And brings in maintenance

to keep them alive,

As raw silk and cotton wool,
to card and to spin,
And so by their labours
their livings comes in.
Most men are beholding
to Sea-men we see,
With none but a Sea-man
I married will be.

The Mercer's beholding
we know well enough,
For Holland, Lawn, Cambrick,
and other gay stuff,
That's brought from beyond seas
by Sea-men so bold,

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,
the Sea-men does good,
And sometimes comes off with
loss of much blood,

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 heard a brave Damsel singing of this song,
In the praise of a Saylor she sung gallantly,
of all sorts of tradesmen a Seaman for me.

I gave good attention unto her new ditty,
My thoughts it was wondrous gallant and pretty,
With a voice sweet and pleasant most neatly sung she,

of all sorts of tradesmen a Seaman for me.

The fair Maid's song in praise of a Seaman
Come, all you fair maidens in country and town,
Lend your attention to what is pen'd down;
And let your opinions with mine both agree,
of all sorts of tradesmen a Seaman for me.

The gallant brave Seaman God bless him I say,
He is a great pains-taker both night and day,
When he's on the Ocean so hard worketh he,
then of all, &c.

Of all sorts of Gallants so gaudy and fine,
That with gold and silver so bravely doth shine,
The Seaman doth out-pass them in each degree,
then of all, &c.

For a Seaman will venture his life and his blood,
For the sake of his King and his countries good,
He is valiant and gallant in every degree,

then of all, &c.

He ventures for traffique upon the salt seas,
To pleasure our Gentry which lives at ease,
Through many dangerous places pass he,
then of all, &c.

Amongst all your tradesmen and merchants so brave,

I can't set my fancy none of them to have,
But a Seaman I will have my husband to be,
then of all, &c.

With a thievish Miller I never will deal,
Because out of a bushel a peck he will steal,
I will have no society with such knaves as he,
but of all, &c.

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,
then of all, &c.

Now ile tell why I love a Seaman so dear,
I have to my Sweet-heart a Seaman most rare,
He is a stout proper Lad as you shall see,
then of all, &c.

If that I were worth a whole ship-load of gold,
My love should possess it, and with it make bold,
I would make him master of every penny,

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,
To all gallant seamen that sail on the seas,
Pray God bless and keep them from all dangers free,

so of all sorts of tradesmen a Seaman for me.

T. L(ANFIERE).