%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> THE / Scottish Contract / OR, / A Marriage agreement betwixt wanton / Willy and mincing Meggy. / All pleasant humours this will fit, / For a merrier song was never writ. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center Director Patricia Fumerton 1640-1640 Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 03/06/2012 31987

The University of California makes a claim of copyright only to original contributions made by Early Modern Center participants and other members of the university community. The University of California makes no claim of copyright to the original text. Permission is granted to download, transmit or otherwise reproduce, distribute or display the contributions to this work claimed by The University of California for non-profit educational purposes, provided that this header is included in its entirety. For inquiries about commercial uses, please contact:

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

R183624 NOw welcome Meggy, my dear / Thy beauty my senses Charm; Then let us provide for bedding / And all that is bonny and gay, / For weele have a joviall wedding / The Piper shall sweetly play. [with variation] Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 323 THE / Scottish Contract / OR, / A Marriage agreement betwixt wanton / Willy and mincing Meggy. / All pleasant humours this will fit, / For a merrier song was never writ. THE Scottish Contract OR, A Marriage agreement betwixt wanton Willy and mincing Meggy. All pleasant humours this will fit, For a merrier song was never writ. THE Scottish Contract OR, A Marriage agreement betwixt wanton Willy and mincing Meggy. All pleasant humors this will fit, For a merrier song was never writ. 1640-1640 Richard Burton

This document follows the guidelines specified for TEI.

XML Generated Automatically at 3/6/2012 1:26:16 PM Using EMC

XBallad Parsing Engine developed by Carl Stahmer.

TEI Template developed by Gerald Egan and Modified by Carl Stahmer

All apostrophes are encoded as '.

Any dashs occurring in line breaks have been removed;

All dashs are encoded as ‐ and all em dashes as —.

 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 3/6/2012 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America clothing/ appearance entertainments love marriage Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 3/6/2012 1:26:16 PM XBallad Persico, Eryn Created XML Version of Ballad 3/6/2012 1:26:16 PM Transcription Supervisor Becker, Charlotte Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/6/2012 1:26:16 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Palmer Browne, Megan Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/6/2012 1:26:16 PM Transcriptionist Two Roshetko, Kelsey Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/6/2012 1:26:16 PM Transcriptionist One Persico, Eryn Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/1/2011 Checker Grafals Michael Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 3/1/2011 Checker Grafals Michael Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 3/1/2011 Checker Grafals Michael Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 3/1/2011 Checker Grafals Michael Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 2/16/2011 Bibliographer Charlotte Becker Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created 11/28/2011 Checker Megan Palmer Browne Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 11/28/2011 Checker Megan Palmer Browne Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 11/28/2011 Checker Megan Palmer Browne Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 11/28/2011 Checker Megan Palmer Browne Edited Ballad Catalogue Record
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">THE</hi></seg> <seg n="2" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Scottish Contract</hi></seg> <seg n="3" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">OR,</hi></seg> <seg n="4" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">A Marriage agreement betwixt wanton</hi></seg> <seg n="5" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">Willy</hi> and mincing <hi rend="bold">Meggy</hi>.</hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="6" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">All pleasant humours this will fit,</hi></hi></seg> <seg n="7" rend="left"><hi rend="bold"><hi rend="italic">For a merrier song was never writ.</hi></hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="8" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">To a delightfull Scotch Tune, or <hi rend="bold">I am a silly old man</hi></hi></seg>
NOw welcome Meggy, my dear, Thy beauty my senses Charm; Come sit down bonnily here, For Willy means thee no harm: And freely before we part A happy conclusion make, That Willys poore tender heart No longer for Meggy doe ake. Then let us provide for bedding And all that is bonny and gay, For weele have a joviall wedding The Piper shall sweetly play. O wanton Willy tis long Since I lay in thy Arms, Thou dost thy Meggy wrong To say that her beauty charms, But if it be thy desire And honestly thou art bent, What ever thou shalt require, Poore Meggy will give consent. Then let us provide for bedding, etc. Now Meggy our hearts are knit, And Summer is in the prime: My dear lets dally a bit A little before the time: O Willy we never were wedded Before either Priest or Clark, To part with my Maiden head, I will not for twenty mark: Then let, etc.
My hony thou needs not feare, So faithfull I will remain, Then doe not refuse my dear A little to ease my pain: O Willy untill we are wed, I never will yeeld thats flat, I rather will lose my head, Then tell me no more of that. But let us provide for bedding, etc. Dear Meggy my fault forgive, To try thee was my intent, What needs thou at all to grieve, My folly I doe repent; O Willy my onely dear, Had you such a minde to trap, Thy Meggy which is so clear, As baby that sucks the Pap. Then let us provide, etc. Now Meggy we are together I think it not labor waste, If we do in time consider Our busines how to cast; Dear Willy thou speakest right, And since we are both agreed, Our friends we must all invite, The better that we may speed. Then let us provide for bedding, And all that is bonny and gay, For weele have a joviall wedding, The Piper shall merrily play.
THen Meggy I hold it fit, The Vicar be our chief guest, That he with his learned wit, The better may grace our Feast: Faith Willy thou art no lyer, A Dinner it is his due, And Saxteen pence his hyre For wedding both me and you. Then let us provide for bedding, And all that is bonny and gay, For weel have a jovial wedding The Piper aloud shall play. Weele not spare for bidding Although we be something poore Weele keep such a wedding As never was kept before: Weele have Joccy my Cozen And Jenny his lass with him, Bonny Lads by the doozen, And Lasses that are so trim. Then let us provide, etc. Now Meggy I think it best The Piper be prepard, For he must be our guest, Or else our mirth is marrd; O hony what ere do chance Weele have that Lad so brisk, Then Willy shall see me dance, With many a wanton frisk, Then let us provide for bedding, etc. Then since we are gone so far, That Meggy must be my Bride, I think we had best take care What Victuals we shall provide; Faith Willy my Lad so free, Thy Meggy can please her guesse, And thou shalt plainly see, Now I my dinner will dresse. Then let us provide, etc.
First, weele have lang-cale Pottage, And Puddings of Barley meale, Salt-Beef and Cabbadge To relish a Coage of Ale; Oate Cakes steept for Brewis, And Bannacks that are so brown; Cards and Whay, and Sowings, And liquor the best in Town. Then let us provide, etc. Troth Meggy it were but fit, That we had a shank of Roast, My Willy we want a Spit, And weele we may spare the cost: But if thy money recruit Against our Wedding day, Go buy a good frieze suit Home spun of Country gray. Then let us provide for bedding, etc. My bonny thou wilt be glad To see thy Willy so brave, But when I am neatly clad, What shall my bonny lasse have, Faith Willy Ile buy twa Coats That shall be spanking new, For Sax and twenty Groats, Weele blended boath with Blew. Then let us provide, etc. A Bridegroome stalk to bring, My hony doe not forget, And ile provide a Ring For Meggy to wear of Jeat: And now adieu to my dear, Next Holiday weele be Wed, My Willy thou needs not feare, Thou shalt have a Maiden-head. Then let us provide for bedding, And all that is bonny and gay, For weele have a jovial Wedding, The Piper shall sweetly play.
Finis. London, Printed for Richard Burton at the Horshoe in Smithfield.