The Joviall Crew,
OR,
Beggers-Bush.
In which a mad Maunder doth vapour and swagger:
With praiseing the Trade of a Bonny bold Begger.
To the Tune of, From hunger and cold.
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A Begger, a Begger,
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A Begger Ile bee,
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Theres none leads a life so jocond as hee;
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A Begger I was,
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And a Begger I am,
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A Bagger Ile be, from a Begger I came:
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If (as it begins) our Trading do fall,
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I fear (at the last) we shall be Beggers all.
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Our Trades-men miscarry in all their affayrs,
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And few men grow wealthy, but Courtiers & Players.
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A Craver my Father,
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A Maunder my Mother,
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A Filer my Sister, a Filcher my Brother,
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A Canter my Unckle
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That card not for pelfe;
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A Lifter my Aunt, a Begger my selfe;
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In white wheaten-staw, when their bellies were full,
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Then I was begot, between Tinker & Trull;
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And therefore a Begger, a Begger Ile be,
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For none hath a spirit so jocond as he.
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When Boyes do come to us,
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And that their intent is.
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To fallow our Calling, we nere bind them prentice,
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Soon as they come toot,
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We teach them to doot,
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And give them a Staff and a Wallet to boot,
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We teach them their Lingua, to crave and to Cant,
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The Devill is in them, if then they can want
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If any are here that Beggers will be,
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We without Indentures will make them free
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Wee Begg for our Bread,
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But sometimes it happens
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We feast it with Pigg, Pullet, Conny and Capons
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For Churches Affaires,
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We are no Mer-slayers
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We have no Religion, yet live by our prayers
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But if when we begg men will not draw their purses
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We charge & give fire, with a volly of curses
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The Divel confound your good worship we cry
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And such a bold brazen-facd Begger am I.
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WE do things in season,
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And have so much reason,
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we raise no Rebellion, nor never talk treason
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We billet our Mates,
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At very low rates,
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Whilst some keeps their Quarters as high as the Gates,
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With Shinkin ap Morgan, with Blew-Cap, or Tege.
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We enter into no Covenant nor League;
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And therefore a bonny bold Begger Ile be,
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For none lives a life so happy as he.
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We never do prate,
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In matters of State,
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For fear we should come to Hugh Peters his Fate:
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Whilst Scripturs unfolders
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And Treason upholders,
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Have lost their heads, we keep ours on our shoulders
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Our Plots & our Projects, are never so tall,
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To reach to the Top-mast of Westminster-hall
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And therefore a merry brave Begger Ile be,
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For none wears his Noddle so safely as he.
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For such petty Pledges,
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As Shirts from the Hedges,
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We are not in fear to be drawn upon Sledges
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But sometimes the Whip,
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Doth make us to scip,
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And then we from Tything to Tything do trip:
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For when in a poor Bousing-Ken we do bib it
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We stend more in awe of the Stocks then the Gibbet
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And therefore a merry mad Begger Ile be,
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For when it is night, to the Barn goes he.
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We throw down no Alter,
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Nor ever do falter
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So much, as to change a Gold-Chain for a Halter:
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Though some men do flout us,
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And others do doubt us,
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We nere go without forty pieces about us,
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But many brav fellows are fine & look fiercer
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That owe for their cloths to the Taylor and Mercer:
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And if from the Stocks I can keep out my feet,
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I fear not the Compter, Kings-bench, nor the Fleet.
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Sometimes I do frame,
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My selfe to be lame.
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And when a coach comes, I do hop to my game
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We seldome miscarry,
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Yet never do Marry
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By the Gowns Common-Prayer, nor the Cloak Directory;
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But Harry and Mary (like Birds of a feather)
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do nothing but kiss, laugh & lye down together
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Like piggs in the pease-straw, intangled they lye
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Till there they beget such a bold Rogue as I.
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To summe all in brief,
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We live by relief,
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And pray for King Charls, our Commander in chief;
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God blesse all the Peers,
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The wise Over-seers
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That they may consider the poor Caveliers.
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For if they do let them but lower to fall,
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Theyl take our profession, and begger us all:
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And then it will be, but a folly for me,
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A merry sould, bonny bold Begger to be.
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