Mock-Beggers Hall, with his scituation in the spacious Country, called, Any where.
To the Tune of It is not your Northern
Nanny; or Sweet is the Lass that loves me.
IN ancient times when as plain dealing
Was most of all in fashion,
There was not then half so much stealing,
Nor men so given to passion;
But now a days, truth so decays,
And false knabes there are plenty,
So pride exceeds all worthy déeds,
While Mock-begger hall stands empty.
The bangman now the fashion keeps,
And swaggers like our gal
[...]ants;
While love and charity sits and weeps,
To see them waste their Lalents;
Spend all their store upon a whore,
Such Prodigals there are plenty;
Thus brabe it out, while men them stout,
And Mock-begger hall stands empty.
Ned Swash hath fetch'd his cloaths from pawn
With dropping of the barrell,
Joan Duit hath hought a smock of Lawn,
And now begins to quarrell,
She thinks her self poor
[...]lly elfe,
To be the best of twenty,
And yet the whore is wondrous poor,
While Mock-begger hall stands empty.
I read in ancient times of poor.
That men of worthy calling,
Built Alms-houses and Spittles
[...]ore,
Which now are all down falling;
And few men seek them to repair,
Nor now is there one among twenty,
That for good deeds will take any care,
While Mock-begger hall stands empty.
Farm-houses which their fathers built
And Land well kept by tillage,
Their prodigall Sons have sold for gilt,
In every Town and Village:
To the City and Court they do resort
With gold and Silver plenty;
And there they spend their time in sport,
While Mock-begger hall stands empty.
Yeung Land-lords when to age they come,
Their rents they would be racking,
The tenant must give a golden sum,
Or else he is turn'd packing:
Great fines and double rent beside,
Or else they'l not contented bee,
It is for to maintain their monstrous pride,
While Mock-begger hall stands empty.
Their fathers went in homely freez,
And wore good plain cloth bréeches;
Their
[...]ockings with the same agrées,
Sow'd on with good strong stitches:
They were not called Gentlemen,
Though they had wealth great plenty,
Now every gull's grown worshipfull,
While Mock-begger hall stands empty.
The second part, to the same Tune.
NO GOld nor Silver parchment lace
Was worn but by our Nobles,
Nor would the honest harmless face,
Wear Cuffs with so many doubles;
Their hands were to their shints sown then,
Yet cloth was full as plenty;
Now one hand hath more cloth then ten,
While Mock-begger hall stands empty.
Now we are Apes in imitation,
The more indéed's the pity;
The City followes the strangers fashion,
The Country followes the City:
And ere one fashion is known throughout,
Another they will invent yée;
'Tis all your gallants study about,
While Mock-begger hall stands empty.
Me thinks it is a great reproach
To those that are nobly descended,
When for their pleasures cannot have a coach,
Wherewith they might be attended;
But thery beggerly
Jack and
Gill,
That eat scant a good meal in twenty,
Must through the strée to be jaunted still
While Mock-begger hall stands empty.
There's some are rattled thorow the streets,
Probatum est, I tell it;
Whose names are wrapp'd in parchment shéets,
It grievs their hearts to spell it,
They are not able two men to kéep,
With a coachman they must contented be,
Which at Goldsmiths hall door in's box lies a sléep,
While Mock-begger hall stands empty,
Our Gentlewomen whose means is nothing
To that which they make shew off,
Must use all the fashions in their cloathing,
Which they can hear or know of;
They take such care themselvs to deck,
That money is oft so scanty,
The belly is forc'd to complain to the back,
While Mock-begger hall stands empty.
There is a crus, and a very mad crue,
That about the Town doth swagger,
That seems like Knights to the peoples view,
And wear both sword and dagger;
That swéetens their cloaths once a weak,
Hunger with them is so plenty,
The Broker will nothabe them to séek,
While mock begger hall stands empty.
Some Gentlemen and Citizens hake
In divers eminent places,
Erected houses fine and heave,
Which stood for the owners graces,
Let any poor to such a door
Come, they expecting plenty,
They there may ask till their throats are sore,
For Mock-begger hall stands empty.
Thus plainly I to you declare,
How strangely times are changed;
What humors in the people are,
How virtue is estranged:
Now every
Jackanapes can strut,
Such Coxc
[...]mbs there are plenty,
But at the last in Prison shut,
So Mock-begger hall stands empty.
London, Printed for Richard Harper, at the Bible and Harp in Smithfield.