ON WOOD THE IRONMONGER. 1725. SALMONEUS, as the Grecian tale is, All ran to prayers, both priests and laity, When Jove, in pity to the town, With real thunder knock'd him down. They search'd his pockets on the place, WILL WOOD'S PETITION TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND. Being an excellent new Song, supposed to be made, and sung in the Streets of Dublin, by William Wood, Ironmonger and Halfpenny-monger. 1725. My dear Irish folks, Come leave off your jokes, And buy up my halfpence so fine; So fair and so bright, They'll give you delight; They'll sell to my grief As cheap as neck-beef, For counters at cards to your wife; And every day Your children may play Come hither and try, I'll teach you to buy A pot of good ale for a farthing; I ask you no more, And a fig for the Drapier and Harding.1 When tradesmen have gold, The thief will be bold, By day and by night for to rob him: No robber will touch, The little blackguard Who gets very hard His halfpence for cleaning your shoes: He may swear he has nothing to lose. Here's halfpence in plenty, For one you'll have twenty, Though thousands are not worth a pudden. Your neighbours will think, When your pocket cries chink, You are grown plaguy rich on a sudden. The Drapier's printer.-F. You will be my thankers, I'll make you my bankers, But my pretty brass, And then you'll be all of a trade. To I'm a son of a whore If I have a word more say in this wretched condition. If my coin will not pass, I must die like an ass; And so I conclude my petition. A NEW SONG ON WOOD'S HALFPENCE. YE people of Ireland, both country and city, Which nobody can deny. The halfpence are coming, the nation's undoing, There's an end of your ploughing, and baking, and brewing; In short, you must all go to wreck and to ruin. Which, &c. Both high men and low men, and thick men and tall men, And rich men and poor men, and free men and thrall men, 1 Two famous bankers.-F. Will suffer; and this man, and that man, and all men. The soldier is ruin'd, poor man! by his pay; When he pulls out his twopence, the tapster says not, If he goes to the baker, the baker will huff, Again, to the market whenever he goes, Which, &c. The butcher is stout, and he values no swagger; stagger. Which, &c. The beggars themselves will be broke in a trice, When thus their poor farthings are sunk in their price; When nothing is left they must live on their lice. Which, &c. |