%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> 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 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. 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 03/19/2016 35512

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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 Spanish Gypsies, The I'LL tell you of a Story of lovely Butchers three, / There's Wilson, Gibson, Johnson, mark well what I shall say; Houghton Library Hazlitt EC65 Editor none none none none Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 116 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 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. 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 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. 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 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. Printer T. Norris ?-?

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XML Generated Automatically at 3/19/2016 5:18:33 PM Using EMC

XBallad Parsing Engine developed by Carl G 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;

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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 3/19/2016 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America crime death punishment trickery/ deceit violence Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 3/19/2016 5:18:33 PM XBallad King, Joyce Created XML Version of Ballad 3/19/2016 5:18:33 PM Transcription Supervisor Palmer, Megan Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/19/2016 5:18:33 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Bell, Erik Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/19/2016 5:18:33 PM Transcriptionist Two Ward, Jayne Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/19/2016 5:18:33 PM Transcriptionist One McCants, Kristen Transcription of ballad manuscript 3/10/2016 Checker Katie Adkison Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 2/26/2015 Bibliographer Rachel LevinsonEmley Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created 12/1/2015 Checker Joyce King Edited Ballad Catalogue Record
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I'LL tell you of a Story of lovely Butchers three, There's Wilson, 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 Johns[o]n, we'll have a merry Jigg; With a high ding, ding, with a ho ding, ding, with a high ding, ding a dee, And God bless all good People from evil Company.
As they rid on the Road, Sir, as fa as they could hye: 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! quoth Johnson, hast thou no evil Company. O no, O no, says the Woman: And, alas! how can that be? For there cam ten swaggering Blades by, and thus abused me; For there came, etc.
Johnson being of a valiant Heart, he bore a valiant Mind, He wrap his Cloak about her, for to keep her from the Wind: With a hith ding, etc. God blessg, etc. Strike up your Hearts, says Johnson, for it's dark all in the Sky. She put her Finger in her Ear, and gave a screeking cry; With that there met Ten swaggering blades with their weapons ready drawn, And they boldly came to Johnson, and boldy 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 was slain, And then he drew his Hanger out with all his Might and Main And paid it about so manfully, till Three more he had slain, And paid it, etc. Come off, come off says the othe[r] Two, and let us make our way, For if we do then hold him to 't, our Lives he'll take away. O no, O no quoth the Woman, alas! how can that be; For if you do not hold him to '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 had 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 and mighty Wrong.
London: Printed by T. Norris, at the Looking-glass on London-bridge