The Jovial Crew: OR, Beggars-Bush, In which a mad Maunder doth vapour and swagger, With praiseing the Trade of a bonny bold Beggar.  
To the tune of, From hunger, and cold, etc.  
 

A Beggar, a Beggar,  
A Beggar I'll be.  
There's none leads a Life so jocund as he;  
A Beggar I was  
And a Beggar I am,  
a Beggar I'll be, from a Beggar I came:  
If (as it gins) our Trading do fall,  
I fear (at the last) we shall be Beggars all  
Our Tradesmen miscarry in all their Affairs,  
And few men grow wealthy, but Courtiers and Players   

A Craver my Father,  
A Maunder my Mother,  
A Filer my Sister, a Filcher my Brother,  
A Cauter my Uncle  
That cared not for Pelf;  
a Lifter my Aunt, a Beggar myself;  
in white wheaten-straw, when their bellies were full,  
Then I was begot, between Tinker & Trul  
And therefore a Beggar, a Beggar I'll be,  
For none hath a spirit so jocund as he.   

When Boys do come to us,  
And that their intent is  
to follow out Calling, we ne'er bind them Apprentice  
Soon as they come too't,  
We teach them to do't  
and give them a staff, & a Wallet to booed,  
We teach them their Lingua, to crave and to Cant,  
The devil is in them, if then they can want,  
If any are here, that Beggars will be,  
We without Indentures will make them free.   

We beg for our bread,  
But sometimes it happens,  
we feast it with Pigg, Pullet, Couny and Capons,  
For Church's Affairs,  
We are no Men-slayers;  
We have no Religion, yet live by our Prayers  
But if when we beg, Men will not draw their purses,  
We charge & give fire, with a valley of curses  
The Devil confound your good worship we cry  
And such a bold brazenfaced Beggar am I   

The second Part, To the same Tune,  

We do Things in season,  
And have so much Reason,  
we raise no Rebellion, nor never talk Treason.  
We Billet our mates  
At very low Rates,  
whilst some keep their Quarters as high as the Gates  
With Shinkin ap Morgan, with Blew-cap, or Tege,  
We enter into no Covenant, nor League:  
And therefore a bonny bold Beggar I'll be;  
For none lives a life so happy as he.   

We never do prate,  
In matters of State,  
For fear we should come to Hugh Peter his Fate  
Whilst Scripture unfolders,  
And Treason upholders,  
Have lost their heads, we keep ours on our shoulders  
Our Plots & our Projects, are never so tall  
To reach to the Topmast of Westminster-hall  
And therefore a merry brave Beggar I'll be,  
For none wears his Noddle so safely as he.   

For such petty Pledges,  
As Shirts from the Hedges,  
we are not in fear to be drawn upon Sledges  
But sometimes the Whip,  
Doth make us to skip,  
And then we from Tything to Tything do trip,  
For when in a poor housing-ken we do bib it  
We stand more in awe of the Stocks than the Gibbet:  
And therefore a merry mad Beggar I'll be,  
For when it is night, to the Barn goes he.   

We throw down no Altar,  
Nor ever do falter  
So much, as to change a Gold-Chain, for a Halter:  
Though some men do flout us;  
And others do doubt us,  
we ne'er go without forty pieces about us;  
But many brave fellows are fine & look fiercer  
That own for their  to the Tailor and Mercer:  
And if from the Stocks I can keep out my feet,  
I fear not the Compter, Kings-bench nor the Fleet.   

Sometimes I do frame,  
Myself to be lame;  
and when a coach comes, I do hop to my game:  
We seldom miscarry,  
Yet never do Marry,  
By the Gowns Common-Prayer, nor the Cloak Directory,  
But Harry & Mary (like birds of a feather)  
do nothing but kiss, laugh, & lie down together  
Like Pigs in the peas-straw, intangld they lie  
Till there they beget such a bold Rogue as I   

To sum all in brief,  
We live by relief,  
And pray for King Charles, our Commander in chief:  
God bless all the Peers,  
The wise Overseers,  
that they may consider the poor Cavaliers,  
For if they let them but lower to fall,  
they'll take our profession & beggar us all:  
And then it will be but a folly for me,  
A merry soul'd, bonny bold Beggar to be.     

London, Printed for W. Thackeray, T. Passenger, and W. Whitwood.