The Cryes of London

God give you good morrow, my masters, past three o’clock and a fair morning. – New mussels, new lily-white mussels. – Hot codlings, hot. – New cockles, new great cockles, new great sprats, new. – New great lampreys, new fresh herrings. – New haddock, new, new thornback, new. – Hot apple pies, hot. Hot pippin pies, hot. Fine pomegranates, fine. – Hot mutton pies, hot. – Buy a rope. – Ha’ ye any old bellows or trays to mend? – Rosemary and bays, quick and gentle, ripe chestnuts, ripe. – Ripe walnuts, ripe. – White cabbage, white young cabbage. White turnips, white young turnips. White young parsnips, white. White lettuce, white young lettuce, white. – Buy any ink, will you buy any pens? Very fine writing ink. – Ha’ ye any rats or mice to kill? – I have ripe peascods. – Oysters, three pence a peck at Bridewell dock, new Wallfleet oysters. – Oyez! If any man or woman can tell any tidings of a grey mare with a long mane and a short tail – Will you buy any fine tobacco? – she halts down right before and is stark lame behind and was lost this thirtieth day of February. – He that can tell any tidings of her, let him come to the Cryer and he shall have well for his hire. Ripe damsons, fine ripe damsons. – Hard garlic. I have ripe gooseberries, ripe. – Will you buy any aqua-vitae, mistress? – Buy a barrel of samphire. – What is’t you lack? Fine wrought shirts or smocks? – Perfum’d waistcoats, fine bone lace or edgings, sweet gloves, silk garters, very fine silk garters, fine combs and glasses. – Or a poking stick with a silver handle. – Old doublets, ha’ ye any old doublets? – Ha’ ye any corns on your feet or toes? – Fine potatoes, fine. – Will you buy any starch or clear complexion, mistress? – Poor naked Bedlam, Tom’s a-cold, a small cut of thy bacon or a piece of thy sow’s side, good Bess, God Almighty bless thy wits. – Quick periwinkles, quick, quick, quick. – Will you buy any scurvy grass? Buy a new almanack. Buy a fine washing ball. – Will you have any small coal? – Good gracious people, for the Lord’s sake, pity the poor women; we lie cold and comfortless night and day on the bare boards in the dark dungeon in great misery. – Hot spice cakes, hot, oat cakes, lanthorns and candle light, hangout maids for all night. – And so we make an end.

Will you go with a pair of oars? – Will you go with me, sir? I am Sir John Chimney’s man. – I am your first man, sir! – A good sausage, a good, and it be roasted, go round about the capon, go round. – Hot codlings, hot. – New oysters, new; new plaice, new. – Will ye buy any milk or frumenty? – Ha’ ye any work for a tinker? – New mackerel, new. – Broom, broom, old boots, old shoes, pouch rings for brooms. – Will ye buy a mat for a bed? – Ha’ ye any kitchen stuff maids? – Ha’ ye any work for a cooper? – What ends have you of gold or silver? – Ripe strawberries, ripe. – Hot spice cakes, hot. – What coney skins have ye, maids? – I ha’ ripe cow-cumbers, I ha’ ripe. – Fresh cheese and cream. – Salt, salt. – Will you buy my dish of eels? – Will you buy any Aqua-vitae, mistress? – Hard onions, hard. – Cherry ripe, apples fine, medlars fine? – Ac’ a black. – Will ye buy any straw? – New fresh herring at Billingsgate, four an penny, five to many. – White radish, white young radish. – White cabbage, white young cabbage, white. – Hot pudding pies, hot. – Have ye any wood to cleave? – Bread and meat for the poor prisoners of the Marshalsea for Christ Jesus’ sake. – Sweep chimney, sweep, mistress with a hey derry sweep. From the bottom to the top, sweep, then shall no soot fall in your porridge pot, with a hey derry, sweep. – Fine Seville oranges, fine lemons. – Twelve o’clock, look well to your lock, your fire and your light and so good night.