(From Thomas Harman’s Caveat or Warening for Common Cursetors, vulgarly called Vagabones, 1568.)
Upright Man. Bene Lightmans[37] to thy quarromes,[38] in what lipken[39] hast thou lypped[40] in this darkemans,[41] whether in a lybbege[42] or in the strummel?[43]
Roge. I couched a hogshead[44] in a Skypper[45] this darkemans.
Man. I towre[46] the strummel trine[47] upon thy nachbet[48] and Togman.[49]
Roge. I saye by the Salomon[50] I will lage it of[51] with a gage of bene bouse;[52] then cut to my nose watch.[53]
Man. Why, hast thou any lowre[54] in thy bonge[55] to bouse?[56]
Roge. But a flagge,[57] a wyn,[58] and a make.[59]
Man. Why, where is the kene[60] that hath the ben bouse?
Roge. A bene mort[61] hereby at the signe of the prauncer.[62]
Man. I cutt it is quyer[63] bouse, I bousd a flagge the last darkmans.
Roge. But bouse there a bord,[64] and thou shalt haue beneship.[65] Tower ye yander is the kene, dup the gygger,[66] and maund[67] that is bene shyp.
Man. This bouse is as benship as rome bouse.[68] Now I tower that ben bouse makes nase nabes.[69] Maunde of this morte what ben pecke[70] is in her ken.
Roge. She has a Cacling chete,[71] a grunting chete,[72] ruff Pecke,[73] Cassan,[74] and poplarr of yarum.[75]
Man. That is benship to our watche.[76] Now we haue well bousd, let vs strike some chete.[77] Yonder dwelleth a quyer cuffen,[78] it were benship to myll[79] hym.
Roge. Now bynge we a waste[80] to the hygh pad,[81] the ruffmanes[82] is by.
Man. So may we happen on the Harmanes,[83] and cly the Tarke,[84] or to the quyerken[85] and skower quyaer crampings,[86] and so to tryning on the chates.[87] Gerry gan,[88] the ruffian[89] clye the.[90]
Roge. What, stowe your bene,[91] cofe,[92] and sut benat wydds,[93] and byng we to rome vyle,[94] to nyp a bonge;[95] so shall we haue lowre for the bousing ken,[96] and when we byng back to the deuseauyel,[97] we wyll fylche some duddes[98] of the Ruffemans,[99] or myll the ken for a lagge of dudes.[100]