowles.
FINIS.

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