The Triumph of Wit by J. Shirley is a curious piece of bookmaking—scissors and paste in the main—which ran through many editions. Divided into three parts, the first two are chiefly concerned with “the whole art and mystery of love in all its nicest intrigues”, “choice letters with their answers” and such like matters. Part III contains “the mystery and art of Canting, with the original and present management thereof, and the ends to which it serves, and is employed: Illustrated with poems, songs and various intrigues in the Canting language with the explanation, etc.” The songs were afterwards included in The New Canting Dict. (1725), and later on in Bacchus and Venus (1731).
Title. Strowling Mort = a beggar’s trull:—“pretending to be widows, sometimes travel the countries ... are light-fingered, subtle, hypocritical, cruel, and often dangerous to meet, especially when the ruffler is with them” (B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, 1690).
Stanza I, line 1. Doxy—“These Doxes be broken and spoyled of their maydenhead by the upright men, and then they have their name of Doxes, and not afore. And afterwards she is commen and indifferent for any that wyll use her”.—Harman, Caveat, p. 73. Line 3. prats = buttocks or thighs. Line 4. wap = to copulate (also stanza IV, line i).
Stanza II, line 4. clip and kiss = to copulate.
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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