Musa Pedestris - Three Centuries of Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes [1536 - 1896] by Farmer, John S.

_Triumph._

Both'ring the flats assembled round the quod, [11] The queerum queerly smear'd with dirty black; [12] The dolman sounding, while the sheriff's nod, Prepare the switcher to dead book the whack, While in a rattle sit two blowens flash, [13] Salt tears fast streaming from each bungy eye; To nail the ticker, or to mill the cly [14] Through thick and thin their busy muzzlers splash, The mots lament for Tyburn's merry roam, That bubbl'd prigs must at the New Drop fall, [15] And from the start the scamps are cropp'd at home; All in the sheriff's picture frame the call [16] Exalted high, Dick parted with his flame, And all his comrades swore that he dy'd game.

[1: penny] [2: man; woman] [3: half-penny] [4: spent the money] [5: made a lot of money] [6: cute fellow] [7: i.e. fraternity] [8: sentenced the pick-pocket] [9: picked pockets] [10: burgling] [11: goal] [12: gallows] [13: coach; women] [14: steal a watch; pick a pocket] [15: Newgate] [16: hangman's noose]

THE TRUE BOTTOM'D BOXER [1825]

[By J. JONES in _Universal Songster_, ii. 96]. Air: "_Oh! nothing in life can sadden us._"

I

Spring's the boy for a Moulsey-Hurst rig, my lads, Shaking a flipper, and milling a pate; Fibbing a nob is most excellent gig, my lads, Kneading the dough is a turn-out in state. Tapping the claret to him is delighting, Belly-go-firsters and clicks of the gob; For where are such joys to be found as in fighting, And measuring mugs for a chancery job: With flipping and milling, and fobbing and nobbing, With belly-go-firsters and kneading the dough, With tapping of claret, and clipping and gobbing, Say just what you please, you must own he's the go.

II

Spring's the boy for flooring and flushing it, Hitting and stopping, advance and retreat, For taking and giving, for sparring and rushing it, And will ne'er say enough, till he's down right dead beat; No crossing for him, true courage and bottom all, You'll find him a rum un, try on if you can; You shy-cocks, he shows 'em no favour, 'od rot 'em all, When he fights he trys to accomplish his man; With giving and taking, and flooring and flushing, With hitting and stopping, huzza to the ring, With chancery suiting, and sparring and rushing, He's the champion of fame, and of manhood the spring.

III

Spring's the boy for rum going and coming it, Smashing and dashing, and tipping it prime, Eastward and westward, and sometimes back-slumming it, He's for the scratch, and come up too in time; For the victualling-office no favor he'll ask it, For smeller and ogles he feels just the same; At the pipkin to point, or upset the bread-basket, He's always in twig, and bang-up for the game; With going and tipping, and priming and timing 'Till groggy and queery, straight-forwards the rig; With ogles and smellers, no piping and chiming, You'll own he's the boy that is always in twig.

BOBBY AND HIS MARY [Notes] [1826]

[From _Universal Songster_, iii. 108]. Tune--_Dulce Domum_.