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Sellenger's Round, or The Beginning of the World

Chappell (The Earlier Ballads, p. 256-8) quotes Bacchus' Bountie (4to, 1593): "While thus they tippled, the fiddler he fiddled, and the pots danced for joy the old hop-about commonly called Sellengar's round." He cites many other references and concludes, "The popularity of the tune was so great that it is impossible to mention all the references to it in old writers." (I'm 63. Does that make me an old writer, too?)

But Chappell gives only two brief excerpts, four lines each from different sources

    'Twas found a good and gainful art of old
    (And much it did our Church's Pow'r uphold)
    To feign Hobgoblins, Elves, or walking Sprites,
    And Fairies dancing Selenger o'nights.

    There was a mad lad had an acre of ground
    And he sold it for five pound:
    He went to the tavern and drank it all out
    Unless it were one half-crown."

Here, however, is a longer set of words from the collection The Seeds of Love, compiled and edited by Stephen Sedley, published by Essex Music Limited in association with the English Folk Dance and Song Society.

    The Fair Maid of Islington

    There was a fair maid of Islington
    As I heard many tell
    And she was going to London town
    Her pears and apples to sell.
    As she was going along the road a vintner her did spy
    And what shall I give fair maid says he
    One night with you to lie?
    And what shall I give fair maid says he
    One night with you to lie?

    If you would lie with me one night
    You must give me five pound.
    A match, a match the vintner said
    And so let this go round.
    When he had lain with her all night
    Her money she did crave.
    O no, O no, the vintner said
    The devil a penny you'll have.

    This maid she made no more ado
    But to the Justice went:
    The vintner hired a cellar of me
    And will not pay the rent.
    Then straight the Justice for him sent
    And asked the reason why
    That he would pay this maid no rent
    To which he did reply.

    Though I hired a cellar of her
    And the possession was mine
    I ne'er put anything into it
    But one small pipe of wine.
    This fair maid being ripe of wit
    She straight replied again
    There lay two butts at the cellar door
    Why did you not roll them in?

    The Justice told the vintner plain
    If he a tenant be
    He must expect to pay the price
    For he could not sit rent-free
    And when the maid her money got
    She put it in her purse
    And clapped her hand o'er the cellar door
    And swore it was never the worse.

It appear that Sellenger's Round has at least one other title. The notes to this song state, "'The Fair Maid of Islington: or the London Vintner Over-reach'd; to the tune of Sellenger's Round, or Caper and Ferk It' is a 17th Century Broadside in the Bagford collection. The above text is based on a condensed version of the song published in a 1744 songbook. The melody... was composed by William Byrd [I believe Chappell cites earlier sources] and was immensely popular." The notes go on to say that the tune "...has been adapted so that the note-values fit the words." I'm looking into permission to publish the score.

By the way, OED tells us that "ferk" means to dance or jump.