And brings in maintenance to keep them alive, As raw silk and cotton wool, The Mercer's beholding The rarest that ever mens eyes did behold, God prosper the Sea-men where ever they be, There's none, &c. The Merchants themselves are beholding also, To honest Sea-men that on purpose do go, To bring them home profit from other strange lands, Or else their fine Daughters must work with their hands, The Nobles and Gentry in every degree Are also beholding, &c. Thus for rich and poor men, If they were not a guard and defence for our Land, Our Enemies soon would get the upper hand, And then in a woful case straight should we be. There's none, &c. To draw to Conclusion and to make an end. I hope that great Neptune my Love will befriend, And send him home safely, with health and with life, Then shall I with joyfulness soon be his Wife. You Maids, Wives, and Widdows that Sea-mens Loves be, With hearts and with voices, joyn prayers with me. God bless all brave Sea-men from quicksands and rocks, From loss of their blood and from Enemies knocks, From lightning and thunder and tempests so strong, From Shipwrack and drowning and all other wrong, And they that to these words will not say Amen, 'Tis pitty that they should ever speak word agen. L(AURENCE) P(Rice). LXXVI The Fair Maid's Choice; or The Seaman's Renown Being a pleasant Song made of a Saylor, Who excells a Miller, Weaver, and a Taylor, Likewise brave gallants that goes fine and rare None of them with a Seaman can compare. To the tune of Shrewsbury for me'. As I through Sandwich town passed along, I gave good attention unto her new ditty, of all sorts of tradesmen a Seaman for me. The fair Maid's song in praise of a Seaman The gallant brave Seaman God bless him I say, Of all sorts of Gallants so gaudy and fine, For a Seaman will venture his life and his blood, then of all, &c. He ventures for traffique upon the salt seas, Amongst all your tradesmen and merchants so brave, I can't set my fancy none of them to have, With a thievish Miller I never will deal, Likewise a pimping Taylor and a lowsie weaver, To steal cloath and yarn they'l do their endeavour, Such fellows are not for my company, but of all, &c. Also the Carpenter and the Shoomaker, The Blacksmith, the brewer, and likewise the baker, Some of them use knavery, and some honesty, but of all, &c. For I love a Seaman as I love my life, And I am resolv'd to be a Seamans Wife, No man else in England my husband shall be, Now ile tell why I love a Seaman so dear, If that I were worth a whole ship-load of gold, then of all, &c. Through fire and Water I would go I swear, For the sake of my true love whom I love so dear, If I might have an Earl i'de forsake him for he; then of all, &c. Here's a health to my dear, come pledge me who please, so of all sorts of tradesmen a Seaman for me. T. L(ANFIERE). |