Page:Dorsetshire garland, or, The beggar's wedding.pdf/6



he richeſt attire that there could be bought

With ſilver and gold was richly wrought,

For the Bride and Bridegroom they then did prepare

And ſo took their journey for fair Dorſetſhire.

A ſcore of the beſt that belong'd to the tribe

They took them along for to credit the Bride:

The lame with their crutches, the halt and the blind

Were plac'd in great order to follow behind.

When they had been two or three days in the town

The fame of a wedding was ſpread up and down;

The rich and the poor being curious to ſee,

And many reſolved the Bride's gueſt to be.

They hired the nobleſt hall in the town,

That the rich and the poor had room to ſit down

But Jemmy and Suſan were kept up ſecure,

Till they in their ſplendor appear'd at the door.

Some hundreds of people that ſtood for to gaze

At the ſight of the couple, were ſtruck with amaze

For ſhe did appear like an angel divine,

And he all the reſt of his ſex did outſhine.

Old Doll and her Husſband they followed the Bride

With a budget of good bread and cheeſe by their ſide

And after came hopping the blind and the lame,

Such a wedding in England before was ne'er ſeen

This couple they were not aſham'd of their gueſts

Becauſe that they nothing did know of their birth

Being joined in marriage, they back did return,

And now of the paſtime they had, Sir, at home.

They furniſhed the table with good wedding cheer

They had mumpt on the road coming to Dorſetſshire

Good rind of fat bacon and nice mouldy cheeſe,

And niggins of ale, Sir, as ſtrong as you pleaſe.

Dinner being ended, ſtarts up one of the gueſts,

Who pull'd out his pipes and played the beſt,