Prevailing fashions/Robin A'boon

ROBIN A'BOON

My name is Robin A’boon,
my age is twenty and four,
I married last midsummer morn,
for the sake of a plentiful ⟨store⟩:
My wife she's decreppet and old,
and scarce has an eye for to see.
But I know she had plenty of gold,
or the d---l should have had her for me

Though I be young, randy and (illegible text),
and Dolly my ⟨comical⟩ bride,
Her locks are as grey at a rat,
and her nose is staud all on one side :
⟨I⟩ stroak'd her old cheeks with my hand,
in few words we soon did agree,
My wife has abundance of gold,
or the d---l should have had her for me.

The very first visit I paid,
she gave me a delicate ring,
So lovingly as we did agree
oh ! then she began for to sing:
She pray'd for my prosp'rous health,
So lovingly we did agree.
At the first she show'd me her wealth,
or the d—l should have had her for me.

She promis'd to make me the lord,
of every penny she had,
So lovingly as we did accord,
all people think me mad;
But the end of my fingers did itch,
to handle the gold I did see
I knew very well she was rich,
or the d—l should have had her for me.

Her stumps they are rotten and black,
for teeth she has none in her head,
And with a great hump on her back
She waddled away to be wed.
I laught at the comical sight
to think that she wedded must be,
For if that she had not been so rich
the d—l should have had her for me.

I kept both my hawks and my hounds,
and often a hunting I go,
Sometimes up on other folks grounds,
I catch a young cunny or so.
Of which l‘m wondrous proud,
my wife to the same did agree,
And if liberty was not allowed,
the d---l should have had her for me.

Oft-times I have cross'd the seas,
where thundring cannons do roar,
But now I do live at my ease,
drinking bumming good liquor and galore :
I'll cast off my tarpauling rags
and on with some clothes that are free,
My wife had abundance of bags,
or the d---l should have had her for me.

Her husband when he was alive,
he liv'd upon usury then,
He made it his trade to contrive,
to cheat and defraud honest men ;
But now he is laid up in the dust,
and I'm her young husband to be,
She shew'd me her riches at first,
or the d---l should have had her for me.

Old wives love men that are young,
young men love money likewise,
Court them with a flattering tongue,
and soon they'll surrender the prize;
Since it has been my prosperous lot,
I wish her no more of (illegible text)
I have got all the money she had,
let her die now as soon as she will.