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332 |
ENGLISH SONG AND BALLAD MUSIC. |
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Last night I heard the dog-star hark; Mars met Venus in the dark ; Limping "Vulcan het an iron bar, And furiously he ran at the god of war. Mars with his weapons beset him about, But Vulcan's temples had the gout, And his horns did hang so in his light, He could not see to aim his blows aright. Mercury, the nimble post of heaven,
Came to see the quarrel; Gor-bellied Bacchus, giant-like,
Bestrid a strong-beer barrel. To me he drank, |
But I could get no cider; He drank whole buts, Till he brake his guts,
But mine be never the wider.
Poor Tom is very dry :
A little drink for charity ! Now, hark! I hear Action's hounds,
The huntsman whoops and halloos ; Ringwood, Roister, Bowman, Jowler,
And all the troop do follow. The Man in the Moon drinks claret, Eats powder'd beef, turnip, and carrot,. But a cup of old Malaga sack Will fire the bush at his back. |
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I did him thank,
It will be observed that the second verse of the above is not now sung.. Another Mad Tom, composed by George Hayden, and commencing, " In my triumphant chariot hurl'd," has been added to the first, to make a bravura. There are even different copies of George Hayden's song, some having a | movement at the close, which others have not. Hayden was the author of the still favorite duet, " As I saw fair Clora." He flourished in the early part of last century.
TOM A BEDLAM.
In Le Prince <PAmour, 1660, there are no less than three songs entitled Tom of Bedlam ; also Bishop Corbet's song, Tfie distracted Puritan, which is to the tune of Tom of Bedlam.
The first song (at p. 164) consists of eight stanzas, and commences thus:— |
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" From the top of high Caucasus, To Paul's Wharf near the Tower,
In no great haste, I easily pass'd In less than half an hour.
The gates of old Byzantium I took upon my shoulders, |
And them I bore twelve leagues and more,.
In spite of Turks and soldiers, [merry;
Sing,'sing, and sob; sing, sigh, and be
Sighing, singing, and sobbing; Thus naked Tom away doth run,
And fears no cold nor robbing. |
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The second is at p. 167, and consists also of eight stanzas, of which the two first are as follows:— |
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" From the hag and hungry goblin,
That into rags would rend you, [man And the spirits, that stand by the naked
In the book of moons, defend you; That of your five sound senses
You never be forsaken, Nor travel from yourselves with Tom
'Abroad to beg your bacon. While I do sing, 'Anyfood, any feeding,
Feeding, drink, or clothing I Come, dame or maid, be not afraid,
Poor Tom mill injure nothing.' |
Of thirty bare years have I
Twice twenty been enraged; And, of forty, been three times fifteen
In durance soundly caged; On the lordly lofts of Bedlam,
With stubble soft and dainty, [dong, Brave bracelets strong, and whips, ding-
And wholesome hunger plenty. Yet did I sing, ' Any food, any feeding,
Feeding, drink, or clothing! Come, dame or maid, be not afraid,
Poor Tom will injure nothing.'" |
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Ritson, who has reprinted the above two songs, supposes them " to have been written by way of burlesque on such sort of things." (Ancient Songs, p. 261,1790.) |
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