Ralph and Nell's Ramble to Oxford,

[ Sold by J. EVANS, No. 41, Long-Lane, West-Smithfield, London. ]

I HEARD much talk of Oxford town,
And rain I would go thither,
When ploughing and lowing time was done,
It being gallant weather,
Vather did to it agree,
That I and Nell should go,
But Mother cry'd that we should ride,
So we had Dobbin too.

Zo I goes unto zifter Nell,
And bids her to make ready,
And put on her Zunday's clothes,
As vine as any lady;

Tis a gallant day, the morning's grey,
And likely to be fair,
Therefore make hafte, and foon be lac'd,
And I'll go bait the mare.

Zo upon the mare we got,
And a way we rid together,
And every body that we met
We alki'd how far 'twas thither?

Till at the laft when on the top
Of Chiffedon we did rife,
I fomethig (if it) d like steeplees, and cry'd,
Zooks, Nell, look yonder it is.

But when as nearer to't we came,
We zee folks infant thick,
I heard a little baftard fay,
Look, here comes country Dick,
Another baftard call'd me Ralph,
And how is't honest Joan?

Nay Roger too and little Sue,
And all the folks at home.

Zo we rode on and nothing faid,
But looked for an alehouse,
At laft we zers a hugeous fign
As big as any gallows;

It was two dogs, io in we rode,
And called for the hoft-r,

Out came a lufty fellow then,
I warrant he was fome wreftler.

Here take my horfe, and fet'n up,
And gien a lock of hay,

For we are come to fee the town,
And tarry here all day;

Yes, fir, faid he, and call'd the maid
That flood within the entry,
She had us into a room as clean,
As tho' we had been gentry.

Zowe zet down, and bid them fetch
A flaggon of their beer,
But when it came, Nell fhoong her head,
And faid 'twas plaguy dear;

Zays he to me, If we fly long
'Twill foon make us go a begging,
For I am so 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
With a pitiful raggel gown;

As for his fleevs, I do believe
That they were both torn off,
And inſtead of a hat he wore a cap,
'Twas a trencher cover'd with cloth.

And as we were going along the town,
I thought I had found a knife,
I floep'd down to pick it up,

But ne'er ſo afham'd in my life,
For the under-fide was all beſit
With an arrant chriſtian's turd,

The boys fell a hallooing out—April fool!
But I zed ne'er a word.

As we went thro' a narrow lane,
One catch'd vaſt hold of zifter,
He'd parton's clothes, and he did not know us
But rain he would have kift her;

He was ſo plaguy vine, but to my mind
He look'd much like awencher,
I up'd wi' my flick, and gien a lick,
I believe it ſplitt his trencher.

Then we went into a very vine place,
And there we went to church,
I kneel'd down to zay my prayers,
And did not think any hurt,

In the middle of prayers, juſt up stairs
Were bagpipes to my thinking,

And the folks below fell a finging too,
As tho' they had been drinking.

I did not like fuch doings there,
And zo I took my hat,

I did not think they had zo done,
In zuch a place as that,

But Nell was forſtaying till they'd done playing
Because ſhe lik'd the tunes,

For ſhe was sure ſhe ne'er did hear

Old Curundal 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,
'Twas like a garden knot,
When the zun ſhin'd bright it went as right
As our parfon's clock.

Then we went out of this vine place,
And went unto another,

Which was vorty times as fine
As any of the other;

Bleſs me! our Ralph, quoth Nell,
There's books pild up like mows;
Vaith, Nell, I with my mother was here
If 'twas not for the cows.

And in the middle floo't two things
As round as any ball,

They told us 'twas the picture of
The world, the zea, and all,

And thofe who knew how to turn them right,
And how to turn them round,

Could tell us what o'clock it was
In the world under ground.

And many more things they could tell,
That were almost as ſtrange,

And when the zun ſhould zet and rife,
And when the moon ſhould change;

I did not care to ſand ſo near,
When all thofe things I heard,

For I thought in my heart it was the black and
And I was a little afraid.

The zun being low then 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 beſighted,

Two hugeous men flood ftrutting within,
And Nell and I were frighted.

Nell had a colour as red as a roſe,
And durſt not go any ſuſer,

They had bloody weapons in their hands,
And flood ready for murder;

Zo we went back and got the mare,
And was coming trotting home,

With ſtories enough to tell vather and mother
And little filter Joan.