Collection of eighty street ballads on forty sheets, mostly with a woodcut printed at London, the majority by J. Catnach (1820ñ1830). London: n.p., n.d. University of Minnesota Libraries. WILSON Rare Books Quarto 820.1 C683.

Half-sheet pasted to album leaf 3.

Old Woman of Rumford.

Printed by J. HILL, 14, Waterloo Rd., London. óSold, also by Martin, 13 Little Prescot St,ó TuneóHelmet on his brow.

There was an old woman of Rumford,

And she was a gay old lass,

And many an honest penny got,

By selling asparagrass.

As through the streets she goes,

With her barrow as she'd pass,

<S>oliciting her customers

To buy her precious Aró

(Chorus) tichokes an Colliflowers,

Come buy, come buy of me,

They are the finest of the sort,

That ever you did see.

This old woman had a daughter,
   And the girl, her name was Ciss
And she went into the garden
   Every morning for to pick
Some parcely, time, and sage,
   Likewise some asparagrass,
To decorate her barrow,
   When she cried come buy my Ar-
                                        tichokes, &c.

This old woman had a lodger too,
   Who used to bed and board,
She resolved one morn to treat him with
   A good brown roasted turókey.
She boiled some colliflowers,
   Likewise some asparagrass,
For she had made a lucky hitt,
   And sold her precious Arótichokes<.>

This put the lodger in a rage,
   Said he my cunning old lass,
If you give me further impertinance,
   I'll kick your precious Aró
Tichokes and tender flowers,
   From your barrow as you pass,
Oh, no, you must not touch me,
   Nor my daughter's precious arótichokes<.>

But if you'll wed my daughter Ciss,
   I swear now by the lass,
Five hundred pounds I will pay down
   Which I've got by my grass.
When she may be a lady gay,
   Visit opera, ball and farce,
And never mind what people say,
   About her old mother's Arótichokes<.>

This was not to be resisted,
   So he pocketed the cash,
And not being close fisted,
   Resolved to cut a dash.
He had parties every day to dine,
   Made each guest fill up his glass,
And the first toast he gave in a bumper
   Here's success to the old woman's Aró
               tichokes, &c.

Basic transcription by Brett Single. Pointed brackets mark supplied punctuation.

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Michael Hancher Department of English, University of Minnesota URL: <http://umn.edu/home/mh/rumfield.html> Comments to: mh@umn.edu Created 7 April 1997 Revised 28 June 1997