A jolly Company of jovial Blades,
Who laugh and sing, and are as merry as the Maids.
They sing and roar, and freely spend their Chink,
And to each other in full Bowles they drink:
They scorn such puny pinch-guts as are saving,
They think good Sack is only worth the having.
And being fully bent to spend their store,
They drink their Liquor off and call for more.
Thus while they freely tope off Sack by quarts,
They drive away all sorrow from their hearts.
Tune is, General
Monk hath advan'd himself since he came from the
Tower.
IT was of late, my happy fate
to méet with a Ioviall Crew;
Of merry Blades, and lidely Lads,
who drank till the Sky look blew.
Being void of care, no money they spare
but all with frée conesnt,
Drank wine good store & then caled for mor
so merrily they were bent.
Hang sorrow quoth one, why should we make moan,
so long as our mony doth last?
Away with this sadness, 'tis folly & madnes,
to think what is past.
Let's drink and bouze, and bravely carooze,
and least that the time should séem long
Give eare unto me, my task it shall be,
to sing you a gallant new Song.
The second Part to the same Tune.
BE merry my hearts, & call for your quarts
and let no Liquor be lacking,
We have mony good store, & intend for to rore,
untill we have set all a packing.
Come Drawer make haste, let not the time waste
let every man have his due,
For to save shooes & trouble bring in a quart double
for he that made one made two.
Come take off your drink, & speak what you think,
strong liquor wil make you speak truly
For certainly we, no Drunkards can be,
so long as we are not unruly,
Then drink and be civil, intending no evil
and be not offended with me,
For what I had before, I'le have one quart more
for he that made two, made thrée.
The gréedy Curmudgin, sits all y
e day grudging,
at home with his bread and smal béer,
For to hord up base pelf, he starves himself.
scarse eats a good meal through the year
But we'l not do so, how ere the world go,
so long as we have any store,
I think we'l not lack, go fill us more Sack,
for he that made thrée made four.
Why sit you so sadly, since I call so madly,
I scorn to leave you in the lurch,
The reckoning ile pay, e're I go away,
else hang me as high as the Church
Yet some men will say, that is not the way
he must pinch that intends for to thrive,
Tis no matter for that, let's laugh & be fat,
for he that made four, made five.
Such love I intend to my dearest friend
that I can not tell how to expresse it:
when with him I méet, his company's so swéet
y
t I would not willingly miss it.
I scorn such a slave, as his money will save
or any that use such base tricks.
Come on my brave blades, be as merry as y
e Maids
for he that made five made six.
Now whilst I am here, ile call for my Beer
and fréely my money ile spend,
Let no man take care, for pa
[...]ing his share,
if néed be, ile pay for my friend.
Pluck up a good heart, let sorrow depart,
with the Drawer I will make even,
So with merry content, our time shall be spent,
for he that made six, made seaven.
Drink off our cups round, let sorrow be drown'd
in this same cup of good Sherry,
I cannot indure, to sit thus demure,
for hither we came to be merry.
Then be of good cheer, y
e reck'ning ile clear
and eke with the Drawer make straight,
For now I'm set a mading, I néeds must be adding
& he that made seven, made eight:
Yet at home I confesse, with my honest Besse
I practise good husbandry well,
To mantain my calling, & kéep me from falling,
as all my Neighbours can tell;
they plead
[...]e at large for maintaining my charge
though sometimes to drink I in cline:
Yet I scorn for to shrink go fill us more drink
for he that made eight made nine.
Here's a health to my friend, y
t
[...] hath a Song pen'd
in prais of good liqor that's old,
Drink off your cups round, whilst Musick doth sound
in hope it will kéep us from cold,
And now to conclude my verses so rude,
you are all welcome Gentlemen:
Yet ere you depart ile give a quart,
for he that made nine, made ten.
This being said, the reckoning they paid,
and in friendly manner departed:
there's none of them had any cause to be sad;
but all went away merry-hearted.
And when they do méet, again in the stréet
then unto the Tavern thy'l hye:
And there they intend their money to spend
which no body can deny
FINIS.