University of Virginia Library

By this the night began to be in fear,
The sweet-fac'd light beginning to draw neer,
To bring the morning in, with rosie dawn,

154

With Officers in scarfes of cobweb Lawne.
To raise up forces which did all resort
To Phœbus which did scale the Royall Fort.
Without resistance, all within the line,
Was repossessed with his glittring shine.
Aurora rais'd, did send out many Spies,
With scouts and trumpets, being full of eyes;
With Ambuscadoes, who did slily creep;
(The black fac'd Regiment being most asleep)
They seiz'd their works, and pillag'd all within;
Kept those close prisoners, that had traytors bin,
To have their triall. Juno all in state
Made Vulcan horn'd by Venus advocate.
The sentence past, they being guilty found;
And Sol in pride riding the third dayes round
Must see the execution, from the stewes,
Yet here's a prisoner that will tell more newes.
Indeed forsooth I am a Chambermaid,
When I was young I meerly was betray'd
With shews of gold, rich fare, and brave attire,
A Gincrack like a Lady did me hire,
To be as her companion, till she brought
Me to her will; my honesty was bought,
Sold for disgrace, all sorts were entertain'd,
Who ever lost, of every one she gain'd
That had but coyn, if any one seem'd poor,
She'd send Pimp Minor for a pocky whore,
To fit his rate: if any Spark came rich
She'd come in silk, and painted; if this witch
Was not accepted for her wrinkled face,

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I must be trim'd to take my Mistris place.
If two or three came in pimp Major must,

Pimp Major


Take up some sinner on the brokers trust,
To gaine a double Fee: our rates were higher
According to our beauty, and attire.
She'ad skill to cure her guests, being over-hat,
Or frenchifi'd; she had the more for that.

The Bauds skill.


If lads came thin, she'd send her Pimpes about.
To raise a Tumult; bring a totter'd rout.
Before some Taverne doore, raile, sweare and curse
At one another: so they'd cut a purse,

Plots


Or pick a pocket; then they'd take thir flight
To rob some house, being alwayes in the night,
Were any of us taken in the darke,
We'd bribe the Justice, and We'd Fee his Clerk,
And soone bequit the lasses Were in feare,

Robbers


When carr'd away, on May-day was a yeare,
About Long-Acre; Common stinking trash,
But they were freed and never had the lash.
For justice nimis was their friend, and can
Do courtesies: but they must pay this man,
And parish Officers will them enlarge,
Excuse their faults lest they should keep their charge.
At other times, our Pimps would much frequent
The shovell-bourds, the dicers, and they went
To Ordinaries to gamsters, bowling places,
To gaine acquaintance, when they knew their faces,
Thei'd grow familiar: so they drew them in,
And made them tenants to the house of sinne.
Gamsters and thieves, that drinke the full Carouse,

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Are the chief pillars or a bawdy house.
We'd tell each other all: who's best for play,
Who, for the house, and who will freely pay;
Who's pleasant for discourse, what slave doth grutch,
Our common fees, and who will give too much:
We'l now seem chast, but if the golden crue
Comes greedily, sirs, 'tis for love of you
We break our vows, believing what we say
The'l drop dust freely, when th'are gone away
To jeer, or praise 'em, as we found 'em right.
It is our recreation and delight.
A Villain us'd our house that was accus'd
For ravishing two children: he abus'd
Them, as 'twas prov'd: hells factor gave consent
He should be freed, but damn'd the innocent.
A wise mans case, (his bribes were all but fees)
Fin'd, censur'd, and imprison'd, by degrees
Being judg'd for hell, stood for his Plaintiffe sin;
And walking on her brinck she took him in.
When any fear'd our wenches were not sound,
The bawd would stand engag'd to turn them round,
But they must pay for search, if they will not
They run the hazard, every one his lot.
Shee'l name her golden guests, and make great brags
Such gallants use her house, if one in rags

Golden Guests.


Comes to exchange a sin, and truck for shame,
He came by chance, nor doth she know his name.
If Court and Tearme be here for ev'ry crime,
Shee'l ask a crown, but in Vacation time,
A shilling serves, she as once a year new whores;
Poor, sick, or old she turns them out of doors,

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No man dares question her, for divells do
Grant her protection: being guilty too,
They'l but disclose teir shame, the common watch
Both harbour, and defend, and often hatch

The Watch.


Some of our brood, their profit lies at stake,
And for the Constables and Beadles sake,
They'l wink at small faults, hood-wink sawcy Laws:
And now and then a feeling in the cause
Would chase our fears, some Officers at first
Will lie in wait to take us, till their thirst
Turn to a surfeit, what's the Marshalls guard?
If in their walks they spie us, a reward
Will keep them silent. Many of them will
Protect us, to be partners in the ill.
We'd have them to the Tavernes, one of note
Did pawn his cloak, and I my peticote;

Pawne.


Another left a watch, for want of coyn,
To pay the shot; their love they did assign
To help us at a pinch, our time we spent
Free from all fear, in joviall merriment.
A greazy punck once in one house did lye,
An Oxford bawd, first, then a Basing Spye:
A bawd to her own child, who came to town
For information, walking up and down,
She was suspected to be much in debt,
And by a chance a Serjeant with her met,
And scrap't acquaintance with her, being weary
Arrested her, yet, she could not be merry,
A new fil'd bawd, now grown an outworne whore;
She car'd a breadth, and went upon the score,

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Being begging ripe; but yet her bed was made
In ample sort too good for such a jade,
Out at the window in the night, by rope
She stole away, the hangman is in hope,
To find her shortly, he that do's her see
And bring her in shall have a double fee.
She's black, and brawny, shamelesse, in the close
She's goggle ey'd, and ha's a crooked nose,
Her lodging is neer Westminster, and she
Haunts bawdy travernes, and where treachery
Is most in fashion; now she keeps her bed,

Macquiers head


And drinks no sack, because Macquiers head
Is taken from their plot, 'tis thought she had
A daughter for her time was full as bad.
But beautifull without, and yet within
The divell kept a count; she sold her sin
To him that bid most for it, or at least
A Royalist transform'd into a beast.
She took a Ladies name, her sinfull leisure
Is tyed to one man now, but at her pleasure
She'l change him for another; at the last

Hells mouth


Thed divell made a match, and ty'd her fast
To one that did him service, what of hell
He had which made him proud, and what befell
Him at the last, is known; for in his pride
He fought, for sin, fell down, and so he dy'd.