Tixall Poetry/A Ballad

by unknown author

XLIX.

A Ballad.

 

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1.Come, lasses and lads,
    Take leave of your dads,
   And away to the maypole high;
    For every hee,
    Hath got him a shee,
   And a minstrill standing by.
   Will hath got a gill,
   And John hath got a Joan,
To jig it, jig it, jig it, jig it, jig it up and downe.

2.Strike up, saies Watt,
   Agreed, saies Matt,
  And I preethee, fidler, play;
   Soe, saies Hodge,
   Agreed, saies Madge,
  For 'tis a hollyday.
  Then every lad did dofe
   His hat unto his lasse,
 And every gill did cursie, cursie, cursie, upon the grasse.

3.Begin, saies Hall,
   Ay, ay, saies Mall,
  Weele have old Packinten's pound;
  Noe, noe, saies Noll,
   And soe saies Doll,
  Weele first have Selinger's round.
  Then every man began to foot it round about,
 And every las did iet it, iet it, iet it, in and out

4.You are out, saies Nicke,
   You lie, saies Dicke,
  The fidler plaies it false;

  Tis true, saies Hugh,
   And soe, saies Sue,
  And soe saies nimble Joyce.
  The fidler then began to play the tune againe,
 And every gill did trip it, trip it, trip it, unto the men.

5.Lets kis, saies John,
   Content saies Nan,
  And soe saies every she;
  How many, saies Batt,
   Why three, saies Matt,
  For that's a mayden's fee.
But they instead of three, did give them half a score,
The maids in kindnes, kindnes, kindnes, gave them as many
    more.

6.After an houre,
   They went to the bower,
  And plaid for ale and cakes;
  With kisses to,
   Untill they were due,
  And the lasses held the stakes.

At length the maids began to quarrell with the men,
And bid them take ther kisses backe, and give them there
    one againe.

7.Yet there they satt,
   Untill 'twas late,
  And tired the fidler quite;
   Singing, and playing,
   Without any paying,
  From morning untill night.
They told the fidler then, they'd pay him for his play,
And each paid toopence, toopence, toopence, toopence, and
    went away.

8.Good night, saies Tom,
   And soe, saies John,
  Good night, saies Dick to Will;
   Good night, saies Cis,
   Good night, saies Pris,
  Good night, saies Peg to Nell.
Some run, some went, some staid, and dalied by the way,
And bound themselves by kisses twelve to meet next
Hollyday.