/ · John S. Farmer’s Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes
The Bunter’s Christening
The Bunter’s Christening
1789
By GEORGE PARKER in Life’s Painter of Variegated Characters.
I
Bess Tatter, of Hedge-lane,
To ragman Joey’s joy,
The cull with whom she snooz’d
1 man
Brought forth a chopping boy:
Which was, as one might say,
The moral of his dad, sir;
And at the christ’ning oft,
A merry bout they had, sir.
II
For, when ’twas four weeks old,
Long Ned, and dust-cart Chloe,
To give the kid a name,
Invited were by Joey;
With whom came muzzy Tom,
2 muddled
And sneaking Snip, the boozer,
3 drunkard
Bag-picking, blear-ey’d Ciss,
And squinting Jack, the bruiser.
4 pugilist
III
Likewise came bullying Sam,
With cat’s-and-dog’s-meat Nelly,
Young Smut, the chimney-sweep,
And smiling snick-snack Willy;
Peg Swig and Jenny Gog,
The brims, with birdlime fingers,
5 harlots; thievish
Brought warbling, seedy Dick,
The prince of ballad-singers.
IV
The guests now being met,
The first thing that was done, sir,
Was handling round the kid,
That all might smack his muns, sir;
6 kiss him
A
flash of lightning next,
7 drop of gin
Bess tipt each cull and frow, sir,
8 gave; man; woman
Ere they to church did pad,
9 walk
To have it christen’d Joe, sir.
V
Away they then did trudge;
But such a queer procession,
Of seedy brims and kids,
Is far beyond expression.
The christ’ning being o’er,
They back again soon pik’t it,
10 went
To have a dish of lap,
11 tea
Prepar’d for those who lik’t it.
VI
Bung all come back once more
They slobber’d little Joey;
12 kissed
Then, with some civil jaw,
13 words
Part squatted, to drink bohea,
And part swig’d barley swipes,
14 drank beer
As short-cut they were smoaking,
15 tobacco
While some their patter flash’d
16 talked
In gallows fun and joking.
17 screaming
VII
For supper, Joey stood,
To treat these curious cronies;
A bullock’s melt, hog’s maw
Sheep’s heads, and stale polonies:
And then they swill’d gin-hot,
Until blind drunk as Chloe,
At twelve, all bundled from
The christ’ning of young Joey.
Notes
See note (ante) to “The Sandman’s Wedding”. Life’s Painter
etc. ran through several editions.
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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