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<DATE>2007-09-03</DATE>
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<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B070813.apex.</ITEM>
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<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A89094">
<STC T="W">M1866</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">45097857</BIBNO>
<VID>171437</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="poem">
<PB REF="1"><!-- PDF PAGE 13 -->
<HEAD>THE Merry Maid of Shoreditch, Her Re&s;olution and Good Coun&s;el to all her Fellow Maids; And &s;ays, that &s;he will never tye her &s;elf to a Crab Tree &s;o long as &s;he has a whole Wood to Range in.</HEAD>
<P>The Tune is, I have a Mi&s;tris of my own: Or, Hold Buckle and Thong together.</P>
<P><FIGURE>
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<FIGURE>
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<FIGURE>
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<LG>
<L>YOu young Maids all, where e're you be, I pray you now come hear this Ditty;</L>
<L>And I hope you will all agree, you cannot &s;ay but it is pretty:</L>
<L>I've lived a Maid the&s;e twenty Years, and never was no Young-mans Debtor;</L>
<L>Men are &s;o full of Lyes and jears, <HI>that a &s;ingle life it is the better.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>A Young-Man will wooe a pretty Maid, and Swear, and Lye, and &s;ay he'l have her,</L>
<L>Vntil he hath her heart betray'd, to get his will and &s;o to leave her:</L>
<L>But young maids you mu&s;t be very wi&s;e, for young-men they will you infetter,</L>
<L>They &s;trive to make of you a prize, <HI>but a &s;ingle life it is the better.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>For whil&s;t a maid doth keep unwed, young men will give to her great Honour</L>
<L>But if &s;he chance to bring a Knave to her bed, then he'l not care what does come on her:</L>
<L>But get her Children year by year, and cro&s;s and vex, and &s;trive to tret her,</L>
<L>For a married VVife's ne'r out of care, <HI>a &s;ingle life it is the better.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>While a maid lives a &s;ingle life, &s;he may &s;it and talk with any &s;tranger,</L>
<L>But after &s;he is made a wife, if &s;he do the like there is great danger:</L>
<L>So maids, if you can be content, be not drawn in to a young-mans fetter,</L>
<L>Le&s;t afterwards you do repent, <HI>then to live &s;ingle it is better.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<PB REF="1"><!-- PDF PAGE 13 -->
<L>THere is many a Maid that hath been wed, both in Country, Town and City,</L>
<L>To carele&s;s Husbands, I am afraid, which grieves their wives, the more's the pitty</L>
<L>Therefore young Maids let's have a care, and believe no lyes that young men flatter,</L>
<L>They &s;pare no words they can devi&s;e, <HI>but a &s;ingle life it is the better.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Young-men will &s;hew great &s;tore of love, and have young maids drink wine and &s;herry,</L>
<L>And their hearts within do as rotten prove, to give you drink to overcome you:</L>
<L>The Devil him&s;elf is not &s;o fal&s;e as &s;ome men be, I will not Flatter,</L>
<L>To bring a Maiden to their Bow, <HI>but a &s;ingle life it is the better.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>So Maidens that do live i'th row, you mu&s;t be careful of this matter,</L>
<L>I'de have you all for to do &s;o, and believe no young-men when they Flatter,</L>
<L>Be&s;ides they &s;weeten you up &s;o brave, with &s;ugred ki&s;&s;es that will fetter,</L>
<L>And another thing if you will it have, <HI>but a &s;ingle life it is more better.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>There's &s;carce a young-man that is in ten, that will prove loyal to a maiden,</L>
<L>But will prate and lye, and cogg and feign, as though his heart with Love was laden:</L>
<L>But will di&s;&s;emble more or le&s;s, for to &s;tand him when he charged,</L>
<L>And &s;o undoes that &s;illy La&s;s, and then her trouble is inlarged.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Young Maidens all look too't in time, when as you go for to marry,</L>
<L>Be&s;ure to chu&s;e an hone&s;t man, or el&s;e you'd better longer tarry:</L>
<L>For an hone&s;t man will ne'r you wrong, but a Knave will be to you a fretter,</L>
<L>It is quickly done, and long thought on, <HI>for to live &s;ingle you had better.</HI></L>
</LG>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>Printed for J. Deacon, at the Angel in Guilt-Spur-&s;treet without Newgate.</P>
</DIV1>
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