%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> A New BALLAD / Of the Three Merry Butchers, / [A]nd Ten High-way Men, how three Butchers went to pay five Hundred pounds away, and hearing a Woman crying in / the Wood, went to Relieve her, and was there set upon by these Ten High-way Men; and how only stout Johnson / fought with them all; who killed Eight of the Ten; and at last was killed by the woman he went to save in the wood. 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 06/23/2014 33075

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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 To an Excellent New Tune. Spanish Gypsies, The To an Excellent New Tune. I'LL tell you of a Story of lovely Butchers three, / There's wison, Gibson, Johnson, mark well what I shall say, Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 593 A New BALLAD / Of the Three Merry Butchers, / [A]nd Ten High-way Men, how three Butchers went to pay five Hundred pounds away, and hearing a Woman crying in / the Wood, went to Relieve her, and was there set upon by these Ten High-way Men; and how only stout Johnson / fought with them all; who killed Eight of the Ten; and at last was killed by the woman he went to save in the wood. A New BALLAD Of the Three Merry Butchers, [A]nd Ten High-way Men, how three Butchers went to pay five Hundred pounds away, and hearing a Woman crying in the Wood, went to Relieve her, and was there set upon by these Ten High-way Men; and how only stout Johnson fought with them all; who killed Eight of the Ten; and at last was killed by the woman he went to save in the wood. A New BALLAD Of the Three Merry Butchers, And Ten Highway Men, how three Butchers went to pay five Hundred pounds away, and hearing a Woman crying in the Wood, went to Relieve her, and was there set upon by these Ten Highway Men; and how only stout Johnson fought with them all; who killed Eight of the Ten; and at last was killed by the woman he went to save in the wood. ?-? J. Bissel

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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 6/23/2014 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America crime death punishment trickery/ deceit violence Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 6/23/2014 12:38:32 PM XBallad Jaworski, Cheryl Created XML Version of Ballad 6/23/2014 12:38:32 PM Transcription Supervisor Meyer, Shannon Transcription of ballad manuscript 6/23/2014 12:38:32 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Meyer, Shannon Transcription of ballad manuscript 6/23/2014 12:38:32 PM Transcriptionist Two Moss, Benjamin Transcription of ballad manuscript 6/23/2014 12:38:32 PM Transcriptionist One Palmer Browne, Megan Transcription of ballad manuscript 8/20/2013 Checker Shannon Meyer Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 8/1/2013 Checker Shannon Meyer Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 8/1/2013 Checker Shannon Meyer Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 2/6/2013 Checker William Hildalgo Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 12/19/2012 Checker Shannon Meyer Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 11/19/2012 Checker Shannon Meyer Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 10/23/2012 Bibliographer Shannon Meyer Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">A New BALLAD</hi></seg> <seg n="2" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Of the Three Merry Butchers,</hi></seg> <seg n="3" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">[A]nd Ten High-way Men, how three Butchers went to pay five Hundred pounds away, and hearing a Woman crying in</hi></seg> <seg n="4" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">the Wood, went to Relieve her, and was there set upon by these Ten High-way Men; and how only stout Johnson</hi></seg> <seg n="5" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">fought with them all; who killed Eight of the Ten; and at last was killed by the woman he went to save in the wood.</hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="6" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">To an Excellent New Tune.</hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="7" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">L</hi>icensed according to Order.</hi></seg>
I'LL tell you of a Story of lovely Butchers three, There's wison, Gibson, Johnson, mark well what I shall say, For they took Five Hundred Pounds, Sir, to pay it all away, For they took Five Hundred Pounds, Sir, to pay it all away, As they rid on the Road, and as fast as they could trig, Strike up your hearts, says Johnson, we'll have a merry jigg, with a high ding ding, with a ho ding ding, with a high ding, [ding dee, and God bless all] good people from evil Company[.]
As they rid on the Road, sir, as fast as they could hie, Strike up your hearts, says Johnson, for I hear a woman cry, With that he steps into the wood and looks himself all round, And there he spy'd a woman with her hair bound to the ground: O woman, O woman, quod Johnson, hast thou no evil company? O no, O no, says the woman, and alas how can that be, For there came ten swaggering blades by, and thus abused me, For there came ten swaggering blades by, and thus abused me.
Johnson being of a valient heart, and bore a valient mind, He wrapt his Cloak about her for to keep her from the wind: with a high ding ding, with a ho ding ding, with a high ding ding dee, and God bless all good people from evil company. Strike up your hearts says Johnson for it's dark all in the sky, She put her finger in her ear and she gave a skreeking cry; With that there came ten swaggering blades with their wea-pons ready drawn, And they boldly came to Johnson, and bolder bid him stand. I will not fight, says wilson, for I had rather die; Or I to fight; says gibson, for I had rather fly, Come on, come on, says Johnson, and fight a man so free, Or stand you still behind my back, and i'll win the Victory, Then Johnsons pistols they flew off till five of them were slain, And then he drew his hanger out with all his might & main, And plaid it about so manfully, till three more he had slain, And plaid it, etc. Come on come on (says the other two) and let us make away, For if we do not hold him too't our lives he takes away; O no, O no (quoth the woman) and alas how can that be, For if you do not hold him too't then hanged you shall be. Johnson fighting these two thieves before, the woman he did not mind, And fighting these two thieves before, she knockt him down behind, O woman, O woman, quoth Johnson, alas what have you done? You have kill'd the bravest Butcher that ever England won. Just as she had killed him there came one Riding by, And saw the deed that she dad done, and seiz'd her presently, She was condemn'd for to be hang'd in Iron chains so strong, At the place where she did Johnson that great & mighty wrong.
London, Printed for J. Bissel at the Hospital-Gate in West Smithfield.