 | Songs and ballads by Samuel Lover |  |
93
THE QUAKER'S MEETING.
A traveller wended the wilds among,
With a purse of gold and a silver tongue;
His hat it was broad and all drab were his clothes,
For he hated high colours—except on his nose,
And he met with a lady, the story goes.
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
With a purse of gold and a silver tongue;
His hat it was broad and all drab were his clothes,
For he hated high colours—except on his nose,
And he met with a lady, the story goes.
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
The damsel she cast him a beamy blink,
And the traveller nothing was loth, I think,
Her merry black eye beamed her bonnet beneath,
And the quaker he grinned, for he'd very good teeth,
And he ask'd “Art thee going to ride on the heath?”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
And the traveller nothing was loth, I think,
Her merry black eye beamed her bonnet beneath,
And the quaker he grinned, for he'd very good teeth,
And he ask'd “Art thee going to ride on the heath?”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
“I hope you'll protect me kind sir,” said the maid,
“As to ride this heath over I'm sadly afraid;
For robbers, they say, here in numbers abound,
And I wouldn't ‘for anything’ I should be found,
For—between you and me—I have five hundred pound.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
“As to ride this heath over I'm sadly afraid;
For robbers, they say, here in numbers abound,
And I wouldn't ‘for anything’ I should be found,
For—between you and me—I have five hundred pound.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
“If that is thee
own dear,” the quaker he said,
“I ne'er saw a maiden I sooner would wed;
And I have another five hundred just now,
In the padding that's under my saddle-bow,
And I'll settle it all upon thee, I vow!”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
“I ne'er saw a maiden I sooner would wed;
And I have another five hundred just now,
In the padding that's under my saddle-bow,
And I'll settle it all upon thee, I vow!”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
94
The maiden she smil'd, and her rein she drew,
“Your offer I'll take—though I'll not take you.”
A pistol she held at the quaker's head—
“Now give me your gold—or I'll give you my lead—
Tis under the saddle I think you said.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
“Your offer I'll take—though I'll not take you.”
A pistol she held at the quaker's head—
“Now give me your gold—or I'll give you my lead—
Tis under the saddle I think you said.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
The damsel she ripped up the saddle-bow,
And the quaker was never a quaker till now,
And he saw, by the fair one he wish'd for a bride,
His purse borne away with a swaggering stride,
And the eye that shamm'd tender, now only defied.
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
And the quaker was never a quaker till now,
And he saw, by the fair one he wish'd for a bride,
His purse borne away with a swaggering stride,
And the eye that shamm'd tender, now only defied.
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
“The spirit doth move me, friend Broadbrim,” quoth she,
“To take all this filthy temptation from thee,
For Mammon deceiveth—and beauty is fleeting;
Accept from thy maaid'n a right loving greeting,
For much doth she profit by this Quaker's meeting.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
“To take all this filthy temptation from thee,
For Mammon deceiveth—and beauty is fleeting;
Accept from thy maaid'n a right loving greeting,
For much doth she profit by this Quaker's meeting.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
“And hark! jolly quaker, so rosy and sly,
Have righteousness, more than a wench, in thine eye,
Don't go again peeping girls' bonnets beneath,
Remember the one that you met on the heath,—
Her name's Jimmy Barlow—I tell to your teeth!”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee
Have righteousness, more than a wench, in thine eye,
Don't go again peeping girls' bonnets beneath,
Remember the one that you met on the heath,—
Her name's Jimmy Barlow—I tell to your teeth!”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee
“Friend James,” quoth the quaker, “pray listen to me,
For thou cans't confer a great favour, d'ye see;
The gold thou hast taken is not mine, my friend,
But my master's—and truly on thee I depend,
To make it appear I my trust did defend.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
For thou cans't confer a great favour, d'ye see;
The gold thou hast taken is not mine, my friend,
But my master's—and truly on thee I depend,
To make it appear I my trust did defend.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
95
“So fire a few shots through my clothes, here and there,
To make it appear 'twas a desp'rate affair.”—
So Jim he popp'd first through the skirt of his coat,
And then through his collar—quite close to his throat;
“Now one through my broadbrim” quoth Ephraim, “I vote.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
To make it appear 'twas a desp'rate affair.”—
So Jim he popp'd first through the skirt of his coat,
And then through his collar—quite close to his throat;
“Now one through my broadbrim” quoth Ephraim, “I vote.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
“I have but a brace,” said bold Jim, and they're spent,”
And I wont load again for a make-believe rent.”—
“Then”—said Ephraim, producing his pistols—“just give
My five hundred pounds back—or as sure as you live
I'll make of your body a riddle or sieve.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
And I wont load again for a make-believe rent.”—
“Then”—said Ephraim, producing his pistols—“just give
My five hundred pounds back—or as sure as you live
I'll make of your body a riddle or sieve.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
Jim Barlow was diddled—and, though he was game,
He saw Ephraim's pistol so deadly in aim,
That he gave up the gold, and he took to his scrapers,
And when the whole story got into the papers,
They said that “the thieves were no match for the Quakers.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
He saw Ephraim's pistol so deadly in aim,
That he gave up the gold, and he took to his scrapers,
And when the whole story got into the papers,
They said that “the thieves were no match for the Quakers.”
Heigho! yea thee and nay thee.
| Songs and ballads by Samuel Lover | |