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.
A Begger, a Begger,
A B [...]gger Ile bee,
There's none leads a life so jocond as hée;
A Begger I was,
A [...]d a Begger I am,
A Begger Ile be, from a Begger I came:
If (as it begins) our Trading do fall.
I fear[?] (at the last) we shallbe Beggers all.
Our Trades-men miscarry in all their affayrs,
And few men grow wealthy, but Courtiers & Players.
A Craver my Father,
A Maunder my Mother,
A Filer my Sister, a Filcher my Brother,
A Canter my Vnckle
That car'd not for pelfe;
A Lister my Aunt▪ a Begger my selfe;
In whit [...] wheaten-stew, when their bellies were full,
Then I was begot, betwéen Tinker & Trull;
And therefore a Begger, a Begger Jle be,
For none hath a spirit so jocond as be.
When Boyes do come to us,
And that their intent is.
To follow our Calling, we nere bind them prentice,
Soon as they come too't,
We teach them to doo't,
And give them a Staff and a Wallet to boot,
We teach them their Lingua, to crave and to Cant,
The Devill is in them, if then they can want
If any are here that Beggers will be,
We without Indentures will make them free
Wée Begg for our Bread,
But sometimes it happens
We feast it with Pigg, Pullet, Conny and Capons
For Churches Affaires,
We are no M [...]-slayers.
We have no Religion yet live by our prayers
But if when we begg men will not draw their purses
We charge & give fire, with a volly of curses
The Divel confound your good worship we cr [...]
And such a bold brazen-fac'd Begger am I.
WE do things in season,
and have so much reason,
We raise no Rebellion, nor never talk treason
We billet our Mates,
At very low rates,
Whilst some kéeps their Quarters as [...]as the Gates,
With Shinkin ap Morgan, with Blew-Cap, or Tege.
We enter into no Covenant nor League[?] ▪
And therefore a bonny bold Begger Jle be,
For none lives a life so happy as he.
We never do prate,
In matters of State,
For fear we should come to Hugh Peters his Fate:
Whilst Scripture v [...]
And Treason vpholders,
Have lost their heads, we kéep ours on our shoulders
Our Plots & our Projects, ere never so tall,
To reach to the Top-mast of Westminster-hall
And therefore a merry brave Beg [...]er Jle be,
For none wears his Noddle so safely as he.
For such petty Pledges,
As Shi [...]ts from the Hedges,
We are not in fear to be drawn vpon Sledges
But sometimes the Whip,
Doth make us to scip,
And than we from Tything to Tything do trip:
For when in a poor Bousing-Ken we do bib it
We stend more in awe of the Stocks then the Gibbet
And therefore a merry mad Begger Jle be,
For when it is night, to the Barn goes he.
We throw down no Alter,
Nor ever do falter
So much, as to change a Gold-Chain for a Halter:
Though some men do flout us,
And others do doubt us.
We nere go without forty pieces about us,
But many brav fellows are [...] & look fiercer
That owe for their cloths to the Taylor and M [...]rcer:
And if from the Stocks I can keep out my feet,
I fear not the Compter, Kings-bench, nor the Fleet.
Sometimes I do frame,
My selfe to be lame.
And when a coach comes I do [...]op to my game[?]
We seldome miscarry,
Yet never do Marry
By the Gowns Commen-Prarer[?], nor the Cloak Directory;
But Harry and Mary (like Birds of a feather)
do nothing but kiss [...] & lye down together
Like piggs in the pease-straw, intangled they lye
Till there they beget such a bold Rogue as I.
To summe all in brief,
We live by[?] relief,
And pray for King Charls, our Commander in chief;
God blesse all the Péers,
The wise Over-séers
That they may consider the poor Caveliers.
For if they do let them but lower to fall,
Ther'l take our profession, and b [...]gger us all:
And then it will be, but a folly for me,
A merry soul'd, bonny bold Begger to be.
London, Printed for William Gilbertson dwelling at the Bible in Giltspurstreet.