The Merry Beggars

The Merry Beggars
1641
From A Jovial Crew, by RICHARD BROME. The beggars discovered at their feast. After they have scrambled awhile at their Victuals:  this song.

I

Here safe in our Skipper let’s cly off our Peck, 1 Safe in our barn let’s eat
And bowse in defiance o’ the Harman Beck. 2 And drink without fear of the constable!
Here’s Pannam and Lap, and good Poplars of Yarrum, 3 Here’s bread, drink, and milk-porridge
To fill up the Crib, and to comfort the Quarron. 4 To fill the belly, and comfort the body.
Now bowse a round health to the Go-well and Corn-well, 5 Drink a good health [Notes]
Of Cisley Bumtrincket that lies in the Strummel; 6 To Cisley Bumtrincket lying in the straw

II

Here’s Ruffpeck and Casson, and all of the best, 7 Here’s bacon and cheese
And Scrape of the Dainties of Gentry Cofe’s Feast 8 And scraps from the gentleman’s table
Here’s Grunter and Bleater, with Tib-of-the-Buttry, 9 Here’s pork, mutton, goose,
And Margery Prater, all dress’d without sluttry. 10 And chicken, all well-cooked.
For all this bene Cribbing and Peck let us then, 11 For this good food and meat let us
Bowse a health to the Gentry Cofe of the Ken. 12 Drink the gentleman’s health and
Now bowse a round health to the Go-well and Corn-well 13 Then drink a bumper
Of Cisley Bumtrincket that lies in the Strummel. 14 to Cisley Bumtrincket.






Notes

Little is known of the birth or extraction of Richard Brome, and whether he died in 1652 or 1653 is uncertain. For a time he acted as servant to Ben Jonson. The Jovial Crew was produced in 1641 at The Cock-pit, a theatre which stood on the site of Pitt Place running out of Drury Lane into Gt. Wild St.

Stanza I, line 5. Go-well and Com-well = outgoing and incoming.

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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Nearby

Overview
Forewords
. . .
Rhymes Of The Canting Crew.
The Beggar’s Curse
Towre Out Ben Morts
The Maunder’s Wooing
A Gage Of Ben Rom-Bouse
Bing Out, Bien Morts
The Song Of The Beggar
The Maunder’s Initiation
The High Pad’s Boast
The Merry Beggars
A Mort’s Drinking Song
A Beggar I’ll Be
A Budg And Snudg Song
The Maunder’s Praise Of His Strowling Mort
The Rum-Mort’s Praise Of Her Faithless Maunder
The Black Procession
Frisky Moll’s Song
The Canter’s Serenade
Retoure My Dear Dell
The Vain Dreamer
. . .
Appendix