Cant Terms in Taylor the Water Poet -- antedating of Cully and Naskin

[Robin Hamilton]

In John Taylor, _Divers Crabtree Lectures ... Also a Lecture betweene a
Pedler and his wife in the Canting Language_ (1639), pp. 188-195, Taylor
presents, in parallel columns, "A Cove and a Mort Whidling together as they
budged upon the Pad" / "A Lecture between a Pedler and his wife, as they
walked on the high way".  The Cant section contains two antedatings of OED
entries:

     OED: naskin, n. --   A prison. Cf. nask n.—1673

Taylor:

    6. Cove.  But sto Mort: what if I should bee Cloyed in the milling of
Cacklers, Quacklers, or Duds, or nipping a Bung, and so be cloyed, & budged
to the Naskin: Mort what shall I whid then?

    7. Mort.  Sto Cove, if thou budge to the Naskin, I will bing to the
Coves and the Morts, and whid to them for Lower, that thou maist budge out
of the Naskin: and then budge into the Rum-vile, where the Coves and the
Morts do not tower us: & there we may cloy brinsy.

    OED:  cully, n.  --  1. One who is cheated or imposed upon (e.g. by a
sharper, strumpet, etc.); a dupe, gull; one easily deceived or taken in; a
silly fellow, simpleton. (Much in use in the 17th c.) -- 1664

Taylor:

    “And if thou want lower, budge to the next Vile, and there nip a Bung,
or cloy a Culley [cheate some Countryman]; then budge to the bowsing Ken,
and boose rumsie and beanely …”

There are several interesting (and peculiar) things about Taylor’s Cant
Dialogue, as well as this first recorded use of two Cant terms.  Most
obviously, there are strong connections between the passage in Taylor and
the text of _Martin Mark-All_ (1610: by Samuel Rowlands.  Or Samuel Rid.  Or
S.R.).  Both Taylor and Mark-All have “budge” for ‘to go’ (and uniquely [?]
outside the Dictionary tradition, both have the phrase “budge a beake”), use
“cloy” in the senses of both “to steal” and “to arrest”, have "whid" as a
verb, and have “tip” for ‘give’.  (Rowlands’ text is the first place where
these various Cant terms are found.)

The obvious inference would seem to be that Taylor is drawing on Rowlands,
but this is challenged by the appearance of Naskin and Culley, neither of
which appear in Rowlands.  Rowlands suggests in his text that the earlier
“Ruffmans” (for a hedge) had been replaced (1610) by Crackmans.  In Taylor,
rather than having “Crackmans”, we have “Crack”:

Taylor:  “if you tower any states [slates?] lye upon the Cracke, mill them,
and budge a beak …”

If Taylor is following Rowlands, at least he isn’t doing so uncritically.
If the two texts are relatively independent, then we have a substantial
amount of material showing the state of Cant in the early seventeenth
century, in contrast to the stage of Cant earlier recorded by Thomas Harman
as dating from the middle of the sixteenth century.

As Taylor’s text is relatively inaccessible, I’ll include a transcript at
the end of this post.

Robin Hamilton

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A Cove and a Mort Whidling together as they budged upon the Pad.

    1. Cove.  MOrt, what lower hast thou in thy Bung?

    2. Cove.  I have a boord, two stagges, a Make, and onejon, and a rum
stocke too.

    3. Cove.  You had twenty five boord Cove, what a Ruffin is budged with
it?

    4. Cove.  O Mort, I whid to thee: I budged to the bowsing Ken, & there I
bowsed all my lower amongst the Beane Coves, and Doxes: But how shall we
save this, & get more?

    5. Mort.  Ile tell thee queere Cove, thou must maund at the Gigger for
Pannum and Casum, or a cheat of queere bowse, or Kacklen Cheate, and whid
rumpsie; and then lib in the Strummel, al the darkmans, and budge a beake in
the light mans: and rather then want Rum-peck, or Beane boose, mill the
Cacklers, coy the Quack, or Duds: and if you tower any states lye upon the
Cracke, mill them, and budge a beak: And if thou want lower, budge to the
next Vile, and there nip a Bung, or cloy a Culley; then budge to the bowsing
Ken, and boose rumsie and beanely: but Cove be sure thou tip me some Lower,
when you budge backe from the Ken.

    6. Cove.  But sto Mort: what if I should bee Cloyed in the milling of
Cacklers, Quacklers, or Duds, or nipping a Bung, and so be cloyed, & budged
to the Naskin: Mort what shall I whid then?

    7. Mort.  Sto Cove, if thou budge to the Naskin, I will bing to the
Coves and the Morts, and whid to them for Lower, that thou maist budge out
of the Naskin: and then budge into the Rum-vile, where the Coves and the
Morts do not tower us: & there we may cloy brinsy.

    8. Cove.  As thou art a Beane Mort, and whids rumpsie, I will venture a
training, or a noosing, 'ere I will want Lower, peckage, beane bowse, or
duds for my Morts, & my Kinchins. I doe not fear any Harmanbeck, or Pug, nor
doe I care for Cly the Ierke.

--------------------------

A Lecture between a Pedler and his wife, as they walked on the high way.

    1. Wife.  HVsband, what money hast thou in thy Purse?

    2. Husb.  Wife, I have but a shilling, two groats, and three farthings,
and a good stocke too.

    3. Wife.  You had twenty five shillings Husband, what a Divell is become
of it?

    4. Husb.  O wife Ile tell to thee: I went to the Alehouse, and there I
spent all my money amongst good fellowes, and pretty wenches. But how shall
we save this, and get more?

    5. Wife.  Ile tell thee thou shallow-braind fellow, thou must beg at
Farmers doores for Bread and Cheese, or a Cup of small Beere, or a Hens
egge, and speake boldly for it: and lye in some Barne upon straw all night,
and goe away early in the morning: And rather then want Meate, or Drinke,
steales Hennes, Duckes, Geese, or Capons: And if you see any sheets lie upon
the hedge, steale them and run away: If thou want mony, then goe to the next
market or faire, and there picke a Pocket, or cheate some Countryman; and
then goe to the Alehouse, and drinke merrily and jovially: But husband be
sure you save me some money when you are at the Alehouse.

    Husb.  But doe you heare wife: what if I should bee taken in stealing of
Hennes, Ducks, Geese, or Capons, or Cloathes, or picking a Pocket, and so
bee carried to prison: wife what shall I then say?

    7. Wife.  Peace husband, peace, if you be carried to prison, I will goe
to our companions, and speake to them for some mony to release thee out of
prison: and then we'le goe to the next City, where we may steale safely.

    8. Husb.  Oh thou art a good wife, and speakest bravely: I will venture
an hanging before I will want mony, meate, or good drinke, or cloathes for
my Wife and Children: I care not for any Constable or Beadle; nor doe I
feare the whipping post.

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