/ · John S. Farmer’s Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes
Bing Out, Bien Morts
Bing Out, Bien Morts
1612
From O per se O, by THOMAS DEKKER.
Bing out, bien Morts, and toure, and toure,
1 Go abroad, good women,
bing out, bien Morts, and toure;
2 and look about you;
For all your Duds are bingd awaste,
3 For all your clothes are stolen;
the bien coue hath the loure.
4 and a good fellow (a clever thief) has the money.
* * * * *
I
I met a Dell, I viewde her well,
5 I met a wench and summed her up,
she was benship to my watch;
6 she suited me very well
So she and I, did stall and cloy,
7 So (joining company) she watched while I stole
whateuer we could catch.
8 whatever came our way.
II
This Doxie dell, can cut bien whids,
9 This young whore can lie like truth,
and wap well for a win;
10 fornicate vigorously for a penny
And prig and cloy so benshiply,
11 And steal very cleverly
all the dewsea-vile within.
12 on the countryside
III
The boyle was vp, wee had good lucke,
13 When the house was alarmed we had good luck
in frost, for and in snow;
14 in spite of frost and snow
When they did seeke, then we did creepe,
15 When they sought us we hid
and plant in ruffe-mans low.
16 in the woods.
IV
To Stawling Kenne the Mort bings then,
17 To a thieves’ receiving house the woman goes
to fetch loure for her cheates;
18 to get money for the swag—
Duds and Ruff-pecke, ruinboild by Harmanbecke,
19 Notes
and won by Mawnder’s feates.
20 got by a rogue’s dexterity.
V
You Mawnders all, stow what you stall,
21 Ye rogues do not brag of your booty
to Rome coues watch so quire;
22 to rogues who are not straight
And wapping Dell that niggles well,
23 Or trust a mistress, who though she [Notes]
and takes loure for her hire.
24 does so for hire.
VI
And Jvbe well Ierkt, tick rome-comfeck,
25 With a counterfeit license and forged signatures [Notes]
for backe by glimmar to mawnd,
26 as to losses by fire
To mill each Ken, let coue bing then,
27 To rob each house let a man go
through ruffemans, lague or launde.
28 thro’ hedge, ditch and field
VII
Till Cramprings quier, tip Coue his hire,
29 Till fetters are his desserts
and quier-kens doe them catch;
30 and a prison is his fate
A canniken, mill quier cuffen,
31 A plague take the magistrate!
so quier to ben coue’s watch.
32 who is so hard on a clever rogue
VIII
Bein darkmans then, bouse, mort, and ken
33 A good-night then to drink, wench, and ale-house—
the bien coue’s bingd awast;
34 the poor fellow is gone
On chates to trine, by Rome-coues dine
35 On the gallows to hang by rogues betray’d
for his long lib at last.
36 to his long sleep.
* * * * *
Bingd out bien morts, and toure, and toure,
37 So go, my good woman
bing out of the Rome-vile;
38 out of London
And toure the coue, that cloyde your duds,
39 And see the man who stole your clothes
upon the chates to trine.
40 upon the gallows hanging.
Notes
[See Note to “The Beggar’s Curse”]. Dekker introducing these verses
affirms “it is a canting song not ... composed as those of the
Belman’s were, out of his owne braine, but by the Canter’s themselves,
and sung at their meetings”, in which, all things considered, Dekker
is probably protesting overmuch.
Stanza V, line 3. And wapping dell that niggles well = a harlot
or mistress who “spreads” acceptably.
Stanza IX, line 2. Bing out of the Rom-vile;
i.e. to Tyburn, then the place of execution: Rom-vile = London.
Taken from
Musa Pedestris,
Three Centuries of Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes
[1536―1896], collected and annotated by John S. Farmer.
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