%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> The Mad Merry Pranks of Robin Good-fellow. Jonson, Ben University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center Director Patricia Fumerton 1678-1678 Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 03/05/2012 31963

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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

R180255 1 Dulcina Dulcina Dulcina FRom Obrion in Fairy Land, / the King of Ghosts and shaddows there, ho ho ho. Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 204 The Mad Merry Pranks of Robin Good-fellow. The Mad Merry Pranks of Robin Good-fellow. The Mad Merry Pranks of Robin Goodfellow. Jonson, Ben 1678-1678 F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, J. Clark, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger

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 Early Modern Center Ballad Project Keyword Taxonomy advice affliction/ health alcohol Americas 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 groups royalty rural life servitude sex/ sexuality supernatural/ magic travel trickery/ deceit urban life vice violence virtue vulgar humor youth/ age Library of Congress Subject Heading Taxonomy 3/5/2012 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America animals/ nature folklore supernatural/ magic vulgar humor Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 3/5/2012 5:54:28 PM XBallad Campbell, Katharine Created XML Version of Ballad 3/5/2012 5:54:28 PM Transcription Supervisor Murphy, Jessica Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/5/2012 5:54:28 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Jiminez-Justiniano, Jose Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/5/2012 5:54:28 PM Transcriptionist Two Andrews, B. Sharkey Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/5/2012 5:54:28 PM Transcriptionist One Reese, Ryan Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/8/2011 Checker Maria Baruxis Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 3/31/2011 Checker Shannon Meyer Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 2/15/2011 Bibliographer Shannon Meyer Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">The Mad Merry Pranks of <hi rend="bold">Robin Good-fellow.</hi></hi></seg> <seg n="2" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">To the Tune of, <hi rend="bold">Dulcina</hi>.</hi></seg>
FRom Obrion in Fairy Land, the King of Ghosts and shaddows there, Mad Robin I at his command, am sent to view the Night-sports here: What Revel Rout, Is kept about, In every corner where I go; I will ore see, And merry be, And make good sport with, ho ho ho. More swift then Lightning can I flye, and round about this Ayr welkin soon, And in a minutes space discry, each thing thats done beneath the Moon: Theres not a Hag, Nor Ghost shall wag, Nor cry Goblin where I do go, But Robin I, Their feats will spy, And fear them home with, ho ho ho. If any Wanderers I meet, that from their night-sports do trudge home, With counterfeiting voice I greet, and cause them on with me to rome Through woods, through lakes,
Through bogs through brakes, Ore Bush and Bryer with them I go, I call upon Them to come on, And wend me laughing, ho ho ho. Sometimes I meet them like a man, sometimes an Ox, sometimes a Hound, And to a Horse I turn me can, to trip and trot about them round: But if to Ride, My back they stride, More swift then wind, away I go, Ore hedge and Lands, Through Pools and Ponds, I whirry laughing, ho ho ho. When Lads and Lasses merry be, with Possets and with junkets fine, Unseen of all the Company, I eat their Cakes and drink their Wine: And to make sport, I fart and snort, And out the Candles I do blow, The Maids I kiss, They shriek, whose this? I answer nought but, ho ho ho.
YEt now and then the Maids to please, I Card at midnight up their Wool, And while they sleep, snort, fart, and snease, with Wheel to thread their Flax I pull: I grind at Mill, Their Mault up still, I dress their hemp, I spin their Tow, If any [wa]ke, And would me take, I wend me laughing, ho ho ho. When House or Herth doth fluttish lye, I pinch the Maids there black and blew, And from the Bed, the Bed-cloaths I, pull off and lay them nakd to view: Twixt sleep and wake, I do them take, And on the Key-cold flower them throw, If out they cry, Then forth flye I, And loudly Laugh, ho ho ho. When any need to borrow ought, we lend them what they do require, And for the use demand we nought, our own is all we do desire: If to repay, They do delay, Abroad amongst them then I go, And night by night, I them affright With pinching dreams, and ho ho ho. When lazy queans have nought to do, but study how to cog and lye; To make debate and mischief too, twixt one another secretly: I mark their glose,
And it disclose To them which they have wronged so: When I have done, I get me gone, And leave them scolding, ho ho ho. When men do traps and Engines set in loop-holes where the Vermine creep, That from their Folds and Houses steal their Ducks and Geese, their Lambs & sheep I spy the gin, And enter in, And seems a Vermine taken so; But when they there, Approach me near, I leap out laughing, ho ho ho. By Wells and Giles in Meadows green, we nightly dance our hay-day guise, And to our Fairy King and Queen, we chaunt our Moon-light harmonies: When Larks gin sing, Away we fling, And Babes new-born steal as we go: An Elf in bed, We leave in stead, And wend us laughing, ho ho ho. From Hay-bred Merlins time have I, thus mighty Reveld to and fro, And for my Pranks Men call me by the name of Robin Good-fellow. Fiends, Ghosts, and Sprites, That haunt the nights, The Hags and Goblins do me know And Beldams old, My feats have told, So Vale, vale, ho ho ho.
Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, J. Clark, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger.