“A Hundred Stretches Hence” [Notes]
[From The Vocabulum: or Rogues Lexicon, by G. W. MATSELL, New York].
I
Oh! where will be the culls of the bing [1]
A hundred stretches hence? [2]
The bene morts who sweetly sing, [3]
A hundred stretches hence?
The autum-cacklers, autum-coves, [4]
The jolly blade who wildly roves; [5]
And where the buffer, bruiser, blowen, [6]
And all the cops, and beaks so knowin, [7]
A hundred stretches hence?
II
And where the swag so bleakly pinched [8]
A hundred stretches hence?
The thimbles, slangs, and danglers filched, [9]
A hundred stretches hence?
The chips, the fawneys, chatty-feeders, [10]
The bugs, the boungs, and well-filled readers; [11]
And where the fence, and snoozing ken, [12]
With all the prigs and lushing men, [13]
A hundred stretches hence?
III
Played out they lay, it will be said
A hundred stretches hence;
With shovels they were put to bed [14]
A hundred stretches since!
Some rubbed to wit had napped a winder, [15]
And some were scragged and took a blinder, [16]
Planted the swag and lost to sight, [17]
We’ll bid them one and all good-night,
A hundred stretches hence.
[1: publicans] [2: years] [3: pretty women] [4: married women and men] [5: boon companion] [6: smuggler; pugilist; whore] [7: police; magistrate] [8: plunder cleverly stolen] [9: watches; chains; seals; stolen] [10: money; rings; spoons] [11: breast-pins; purses; pocket-book] [12: receiver of stolen goods; brothel] [13: thieves; drunkards] [14: buried] [15: taken to gaol; had cheated a life sentence] [16: hanged; drowned oneself] [17: got rid of the plunder]