%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> [THE] / Young-Man & Maidens Fore-cast; / SHEWING HOW / They Reckon'd their Chickens before they were Hatcht. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center Director Patricia Fumerton 1672-1696 Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 03/11/2008 22035

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Patricia Fumerton Early Modern Center - English Department University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93105 United States of America EMail: pfumer@english.ucsb.edu

4.371 R186951 1 The Country Farmer. Or, The Devonshire Damosels- King James's Jig; The Country Farmer The Country Farmer. Or, The Devonshire Damsels- I'LL tell you a Iest of a Provident Lass, / Whose Providence prov'd her a Provident Ass; imprint unclear: Printed for P. Brooksby, at the Golden B[a]ll in Pye-Corner, near / West-Smithfield. Pepys 4.371 Wing Y106 Pepys Library The Pepys ballads : facsimile volume Editor W.G. Day D.S. Brewer Cambridge [England] 1987 Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 4: 371 [THE] / Young-Man & Maidens Fore-cast; / SHEWING HOW / They Reckon'd their Chickens before they were Hatcht. [THE] Young-Man & Maidens Fore-cast; SHEWING HOW They Reckon'd their Chickens before they were Hatcht. The Young-man and Maiden's Forecast; Showing How They Reckoned Their Chickens before They Were Hatched. 1/2 sheet oblong folio, 200 x 320 cropped and torn top and right edges, set-off from opposite page visible vertical rule 1672-1696 Printed for P. Brooksby, at the Golden Ball in Pye-Corner, near / West-Smithfield. P. Brooksby BBTI

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 Taxonomy used by Pepys to Organize Ballads in Albums A Small Promiscuous Supplement Devotion & Morality Drinking & Good Fellowship History - True & Fabulous Humour, Frollicks &c Love Pleasant Love Pleasant and Unfortunate Love Unfortunate Marriage Sea State & Times Tragedy Various Subjects Early Modern Center Ballad Project Keyword Taxonomy advice affliction/health alcohol animals/nature appearance Bible/biblical figures buildings/architecture catastrophe children class clothing/fashion country/nation crime death economics/trade entertainment family/procreation folklore gender historical figures & events holidays/seasons infidelity law London love maritime marriage military/war monstrosity mythology/Classical world news nobility/court politics/government punishment religious concepts religious figures religious types & sects royalty rural life servitude sex/sexuality supernatural/magic The New World travel trickery/deceit urban life vice violence virtue vulgarities/crass humor Library of Congress Subject Heading Taxonomy 3/11/2008 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America Various Subjects 03/11/08 Checker Rachel Mann Fixed tune 03/11/08 Checker Rachel Mann Metadata updated, xml created 07/24/07 Checker Rachel Mann Ballad Checked 11/07/06 Transcriber Cat Zusky Original transcription 9/20/2004 Bibliographer Maggie Sloan Bibliographic SQL Database Record Created
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I LL tell you a Jest of a Provident Lass, Whose Providence prov'd her a Provident Ass; She laid forth her store in such brittle Ware, That very small profit did fall to her share; Thirteen to the Dozen of Eggs she would buy, And set a Hen over them carefully; As long as she went her footing she watch'd, She counted her Chickens before they were Hatch'd.
Said she, if these Chickens five Capons do prove, Capons be Meat which Gentlemen love; Those Chickens she would sell to buy a Sow-Pig, That it might have young ones e're it was big: Then with her Pigs she would have an Ewe, It may have Lambs not kill'd with the Dew: And as she was thinking to buy her a Calf, Her Heels they flew from her a Yard and a half.
Her Heels kiss'd the ground, and [up] [f]lew [her] Leggs, Down came her Basket, and broke all her Eggs; There lay her Pigs, her Chickens, her Lambs She could not have young ones except she had Dams Thus Fortune did frown by a fall that she catcht, Her Chickens prov'd Addle before they were Hatcht: Attend but a while, and I'll briefly declare, Bad fortune did likewise fall to the Mans share. And now the Man to the Market will go, To see what Dame Nature on him will bestow; He bought him five Eggs, thinking to Thrive, And thus did the business finely contrive? Said he, if these Eggs five Cocks they will frame, And most of them prove to be Cocks of the Game, So soon as their Spurs are long enough grown, Then I may ingross a Cock-Pit of my own. Then may I have Gallants of every sort, Both Lords, Knights, and Squires, and all to see spor[t] If they Fight bravely these Gallants to please, I may come to get Means by the rearing of these: And when I have done, I'll get me a rich Wife, That I may live happy all days of my Life, And in the Church we will be loving matcht, But count not your Chickens before they be Hatcht. And when he came home he set his Eggs by, He could not get up the Roost was so high; But fetching a Ladder that unhappy time, It was his hard luck with his Eggs for to Climb These Ladders prove fatal to many a Man, And are undone by them now and than; So was this poor Man undone by a fall, Down comes the Basket, Man, Eggs and all. There lay the poor Man with a fall almost Lame, His Cock-Pits and Gallants, and Cocks of the Game The loosing of this grieved him to the Life, Yet the grief it was more in the loss of his Wife: All you Young Men live vertuous Lives, And think to get Portions now by your Wives; Take warning by me before you are Matcht, Pray count not your Chickens before they be Hatcht.
FINIS.
Printed for P. Brooksby , at the Golden Bull in Pye-Corner, near West-Smithfield.