Ballad XII (Though Oxford be yielded, & Reading be taken)

Though Oxford be yielded, & Reading be taken,
I'll put in for quarter at thy Maiden-head:
There while I'm insconsed, my Standards unshaken,
Lie thou in my arms, and I in thy bed.
Let the young zlots march with their wenches,
Mounting their tools to edifie trenches,
While thou and I do make it our pleasure,
To dig in thy Mine for the purest Treasure,
Where no body else shall plunder but I.

And when we together in battail do joyn,
We scorn to wear arms but what are our own;
Strike thou at my body, and I'll thrust at thine,
By nakedness best the truth is made known.
Cannons may roar, and bullets keep flying,
While we are in Battail, we never fear dying.
Isaac and's wenches are busie a digging,
But all our delight is in japping and jigging,
And no body else shall plunder but I.

And when at the last our bodies are weary,
We'l straight to the Taverns our strength to recruit;
Where, when we've refresht our hearts with Canary,
We shall be the fitter again to go to't.
We'll tipple and drink untill we do stagger,
For then is the time for Souldiers to swagger.
Thus night and day we'l thump it and knock it,
And when we've no money then look to your pocket,
For no body else shall plunder but I.

Written in 1643.