%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> RALPH and NELL's / Ramble to OXFORD. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center Director Patricia Fumerton 1763-1763 Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 04/21/2011 31190

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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

T46270 I Heard much talk of Oxford town, / And fain I would go thither, Roxburghe Ballads Editor None None None None Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 3: 490 3: 491 RALPH and NELL's / Ramble to OXFORD. RALPH and NELL’s Ramble to OXFORD. RALPH and NELL’s Ramble to OXFORD. 1763-1763

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 Early Modern Center Ballad Project Keyword Taxonomy advice affliction/ health alcohol animals/ nature Bible/ biblical figures buildings/ architecture catastrophe children class clothing/ appearance country/ nation crime death economics/ commerce entertainments family folklore gender holidays/ seasons infidelity labor/ craft law London love maritime marriage military/ war monstrosity mythology/ Classical news nobility/ court politics/ government procreation punishment race/ ethnicity 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 youth/ age Library of Congress Subject Heading Taxonomy 4/21/2011 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America family travel urban life Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 4/21/2011 2:39:40 PM XBallad Meyer, Shannon Created XML Version of Ballad 4/21/2011 2:39:40 PM Transcription Supervisor McAbee, Kristina, Nebeker, Eric Transcription of ballad manuscript 4/21/2011 2:39:40 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Meyer, Shannon Transcription of ballad manuscript 4/21/2011 2:39:40 PM Transcriptionist Two Foley, Christopher Transcription of ballad manuscript 4/21/2011 2:39:40 PM Transcriptionist One Fadel, Meghan Transcription of ballad manuscript 1/23/2009 Bibliographer Meghan Fadel Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created 1/19/2011 Checker Grafals Michael Edited Ballad Catalogue Record
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">RALPH</hi></hi> <hi rend="italic">and <hi rend="bold">NELL</hi>s</hi></seg> <seg n="2" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Ramble to <hi rend="bold">OXFORD.</hi></hi></seg>
I Heard much talk of Oxford town, And fain I would go thither, When plowing and sowing time was done, It being gallant Weather. Vather did to it agree, That Nell and I should go. But Mother cryd, That we should ride, So we had Dobbin too. Zo I goes unto zister Nell, And bids her to make ready, And put on her Zunday close, As vine as any Lady; Tis a gallant day, the morning grey, And likely to be fair: Therefore make haste, and soon be lacd, And Ill go bait the mare. So upon the Mare we got, And away we rid together; And every body that we met, We askd how far twas thither? Till at the last, when on the top Of Chisledon we did rise, I somewhat spyd like steeples and cryd, Zooks, Nell, look yonder it is. But when as nearer tot we came, We zee volks infant thick; I heard a little bastard zay, Look here come country Dick.
Another bastard calld me Ralph, And how its honest Joan? Nay Roger too, and little Sue, And all the folks at home. Zo we rode on, and nothing said, But looked for an alehouse; At last we zee a hugeous sign, As big as any gallows: It was Two Dogs, so in we rode, And called for the hostler; Out came a lusty fellow then I want he was a Wrestler. Here take this horse, and seten up, And gien a lock of hay; For we are come to zee the town, And tarry here all day. Yes, Sir, said he, and calld the maid, That stood within the entry; She had us into a room as clean, As tho we had been gentry. Zo we zet down, and bid them fetch A flaggon of their beer: But when it come Nell shook her head, And zed, Twas plaguy dear. Zays she to me, If we stay here long, Twill soon make us go a begging, For I am zure it cannot be Zo much as old Martins flaggon.
Zo we got up, and away we went, To zee the gallant town, And at the gate we met a man In a pitiful ragged gown: As for his sleeves, I do believe, That they were both torn off, And instead of a hat he wore a cap, Twas a trencher coverd with cloth. And as we were going along the town, I thought I had found a knife, I stooped down to pick it up, But was neer so shamd in my life; For the under sides was all beshit With an errant Christians turd; The boys fell a hallowing an April Fool! But I zed never a Word. As we went thro a narrow Lane, One catchd vast hold of zister, Hed parsons close, and he didnt know us, But fain he would have kist her. He was so plaguy vine, but to my mind, He lookd much like a Wencher; I up with my stick and gien a lick, I believe it split his trencher. Then we went into a very vine place, And there we went to church, I kneeled down to say my prayers, And did not think any hurt: In the middle of the prayerst just up stairs, Was bagpipes to my thinking; And the folks below fell a singing too, As tho they had been drinking. I did not like the doing there, And zo I took my hat; I did not think they zo had done, In such a place as that: But Nell was for staying till they had done playing, Because she likd the tunes, But she was sure she neer did hear Old Crundall play such at home. Then we went into a vine garden, All upon a hill; And just below a Dial did go, Much like a Waggon Wheel; But bigger by half, which made me laugh Twas like a garden Knot:
When the zun shine bright, it went as right, As our parsons clock. Then we went out of this vine place, And went into an other; Which was vorty times as vine As any of the other: Bless me! our John quite all along Theres book pild up like mows: Vaith Nell, that I wish my mother was here, If it was not for the cows. And in the middle stood two things, As round as any ball; They told us twas the picture of The World, the Zee and all; And those who knew how to turn them right, And how to turn them round, Could tell us what a clock it was In the World under ground. And many more things they could tell That was as most as strange; As when the zun should set and rise, And when the moon should change, I did not care to stand so near, When all those things I heard; For I thought in my heart it was the Black-Art, And I was a little afraid. The zun being low, than we began To think of going home; But one thing more we saw before We got quite out of town, We went apace, for being in haste, For fear of being benighted; Two hugeous men stood strutting within, And Nell and I was frighted. Nell had a colour as red as a ose, And durst not go no furder, They had bloody weapons in their hands, And stood ready there for murder. So we went back and got the mare, And away went trotting home, With stories enough to tell vather and mother And little zister Joan.
Printed and Sold in Aldermary Church- Yard. Bow Lane, London.