ABOUT 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.

TAYLOR'S FAREWELL TO THE

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.
No 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,

The pie. Much like unto the picture of we (6) three.

ture of two

fools, and the

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

on, I do fitly

theek Two false Black bottles, and myself at jar.

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.
years almost the place I did retain,

Ten

(e) edhe And (c) glean'd great Bacchus blood from France

two Bottles,

being in

quantity six

gallons from

every ship

and Spain,

that brought Few ships my visitation did escape,

wines up the

Thames.

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

(d)The wines had been continually brought into

Full to the top all merry came We three.

Yet always 'twas my chance in Bacchus spite

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

ant's cellar

of the Tower

for 316 years and never

But as men's thoughts a world of ways do range,

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

of laterithin

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 conjess more than any man can

accuse me of.

(9) Except he were a fool, or a mad

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

seith him at And 'tis much better in a jail to rot,

any price, in

hope that he would not

stay the full receiving. which fell out as I

wished it.

(i) That Lieutenant

left his place,

To suffer begg'ry, slavery, or what not,

Than to be blasted with that wrong of wrongs,
Which is the poison of backbiting tongues.

Hoisted aloft unto this mounting tax,

Bound fast in bonds in parchment and with wax,
Time gallop'd, and brought on the payment day,
And for three months I eighteen pounds did.
Then I confess, I play'd the thief in grain,
And for one bottle commonly stole twain.

pay.

But so who buys the place, and means to thrive,
Must many times for one take four or five.
For this I will maintain and verify,

It is an office no true man can buy.
And by that reason sure I should say well,
It is unfit for any man to sell :

For till at such an extreme rate I bought,
To filch or steal, I scarcely had a thought,
And I dare make a vow 'fore God and men,
I never play'd the thief so much as then.
But at the last my friendly stars agreed,

That from my heavy bonds I should be (i) freed:

by which Which if I ever come into again,

was eased of my hard

payments.

Let hanging be the guerdon for my pain.

By thi Then the (4) old custom did again begin,

Lieutenant

that now is.

And to the Tower I brought the Bottles in,
For which for serving more than half a year,
I (with much love) had wages and good cheer,