BOUT three hundred and twenty years since, or thereabouts, (I think in the reign of

King Richard the Second) there was a gift given to the Tower, or to the Lieutenants thereof, for the time then and for ever being, which gift was two black Leather Bottles, or Bombards of wine, from every ship that brought wine into the river of Thames ; the which hath so continued until this day, but the merchants finding themselves aggrieved lately, because they thought the Bottles were made bigger than they were formerly wont to be, did wage law with the Lieutenant (Sir Gervis Helwis by name) in which suit the Lieutenant had been overthrown, but for such witnesses as I found that knew his right for a long time in their own knowledge. But I having had the gathering of these wines for many years, was at last discharged from my place because I would not buy it, which because it was never bought or sold before, I would not or durst not venture upon so unhonest a novelty, it being sold indeed at so high a rate, that whoso bought it must pay thrice the value of it: whereupon I took occasion to take leave of the Bottles in this following Poem, in which the reader must be very melancholy, if the reading thereof do not make him very merry.

JOHN TAYLOR.

50887

TAYLOR'S FAREWELL TO THE

B

TOWER-BOTTLES.

Y your leave Gentlemen, I'll make some
sport,

Although I venture half a hanging for 't:
But yet I will no peace or manners break
For I to none but Leather-bottles speak.
Νο anger spurs me forward, or despite
Insomuch plain verse I talk of wrong and right.
The loser may speak, when the winner wins,
And madly merrily my muse begins.
Mad Bedlam Tom, assist me in thy rags,
Lend me thy army of foul fiends and hags :
Hobgoblins, elves, fair fairies, and foul furies,
Let me have twelve gross of infernal juries,
With Robin Goodfellow and bloody bone
Assist my merry Muse, all, every one.
I will not call to the (a) Pegassian nine,
In this they shall not aid me in a line:
Their favours I'll reserve till fitter time.

To grace some better business with my rhyme,

(a) The 9 Muse.

Plain home-spun stuff shall now proceed from me, (b) The pic. Much like unto the picture of we (b) three.

ture of two

fools, and the

thirt looking And now I talk of three, just three we are,

on, I do fitly

comparerith Two false Black bottles, and myself at jar.

the two black

Bottles and

myself. And reader when you read our cause of strife,
You'll laugh or else lie down, I'll lay my life,
But as remembrance lamely can rehearse,
In sport I'll rip the matter up in verse.
Yet first here down I think it fit to set

By what means first, I with those Bottles met.
Then stroke your beard my masters and give ear,
I was a waterman twice four long year,

And lived in a contented happy state.

Then turn'd the whirling wheel of fickle Fate,
From water unto wine: Sir William Waad

Did freely, and for nothing turn my trade. Ten years almost the place I did retain, (And (c) glean'd great Bacchus blood from France and Spain,

being in

quantity six gallons from every ship

that brought

wines up the

Thames

Few ships my visitation did escape,

river of That brought the sprightful liquor of the grape : My Bottles and myself did oft agree,

(The wines hulbeen

continut

brout in'o

Full to the top all merry came We three.

Yet always 'twas my chance in Bacchus spite

Lieuten To come into the Tower unfox'd' upright.

ant's cellar

of the Tower But as men's thoughts a world of

for 316 y a. s

and never

ways do range,

old till now So as Lieutenants chang'd, did customs (d) change:

of late within

this four or

five years.

'UNFOX'D.-i.e., not drunk.

The ancient use us'd many years before,
Was sold, unto the highest rate and more,
At such a price, which whosoe'er did give,
Must play the thief, or could not save and live.
Which to my loss, I manifestly found

I am well sure it cost me thirty pound
For one year, but before the next year come,
'Twas almost mounted to a (e) double sum:
Then I, in scorn, contempt, and vile disgrace,
Discarded was, and thrust quite from my place,
There Bacchus almost cast me in the mire,
And I from wine to water did retire.
But when the blind misjudging world did see,
The strange unlook'd for parting of us three,
To hear but how the multitude did judge,
How they did mutter, mumble, prate and grudge,
That for some (ƒ) faults I surely had committed,
I, in disgrace thus from my place was quitted.
These imputations griev'd me to the heart,
(For they were causeless and without desert)
And therefore, though no man above the ground
That knew the Bottles would give twenty (g) pound
Rather than I would branded be with shame,

And bear the burthen of desertless blame,

To be an owl, contemptuously bewondered.

(e) It was sol at these hard rates by another Lieutenant, (an honest religious gentleman, and a good housekeeper) by the persuasions of some of his double diligent servants

(F) Against all the world I oppose myself in this point but yet I purpose to

confess more than ang

man can

accuse me of.

(g) Except he were a cool, or a mat man.

I would (h) give threescore, fourscore, or a hundred. I did hear

For I did vow, although I were undone,

I would redeem my credit overrun,

that that Lieutenant was to leave his place which made me bargain