%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> The SEA-Martyrs; / OR, / The Seamen's sad Lamentation for their Faithful Ser- / vice, Bad Pay, and Cruel Usage. / Being a woful Relation how some of them were unmercifully put to / Death for pressing for their Pay, when their Families were like / to starve. / Thus our New Government does Subjects serve, / And leaves them this sad choice to hang or starve. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center Director Patricia Fumerton 1691 Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 02/22/2008 22198

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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

5.375r-v R183640 1 Banstead Downs Come live with me and Be My Love Banstead Downs GOod People, do but lend an Ear, / And a sad Story you shall hear, date from Rollins; broadsheet lifted from p.375 to expose verso, and inlaid, thus leaving original p.375 blank; Ms. annotation invisible in facsimile; Ms. Annotation: [Tune:] To the Tune of Banstead Downs. or Jane Shore [1st stanza, line 3:] A sadder you have never heard, [1st stanza, line 5:] Which will all English Subjects fright; imprint cropped. Pepys 5.375 Rollins (1) VI:9-13; Wing ?S2170A 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. 5: 375r-v The SEA-Martyrs; / OR, / The Seamen's sad Lamentation for their Faithful Ser- / vice, Bad Pay, and Cruel Usage. / Being a woful Relation how some of them were unmercifully put to / Death for pressing for their Pay, when their Families were like / to starve. / Thus our New Government does Subjects serve, / And leaves them this sad choice to hang or starve. The SEA-Martyrs; OR, The Seamen's sad Lamentation for their Faithful Ser- vice, Bad Pay, and Cruel Usage. Being a woeful Relation how some of them were unmercifully put to Death for pressing for their Pay, when their Families were like to starve. Thus our New Government does Subjects serve, And leaves them this sad choice to hang or starve. The Sea Martyrs; Or, the Seaman's Sad Lamentation for Their Faithful Service, Bad Pay, and Cruel Usage. Being a Woeful Relation How Some of Them Were Unmercifully Put to Death for Pressing for Their Pay, When Their Families Were Like to Starve. Thus Our New Government Does Subjects Serve, and Leaves Them This Sad Choice to Hang or Starve. 1/2 sheet folio, mounted, 270 x 160 cropped outer edge, uneven inking, verso shows through horizontal and vertical rules 1691 Weinstein: Rollins

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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 2/22/2008 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America Sea country/nation crime death economics/trade maritime military/war politics/government punishment royalty 02/22/08 Checker Rachel Mann Updated metadata, created xml 08/02/07 Checker Rachel Mann Checked transcription 09/19/06 Transcriber Paxton Hehmeyer Original transcription 10/24/2004 Bibliographer Maggie Sloan Bibliographic SQL Database Record Created
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GOod People, do but lend an Ear, And a sad Story you shall hear, A sadder you never heard, Of due Desert and base Reward, Which will English Subjects fright For our New Government to fight. Our Seamen are the onely Men That o'er the French did Vict'ry gain, They kept the Foe from landing here, Which would have cost the Court full dear; And when they for their Pay did hope, They were rewarded with a Rope. The roaring Canon they ne'er fear'd, Their Lives and Bloud they never spar'd; Through Fire and Flame their Courage flew, No Bullets could their Hearts subdue. Had they in Fight but flincht at all King James had now been in Whitehall. Thus England, and our New King too, Their Safety to their Valour owe; Nay, some did 'gainst their Conscience fight, To do some Great Ones too much Right; And now, oh barbarous Tyranny! Like Men they fought, like Dogs they dye. Thousands of them their Lives did lose In fighting stoutly with their Foes, And thousands wero so maim'd in Fight, That 'twas a sad and piteous sight; And when they hop'd their Pay to gain They have their Labour for their Pain. Their starving Families at home Expected their slow Pay would come; But our proud Court meant no such thing, Not one Groat must they have till Sping; To starve all Summer would not do, They must still starve all Winter too.
It might a little ease their Grief, And give their Mis'ry some relief, Might they in Trade Ships outward go, But that poor Boon's denied them too; Which is as much as plain to say, You shall earn nothing, nor have Pay. Their poor Wives with Care languished, Their Children cried for want of Bread, Their Debts encreast, and none would more Lend them, or let them run oth' score. In such a case what could they doe But ask those who did Money owe? Therefore some bolder than the rest The Officers for their Own request, They call'd 'em Rogues, and said, Nothing Was due to them untill the Spring: The King had none for them they said, Their Betters they must first be paid. The honest Seamen then replied They could no longer Want abide, And that Nine hundred thousand Pound Was giv'n last year to pay them round, Their Money they had earnt full dear, And could not stay another half Year. A Council then they streight did call Of Pick-thanks made to please Whitehall, And there they were adjudg'd to dye; But no Man knows wherefore, nor why. What times are these! Was't ever known Twas Death for Men to ask their own? Yet some seem'd milder than the rest, And told them, that their Fault confest, And Pardon askt, and humbly crav'd, Their Lives perhaps might then be sav'd: But they their Cause scorn'd to betray, Or own't a Crime to ask their Pay. Thus
Thus they the Seamens Martyrs dyed, And would not yield to unjust Pride, Their Lives they rather would lay down Than yield it sin to ask their own. Thus they for Justice spent their Blood, To do all future Seamen good. Wherefore let Seamen all and some, Keep the days of their Martyrdom, And bear in mind these dismal times, When true Men suffer for false Crimes; England ne'er knew the like till now, Nor e'er again the like will know. But now suppose they had done ill, In asking Pay too roughly, still When 'twas their due, and Need so prest, They might have Pardon found at least; The King and Queen some mercifull call, But Seamen find it not at all. To Robbers, Thieves, and Felons, they Freely grant Pardons ev'ry day; Only poor Seamen, who alone Do keep them in their Fathers Throne, Must have at all no Mercy shown: Nay, tho there wants fault, they'l find one.
Where is the Subjects Liberty? And eke where is their Property? We're forc'd to fight for nought, like Slaves, And though we do, we're hang'd like Knaves. This is not like Old Englands ways, New Lords, new Laws, the Proverb says. Besides the Seamans Pay, that's spent, The King for Stores, Ships, and what's lent, Does owe Seven Millions at the least, And ev'ry year his Debt's encreast; So that we may despair that we One quarter of our Pay shall see. Foreigners and Confederates Get poor Men's Pay, rich Men's Estates; Brave England does to ruine run, And Englishmen must be undone. If this Trade last but one half Year, Our Wealth and Strength is spent, I fear. God bless our noble Parliament, And give them the whole Government, That they may see we're worse than ever, And us from lawless Rule deliver; For England's sinking, unless they Do take the Helm, and better sway.
FINIS.