%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> RALPH and NELL's / Ramble to OXFORD. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center English Broadside Ballad Archive (EBBA) Director Patricia Fumerton Associate Director Carl G Stahmer ?-? Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 07/11/2014 33018

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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

1 None Dragon of Wantley, The I Heard much talk of Oxford town, / And fain I would go thither, Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 583 RALPH and NELL's / Ramble to OXFORD. RALPH and NELL’s Ramble to OXFORD. RALPH and NELL's Ramble to OXFORD. ?-?

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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 Featured 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 7/11/2014 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America family travel urban life Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 7/11/2014 2:23:36 PM XBallad Russ, Theresa Created XML Version of Ballad 7/11/2014 2:23:36 PM Transcription Supervisor Meyer, Shannon Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/11/2014 2:23:36 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Meyer, Shannon Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/11/2014 2:23:36 PM Transcriptionist Two Moss, Benjamin Transcription of ballad manuscript 7/11/2014 2:23:36 PM Transcriptionist One Palmer Browne, Megan Transcription of ballad manuscript 8/20/2013 Checker Shannon Meyer Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 2/6/2013 Checker William Hildalgo Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 10/21/2012 Bibliographer Shannon Meyer Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created
<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 cry'd, 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 lac'd, And I'll go bait the mare. So upon the Mare we got, And away we rid together; And everybody that we met, We ask'd how far 'twas thither? Till at the last, when on the top Of Chisledon we did rise, I somewhat spy'd like steeples and cry'd, Zooks, Nell, look yonder it is. But when as nearer to't we came, We zee volks infant thick; I heard a little bastard zay, Look here come country Dick.
Another bastard call'd me Ralph, And how it's 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 wan't he was a Wrestler. Here take this horse, and set'en up, And gi'en a lock of hay; For we are come to zee the town, And tarry here all day. Yes, Sir, said he, and call'd 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, soon make us go a begging, For I am zure it cannot be Zo much as old Martin's 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, a trencher cover'd 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 ne'er so sham'd in my life; For the under sides was all beshit With an errant Christian's turd; The boys fell a hallowing an April Fool! But I zed never a Word. As we went thro' a narrow Lane, One catch'd vast hold of zister, He'd parson's close, and he did'nt know us, But fain he would have kist her. He was so plaguy vine, but to my mind, He look'd much like a Wencher; I up with my stick and gi'en 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 upstairs, 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 lik'd the tunes, But she was sure she ne'er 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 like a garden Knot:
When the zun shine bright, it went as right, As our parson's clock. Then we went out of this vine place, And went into another; Which was vorty times as vine As any of the other: Bless me! our John quite all along There's book pil'd 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 underground. 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.